INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN...130

INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN.130

Dr K Prabhakar Rao


(Gandhi, Nehru and Patel are seen sitting in a small room in heavens. They are busy discussing some thing.)

Gandhi. Patel. Nowadays I hear great commotion of world cup football

Patel. Yes, bapu.

Gandhi. How come it has become suddenly so popular in India?

Patel. I am also surprised.

Nehru. Hee..heee

Patel. What is there to laugh?

Nehru. I am laughing because you guys are discussing sports out of all problems.

Gandhi . Sports is equally important for national well being.

Nehru. True. I know India is crazy of only one sport. That is cricket.

Patel. Haa…haa. In India kids are born with cricket bats in their hands.

Nehru. While in Brazil, kids are born with footballs in their hands.

Gandhi. In America many are born with base ball clubs in their hands.

Patel. Haa.haa..hee..hee

Nehru. Hoo..hoo…hoooo…heee…heee ( sings and does break dance)

In India every joker plays only one thing
It is the game of cricket no more a gentleman game
Whole nation comes to grinding halt
Whenever Sachin hammers and attains fame.

Patel. That is fine. Jawaharlal. I never knew you have some sense of humor too.

Nehru. Am I so dry?

Patel I never said that way. I appreciated your poem that was sarcastic. You are correct. Indians are crazy and mad of cricket. No other game appeals to them.

Gandhi. True. India is such a big nation. It is next to China in terms of population. Yet we can not win gold medals in world sport events. We stand at the lowest of the lists.

Patel. We can not win gold, silver and even bronze. For us they must institute leather medals as king Tughlaq introduced leather coins..

Gandhi. Pakistan is no better..

Patel. This is the tragedy. We compare ourselves to the neighbor that is no match to us .

Nehru. I do not know why we can not compete in foot ball?

Patel. Look. we are physically weak. We have no stamina. Foot ball game requires great stamina. Indians can never have it. Our climate and food habits make us that way. We are underfed mostly and are vegetarians. Certain food items are taboo with us. Then what can be expected from Indians?

Gandhi. Hee..hee.. Well said. Are we good in any thing?

Patel. Yes. Why not? We have high birth rate.

Gandhi. Haa..haaa.heee..hee.

Patel. We used to be great hockey game nation. We were at the top.

Nehru. We have been pushed down the ladder by others. We stand no where. Politics in Hockey has destroyed the game.

Gandhi. True Indians are good at destroying the existing things. We can not look after our heritage structures. I learnt that a month ago the great tower at Kaalahasthi temple built by great Krishna deva Raya 500 years ago fell down due the carelessness of the government. It developed cracks and it was known to the authorities. None did any thing. Now we have lost it. Why talk of all these things? We have destroyed our great nation by partitioning them in 1947.

Patel , Bapu. Are you talking these things? Strange indeed. Coming to Rayas tower, Government would build it soon. They have plenty of poor mans money as taxes.

Gandhi. This is good opportunity for swindlers to grab some money in the contract.

Patel. That is the way in which Indians are experts.

Gandhi. Ha..haa..haa ( sings and dances jig)
Indians are good in swindling
And throughout the year they are at it
They do not spare even a sparrow’s nest
The nation is looted bit by bit

Patel. Yeah. Well sung Bapu.You are great.

Gandhi. That I had been always. We were discussing Foot ball and sports. We must do some thing to win this game.

Patel. Bapu, We must change rules of foot ball. We are useless in foot ball. We can never win against the Western countries or Africans.We must appeal to change the goal dimensions whenever we play. We must have the existing goal frame for defense while for attack we must accept goal with double the size. Then we can hit many goals while our opponents can not score many. Rules must be changed. For penalty corner we must be allowed to kick the ball from a distance of six inches from goal while same is not true for opponents. Then we can win world cup. After all we are poor in physical strength.

Gandhi. It is a very good suggestion. I think you must be given Bharat Ratna for this suggestion

Patel. I already got Bharat Ratna.

Gandhi. That was a joke. This time it will be real.

Nehru. Haa.haa..haa

Patel. Bapu . Thanks. As it is Bharat Ratna is the greatest joke in this land. I do not want to be a party to it. I am getting embarrassed by having it. Even if I sell it no one is ready to take it.

Gandhi. Let it be with you. Some day it may fetch something to you. It may become antique piece with great value.

Nehru. True. Patel. Plesae believe Bapus words. There is some truth in it.

Gandhi. Why some truth? It is full.( sings and does jig)

I always tell truth
Even if my neck is to be cut
In future never say such thing
Or else I shall confine myself to a hut

Nehru. Sorry Bapu. We did not mean any disrespect to you.

Gandhi. That is ok. Shall we call it a day? I am tired
Patel. That is fine

( Patel and Nehru walk away from the room)

CURTAIN FALLS