INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN...113

INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN…113

Dr K Prabhakar Rao



(Gandhi, Indira, Rajiv and Nehru are seen entering the Ramlila ground in Delhi to attend a public function. There is lot of rush and commotion and plenty of police men are present controlling the crowd. Police men come across Gandhi and his friends trying to enter the ground)

Police man. Hey old man . Who are you. What are trying to do?

Gandhi, we came to attend the function.

Police man. ( looking at Nehru) Hey Topidas (wearer of cap) Do you have a pass ?

Nehru. Which pass, Is it bus pass?. We do not have any pass. Just now there was an announcement that every one is invited for the function and there is no ticket or pass. Why are you stopping us? What right you have? Please let us go in.

Police man, Who told you that no pass is required? If you guys have to be allowed inside pay Rs 10 each of you.

Nehru. Bapu. See. Again, corruption is here also.

Indira. Why say this again and again dad? Corruption is a world activity. We have to live with this.

( A transistor carried by a guy in crowd plays a song loudly)

Ye duniya me hai sab chor chor
Koi andaa chor aur koyee murgee chor
Ye duniya me hai sab chor chor

Gandhi. How nicely worded by the poet! Jawaharlal !Who is the singer? Any idea?

Nehru. Bapu. I have better things to do than remembering these funny songs.

Gandhi. Why are you getting worked up.?

Nehru. Sorry Bapu.

Indira. Bapu. We worked for so many years here. Now no one cares for us…eeee..

Nehru. That is our fate.
(In the distance great actor singer KL Saigal is heard singing)

Dukh ke. Dukh Ke
Ab dinabeethat naahi
Dukh ke. Dukh ke
Naa mai kisee kaa
Naa koye mera.. aai,,,aii ( from film dev das 1935)

( Gandhi wipes tears)

Police man. Enough of crying by you guys. Now get lost and behave.

(In the mean time many cars pass that way and police men are busy in controlling them and Gandhi and the other guys try to get into the crowd and enter the ground. Once they are in they rush go to the front. On the dais are seen sitting PV Narsimha Rao the PM, Shankar Dayal Sharma the president a Swami in red robes with lot of flowing hair around his head. PV suddenly sees Gandhi and Nehru. He gets up and runs down the platform and falls at the feet of Gandhi and Nehru and Indira and Rajiv one by one)

PV. Bapu. Mere Bapu, Oh Bapu, How are you? Punditji Indiraji, Rajivji. How are you? How lucky I am! All my sins have been washed off by your presence. What a great day for me! No other day can be greater than this. How lucky I am ! Who can be more luckier than me?.

Gandhi. Easy. Take it easy my dear PV. I am impressed with your loyalty. In fact you are like a Hanuman and I am like Ram. I am impressed with you. Ask me some boons.

PV . Bapu I will ask them at a proper moment.

Gandhi That is very nice. You are very humble.,

( Shankar Dayal Sharma the President sitting on dais sees all these things and gets excited. He tries to get up from the chair. But he is trapped tight in it. He shouts)

Sharma. Ho. Bacho. Who is there? Pull me out from this chair.

( He tries to get out of the chair and tumbles down. He he shouts)

Sharma. Koun Hai re. Bacho. Mujhe Uthao.Girgaya hoon.

( Security wallahs arrive and pull up Sharma and in the melee his leg gets pulled. Sharma shrieks loudly. TV crew covers the incident and all the time security guys are more worried to ensure that they are shown on TV)

Sharma. Haye.. Margaya re.. Kya Kardiya tum logone..Mera taang Thod diya naa.. hayee. Guards Where are you?

(He tries to get up and falls , Does two front rolls. Security guys run to him and lift him up. Sharma is seen gasping)

Indira. What a sad state of affairs here! Why have such guys who are not physically fit?

Gandhi. Poor guy. Why blame him. Every one has ambition to become some thing. Sharma is no ordinary man. He is an intellectual.

Indira. But he should be able to walk atleast.

Nehru. President can be an old man. He must be acceptable to ruling party and should not be a trouble maker. He has to put his stamp wherever is required without much trouble. Once in a while he may ask some questions. But every one knows that finally he would sign the papers Asking questions and returning papers is a pure show.. heee…heee. Even if President can not walk it is ok. He should sign papers quickly. Haa..haaa…haaa

Gandhi. well said the truth. Indira, in fact the Presidents made during your rule use to run for by pass surgeries. They were not physically fit.

Sharma. Bapu. Mujhe maaf karo. I can not get up. This is such a position that I can not refuse. After all I also have ambitions. Don’t you know Mohammed ali Jinnah suffered from TB and he hid it. Finally he died with it.

Nehru. Sharma sahib . Why dig graves now?

PV. Bapu. Please be relaxed and make yourself very comfortable. You may occupy the front row sofas meant for VVIP. I can not call you to dais, There is no place. You are already dead any how.

Gandhi. Never mind we shall sit down here.

They settle down in VVIP seats while PM and Shankar dayal sharma go to dais and the function begins. PM gets up from chair and goes to podium)

PV. My dear friends, leaders, Respected elders, mothers and sisters, We have assempled here to pay respects to the great swamiji who spared his valuable time to be with us . He is a great spiritual leader of excellence and in fact he is the incarnation of God. He has super natural powers. He can get many things out of nothing and out of blue. Nothing extra I can say. Most of you have seen his power for the last many years.

Some one from Crowd. Yeah.. His magic.. No one can produce any thing out of nothing. It is against the law of conservation of energy. Don’t you know this. This is an age of science. We can not be foled.

PV ( To security man) Ask him to shut up. Take care of that guy.

Security guy. How dare you. Speak in front of the PM. I shall chew your ba….


( The security guy takes a lathi swings it and hammers on the head of the guy who spoke. He screams and collapses)

Spectator. Oh maa. Margaya.. Is saalene mar diya mujhe. Is kuttene mar diya…

Gandhi. Oh poor child. What type of rudeness? Such a behavior? How can I tolerate? Mr. Rao. What is this going on? You got this fellow hammered just because he spoke and differed with you. I can not imagine that congress party is ruling now.

PV. Bapu. It is surely congress. Not yours. It is Indira congress.

Gandhi. It is no more my congress.

PV. Sir. Your congress died long ago. The flag of your congress carried two bullocks.
Gandhi. true. They have een eaten by your congress.

PV.Bapu. forget about them. This is a public function. We have come to say few good words about the swami. ( looking at swami) Sorry Guruji. We are sorry. You have been a great soul. You are god . why god ? More than that. You are the deliverer of sins. Forgive us for our sins, Give us salvation. Give us deliverance ( he prostrates in front of Swami)

(President Sharma also tries to bow down and he tumbles. Does two front rolls.he screams loudly)

Sharma. Bacho. Save me. I am done

( He wildly waves hands. Security guys run to him and lift him up)

Gandhi. Mr. Rao. What is this going on? I am very unhappy. You are the PM and not he. What all you are talking? In a public function can you prostrate like this? Is he god? How can he be God? Can a human be God? Tell me. I am sorry for everything you are doing

PV. Bapu. This is a new world. Every one has guru. You know even Madam had a guru, The flying type. Then why tell me?

Rajiv. Mr. Rao. I am very much upset. You are replying Bapu. Our Bapu. I can not dream even. You never opened your mouth when I was alive. The God has been kind to you.

Indira, You could not even dream of becoming a PM when my son was alive. Just because he died you became PM. Otherwise where was the chance for you?

PV> Madam . every one has fate and own luck.

Rajiv. I learnt that you were reluctant to become the PM and used to say.. Mera Kya hai. Boodha ho gay hoon..But yu became very strong now. Now a days you do not even go and see our family. Earlier you used to make many trips.

PV it is my luck. Who will not be ambitious to become PM ?

Rajiv. That si alright. Thee si no point wasting time . Bapu. This is no place to stay.

Sharma.bapu. Plesea stay. Do not get angry. Forgive us.

Nehru. I am much upset after seeing India. The leaders e running after Gurus. They are wasting time running after the shrines everywhere. Where is the governing now?

Gandhi. Afterwards they will not get chance. Now it is free trips and VVIP treatments al over. Ram. Ra,, What type of people are these. What a world to live? Rajiv . Let us go

( Gandhi, Nehru, and Rajiv walk out of the function and none goes to see them off)

(In the distance KC Dey is heard singing )

Tterii gaTharii me.n laagaa chor, musaafir jaag zaraa
jaag zaraa, terii gaTharii me.n laagaa chor musaafir jaag zaraa
musaafir jaag zaraa
terii gaTharii ...

aaja zaraa saa fitanaa hai ye, tuu kahataa hai kitanaa hai ye
do din me.n ye ba.Dhakara hogaa, mu.Nh_phaT aur mu.Nh_zor
musaafir jaag zaraa
terii gaTharii ...

nii.nda me.n maala ga.Nvaa baiThegaa
apanaa aapa luTaa baiThegaa
phira piichhe kuchh nahii.n banegaa
laakh machaaye shor
musaafir jaag zaraa
terii gaTharii ... ( from old film Dhoop chaon KC dey 1935)


( Gandhi gets sentimental and wipes tears)


CURTAIN FALLS