INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN...213

INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN…213
Dr K Prabhakar Rao

(Gandhi, Nehru and Patel are seen conversing at a Park in Hyderabad. They are very casual and appear to be much relieved.)

Gandhi. Patel. To day the climate appears very inviting. It is not very hot either.

Patel. What is on cards Bapu?

Gandhi. What else can be there? Let us go and explore some thing.

Patel. Bapu. Last time we went to Sinhgarh fort and on the way we met Chatrapathi Shivaji Maharaj. You know what happened. He was very un happy with us. He blasted us in fact. It is OK that we escaped from Chatrapathi, but what all he said was absolutely correct.

Gandhi. I agree with you. We were almost three centuries apart. But he has clear perceptions and fore thought. This is lacking with our leaders. These nuts are short sighted.

Patel. It is a shame if we call them as leaders. They are mere opportunists and in fact many are gangsters and shady men wearing white ironed clothes. In Shivajis times they would have met their fate on the ramparts of Raigarh or Daulatabad. You also know how Shivaji maharaj was lambasting them.

Gandhi. I know. Now what should we do?

Patel. Bapu. Let us not go any where in Maharashtra. Wherever we go , surely the Maharaj would come to us. It will be very difficult to answer him. It is OK, we are dead men and he is also a dead King. In fact he can not do anything to us now. But to face him is very embarrassing . We feel so low in front of him.

Gandhi. That is why he is still worshipped in India. He is considered as incarnation of Shiva, the Rudra while we are abused for partition and creation of Pakistan.

Patel. There is nothing wrong in it. Probably we deserved it.

Gandhi. Patel. Iam sure history will condemn us in future. Once this congress government is lost into wilderness some day, our days would be numbered. No one will care for us. Entire history will be re written. All skeletons will be taken out of cup boards of government that are sealed now and no one is allowed to touch them.

Patel. Surely it will happen one day. You know what happened to Saddam Hussein, Idi Amin, Shah of Iran, Hosni Mubarak of Egypt recently, Assad of Syria, and many more.

Gandhi. eee..eee. That will be a very bad day for us. I can not stand. Then what happens to my title Mahatma?

Patel. You know it better. After all it is only a title and there is no financial benefit out of it. Any how Bapu, why worry now for all these things? Fate will decide as per our deeds. If we have ruined Akhand Bharat we deserve what is there on cards.

Gandhi. eee..eeee.. aaa.. Iam unable to digest. What happens to my statues that are allover world?

Patel. Where are they? In India there are not many of them. Most of them are overtaken by Ambedkar’s statues in India. They are on every square feet in India. We have to search for your statues. In Hyderabad, you will find Ambedkar statues on every traffic island. If at all one finds your statue, it will be very badly maintained and located at the shittiest spot on the earth in the most horrible condition. I know one place where all pimps and prostitutes assemble in the night.

Gandhi. Ambedkar deserved statues.

Patel. But your statues are also required. I saw your statue in one of the district towns where only head without eras was there on an iron bar. Rest disappeared. Rods were stolen and sold to scarp dealer for few coppers. At the base of statue only pigs slept.

Gandhi. All these are fine. Why cry now? Let us go to some place and enjoy. Where shall we go?

Patel. Bapu. We shall go to Kadapa.

Nehru. Why go to that place out of all places?

Patel. There is an election fever there. Bye elections are being held there.

Gandhi. Why?

Patel. You know, Jagan, son of late YSR Reddy and his mother are fighting the elections. She is fighting for the assembly seat while Jagan is fighting for parliament seat.

Gandhi. Better call they are contesting elections.

Patel. No.. No.. They are in fact fighting elections. The term contesting is not appropriate.

Nehru. Hee..heee..

Gandhi. What is this tamasha going on there?

Patel. It is the real Tamasha in Indian democracy.

Gandhi. Be clearer.

Patel. Bapu, You know AP Politics well. YSR died in chopper crash some time ago.

Gandhi. That I know. Then what happened? Life and deaths are not in our hands.

Patel. YSR’s son Jagan Mohan Reddu mostly known as Jagan threw in his towel and staked claim to be the next CM

Gandhi. Did he enjoy support of many MsLA?

Patel. Bapu. In which world you are living?….Hee..heeee

Nehru. Plesae do not laugh like that. You are talking to Bapu, great Bapu, Hamaara Bapu, The father of India nation. Be respectful to him.

Patel. Sorry Bapu. Plesae do not mind my way of talking.

Gandhi. Relax. I am least bothered. I have seen many things like this in my life. I have become immune to these.

Nehru. Bapu. You appear to be upset a bit.

Gandhi. No.. No I am least affected. Go ahead Patel. Be frank.

Patel. Jagan staked claim for the post of CM and a signature campaign was launched. Many were with them.

Gandhi. But after all he is a kid. He may be Ex CM’s son.

Patel. He thought in AP also dynastic succession is the answer.

Patel. Hee..heee

Nehru. Are you guy aiming salvo at me?

Gandhi. Why should we? We have many better things to do in life. Look Patel. Then what happened? Did he not become CM after YSR?

Patel. Haa..haaa.. Bapu, How do you think this will happen? It can happen only in congress party. Only Nehru’s dynasty has to rule.

Gandhi. Why not? This is very normal in India. After father ,son becomes a king. That has been the practice.

Patel. Bapu, now we have democracy in India and also in AP state.

Gandhi. Ohfo. I forgot about it. Naturally the MsLA have to elect the leader who has maximum support from the legislators. Did this happen?

Patel. Bapu. These things do not happen congress governed states. The Ms LA leave everything to high command of the party. They rise up like a herd of sheep and shout we authorize high command to appoint the CM. There ends the matter.High command will then force some guy a noted yes mmaster.

Gandhi. Stooge is a better word. That means the party MS LA do not have any voice and liberty to elect their own leader.

Patel. Very true Bapu. These guys are mere just puppets. They dance to the tune of high command. If the high command says sit down, the guys will squat. If the high command says stand , these MsLA stand up without any shame. They have no identity of their own.

Patel. Hee..hee.. True

Gandhi. Are they so much spineless? Are they not vertebrates?

Patel. I doubt Bapu although zoologically they have spine. They are more like earth worms not even centipedes.

Gandhi. How tragic it is! I am much pained and upset.

Patel. You must be surely feeling. You struggled so much to get freedom for these nuts. But they have misused.

Gandhi. What can be the reason for such behavior?

Patel. Bapu, Most of the guys can not win elections on their own. They rise by virtue of unlawful activities, chamchagiri ad money power. They start their career in streets. They need Congress stamp. Bapu, during elections and actual voting, on the ballot papers, the party symbol is printed. The voters put their seal on it. There is no photograph of candidate on the ballot paper. That is the joke. The voters are influenced by the party,. In case of Congress party they are influenced by your name, Jawaharlal’s name and they blindly vote for the party and not for the candidate. Most of the criminals are given tickets and they win at ballots.

Gandhi.. Hee..hee, Good show indeed. Patel. We discussed enough. Let us go to Kadapa.

Patel. Here we go.

( After some time the trio lands up in Kadapa. They find scores of police men in the town. They start walking on the road. At one place they find a gathering and a guy is seen addressing the crowd.)

Gandhi. Tamasha has started. Look. We are the election meeting now.

Patel. That guy is Jagan.

Gnadhi. Interesting. He is lifting his hands very often and saying Namaste.

Patel. His father used to do this trick. He also used to sport a turban ( AP type).

Gandhi. Do these things matter?

Patel. Very much. The locals are much influenced by the mannerisms of YSR. Jagan imitates his father hundred percent.

Gandhi. What is wrong in this if he can influence people?

Nehru. There is nothing wrong. I used to throw garlands at people when I went tio meet them. Rajeev also did same.

Patel. Poor guy. He was killed in such meeting. His enemies took advantage of it.

Nehru. Why remind me of past? Iam much hurt.

Gandhi. Patel. Please do not trouble him. Leave him alone.

Patel. Look, Jagan is appearing to be highly popular in this area. He is saying that in very near future the state govt will fall.

Gandhi. Is he so sure? Is it a threat?

Patel. He is very confident.

Gandhi, I heard a campaign has been launched against him over his assets and money.

Patel. True. All efforts are being made to corner him. But the guy appears to be strong and determined.

Gandhi. After all this is democracy. Might is right here.

Patel. They way things are going on, Jagan has all the chances. This is his strong bastion. His word is a dictum. The state govt has deployed many ministers in Kadapa for defeating Jagan and his mother.

Gandhi. If Jagan wins there will be a loss of face to the present CM and high command and party.

Patel. If Jagan wins we can say it will be the end of Kiran Kumar Reddys career. He will be replaced.

Gandhi. What is new in this. Earlier Mr Rosiah the old horse was there. One day he was shown the door. He said he resigned due to old age to save his face.

Patel. That is the normal practice. No one will say that he was shoed out.

Gandhi. I think other parties are also in Kadapa fielding their candidates.

Patel. Yes Chandra Babu Naidu the Telugu Desam supremo is also here campaigning for his party. He is much vocal against Jagan.

( Suddenly they find some guys stoning some people and showering choicest abuses. There is great confusion. The trio runs and take shelter beside a roadside cement pipe)

Gandhi. What is this?

Patel. This is very common in elections in India. Might is right as you said. The supporters of Jagan are after Naidu.

Gandhi. Ohfo. What a state of affairs here! These are not elections. (Cries) ee…ee…eee.

Patel. Bapu, Plesae control yourself and emotions.I told you long ago about things to come. Even Winston Churchill the PM of England warned that Indai would slip into the hands of Rascals. We are witnessing what he said,

( Suddenly Mr Churchill appears in his black suit and hat)

Gandhi. Welcome Winston.

Churchill. Look Mr Gandhi. Are you convinced now? What I said has become true. Plesae see how democracy is working ( sings and does jig)

Look Mr Gandhi, Look at your nation
It has fallen in to deep shit pot
You abused me at that point of time
While your leaders are surely some rustic lot

Hee..hee haa hhaa I enjoy the show now
While your nation struggles and burns to dust
You guys surely deserve no freedom
As all of you are rotten with much rust

Patel. Mr Churchill, Plesae do not sprinkle salt over our wounds. We are much upset.

Churchill. Sorry Patel. Relax and accept things. Here I go

( Churchill vanishes)

Gandhi. That guy Churchill said truth and look how happy he is.

Patel. True. Bapu. Let us go. It is not safe to be here. Police may land up any time and open fire

Gandhi. OK . Let us go.

( The trio vanishes quickly)

CURTAIN FALLS