INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN...219

INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN…. 219
Dr K Prabhakar Rao

(Gandhi, Patel and Nehru are seen strolling on a road in heavens. They are found conversing actively. Suddenly they find some darkness at a distance.)

Gandhi. Patel. What is that darkness at a distance? Any India

Patel. I am not sure about it. I am also seeing it for first time.

Gandhi. Then we must explore it.

Nehru. Bapu. Why bother for it. As it is we keep getting into some or other problems everytime. Let us relax.

Patel. Jawaharlal. Be dynamic. Look, Bapu is much older than us. When he died he was 79 years while I was 48 years. You were also of same age. He was three decades senior. But he is much dynamic than you and me.

Gandhi. Thanks dear for compliments.

(They go towards darkness. As they go, it recedes into distance. They pursue it relentlessly and travel over long distance. They get perplexed)

Gandhi. What is this Patel? There appears to be no end to this tamasha. What can be the reason for this? Is a heaven endless? What lies across the darkness?

Patel. Bapu. Plesae remember after darkness always lies the light. Plesae remember the song by great and immortal Surendranath ( Surendra) from old film Anmol Ghadi ( sings)

Ab kaun hai mera kaho
Ab kaun hai mera.
Faryad hai…. Faryad hai
Takdeer ne loota hai basera
Ab loota hai basera….
Farya hai

Kya khatm na honge
kabhi ye gamke fasaane,, ye,.
Furkhat ke zamane
Kahtehai har ik..raat kaa…aaa….aa
Kahtehai har ik
Raat ka Hota hai Savera…aaaa
Ab kaun hai mera..

Ab kaun hai mera kaho
Ab kaun hai mera.
Faryad hai…. Faryad hai
Takdeer ne loota hai basera
Ab loota hai basera….
Farya hai… ( Surendranath from Anmol Ghadi.. 1946)

Gandhi. Hera ..hear .. Great song and well sung dear. That means after this darkness we shall find light.

Patel. Surely Bapu. Plesae await

( The suddenly come across a plaque . Gandhi goes to it and reads)

Gandhi. Stop. Do not go beyond this. This is the limit of Hindu Paradise.

Patel. What does this mean. What is this Hindu paradise? A strange word indeed. Does it mean that there is another paradise for others?

Gandhi. I also feel this looks strange. Shall we go ahead?

Nehru. Bapu. Better stay back. As it is we had many problems in past. It may be risky to venture into darkness.

Gnadhi. But Patel says after darkness light will be there.

Nehru. Bapu. After all that was a song to give some hope to strugglers. Here we have to face reality. We might land up in trouble. Who knows? Hell may be on the othrside. We may get caught there.

Gandhi. What you say is also true. Let us not venture into unknown places.

Patel. Bapu, If all were like Jawaharlal, probably Africa would have remained a dark continent and South pole would not have been explored by the great Capt Scot. Pahraoh Tutunkmans golden head gear would not have been found from Egyptian pyramids.

Gandhi. You are also true to great extent. I am unable to decide.

Patel. Panchatantra says that wise men take their own decisions.

( They suddenly find a man emerging from darkness and walking towards them. He stops at the sign board and Is not making any efforts to move further towards the trio. Gandhi, Patel and Nehru look at each other in hesitation. There is lot of mist and the figure is not very clear. Slowly the figure emerges clear. He is alean and tall figure dressed in military fatigues. He has white Afghan turban with long flowing beard. He has sharp piercing eyes . He is heavily armed with an assault rifle of automatic make.)
Nehru. Bapu. He looks a terrifying figure. Why he is armed and in army fatigues? What he has to do here?

Gandhi. Bhai. Who are you. Why are you here. Why are you armed like this. You appear to be a guerilla fighter.

Stranger. Yes . Iam a guerilla. You guessed correctly.

Patel. You look familiar to me. I saw your snaps in many news papers for the last few years. I am trying to recollect your name (He scratches his bald head). Yeah. Iam at it now. You are Osama Bin Laden, the Alqaeda Chief. Am I correct?

Stranger. Hundred percent you are correct brother. You could identify me correctly. Iam Bin Laden, the noted guerilla.

Nehru. Bapu. He is the dreaded Chief of Al Qaeda the most dangerous terrorist organization of the world

Gandhi. Oh I see. We have nothing to do with worldly organizations. We are dead now and we left our moorings on the earth. Once we died we have been freed from all attachments.

Laden . Very correct.

Patel. If I am correct, you were being sought by American forces for the last ten years. Entire NATO forces were after you.

Gandhi. I thought you were alive still.

Laden. I was alive till yesterday.

Patel. What happened?

Laden. American special forces led by Helicopter bound Navy seals tracked me in my place of hiding and killed me in a special operation.

Gandhi. I see. Could you be tracked by them?

Laden. Yes . they did it cleverly.

Patel. Americans are very cleaver unlike Indians. Indians had been sucking thumbs ever since Bombay attack took place that is called 26/11. They beg to terrorists, they weep and fall at feet of thugs not to attack again. They are fed like hogs in jails and do not punish them. They want votes from minorities. National security is thrown to winds for sake of votes.

Nehru. Look Patel. You dot allow a chance to escape to deride Indians.

Patel. Am I deriding Indians? I am telling truth . Please accept if you can. Truth is difficult to swallow. I am frank and do not lick boots for positions and chairs of power. I do not do chamchagiri and I am not a sycophant.

Nehru. Hope you are not aiming at some one or my people.

Patel. Why should I do? You imagine things and feel guilty.

Gandhi. OK Mr. Laden, we know that you escaped from Afghanistan when Americans fell on Taliban after 9/11. By the by what was the necessity to bomb WTC center?

Laden. That was very much required. I wanted to teach Yankees a strong lesson. They have interfered in all world affairs. Muslim world has suffered greatly at the hands of Americans and their policies.

Patel look. Mr Laden. There is saying in Hindi, Jis ka lathi us ka Bhains. Meaning a Buffalo belongs to the guy who has the stick. America is the strongest power in world. Naturally they will dominate every one. He become big brother. ( sings)

If I have a stick in my hand
I shall use and get very strong
The world will fall at my feet
Although Iam hundred percent wrong

Gandhi. Very good Patel. Well sung by you. Iam proud of you.

Patel. Thanks Bapu, Iam honoured.

( Nehru coughs and looks other way)

Laden. How can we accept it? After all Islam is great. It has to be protected. The American influence on Islamic youth has been bad. It had to be curbed.

Patel. No one is asking Islamic world to follow west. They are doing on their own.

Laden. That is the tragedy. Therefore I have started indoctrination of Muslim youth to be a fundamentalist and be a Jihadi. Their first action is to safe guard Islam from deteriorating from its values. You know that Pakistan has become a great fundamentalist nation. There are thousands of Madrasas in that country and they turn out Jihadis without break.. Now Pak Taliban are on every street.

Patel. We thought Taliban were there only in Afghanistan.

Laden. No.. No.. They are there everywhere. Soon Taliban will rule Pakistan. All its nuclear weapons will be at the feet of AlQaeda. Once we get hold of nuclear weapons we shall drop them on America first and then on Western countries. India also will not be spared.

Gandhi. How about India?

Laden. India also will have Indian Taliban. There is already organization called SIMI in India and has many sister organizations in India. Many will grow soon. We are at it. They promote Talinbaism in India. Soon they will rise to heights. Indoctrination is going on without break. We are trying to hasten up things.

Gandhi. That is dangerous. India is a secular country. I made India secular in 1947

Laden. Who is this man? What he has done in 1947. I am not aware of it.

Patel. India got independence in 1947 by the efforts of many patriots. But mostly people think that India was given independence by this old man called MK Gandhi. But I am sure the Englishmen got vexed up with India and left, but not before creating Pakistan. A permanent sore in Asia. He is also titled as Mahatma ( great soul) and father of India. We are also a party to it being his associates.

Laden. That means you were slaves earlier. I learnt from history that India was ruled by Muslim kings right from 12 century for nearly 600 years. Indians were slaves to Muslim rulers. All came from Afghanistan. This land was ruled by Islam. It has to be the property of Islam. Spain was ruled by Moors. One day it has to be an Islamic state. I shall ensure it.

Gandhi. We were not slaves. We were only ruled by Afghan Sultans and Mughals.

Laden. That means you could not defeat them. So you had to be slaves. You had no choice. Beggars have no choice.

Gandhi. Please do not be harsh. We were not slaves.

Laden. Only slaves do not have freedom. They have to be given freedom.

Gandhi. Mr Laden. You are very strong in Islamic views. Do you think no other guy should live in world except Muslim.

Laden. I did not say that. My contention is that Americans must stop exploiting Islamic world.If in an Islamic state Kafirs live they will be under protection and they have to pay tax for that purpose.

Gandhi. This is a vague statement. No one prevented Muslims to be modern and developed. For their failures why West should be blamed? West has developed scientifically. They invented many things, modernized agriculture, Industrial revolution took place in west. So they have progressed. How you can blame them for backwardness of Islamic world? It is their own doing.

Laden. Look old Man. America is our No 1 enemy. We have to destroy them. I proclaimed that it will be erased from world map. Whoever is an American stooge he is our enemy. Our bombing of WTC towers was only a warning. They must learn lesson and behave and leave Islamic world and get out of Middle East.

Patel. But they taught you many lessons. You were hounded out of Afghanistan. Have you achieved any thing? You were living like fugitives all these years. World wide Al Qaeda is seen as a dangerous terrorist net work. Even entire Muslim world is not with you. How can you succeed?

Laden. By Jihad we shall succeed. There is no other pious action for a Muslim than Jihad. We shall turn entire Islamic world into a Jihadi net work. We shall make world a fire ball.

Patel. You have failed to do that. Many Islamic nations are not with you.

Laden. They are my enemies. They are as bad as Kafirs. We shall punish them. They are un Islamic. Any one who does not subscribe to Wahhabi thought is our enemy. We shall teach them strong lessons. We shall punish all such guys.They will be wiped out from this earth.

Patel. Come on Mr Laden. Be practical. See Reason. You have already died. Poor Pakistan has been caught in a very tight corner. They do not know what answer they can give. All these years they pretended as if you were not in Pakistan. You were hiding in that house close to capital right in cantonment at a military training academy for the last 6 years,. Who will believe that Pakistan does not know this?

Laden. Surely they knew it. Without their support how can I hide there? My house had seven feet high compound wall with fence. Any person will ask why such security was required. They would have enquired surely.

Patel . Poor Pakis will, bite dust now. Iam happy they have to bow at the feet of America to be forgiven. I am sure about it. They have to their noses at the feet of America.

Gandhi. They may do it. After all they need American dollars.

Patel. This time America will be careful. I am happy that Pakistan was exposed with their pants down.

Gandhi. Patel. Please be modest in your words.

Patel. Should we be modest with Pakis? They left no stone unturned to trouble us all these years. We should celebrate at their present condition. They need no mercy.

Gandhi.Patel. Plesae relax. Mr Laden. We saw you emerging from Darkness. What is there across the Darkness.

Laden. There is heavens there.

Patel. This is also heavens

Laden. That one is Islamic heavens. There is only one heaven. That is Islamic. You are Kafirs. Therefore you have to be in hell. All unislmaic guys will be the dwellers of hell. I came direct to heavens after I was shot dead because I died for the cause of Islam. I was a jihadi. As per Islam, all the guys who get killed and lay down lives for the Islam will go directly to heavens.

Gandhi. I see.

Laden. There is nothing to see. I came direct here and am in great comforts here.

Patel. It is said that in heavens men like you are given all comforts such as 75 virgins to enjoy .

Laden. Very true. I am more comfortable here than in Afghanistan, Tora bora caves or in Pakistan right near capital. Haa..haa.. More over I became a martyr in Islamic world.

Patel. In America, every one danced on streets the moment President Obama declared that you were slain.

Laden. I know that. Soon they have to repent for it.

Gandhi. Why?

Laden. Al Qaeda will take revenge soon. I am not sure how they will take. But I am sure they will do it. After all AlQaeda does nor end with me. I have built it world wide. We have strong and committed cadre. The next person will step into my shoes soon.

Patel. But none of your deputies have your image. You became an icon for terrorism and among terrorists.

Laden. We were not terrorists. We were Jihadis. Both are different.

Patel. But to day terrorism is part of jihadi philosophy. Both are synonymous.

Laden. It is your view. I do not agree with it.

Patel. Dear Mr Laden. Please know that AlQaeda is more feared than respected. You are trying to take guys into medieval era into the times of the Prophet ( PBUH)

Laden. This is not correct. We are only safe guarding Islamic values. Holy Koran is very clear in it’s teachings. No dilution can be tolerated at any cost. Even if I am not there, the struggle will continue. It will not die.

Gandhi. We know that there was unhappiness in certain quarters. Communists are not happy with Laden’s killing.

Patel. Bapu. They will never be happy with Americans at any point of time. Whatever they do they will be first to criticize in most powerful words. They have only one track thinking.

Gandhi. How about minorities?

Patel. At many places special prayers were held to mourn Laden. Anger was visible at American actions. Many were quiet watching mood of others and situation. Any how things were calm in India. Many guys celebrated in India. They burnt crackers too.

Laden. All such guys are my enemies. We shall take care of such guys in future.

Patel. How many guys you shall take care of?

Laden. Let it be any number. Please do not think that AlQaeda is finished. I shall live in every ones mind and actions. Long live Al Qaeda.

Gandhi. OK Mr Laden. A chapter is closed with your slaying. Let us watch and see how things will move now.

Laden. Ohfo I ma getting late. All my virgins will be waiting for me. I have to go soon. OK see you guys.

Patel ( within himself) I do not want to see you again

Gandhi . OK. We shall take leave.

Laden. I spent lot of time talking to wasteful guys like you. I go now.

( Laden turns back and runs back waving his rifle)

Patel. Bapu. We are saved from the guy.

Nehru. Next time we should not come this way.

Gandhi. Relax. Whatever happens it is for our good. Let us go.

( The trio walks back home singing Ramdhun)

(CURTAIN FALLS)