INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN..101

INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN…101
Dr K Prabhakar Rao

(In a corner of a room in heavens Bapu is seen lying with a news paper in his hand. On a table a charkha is kept that is full of dust. An old spring wound gramophone with a brass trumpet is at a corner on a table. Bapu gets up and goes to tee gramophone coughing.He winds the spring rotating the crank and places a record on turn table. In a typical tone song is heard…

Dekh tere sansar ki haalat kya hogayi Bhagwan..
kitna badal gaya insaan.
Sooraj na badala chaand na badla
naa badla re aasman.
Kitna badal gaya insaan ( Kavi Pradeepji from film Jagrithi)

(Look at your creation of world
O God look at it
How man has changed?
Sun has not changed and also the moon
Neither the sky has changed
How man has changed)

Gandhi gets hick ups and wipes tears. In the mean time Nehru walks in )

Nehru. Namste Bapu. It is very nice. You are listening music. A good change for you.

Gandhi. What is the use? I am reminded about India. Is it OK ?

Nehru. Can it be ever alright? We have handed over India to a bunch of unworthy characters. They have ruined the country. Look Bapu. In India now elections are held after mere two years.

Gandhi. What happened? PV Narsimha Rao was doing alright I heard. People call him Sthithapragna.

Nehru. Bapu. In last election no one got majority. Poor BJP was the biggest party. Bajpai became PM for just few days. In the world he has established a record for a PM with shortest duration.

Gandhi. What happened?

Nehru. We shall Bajpai only. Let us go to mother earth immediately. I do not want to call him here. As it is he has grown old. He can hardly walk.. He can not stand journey to this place. He has weak knees.

Gandhi. Every Indian leader has weak knees. What is new about it.? Heee…heee
( Gandhi and Nehru land up at Bajpais residence in a flash. They knock at the door and Bajpai opens it. He is greatly surprised)

Bajpai. Bapu. Namste. How come here you are suddenly? Plesae come in.

( Both Nehru and Gandhi are made comfortable in the room)

Gandhi. Bajpai sahib. Congratulations for becoming PM of this nation

Bajpai. What is the use? I was there for few days only. All others ganged up and denied our rule. What a mockery of democracy yhey made with so many parties calling themselves united front.

A pack of jokers ganged up together
With aim of denying us the political power
National interests they failed to consider
The front itself is lying a shitty gutter

The old man Kesari is in a great hurry
Ditched Gowda was personal gains
Leaders are busy eating rotten mutton curry
As poor lying with stomach pains

Gandhi. Very well said.

Nehru. Now tell me, how could you form the government when you knew you had no strength

Bajpai. Sir. Every party takes a chance. We expected that some good guys would support us in national interest. But it was not so.

Nehru. Even Gowda did not last long. Then Gujral came. He is lucky guy to become a PM without any mass base.

Gandhi. This is all bull shit.

Leaders now need no mass base as we had then
While fools and criminals make at election
You and me are made to run after a limping hen
And rascals are given ticket at elections.

Sitaram Kesari has ruined the limping congress
With sole aim of becoming the leader
Democratic traditions he had to suppress
As sights were set at parliament’s ladder.

Bajpai. What a guy he is! He pulled the carpet again under the feet of Gujral

Nehru. I am sure he was waiting for his chance. The issue of DMK came to his rescue. The judge took so much time to make the report that too not final.

Gandhi. In India justice is always delayed. Particularly when a VIP is killed. The criminals even when they are caught red handed live for long years awaiting trials and there are lawyers who defend them stating that they were innocent. What a tragedy. Poor widow of Rajiv is naturally frustrated.

Nehru. Bapu. You know the lady is in poll fray now. I am very happy.

Bajpai .Poor Kesari. He is getting jittery. Only from outside he is showing off that he would hand over congress to her as it is their birth right.

Nehru. Why not? We have sacrificed so much for the nation. We sacrificed our wealth, position, careers and lives for the nation. You know I was a barrister.

Bajpai. Look Nehru sahib. No… No…Plesae do not take full credit. There are thousands who sacrificed like you. The truth is that congress is dead. They always need your name to woo voters. Has congress become so much devoid of leaders that Sonia only would bring it back to power?

Nehru. Yes certainly. Our name is a magic word.

Bajpai. How sad? Look. I can not do jig as I have weak knees. ( sings sitting in chair)

Indian democracy is now a sheikh’s fiefdom
Where family rule has been perpetuated
Noble India has fallen from stardom
And leaders are regularly assassinated

How clownish the leaders behave today?
As the monkeys that roam the forests wild
Choicest words they spell as donkeys bray
And ethics are thrown as toys are flung by a child

Gandhi. Well said Mr. Bajpai.( Sings and does jig)

The country men failed give them hard kick
As leaders roam as asses in streets
You and me are beaten by police sticks
As army men are busy calling each other for a treat.

Nehru. That is nice Bapu.

Army men are busy eating tons of free rations
In peace time they are busy preaching management tricks
Many simply retire after seeing wars only in movies
Yet they teach from arm chairs the subject of tactics

Bajpai. Nehru Sahib. Why blame army. Others are no better.

Gandhi. Why deviate and go to army. They are holy cows. Let them be happy with their things and in their world.

( In the mean time sri Advani walks in. He greets all)

Bajpai. Hello Mr. Advani. What are the news? Does entry of Sonia in elections make difference to BJP prospects?

Advani. Why not? Already people are saying that they do not want a foreign rule for second time.

Nehru. She is an Indian national now.

Bajpai. Is this country so bankrupt that congress does not have leader of Indian birth?. Anyhow they will loose badly. I am sure.

Gandhi Plesae o not be sure, Indians are crazy and mad too. Slavery is in their blood. The moment they see white skin they fall at their feet. Although the British left, in heart Indians admire them.

Nehru. Why not? They taught us how to rule. They gave us good administration set up. Or else we would have collapsed like a pack of cards.

Gandhi. You never know. I may have to take rebirth to liberate India from Italian shackles. May god save India?

(Gandhi beats his chest and cries ...Mera Bharat.. Mera Bharat. Bajpai consoles bapu. He gives his saffron hanky and Gandhi wipes his tears, After some time he gets composed)

Bajpai. Punditji. Bapu needs some rest. We shall come again after some time. Let him take some rest. He is much upset with Indian politics.

Nehru. True. Thanks. Please do come again. There are many things to discuss.

Advani. OK Punditji. See you.

( Bajpai and Advani retreat to another room while Gandhi is made comfortable on a bed and Nehru takes care of him)

(In the distance a patriotic song is heard

Hum laye hai toofanse kishti nikalke
Isdeshko rakhna mere bachho sambhaalke
Tum hee Bhavishya ho meer Bhaarat vishal ke
Is deshko rakhna mere bachho sambhaalke

Nehru closes the window and sits down in a sofa next to Gandhi)

CURTAIN FALLS


NOTE. This article was written years ago, i.e after Rajiv was assassinated )