INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN...158

INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN…158

Dr K Prabhakar Rao

( Gandhi is seen sitting in a room in heavens. The room is dingy and famished. Some old news papers are scattered in a corner. A dusty Charkha is een kept in a corner. On a corner table an old Gramaphone with a brass cone is kep and it has also collected dust. The cot is old without any mattress and only a bed sheet is spread. Gandhi occasionally caughs)

Gandhi. Ohfo. I am unable to read the paper. Where are my glasses? ( He picks up glasses and wears them. He looks into poaper and reads)

Gandhi. Maharashtra CM Chavan is prepared to step down after he is involved in a scam in Kargil hero flats case. Ohfo. What type of guys are ruling there. They are already the ministers. Why they are after these flats. Al shit indeed in India. Not a single guy is honest. I am damne annoyed with these guys.

( He throws away the news paper on table , goes to Gramaphone, winds the spring by rotating the crank. He wipes the record, changes the needle , releases the brake and as the disc spins he places the sound box slowly. The song is blared out..KL Saigal sings)

Zzzzz…zzz…grrr..grrr

Koi bhi manushya kitna hi bura ho
Hothi hai thodeesi bhalayee
Eeswar ka gun ek yahee
Katonme phool khila dena.. aai..
Katonme phoola khilaa dena

Saath manushya ke Gayee Buraayee
Rah gayi uski bhalayee
Tumbhi man me phool ko rakhna
Aur ko katon ko hasaa dena.. aai.. aai….. ( KL Saigal from Lagan 1937)

( The door opens and Patel and Nehru step in)

Nehru. Wonderful Bapu. You are listening to Music much relaxed.

Patel. That is really good. What a song and what a singer indeed?

( Gramaphone automatically stops once the song is over)

Gandhi. What a nice song!

Patel. What a truth he said. Every man has some virtue although he is bad too. Once he dies all his bad qualities should be forgotten and good things should be remembered.

Nehru. He has drawn example to flowers blossoming in thorns like roses. What a simily!

Gandhi. True. I forgot to tell you something. See the news paper.

Patel. What is there?

Nehru. It must be interesting indeed.

( Patel picks up and reads headlines)

Patel. What is this nonsense. Why Maharashtra CM should do this scam. Is he short of money that too living in Bombay and ruling over vast state and Bombay is the commercial capital of India.

Nehru. He knows it better.Just now we heard Saigals song. Although he has bad qualities including making property and money in scams he may be having some good qualities too. They should be seen.

Patel. Not know. Still he is alive. The song said once such guys die we must forget bad qualities because these bad qualities die with him. Good ones remain in world as they a re remembered.

Nehru. Will it be true? Is this argument applicable to Adolf Hitler too.

Patel. Why not? He was a great organizer and had leadership qualities. He is remembered for that.

Gandhi. True. Similarly Baber sat on tower of skulls whenever he won wars. We condemn him. But we remember his as a writer and leader.

Patel. We condemn Nizam for his acts in 1947 and people still like him for good things he has done.

Gandhi. Hee. Hee…. How about Mohammed Ghaznavi who sacked Somanth? He was cruel and looted India.

Patel. It is strange that our chacha Nehru also saw good qualities in him and glorified in his book, discovery of India… haa…haaa..hee..hee

Nehru. What is there to laugh. That was real.

Patel. Will it become really real if you write. Who will accept it

Nehru. All congress workers and leaders will accept and accepted too.

Patel. They had no way out. They were just stooges in fact

Gandhi. Come on guys. Stop fighting now. Is it your past time?

Patel. Sorry Bapu. But what I said was correct.

Nehru. I object, but now keep quiet because Bapu is upset.

Gandhi. We were discussing the flat scam in Bombay.

Patel. Now a new scam is added to the long list. It is high time some guy opens a web site scamsters.com.

Gandhi. Haa..haaa..heee..hee. hi.. Once I herad a song

Patel. Bapu. What is it? Plesae sing Bapu.. We are itching to listen to it.

( Bapu does jig and sings)

Is Duniya me sab chor chor
Koi andaa chor koi murgee chor
Haa. Is Duniya me sab chor chor.

Hee…haaa…hee..haaa

Patel. Hoo…haa..hooo. Haa

Nehru. Hhee ..haaa..haaaa. heee

( Patel and Nehru also sing the verse, clap and do jig )

Gandhi. Now what government is going to do?

Patel. What they can do? Chavan was called to Delhi and bullied. He agreed to step down.

Nehru. But I heard he will be replaced after Obama the great American Presidents visit is over.

Patel. Why allow this. He can tamper evidence.

Gandhi. True. He can do it. He has to be replaced immediately.

Nehru. It is not that easy. He can play his cards too.

( Suddenly a soul enters the room and it goes to Gandhi.)

Gnadhi. Who are you Bhai. Kya kaam hai ( What is the work?)

Soul. I am Pandurang Digambar Khoth. I died ady ago and I herad the conversation about Chavan and I got interested. (He looks through window and yells) Hey Pandu.. Jaldi aana ( He calls another soul)

Gandji. Do you have any news to give.

Khoth. Bapu. I know that the CM Chavan has now implicated some important congress personalities in the scam. Center is worried now. Mukherjee is trying to solve the issue.

Gandhi. I see.

Patel. TRhe issue now gets complex. Congress high command will not have guts now if important ones are implicated. It will be surely so. That si whi they are playing safe. Chavan is playing his cards.

Patel. After all his is from Bombay. He is clever too. Why some one will surrender his seat just like that.

Nehru. True.

Patel. Please keep quiet. You did not resign after the Mundra affair. You made Krishnama chary the scape goat. He was in your cabinet. You had moral responsibility.

Nehru. Bapu. See What patel is saying

Gandhi. What I can say. I was not alive at that time. Godse took me away. Thank god I was not alive.

Nehru. Eee…eee..eee…aa…aaa…aa…aaaa…aaaa….aaa…

Khoth (goes to Nehru) please do not cry. These things happen in politics. Politics means scams, loot, dacoity. What ever is not a virtue it is there in politics. Take it easy. Bapu. Thanks. We have some other work. Here I go.

Gandhi. OK . Thanks.

( Khot leaves)

Gandhi. Now what to do. Shall we go to Bombay and know what is the latest situation.

Patel. Bapu. Let us wait. It is too early to go there.

Gandhi. OK . as you say Let us relax for some time

( From the window song is heard)

Oh sachhe phansi chadte dekhe
Aur jhoota mauj udaaye
Kya mai jhoot boliya.. koina

Aaa…aaaun…aaun..hu…aaun..aaun… ( Song from Jagte Raho ( Bhangra dance
song)By Mohammed Rafi)

Patel and Nehru also dance Bhangra shouting aaaun aaun…hu…


CURTAIN FALLS