INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN..95

INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN…95
Dr K Prabhakar Rao

(Gandhi, and Nehru travelling in a bus from Jammu Tawi to Srinagar land up at Srinagar bus stand. They slowly alight from the bus. Gandhi has long stick in his hand while Nehru is as usual in hic achkans ( long Sherwani type coat), Topi and a rose at the button,. They are looking around with anxiety. They are worried at the presence of many paramilitary men and constables. A porter approaches them)

Porter. Sir any thing you want. I think you have come from India

Gandhi. What do you mean by saying India. Is this not India

Porter. This is Kashmir. And our land. Indians are staying here by force.

Gandhi. Come on. Stop this talk. Kashmir is part of India

( the porter gives a dirty look at Gandhi and leaves. They start walking curiously. Lot of army soldiers are around with arms)

Nehru. Bapu. It looks whole Srinagar as a military garrison. It looks like a cantonment. See How soldiers are pointing rifles with fixed bayonets.

Gandhi. Why so much of army is here? Are they scared

Nehru. No Bapu. HereMilitants are more than the local civilians. The local population is being coerced by the militants.

Gandhi. I see.

Nehru. Bapu. What are you able to see?

Gandhi. Come on Jawahar. Don’t be foolish. I think government gives lot of concessions to locals and spends lot of money here.

Nehru. Yes Bapu. Everything is Phukat here for them.The Government sels rice at throw away prices to locals while at other places in India the prices are ten times than this. The state has special status.

Gnadhi. Why so It is part of India. Every one who wants should be allowed to settle here.

( In the mean time LK Advani, Singhal are seen walking along with Bajpai. They see Bapu and Nehru and run to them. )

Advani.( Touches feet of Bapu) Namste Bapu. When did you come down? Are you seeing Kashmir?

Bajpai (touches feet of Bapu) Namste Bapu. What is there to see here except green vehicles and army guys? You know Bapu, all types of uniformed men are here.

Singhal. Namste Bapu, there men from army, Air force, Police, CRPF, BSF, ITBF, Railway police, Rapid action force, Rashtriya rifles, J and K rifles, Black commandos, Para commandos and what else and what not..

Gandhi. Yet there is no security for a common man

Singhal. Exactly Bapu. What I wanted to say you said.

Bajpai. The government has bungled the issue ever since you left Bapu,

Advani. We fought three wars and a non declared Kargil war with Pakistan. We have achieved nil. Even Bangladesh which we created in 1971 is drawing swords and mocking at us. They should be shown their place. They have no gratitude towards us. It is den of terrorists. They destroyed scores of temples in Bangladesh, Hindus molested and great atrocities were committed on Hindus. We remained sucking thumbs as usual.

Gandhi ( Closing eyes) . He god… give some wisdom to Indians. ( Sings)

Oh God show the path of wisdom to these Indians
Who are behaving as a bunch of ruffians
Morals and ethics have been lost
Where wisdom is found frozen in frost

( He cries beating his shriveled chest.. Mera Bharat… Mera Bharat..)

Nehru. Bapu, Mera Bharat Mahan hai… no..no.. That is not true. It has been brought down by the crooked politicians ( sings doing slow jig)

Oh my mother the greatest of all
Standing highest in world and very tall
Has fallen into the hands of crooked devils
Who are ready and happy to bring disasters and in perils

There was a time al looked at reverence
For spiritual, noble and saintly guidance
Gone are the days when we were thus revered
Thieves and rogues and cheats are now amply bred

Bajpai. Punditji. What is the use now crying hoarse? Kashmir problem was created by you and also whiled away in your days with never ending debates in UNO and nothing came out. The problem was allowed to remain unsolved for decades and has become a virus in the country.

Advani. When part of the body has gangrene it has to be amputated. The state of India is like that. Kashmir is reaching that stage. If we are not careful Pakistan will cut it off from us.

Singhal. What Mr. Bajpai said is hundred percent correct. All the time the government is politicking. Army is fighting undeclared war in Kashmir since four years . (This article was in fact written in 1993 and Kashmir militant problem started in 1989 )

Advani. Indian army is fighting militants with hands ties at back. They have no free hand . We also have a retired army chief as J an K governor. What is the use?

Singhal. They are as good and as bad as a politician or a civil servant. Heee..heee

Gandhi. How come the militants are on our soil? I heard even Afghan mercenaries are abetting Jihad

Nehru. They are hiring any one who is ready to die for money.

Gandhi. Then what is govt doing?

Advani. Bapu. Where is govt.? Who has time now? All the Presidents men, PMs. and CMs are ever busy in guarding their chairs. It is a crooks galore going on in India

Nehru. Please do not say that. Leaders are not that bad?

Advani. Whole world knows it Panditji. ( sings)

Leaders of today are very happy in their chairs
All the time are busy with fun and fan fare
Governing is a phrase of by gone times
While speaking morals is a bi crime

Gandhi. Yeah. How well said, Advaniji. (Sings doing jig)

Very truly said my dear friend
All are busy and have axe to grind
The noblest nation is down the drain
You and me have to cry and feel the pain

The leaders in India have ruined the state
Misused the powers given to them in a plate
Caste and creed is used for political ends
Millions of rupees are wasted and spent
What else I can do in the present situation
Except to feel grief and perilous pain
Feel like committing glorious suicide
Which I can not do as already I have died.

Advani. Bapu, Plesae don’t get upset.What else you can do? You have done yopur duty by fighting for freedom and sacrificed life for the nation.

Nehru. True. My dear friends. You are all telling that I wasted time as PM and did not solve problems in Kashmir. What else I can do/ I worked for peace. I can not change the nations policy of non violence as preached by Bapu.

Bapu. I never said that non violence means inaction or cowardice. One must fight for right thing. Pakistan forcibly occupied some portions in Kashmir. For 15 long years you could not get it vacated by force.

Nehru. How can I do. I had almost a ceremonial army till we lost to Chinese in 1962.

Advani. Thanks to them. They opened our eyes. Our army would have been busy with bolt action rifles, and also busy with guard of honors for visiting heads of state and hands swinging in Republic day parades.. of course in dinner nights and ladies nites too.

Gandhi. I am happy that Lal Bahadur gave a befitting reply to them

Bajpai. What is the use? Every time we do well in war, suddenly we lose our heads and as a good boy hand over all territories to the enemy again. Thousands of lives are lost in these wars and nothing has been achieved. We must capture the land at other places and bargain. Suppose we captured Lahore as contemplated in 196 when were very close, we would have bargained for vacation of Pak occupied Kashmir.

Singhal. But do we have that spunk. Our leaders were too generous, god fearing and in competent too.

Bajpai. Last one is more true. In last war we gave away Chamb to them and also one lakh prisoners. We should have bargained Gilgit and Hunza in exchange for prisoners. Then see the fun

Gandhi. That could have been better. History could have been different. These are only hypothetical. We do not know what were the circumstances of Mrs Gandhi then. Any how past is past.. Kashmir issue is a burning pot. I do not think it can be solved by peaceful means. No fasting would help.

Nehru. Bapu.Are you teling this?


Advani. Bapu. Your days are over. Fasting will not help. Do you think if we take up satyagraha or do fasting the militants wouldgo away? What a foolish game? Now a days such things will not work. It needs action. Kicks are required. That too hard.


( In the mean time machine gun fire is heard.. Dhan..dhan,,,dhan.. Dhana.. Dhan… Gandhi and others run for cover, They hide behind a large cement pipe lying on roadside)

Gandhi. Look every one.. There is a room close by. Let us run there.We will be safe there.

Singhal. True Bapu. Let us be safe there

Nehru. Yeah.

Bajpai. true .First we have to be safe.

(All slowly crawl into the vacant room)


CURTAIN FALLS













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