INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN...175

INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN…175

Dr K Prabhakar Rao

(Gandhi is seen sitting on a bench under a tree in Rajghat in Delhi near Yamuna river. He is seen singing…Patel and Nehru arte also strolling in the park)

Gandhi ( Sings)
Duniya mujha ko paagal samjhe maihootho awwara
My Duniya ki sewa karne phirte mama mara
Hai ramm… Hai Ram

Ho Ram.. Ho Ram

Patel ( Goes over to Gandhi) Bapu..Are you alright. You are singing a sad song.

Gandhi. What to do bhai? My plans are not working. I left India in 1948 with unfinished work. We could screw up India only a bit and this is what most of the people today feel.

Patel. Bapu. Your unfinished work has been completed by our friend Jawaharlal.

Nehru ( From distance) What is that you are conspiring against me?

Gandhi. There is no conspiracy dear. Simple plain truths are being discussed.

Nehru. Bapu. Do you believe Patel? He is very much jealous of me.

Gandhi. Jawaharlal. Learn to know realities soon.

Nehru. Now what happened ? Why are you guys are after me. What I have done?

Gandhi. I told long ago that congress should be disbanded immediately after gaining independence. You guys never listened. Now see they have screwed up the nation.

Nehru. Is this my fault?. There were many PM after me

Gandhi. You have sown the seeds of screwing up the country. There is some truth in it.

Patel. Are you aware what is going on now in India. Do you know what is happening in Delhi?

Nehru. I am always with you. How do I know?

Patel. It is not our fault

( In the distance a very sentimental song is heard)

A.ndhe kii laaThii tuu hii hai, tuu hii jiivan ujiyaaraa hai (2)
tuu hii aakar sambhaal prabhuu teraa hii ek sahaaraa hai (2)
a.ndhe kii laaThii tuu hii hai, tuu hii jiivan ujiyaaraa hai (2)

duhkh dard kii gaTha.Dii sar par hai pag-pag par girane kaa Dar hai (2)
parameshvar ab path raakh tuu hii (2)
tuu hii path raakhanahaaraa hai (2)
a.ndhe kii laaThii tuu hii hai
tuu hii jiivan ujiyaaraa

jin par aashaa thii chho.D gaye
baaluu ke gharo.nde pho.D gaye
mu.Nh mo.D gaye, man to.D gaye (2)
ab jag me.n kaun hamaaraa hai (3)
a.ndhe kii laaThii tuu hii hai, tuu hii jiivan ujiyaaraa

( By Great singer actor KL Saigal from old film Dhoop chaon..1935?

Gandhi. Look Patel. How saigal sahib is singing? Today all Indians are at mercy of god. The misrule is all over and people are suffering. People are like blind men struggling on the streets. The guys who are ruling are clueless of peoples flight. They are busy saving chairs for them selves.

Patel. Some are struggling to save chairs for their children.

Gandhi. I think PM is keeping the PM seat warm for prince like a fowl sits on eggs to keep them warm.

Patel. Bapu say Hen not fowl. Only she sits on eggs.

Gandhi. True. Thanks for correction.

Patel. Otherwise, the PM he has no role to play in governing

Gandhi. He is busy going around shaking hands with dignitaries and back at home he is happy that all are saluting him although every one has a hidden agenda with them. Every guy knows that he is a mere rubber stamp, reading through text without lifting eyes from the text. He is like Alibaba among Chalees chor.

Patel. I think Sonia is slightly better because she at times lifts her face and shrieks in her broken Hindi.

Gandhi. How about her son Rahul? He has only past time that is comparing RSS and others with terrorists. He has no other work. He lost badly at Bihar and he was shown the back door to escape. From then onwards he lost control of himself. He speaks whatever he wants. The strange thing is that he hopes to lead India. God bless this nation if it happens. The nation is doomed surely. He has already driven existing wedge much deeper among Hindus and Muslims in the country.

Patel. Hee..heee..haa

Gandhi. Hoo..hoo..hoo Very rightly said .. ( claps)

Patel. Bapu, look there are some monkeys sitting there ( He shows a group of monkeys at a tree)

Gandhi. Yeah. But what is so great about them. They are mere monkeys and they are very common here. They bare after all our brothers.

Patel. Bapu. It is not that. Have you seen the monkey sitting on a half split log?

Gandhi. Yaeh. I have seen. It is their past time.

Patel. That idiotic monkey is fiddling with the wooden spike inserted in the log by the carpenters.

Gandhi. Yaeh. I can see. Poor monkey is trying to pull the wooden wedge out. Oh… sh.. it has dropped its long legs up to thighs into the slit of wood. Idiotic monkey indeed it is.

Nehru. Bapu. It is not pulling. It is hammering wedge further in side with a hammer left by the carpenters.

Gandhi. Good and sensible monkey it is..

Patel. Bapu. All is not well there .The foolish monkey is hammering deeper and deeper. See the other monkeys clapping around making noise. They are all fools.

Gandhi. Why do you say that.

Nehru. That monkey is very clever.

Patel. Keep looking at them. They are just fools. The wedge is going deep and deep and coming out from other side. Look Bapu. That fool is using another thin stick to drive the thick wedge further deep

Gandhi. Yeah I see it. It is a fool. If the big wedge drops out from bottom the monkey is finished.

Nehru. Bapu. Why you wish bad things?

Patel. Bapu says correct. The foolish monkey is risking its life.

(The monkey gives a final blow and the wedge falls down and the thin stick is unable to keep the slit wide open. The thin gets crushed along with monkey legs and thighs with great snap.
Monkey cries loudly vomits blood, yells violently and dies. Its eyes protrude like balls)

Gandhi. Oh shit. Same thing happened what I said. Very bad. It was real idiotic monkey. It went on driving wedge till it came out and the log killed it.

Nehru. Bapu. It was bad. We could not save it.

Patel. Can you save it Jawaharlal? They are after all monkeys and have no brains.

Nehru. I feel very sad and bad.

Patel. The inevitable has happened. Life is like that

Nehru. Patel. Plesae do not teach philosophy.

Gandhi. why are you getting irked up. All of us are feeling bad about the monkey.

Patel. I shall say one thing. What is happening in India is exactly like this.

Nehru. I could not follow.

Gandhi. Better you do not follow.

Patel. The log is like Hindu Muslim unity in India. It has been partly split before, during and after division of the country. The wedge was left by all of us

Gandhi. Hope you are not pointing at me?

Patel. I am not blaming you alone. Entire congress party is part of it. We could not prevent partition. Your policies helped it. This is what majority of Indians feel about it.

Nehru. Then which is this monkey fiddling with the wedge?

Patel. Can’t you guess? How naïve you are? Are you acting Jawaharlal?

Gandhi. Look Jawaharlal. Recent statements by the congress guy have driven the wedge deep and deeper. Earlier the congress guys compared RSS to SIMI.. Wedge was driven half way. With recent statements wedge is almost about to fall down. See the Monkey’s fate. The fate of congress will be like that if they continue with the game of dividing the society further and further while other monkeys jumped around. In the end they will not be able to prevent catastrophe for themselves. Monkey also could not do any thing.

Patel. Bapu correctly said everything.

Nehru. No one can teach good things to monkeys. If the fate is like that what we can do. All have to just watch

Patel. Bapu. I also feel bad. It is a bad day for us. At Rajghat we have to see bled shed.

Gandhi. That is called destiny. Could any one stop Godse from gunning me down. It was to happen and it happened. Any amount of preaching mutual love has no meaning in India. It remained a mirage.

Patel. Bapu. You thought it was love. Others thought it was appeasement. Second was more correct.

(In the distance great actor singer Surendra nath BALLB sings)

kyuu.n man Dhuu.NDhe prem nadii kaa kinaaraa
ab kyuu.n man Dhuu.NDhe ...

Duubane vaalaa Duub chukaa jab kyaa tinake kaa sahaaraa
kyuu.n man Dhuu.NDhe ...

apano.n se bhii dhokhaa khaayaa sabako dushman paayaa
ham hu_e sabake duniyaa me.n ko_ii hu_aa na hamaaraa
kyuu.n man Dhuu.NDhe ...

( Surendranath BALLB from film Lal haveli..1944)

Gandhi. I feel very sad Patel. Let us go.

Patel. OK Bapu. Let us go.

( The trio vanishes singing Ramdhun)

CURTAIN FALLS