INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN...205

INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN…205

Dr K Prabhakar Rao

( Gandhi, Patel and Nehru are walking along Rajghat at Delhi. They are in usual dress. In the distance they see a crowd shouting slogans Gandhi gets perturbed.)

Gandhi. Patel. Look some guys are agitating, See what is there?

( Patel walks to the crowd and enquires)

Patel. Mere Bhai, What is going on? Why are you agitating? What worries you in this hit sun of April?

( An agitator Ram Narayan replies )

Ram narain. Look brother. We are citizens of Delhi.

Patel. That I understand. Otherwise why you should be here?

Ram narain. Being here does not guarantee that he is a citizen of Delhi. There are many guys coming from various states to Delhi and agitating here. In recent times many AP guys came from Hyderabad and held demonstrations in favor of Telangana .

Patel. True. What you said is correct. Now tell me what is your problem?

Ram Narayan. We are agitating against corruption in all quarters.

Patel.Hee..hee..heee.. Look. It is not that corruption was not there earlier in India. In all walks of life it is there. It is not that it has come all of a sudden. We have been bribing all govt babus at all offices for various things. I can list them out. In fact I have a paper on which I have written these things. If you have time, I can read them out.

Ramnarayan...You may do so.

( Many on lookers from the crowd collect around Patel. Patel takes out a note book from his pocket and reads)

Patel. Listen guys…

1.We ribe clerk to accept an application for a ration card in revenue offices

2.We bribe babus again while submitting any certificate after receiving any queries

3. We bribe Babus while collecting ration card from the office.

4. we bribe Babus in Municiapl office while submitting plan sanction for a house

5. We bribe babus while collecting sanctioned plan for the house

6. We bribe babus in metropolitan water works for water connections

7. We bribe babus for electricity connections in distribution offices

8. We bribe babus who come for reading water meters.

9. We bribe babus who demand money at the site while constructing our house.

10. We bribe babus for drainage connections.

11. We bribe babus for repairing choked drainage connections when we have to dig the road

12.We bribe babus for paying road tax for our vehicles

13. We bribe Babus in Insurance offices through agents when we have to pay Insurance for vehicles

14. We bribe Babus in RTA when we have to reregister our old vehicles for 5 years.

15. We bribe babus in RTA office when we want endorsement of change of address in Books

16. We bribe Babus in RTA office when we require NOC for a vehicle and also bribe when we submit an NOC

17. We bribe Babu in RTA when we want a selected number for the vehicle

18. We bribe Babu in RTA when we require a road permit.

19. We bribe Babu in RTA when we produce vehicle for fitness test.

20. We bribe babu in RTA when approach for engine change in a vehicle

21. We bribe babu in Municipal office when we require birth certificates

21. We bribe babu in Municipality when we need death certificate

22. We bribe Babu in Municipality when ask for dog token

23. We bribe babu in Municipality when we need spraying of mosquito repellant in our areas.

24. We bribe police Constables to avoid challan when we are caught:
a. Triple riding,

b. Helmetetless driving,

c. When number plates are wrongly written,

d. When over speeding,

e When driving without license,

f. When we do not have proper documents of vehicle,

g. For wring parking.

25. We bribe police in all matters of litigations

26. We bribe constable for pass port verification.

27. We bribe police when auto meters are checked for tampering

28. We bribe police to ensure that autos are overloaded and run


Rama Narayan. Bapre bap.. So many! Are still there any?.

Patel. Please wait. I read only two pages.

( In the mean time, Gandhi approaches them)

Gandhi. Patel. You have taken so much of time. I was getting worried.

Patel. Bapu. I was reading a list to them.

Gandhi. What are you reading to them?

Patel. It is the list of corrupt practices in which every one is engaged in all states from Srinagar to Kanyakumari and Dibugarh to pathankot.

Gandhi. Please go ahead. You are doing a great service to our nation. Why don’t you publish an encyclopedia of corrupt practices in India

Patel. Bapu, my service is not greater than what you have done to this nation.Any how, Iam on the job. I am writing following books:

a.Treatise of corrupt practices

b.Encyclopedia of corrupt practices at state and district levels

c. A text book of Corrupt practices at every level

d. International mischief making

e. How to be corrupt and hoodwink all.

Gandhi.Good effort indeed. Nation will be grateful to you. You think that I did so much for this nation.. But many think that I ruined the nation. Ee..eee ( cries)

( Patel again turns the page and starts reading)

27.We bribe a guy to get tickets in black market for a cinema

28.We bribe some one to have quick Darshan of lord at temples

29. We bribe babus to get a room in guest houses at big temple sites like Tirupathi for stay.

30.We bribe babus to get and renew arms licences at collectorate

31.We bribe doctors to get a certificates at hospitals.

32. We bribe ward boys at hospitals for various things

33. We bribe persons at morturies.

34.We bribe ticket collectors in railways to get berths in trains

35.We bribe babus in education offices for various certificates.

36. We bribe babus to get court orders at various courts

37. We bribe managements of various Institutions to get seats in Engineering and medicines. They are called donations in other terms for which there is no receipt.

38.We purchase fake certificates from shady persons including various degrees and even doctorates.

39.Some manage various things in universities by bribing lower staff.

40. We bribe officials of various top Institutions for granting permissions for engineering colleges. Recently many were caught red handed too.AICTE is a example. Even Medical council was there.

Patel. Guys . Look There are still may things. Are you interested to know more?

Ram Narayan. Sir, for present, this is sufficient. You have done great service to us ( sings and does jig)

This nation is completely corrupt
Where all and sundry are the shady men
Each and every department is a rotten place
Where all thieves are together as one

Patel. ( Claps) Very good dear.What a good poem. Each letter deserves one million dollars ( In Telugu we call it Akshara Lakshalu). You are brave too.

Ramnarayan. The list of activities of corruption at lower levels up to district and state administration have been covered in the list mostly. Still there are many. When we come to national level they will be at high level

Patel. These will be involving crores of rupees as it happned in Bofors, and 2 G spectrum issues.

Gandhi. You guys have forgotten political corruption at every level. At parliament level the Ruling party top leaders try to buy opposition members. It happened in past. PV Narsimha Rao faced the charge. Even Dr Man mohansinghs govt has faced charges from wikileaks recently. Then Tehelca scam was also there in which Bangaru Laxman was sacked when it was exposed.

Patel. Invariably in all defense deals and contracts money changes hands. This is high level corruption. Some times s senior officers are lured by pretty women into their beds. Will Hazare be tackle all these high level corruption? Then there will be guys who sell national secrets to foreign agencies for coppers. How about them? Will one Lok pal solve these multidimensional national and international corruption? The way the investigation goes on, no case can be solved. Each high level case will take years to investigate. When the corruption is at all levels, how Lok pal will solve it. It is a mere fallacy.

Gandhi. The guys have been celebrating now as if great victory has been achieved because govt has accepted to appoint Lok pal with suggested powers and it has to get parliamentary approval. Will the political leaders accept their throats to be cut. It will not come so easily. Hazare says he will repeat the agitation and hunger strike. How many times he can do. He is already very old and he can not sustain such hard ships for long. Writing on the wall has to be seen. After Hazare the second level leaders have no such charisma as Hazare and movement will die soon. Govt will wait for this situation. Then we are back to square.

Patel. These guys will think that you area a pessimist.

Gandhi. Let them think. I have to tell them reality. Ramnarayan. Let it be. We have started the movement. Let it go. Even if we achieve a fraction. our aim is achieved.

Gandhi. Good spirit

( In the mean time some police constables arrive and object to the demonstration.)

Constable. Look guys. This is not a place to hold Dharnas and meetings. Plesae disperse.

Ramnarayan. We shall not go. We shall continue with this.

Constable. In that case our SI shall arrest you.

Ramnarayan. Look. Plesae do not cause us trouble. How much money you require.

Constable. This is not simple matter. It costs high.

Ramnarayan. I have to ask our leaders. Ishall come just now.

Constable. Come back quickly.

( Ramnarayan returns after few miniutes0 He puts a thick bundle covered in news paper in constables hand and he gives a smile.)

Constable. Ok Guys . you may go ahead now. Plesae do not create any disturbance. It has to peaceful. You may shout slogans.

Ramnarayan. Thanks for all that you have done for us.

Constables. Please do not worry. This is our daily job. OK Go ahead.

( Constables go away. Gandhi and Patel look aghast)

Gandhi. Look Patel. These guys have bribed the constables. Where is the agitation against corruption?

Patel. This is life Bapu. May god bless them

Patel. Bapu. Let us leave this place. Let them hang themselves.

Gandhi. OK. Where is Jawaharlal. That guy must be sulking somewhere. Get him. We shall go.

( After some time Nehru arrives and the trio walks off singing Ramdhun)

CURTAIN FALLS