INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN...177

INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN…177
Dr K Prabhakar Rao

( Gandhi, Nehru and patel are seen in heavens sitting in a park and chatting. They are keenly looking at people strolling around.)

Patel. Today the park has less no. of guys, Bapu have you noticed?

Bapu. Yeah. I see that. Most of the guys must have completed tenure in heavens. Either they must have gone to hell from here to suffer for longer period or must have taken rebirth in the cycle of deaths and births.

Patel. Must be true. Bapu when are we going to leave this place to take rebirth?

Bapu. Iam not sure. The fact is that we three are here together indicates that we have more or less equal virtue and have equal sins too. It is said that souls initially go to the place i.e heavens if they have greater amount of sins and from there they go to hell to suffer for long periods. If they have long history of good things first they go to hell and then go to heavens from there. We have already gone to hell. We saw each other there. We came here with in a span of few months from each other.

Patel. Bapu. Do you have any idea who has committed more sins among us?

Gandhi. That is very difficult to tell. Kabir said once:


Bura na dekhan my chala
Burana miliya koi
Jab dil khojoo apna
Mujhse buraa na koi

( Once I went in search of a sinner
And I found none any where among they and we
Then I searched my inner heart for hours
And Lo!There was none greater sinner than me)

Patel. Bapu.. hear…hear.. What a great poem indeed! You are very great Bapu.. Hats off to you.

Gandhi. Thanks dear. Iam obliged

Patel. You have not said anything. Did you hear the poem Bapu Said?

Nehru. I heard. You already appreciated.

Patel. Nothing prevents you from appreciating. It gives wrong signals.

Nehru. I am not a flatterer by any standard.

Patel. What is wrong in appreciating the old man when he recited a grand good poem?

Nehru. There is nothing wrong in it. That I also know.

Gandhi. Patel. Why do you insist on him? When he is not appreciating the poem let him not. Iam not becoming a smaller person by that.

Nehru. Bapu. Please do not misunderstand me. I do like the poem. But this Patel is over reacting.

Patel. What is the over reaction in it?

Nehru. I do not want to argue now.

Gandhi. Patel. Plesae leave him.

Nehru. Thanks Bapu for sparing me.

Gandhi. We were discussing hell and heavens. Probably I am the greater sinner amongst us.

Patel. How do you say that? You were titled Mahatma by Ravindra nath Tagore.

Nehru. Titles do not reduce sins in any way

Gandhi. I agree with you.

Nehru. I am sure Patel must be thinking that I am the greatest sinner amongst us.

Patel. How do you say that?

Nehru. You have been always critical of me ever since I became the first PM of free India.

Gandhi. Will you guys keep quiet now? Enough of it.

Patel. Bapu. I shall surely keep quiet ( sings)

Bapu. I shall keep my mouth shut
Although I am not a clown and nut
What else I can do now?
I have to keep quite some how

Gandhi. Look guys. Enough we had heart burn. These inner bickering will make us to leave heavens early.

Nehru. Bapu. Is it true? I am scared. I do not want to go back to earth. I do not know in which form I shall take birth. Eee..eee….aaa…aaa

Gandhi. It is OK. You can not escape fate. There is nothing in your hands now. Take as things come.

Patel. I am sure you shall be born as chameleon because you displayed dual personality.

Nehru. How about you. Will it be a insect in cow dung?

Patel. Iam least concerned. Whatever god wishes for me it will happen.

Gandhi. I do not know in which form I shall take rebirth.

Nehru. Bapu. You are being worshipped in India. Every one likes you. No sins are endorsed to you. Then how can you be born as insect or small time animal or some dirty bird.

Gandhi. I do not know. My heart tells that all is not going to be well for me.

Nehru. Your sixth sense tells you.

Gandhi. Most probably I shall be born as a Jackal or fox with oozing and infected wounds with plenty of puss that can not be cured.. Many Indians hate me because they feel deceived in the end in 1947. India was partitioned. That is the biggest blame to me.

Nehru. Were you alone mattered in this?

Gandhi. Then who else? I take all blame for it. A leader takes all blame always.

Patel. I am happy at last now things are getting clear. Bapu why don’t you write memoirs?

Gandhi. I am dead now. How can I write now? The opportunity has been lost. In fact I wanted to write. But Godse came in between.

Patel. Bapu. You were a Hindu and although you were killed you have not been declared a Martyr. If you were a Muslim you would have surely gone to heavens inspite of your grave sins committed earlier and would have enjoyed 72 beautiful virgins with all comforts in heavens; Of course Islamic heaven. This heaven does not belong to Islam. They do not agree to our scriptures. They say we are all inhabitants of hell that too permanently.

Gandhi. haa..haaa.. Neither I had a chance to convert. Where was the time? Ambedkar I was told changed over to Buddhism fed up of Hinduism.

Patel. It is no different from Hinduism. After all it is just a branch.

Gandhi. Buddhists do not agree for that.

Patel. We accepted Buddha as incarnation of Vishnu.

Gandhi. But many Hindus do not accept it. They show Balarama as avatar along with Krishna.

Nehru. Is the gossip required?

Patel. Is it gossip?

Nehru. Then what it is?

Gandhi. Jawaharlaal. Better keep quite.

Patel.. I feel sorry. You did so much for India and expecting that you would be reborn as a shitty Jackal.

Gandhi. Dear , Every one has to pay for his deeds.

Nehru. Bapu. Bapu.. Mujhe Bachalo.. I do not how I shall be born. What will happen to my dynasty. I will not know any thing about them. I shall forget everything. Eee..eee

Gandhi. Jawaharlal. Relax. Learn to live by facts. Before you were born as Jawaharlal what were you? Do you know?

Nehru. I do not know.

Patel. Then why are you crying? This cycle will go on till one gets salvation. We do not know how many more births we have to take.

Gandhi. True

Patel. Bapu. One thing is sure. We have in fact duped the nation. We led the freedom struggle and finally ended with partition. There is no excuse for us. We have committed greatest sin of allowing division of this great land. Thus sin will keep us in the cycle of births indefinitely and infinitely. Probably we will not get human life again. We have to go through all types of other creatures and suffer for all the times to come

Gandhi. True. Even Ramdhun will not help.

Nehru. Eee…eee.. I can not live without remembering my dynasty.

Gandhi. Dear . There is no escape.

( In the mean time a messenger arrives fromYam raj. Chiragupta the accountant of Yam raj from hell arrives)

Chiragupta. Who is Jawaharlaal Nehru ?

Nehru. I am Nehru. What is the matter?

Chitragupta. I am the Chief record holder of Yamraj. Your days are over in heavens. Now you are being called by Yamraj to be sent for rebirth

Nehru. Eee…eee…..aa… Bapu. Mujhe Bachalo..

Gandhi. Look sir. May I give him some of my good deeds to him so that he can stay here for some more time? He is very much attached to us.

Chitragupat. This is strange case. I am not sure. I have to refer the matter to Lord Yam raj.

Gandhi. Plesae find out from him. We are not going to run away from here. You can always take him.

Chitragupat. That is true. I shall find out. If you can give one good deed to him from your account, he can stay here for another thousand years.

Nehru. Bapu Give me atlesat 10 deeds.. no.. no.. Give me twenty good deeds.. No.. No please give me many more.. eee…eee aaa, I am shit scared

Patel. Haa…haaa.. Haa. What a funny guy?

Gandhi. Hee..hee. Patel. Plesae do not laugh. He is getting scared, see how is shivering like wet cat.

Chitragupta. I shall soon return after getting clarification. If Lord accepts you have to give undertaking to us duly signed by Lord Vinayak the notary of heavens.

Gandhi. OK Thanks for helping him.

Chitragupta. If this is not yet accepted You have to send him.. It is just a proposal

Gandhi. We know. Thanks dear.

Chitragupta. OK Bye.

Nehru. Bapu. Let is go from here. I am getting scared

Patel. Bapu. Let us go.

( The trio slowly goes away singing Ramdhun while Nehru hides behind Gandhi)


(CURTAIN FALLS)