INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN..117

INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN..117

Prof Dr Colonel K Prabhakar Rao ( Retired)



Curtain rises and in the center of a dimly lit room in heavens an old man is lying on a cot. He is bald, tall and thin and frail. He has already crossed 90 years and is unable to move. Next to his bed on a small table some medicines are kept. In a corner to a stand are hung uniform and peak cap. A rusty old fashioned sword hangs at a nail. Dusty Army boots are kept at a corner. The rank badges on uniform have almost become black due to influence of climate. He is seen coughing too…An eerie silence prevails in room.

(Some one knocks at the door and the old man is woken up)

Old man. Hey who is there .. Koyee hay… (Typical British Indian army style).. Ughh.. Ughhh …..(Coughs)

(The door opens and a person walks in. He switches on the light and goes near the bed. He is not very tall, looks shriveled with large moustaches and walks with drooping shoulders.

Old man. Who is there ?.(Looks at the visitor.) Hello. Field Marshal Sam, How are you? Nice to see you here. How is everything?

Sam Manekshaw. Good evening Filed Marshal Cariappa sir. I recently came here after some illness in India.

Cariappa. That is good. It is a good riddance to get out of India. Our blood was sucked out when we lived and in the end we were thrown out on streets. We had enough of it there.

I put on uniform for so long
Then finally I became oblong
My body at the end had only bones
Although while young I was like Indiana zones

Sam. Yeahh. Well said sir,. How are you doing sir?

Cariappa. You can see yourself. I was thoroughly sucked out while in uniform while I was C in C and then COAS.

Sam. Me too. I was given rank of Field Marshal then I was left to winds. Some leaders were not happy with me. Many thought I was a great risk. They thought I would take over India.
Cariappa. Silly guys.. How can we do that? We had so much discipline and were brought up in slavery too. The same thing continues in blood too. I was given the rank when I was unable to walk even.

Sam. That is how things work there.

Cariappa. I heard lot of trouble is going on in respect of pay commission for army. You came recently. Any news?

Sam. I was no way involved. They do not consult us. We are ceremonial. But I know some serious trouble is there

Cariappa. What could be?

Sam. The chiefs at last gathered courage, became manly and refused to implement sixth pay commission’s recommendations

Cariappa. That is strange. Did they have straight and erect spine? How they got courage? I can not imagine. My head is reeling now. This could be one of the wonders of the world
( He swallows a pill of Asprin)

Sam.( Laughs Haa.. Haa.. Hoo. Ho.. Ho.. Hii…Hii Hee) They atlast developed the spunk. Sir! Recently Army used to give in the news paper advertisements for recruitment.. Do you have spunk in you.? If so join army. That was great

Cariappa. Haa… Haaa ( Caughs loudly. He picks up a Glycodin cough syrup bottle from bed side table and takes few drops. Did good guys join after reading?

Sam. I doubt sir. Bright guys run away from army. Left over flunkies and nuts gather at SSB. They are struggling now to get higher pay for every one. They are unhappy that civil babus and police guys are getting more and there is no parity in ranks. A BSF commandant would now draw more pay to army Lt Col. Sirring will be reverse way now. Now guys in army are scared that a day would come when police DGP would become senior to Army chief even. Any thing can happen in India. It is a place for nuts with loose screws.

Cariappa. Do you mean ground nuts?

Sam.. No sir. I do not mean that. They are better. These are wild nuts unfit for any use.

Cariappa. Let BSF guys fight wars for India. We can take care of borders in peace time. Roles would be reversed. Diluting army was always there right from beginning. What was my position when I took over from General Butcher? What were you finally?

Sam. We are junior to even chota mota (Minor) civil servants and side kicks too.

Cariappa. Leave apart some political flunkies

Sam. A stage will come when a Lt Col will be junior to even a police inspector. The day is not far off

Cariappa. It can happen

Sam. As it is some army officers were put in lock up by some police men in UP. They were rescued by a Lt Col later on by taking troops and arms with him

Cariappa. These things have been happening regularly and some times army guys have bashed up police men. I know it happened in Langar houze at Hyderabad, Amritsar and Agra.

Sam. All crap is going on now days

Cariappa. I think there is overall slump in the country

Sam. True

Army guys in India are at receiving end
The country’s ways they are unable to bend
The guys are happy with some tidbits thrown in
And they happily beat an empty mess tin

Cariappa. What a nice poem. When did you learn to write poetry?

Sam. What else can I do after retirement? No one gives me other job.

Cariappa. Haa.. Haa. Hee. Hee. True but now a days the army guys claim that they get top jobs in industry if they go out

Sam. Illusion sir. These guys are already outdated working in army. No one cares for their experience outside. They overestimate themselves and live in false world of their own. Some are no doubt really good. But such guys are rare. They quit service early. Rotten stuff keep hanging till they are wasted out.
.
Cariappa. But they might be good at man management. See they do so many courses.

Sam. Partly. (Laughs) But many are bad managers also. Civilians think these guys can not adjust and are one tracked. If all are very good managers, why officers get shot by their own men now days? There have been many such incidents.

Cariappa. But not always. Some may be bad.

Sam. But these guys are left only when they turn into dead wood and completely exhausted and rotten. Then they are pushed out with some silver salver.

Cariappa. I learnt it is also not given in time on day of retirement.

Sam. Yes.. I heard one officer from services had to write to a Colonel Commandant to get one silver salver after retirement. Of course, the silver salver after some time came to a local unit where the officer settled after retirement. Then it was sent to his house through a JCO. What a shame? No officer was detailed to hand over the gift at his house.Such are the tricks of trade an spirit de corps on which we keep harping.

Cariappa. What a tragedy indeed? Standards and values have been lowered. But we can not blame others. We have to blame ourselves. Espirit spirit de corps has vanished as you said..

Sam. But that is life sir.

All is not fair with these guys
Who are floating like buoys
They swing left and right
Looking some time bright

Cariappa. Nice poem. You have picked up this art well

Sam ( Laughs).This is what people should do after hanging uniform

( the door opens an Gandhi and Patel walk in, Sam Manekshaw and Cariappa salute them with lot of difficulty)

Gandhi, How are you Marshals? I had no news about you guys. I heard that both of you are in heavens now. You had an eventful life there

Sam. What is the use. When I was sick none bothered. It is strange that no statues have been erected in our memory while the statues are erected for silly guys.

Patel. Ok Sam. These statues have no meaning. They are erected and forgotten. To have statue in Marshals uniform and then neglected it is a shame.

Sam . Very true

Gandhi. You guys had enough Marshals music all these years. Now sing Ramdhun for a while.

Cariappa. I am weak in Hindi sir, I can not sing

Gandhi. Does mot matter. Keep trying sir

Cariappa. Thanks. I shall do

(All of them sing Ramdhun and are lost in ecstasy while Zial ul Haq the former Pak president suddenly appears and opens fire with a carbine

Zia. I am the Pak jihadi. I am here to screw all. None can escape me. To day is my day ( Sings and does jig)

I am zia ul haq the tyrant
And I let loose jihad on India
Indins are screwed eternally
I have no fear of ay media

The Kafirs in India are our slaves
Their throats are to be cut with jihadi knives
Whole India would be finally in our hands
In Delhis redfort we play our band

Patel Come on stop this nonsense.

Gandhi. Look Zia. You can not do anything to us as we are already dead. You are also dead.Al of us are dead. We can only talk.

Zia. Oh I forgot. I am directing pak jihad from here. Insha aalah.We shall succeed. India can never be one. We shall create mini Pakistans in next 10 years.Vexed up with us all Indians would become Muslims.

Patel. That is you fad. Let millions of Zias be let loose on india. All will be destroyed. This is my word. Sab ko dekhloonga

Gandhi. Patel. Ignore that crank

Zia. I shall come again to settle scores

( In the mean time some devils come and drag him away kicking him hard)