INTO THE PASTWITH PAIN.91

INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN.. 91

Dr K Prabhakar Rao

( Gandhi , Nehru and Patel are seen travelling in an open Willys jeep in Hyderabad. Gandhi is in driving seat. At Bashirbagh square some people stop the vehicle. Gandhi gets perturbed)

Gandhi. Hello. Bhai. Why you have stopped us? As it is there are red lights at every crossing.

Avataaram. Sir. We are Telangana activists. You can’t display AP name plate on your vehicle. Your vehicle name plate reads AP XX 1254K3455Y9123Z. We can not tolerate AP letters on the plate.

Patel. So what we should?

Avataaram. I shall show.

( He takes out a sticker with letters TG in bold print and sticks it on letters AP)

Avataaram. Look. Heee…heee . Your car carries now a Telangana number plate.. Jai Telangana..Jai jai Telangana.. hee,,,heee…hooo…hoo

Gandhi (Holds head) Ohfo. What a guy. Look friend. By pasting the sticker TG, will you get Telangana?

Avataaram. I do not know. But we are hopeful. We feel this is one way of showing our commitment ( Sings and does wild jig)

We are dedicated Telanganites
Although Andhrites consider us as termites
One day we shall get our state
Although others may surely hate

Patel. Well sung dear. I appreciate ( Claps)

( In the mean time, some police constables arrive and chase away the Telangana protesters who are troubling the vehicle owners)

Constable. Sir. Sorry for the trouble you had. Please pull out the sticker afterwards. These guys think that they will get Telangana by attaching stickers to number plates.

Gandhi. True. Thanks

( Gandhi starts Jeep and proceeds ahead)

Gandhi. Look Patel. This is very surprising indeed. A police man being so polite on the street with a vehicle rider, How strange? I thought he will hit me on my head with his lathi. He was carrying AK 47 with him. I was shit scared.

Patel. True Bapu. I was worried when he came to you. Look I am carrying a steel helmet for you on such occasions. As it is completely bald. You must put on helmet whenever you come on to street.

Gandhi. Sure in future. I was not scared of his rifle. I was worried, he may not know how to use it. I heard many times that police men died from their own guns that accidentally went off.

(They hardly went ahead for 100 yards and the traffic came to an halt)

Gandhi. Patel Abhi kya hua. Zara dekho to sahee. ( What happened now. Just look what happened?)

( Patel goes to the crowd , watches and returns)

Patel. Bapu. Some type of demonstration is going on there.

Gandhi. Good . Let us go there.

( He switches off the engine and the trio run to the crowd. Some people are trying to burn an effigy. Mahesh, Ratan, Zombi are among the crowd)

Ratan. Hai hai. Kya hua.? ( what happened?)

Zombi. Chor leader margaya…Margaya. ( the thief a leader died)

( Gandhi gets worried and enquires)

Gandhi. Bhai. .mere Bachho.. Ye kya karraheho ( My sons what are you doing?)

Zombi. Sir. We are burning the effigy of the Telangana drohulu ( traitors)

Ratan. Sir. These are the leaders from Telangana in various parties who are not resigning from the assembly and parliament posts

Patel. What will you get if they resign?

Zombi. Sir. These guys initially promised that they are with Telangana movement. Now we are in thick of battle and they are trying to save their skins.

Gandhi. This is bad. They must resign.

Patel. It happens always like that. Many of these guys are shit scared that they may loose their political clout. None of them is really committed to your cause. They are only opportunists and cats on wall. They fish in troubled waters ( sings and does jig)

Look My dear friends here
Never worry and have any fear
Go ahead with your plan now
To achieve success take a vow

Do not trust these black hearts
They are like poison darts
They are sure to ditch you at last
Even if you die in various fasts

( The students are impressed with Patel and gather around him and clap and shout jai Telangana.. jai Jai Telangana…)

Zombi. Wah.. Wah. Kya maza aagaya. Sir you are great What a song and What a jig?

Ratan. Chalo.. Let us burn this effigy

Mahesh. Chao.. Jalao.

Patel. Look. Will you achieve some thing by doing this?

Mahesh. We shall show our resentment against these jackals who are sticking to their seats

(The students bring down the effigy, put some kerosene on it and beat it with shoes and chappals. Then it i put aflame and it burns with great flame .The students dance vigorously abusing the drohulu of Telangana and do fast jig. They shout Jai Telangana and jai jai Telangana… Suddenly they hear police siren and within moments a police van lands with many men fully armed as if they are going to war. They start beating students mercilessly with their lathis. Some use gun butts too. Students retaliate using roadside stones. Luckily for them they re near a construction site. Plenty of small granite stones are kept in heaps. With in moments, the entire scene becomes a battle ground.. Gandhi and his friends run to their jeep sensing trouble and get into it. Gandhi starts the engine)

Gandhi. Chalo. Bach gaye ( saved, run)

Patel. Bal bal bach gaye ( Very narrowly escaped)

Nehru. True. Bapu. One stone hit me too

Patel. But plenty of police men also received stone injuries

Gandhi. Poor guys

Patel. Why poor guys? Action and reaction are equal and opposite. Any how, soon they will get Ashok Chakra awards as per latest govt policy.

Gandhi. True. ( sings)

All nuts and bolts will get the awards
Though they kill and maim their countrymen
You and me better suck our thumbs
As their deeds get glorified by a Parker pen

Patel. Hee..hee..hee Bapu. What a poem? You are great…tt…ttt.tt

Nehru. Bapu is always great.

Patel. True . Bapu Chalo, before these police guys are after us

Gandhi. True.

( Bapu quickly puts jeep in gear and races ahead at great speed and vanish into distance)

In the distance song is heard

Dekh tere sansar ki haalat
Kya ho gayee Bhagwan
Kitna badal gaya insaan…..

Jo hum aapas mein na jhagad te
Bane huye kyo khel bigadte…
Kahe lakho ghar ye ujad te
Kyo ye bachhe ma se bigate
Phoot phot kar kyo rothe ho
Pyare Bapu ke praan
Kitna Badal gay insaan……..

CURTAIN FALLS