INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN...187

INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN…187

Dr K Prabhakar Rao

Gandhi, Nehru and Patel are strolling at a park in Hyderabad in the morning hours. Their spirits appear to be high. They see a guy approaching them from opposite direction. The guy is heavily built with great bulk and two body guards are also walking with him. They are Lallu and Panju. One guy is armed with a carbine.)

Gandhi. Look Patel. That guy appears familiar to me.

Patel. True Bapu. I also saw him..

Gandhi. Where could be?

Patel. Yeah. I saw his movies. He is Chiranjeevi. He is a mega star.

Gandhi. I see.

Nehru. What is there to be excited? He is a mere film star. There are thousands like him on streets.

Gandhi. Come on Jawaharlal. He is an accomplished star in movies. His movie Mutta mastry was great hit.

Patel. Bapu. He is a MLA now from Praja Rajyam Party meaning peoples state Party

( In the mean time, Chiranjeevi approaches the trio and stops.)

Chiru. You guys appear familiar. You are exactly dressed as Gandhi, Nehru and Patel. This is nice. I feel like giving you some tip.

Patel. My dear friend. We are not dressed like them. Actually we are they and they are we. We do not need any tip. We are not beggars.

Chiru. This is strange. Howe can it be? They died long ago.

Bapu. This you shall not understand in your life time.

Nehru. It is beyond your comprehension.

Patel. You can never understand ( sings and does jig)

We are in fact they
They and we are same alike
They and we are same
This is true whether you like or dislike

Look at them
And also stare at us
We are the same good old guys
Plesae do not make much fuss.

Chiru. This is great indeed. You are a poet cum dancer too.

Patel. Thanks for it.

Chiru. I am an MLA and also a mega star. I think I must give you a chance in my movie.

Patel. No Thanks. I have no time.

Chiru. Are you so busy?

Patel. This is not my business.

Chiru. By the by, where do you stay?

Patel How does this help you? We do not belong to one place.

Chiru. Do you know I am shortly going to become the deputy CM of this state? (Does break dance and sings)

I am the new political star now
And I shall soon sit on the rickety Andhra throne
Good old guys will vanish into air
And people will throw at them many eggs and stones

Look at my style of filmdom
Where I did many stunning roles
Now I shall play a new character
In politics of this state I shall make many holes

People thought I was finished
Now I shall see that the jokers will be sunk deep
I shall rise like a sphinx from ashes
While the critics will soon have to loudly weep

Patel. I think you were aiming to become CM of this state at the time of last elections.

Chiru. Yeah. I think every one has ambitions.

Nehru. But you got only 17 seats in the assembly.

Chiru. But see. Now I have turned to be a king maker.

Gandhi. How?

Chiru. Look Old man. Fortunes have smiled on me. The congress party is now in jitters with Jagan opening his fangs. Many Congress MsLA are openly siding with him. Many are cats on wall. They are watching situation. No one can be trusted. Many can be purchased through money. In politics wine, women and wealth play great role. I can mange everything. They are taking part in his games. High command is shit scared with all this. The present CM has no sleep. Poor guys days will be numbered, if I do not go for help.

Gandhi. So you are playing the opportunistic politics.

Chiru. In politics opportunities have to be grabbed. No one is friend and foe.

Gandhi. Are you joining the Congress party? I am hearing that you are trying to give support as alliance. You may get many cabinet berths.

Chiru. True. All my MLA would get some post.

Patel. Are you going to get so many?

Chiru. They have to. Or they will be doomed. I shall ditch them if they do not.

Patel. You may be constant pain in the neck and sore in the wrong place for them after some time.

Chiru. How sir?

Patel. Usually, people in similar situation blackmail the guys on top.

Chiru. I am not that type. I am not a black mailer.

Patel. Time only will tell. Our past experience is full of such things. Look, during independence movement Jinnah black mailed us. After partition, Gandhi was blackmailed by a guy and I was not made the PM. There was no end to black mails. Charan singh lost the place as PM after he refused to yield for such tactics by Indira Gandhi. Now every one is black mailing every one. Hee..heee..haa..haaa

Nehru.. hee..heee..Gandhi. This state has become miserable one really. There is no peace in this place. Every day some Bandh is going on. This is a state of Bandhs and strikes. The guys have goofed up entire thing.

Chiru. Look Guys. I have many things to do. I can not waste time here.

Patel. No one has asked to waste the time. You only stopped here and got into conversation.

Gandhi. Hee..hee

Nehru. Kindly do not embarrass him. After all he is going to become CM one day.

Gandhi. Yes. Surely. Mr Chiruji. Kindly do not waste your time. Run and take care of your plans to grab power.

Chiru. Am I that impatient?

Patel. You know better.

Chiru. I have many things to do. I have to convince my followers that I am not ditching them.

Patel. Look Mr Chiru. You have no much choice in politics. You can never win on your own to gain majority either in Andhra Seema if Telangana is created or in the present state. Telugu Desam is big threat to you. Congress under any case will be trounced soon. Jagan is surely going to cause sensation. Congress party will be like a fish out water. It will struggle to survive. Bihar would be enacted here. This is the only opportunity for you. Grab or perish.

Chiru. I am doing that. Iam only worried if inspite of this new marriage with Congress if the party looses majority what would happen to me. I can not again form Praja Rajyam party. People will hammer me then. With this politics I also lost acting days and money too.

Patel. You must have made plenty of money in cinemas.

Chiru. That I did.

Patel. So Congress is going to use you against Jagan. They may at a later date ditch you. The present love for you is only temporary and would vanish if they find safer. The Telangana stir has caused them nightmares. They already lost many states. Next will be this state. They will ill then go for camel riding.

Gandhi. Soon guys have to ride camels and bulls as Petrol and disesel will become very dear. Hee..hee

Chiru. Look Guys. I am getting jittery with your words. Better I levae.

Gandhi. Please run soon before congress changes its mind and you are ditched.

Chiru. Aa..aaaa..aaa… I shall run

( Chiru and his guards run from the place while the trio laugh loudly)

CURTAIN FALLS