INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN...150

INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN…150
Dr K Prabhakar Rao


(Patel holds a news paper and runs to Gandhi who is sitting in an old chair in his room in heavens. He is looking excited. Nehru is seen sitting next to Gandhi and taking a quick nap)


Patel. Bapu…Look Bapu.. Bapu .. Oh Mere Bapu,

Gandhi. What happened Patel? Why are you so excited?


Patel. Bapu. You must see this photograph. You will know immediately why I am so much excited.

Gandhi. Show me.

(Patel hands over the newspaper to Bapu and he looks at it)

Gandhi. Who are these guys in this photograph? What is so important about the guys. Such guys are normal in India. Why get excited for these nuts?

Patel. They are not ordinary guys. They are very important guys in this Andhjra Pradesh state. Don’t you know them. Every one knows about them. Even cats and rats know them ( sings)

Look Bapu, Plesae know them
They are known to one and all
You must know such guys in this state
Who act as if they are very tall

Gandhi. That means they are not very tall.

Patel. I do not mean that Bapu.

Nehru. Bapu. Let me also see the photographs.

( Nehru gets up from his chair and takes a look at the news paper and smiles)

Patel.What si there to smile Jawaharlal.

Nehru. I smiled because they were putting on white fez caps. Both are bald

Patel. We are also bald.
Gandhi. Look dear, Bald is beautiful, Most of the achievers are bald.

Nehru. Heee…heeee…eee

Patel. Haa…haaa.. Bapu , we deviated and are now busy with bald heads

Gandhi. Where were we?

Patel. We were discussing the photograph

Gandhi. Yeah. It was about the guys sporting white Fez caps.

Nehru. Yeah. Very true. But what is wrong in this, I failed to understand.

Patel. My dear Nehruji, Chacha Nehruji, listen you failed to understand many things in your long journey.

Gandhi. Patel. Be clear what is troubling you?

Patel. Bapu, The guys who were sporting white Sherwani and Fez caps were Rosiah the chief minister of AP and the other guy is Mr Narsimhan the governor of the state.

Gandhi. I see. But both of them are Hindus. Isn’t it correct

Patel. Very true .

Gandhi. Then why they are in this Muslim dress? Any change in thought?

Patel.It was taken during a party that was hosted by Narsimhan. It was thrown for Muslims. These guys do this to appease other section and try to prove that they are with them. Even Chadra Babu and KCR do whenever they attend Iftar parties or other allied functions that are Muslim oriented. This can be seen in many photographs printed in news papers. They make sure these are printed on front page.

Gandhi. That is good.

Patel. Bapu. But reverse is not true. These leaders from other community never dress themselves in an traditional Hindu attire when they visit any function hosted by major community. They arrive in Sherwani and Fez cap.

Gandhi. That is their wish.

Patel. But our nuts do strange acts. When they do not reciprocate why these guys are licking boots.

Gandhi. Up to them.( Sings)
Let them lick their boot
For them I care a hoot
Why bother for these small acts
They are only dirty bats

Patel. Bapu. This is not a small act. What is going on is pure appeasement of minorities. These small things do matter. Of course all must live together in good spirit and co operation. But these nuts are overdoing things. What change they are going to make in society by this fancy dress competitions in these functions. In fact people laugh at them and make mockery at them. Some times the previous CM YSR used to wear rumi Topi and skull caps ( laced) and act as if they are also doing Namaz. The funny part is that Muslims do not expect these tamasha. Rumi Topi was traditional dress during Nizams time. Now days we do not find even Muslims putting on this Topi. Some time I find some old man wearing this rumi tope devoid of black tuft and going on a rickety cycle on the streets of Hyderabad at Charminar.. It is completely identified with Turks that Nizam adopted. The maroon color Topi is slightly truncated in shape with a black tuft hanging from a projection at centre of the cap on top. The hanging tuft keeps swinging in all directions looking funny.

Gandhi. I know that cap. It was popular before partition..Patel, I think you made lot of research on this rumi topi. Hee,….heee

Nehru. I also know that.

Patel. I know a movie released in 1948 titled Elan directed by famous Mehboob khan who produced the great movie Anmol Ghadi in 1946.. The hero was the great singer actor Surendranath ( Surendra) and the heroine was Munawwar sultana. Surendra was always dressed in this Rumi Topi. It was literally an urdu movie and it was a big hit. There were some good songs that were hits. Jawaharlal, do you remember any songs from this movie?

Nehru. I have better things to do.

Patel. Come on friend. Please do not be a sadist. Develop some good tastes too.

Gandhi. Do you know any thing?

Patel. Sure ( sings)( does jig)

Aayi ne mein ik chand si soorath nazar aayi
Aayi ne mein ik chand si soorath nazar aayi
aa…aaa…..aaa…..aaa
Sau baar hui…
Soortah nazar aayi..
Aayi ne mein ik chand si soorath nazar aayi

Aaankho mein tamannawonka aabad zamaana
Har baat use piche muhabbat ka fasana
………..

( song from Elan by Surendra and Ameerbai Karnataki.. 1948)

Gandhi ( Claps) Very good Patel. Excellent. I am proud of you.

Patel. Thanks mere Bapu.

Gandhi. Now what happened to that Topi problem?

Patel. There is no problem. I was only pointing to the tamasha that goes on particularly in AP state for appeasing minority community. Hyderabad is a great cosmopolitan city and this was also the most trouble some city too. Bapu. You have not seen police action in 1948. You were dead by that time.Hyderabad still has that smell very strongly in many areas among a section of people.

Gandhi. What to do? I am not responsible for that

Patel. You know it better. Every one feels better that you were not there when police action took place on Hyderabad. Otherwise you would not have allowed it and Hyderabad state would have remained another Pakistan in the heart of India. Better you vanished.

Gandhi. Is it so. So I must thank Godse for that.( Looks at Sky) Thanks Mr Godese for it.

Patel Bapu. Kindly excuse me for harsh words. But I must tell truth.

Nehru. Bapu. Enough for today. Iam having head ache.

Patel. If one has head headache will be there. Please bear with it. Any how thanks for listening.

Gandhi. OK guys. Thanks. See you.

( Patel and Jawaharlal get up and go out of door while Gandhi closes door behind them)



CURTAIN FALLS