INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN...223

INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN….223

Dr K Prabhakar Rao

( Gandhi, Nehru and Patel are seen travelling in a train in second class compartment. They have boarded a train at Patna and are planning to go to Delhi. As usual, it is over crowded although it is a three tier reserved bogie)

Gandhi. Look Patel, It is long time I travelled in a train. The trains appear to be a bit modern with diesel engines or electric engines.

Patel. Yes Bapu, the good old steam engines have been discarded in the process of modernization. They are running in some corners to remind history.

Gandhi. Patel. I think we are travelling in reserved bogie. Why this rush? There are more guys than the seats. It looks like a general bogie. What is the use of reserving seats?

Patel ( looks at few co passengers. They are Darya Ram and Munna ram) Bhai. Are you having reservation? This is a reserved bogie.

Darya Ram. So what? There is a place. We shall travel. What can you do?

Patel. Plesae do not get angry Bhai. But is this the way?

Munna Ram. This is the only way. This is Bihar Bhai sahib. No reservations here. Jis ka lathi us ka Bhains ( Buffalo belongs to the guy who has stick). Ye Lalloo ka state hai ( this is Laloos state). Kya Karlego? (What can you do?)

Patel. If the ticket collector comes he will ask you to get down.

Darya Ram. Haa.. Haa (Laughs). They dare not. Have you seen this ( He shows a country made pistol)

Gandhi. Look Brother, Why are so you violent? Is there no discipline? There is a marking that this is second class bogie.

Patel. Bapu. Earlier we had First, Second and Third class coaches,. Indian govt can not improve standard of life of people in real sense. So they removed third class completely and made only two classes.Garibi Hatao ( Remove poverty) was Indira Gandhi’s slogan. She could not achieve a bit of it. So Amiri Hatao ( Remove rich) is the answer. Government is at it. In fact it is a third class, but redesignated as second class. They made fool of people. The nuts feel happy that they are now second class passengers. Haa..haaa. Indians people are mere fools in fact. They can be taken for a camel ride very easily.

Gandhi. Ha.. Haa.. But this is real cheating infact.

Patel. That goes on everywhere in India. Every day starts with cheating. First the milk guy cheats by adding water. Auto guy on road cheats with faulty meter. He mixes kerosene in petrol and cheats all. Bus driver does not return change after giving ticket. He gives a dirty look and walks away if we demand change. At Petrol bunk, the guy does not return change after paying him. He pockets it. At sabji ( vegetable) market , the vendor cheats using tricky balance. The fruit vendor sells mangoes that are ripened using carbide. They are tasteless. Measuring weights used are drilled at bottom and metal is removed. It is then replugged with seal. Inside it is hollow. In match boxes fifty percent match sticks go waste and they do not burn. Rice is mixed with white stones. Ground nuts are mixed with pebbles. Oils are adulterated. Pulses are adulterated. Sugar is mixed with fine sand. At cinema halls tickets are sold in black. At hospitals, the doctor prescribes all types of tests even if not required. He gets commission from the labs. Where is the end to these troubles? Bhai, Cheating is birth right in India.

Gandhi. Patel. I hope you are not seeing only negative aspects of this country and life.After all we struggled get this country freed.


Patel. Bapu. You have done the biggest fault of your life. These nuts do not deserve it. Subhas said, you give me blood, I shall give freedom. We had no such strong slogans. We only sang:

Raghupathi Raghav Raja Ram…
Poora swarajya mere naam..
Chodo hamko Ham kare pranam
Karte hai ham lakho sallam
Jai raghunandan Jai siya Raam
Chodo mulk ko mera Pranam

Raghupathi Raghava Raja ram
Poora swarajya Mere naam
Maaf karo hame oh! Gore lal
Chodo hamko kare salam
Ho.. Jai raghunandan Jai siya Ram
Khathe Lathi phirbhi salam

Maro laathi tumko salaam
Maro Goli par kare salaam
Ladddu peda tere naam
Ghas ki sabzi mere naam
Jai Raghunanadan Jai siya Ramm
Raghupathi Raghava Raja Ram




Gandhi. haer..Hear . Very good Patel. Once more.

Patel.The Englishmen got vexed up and went away. They are very happy now having got rid off us. I am saying facts. Now Anna Hazareji wants Lok pal Bill to come up. Can he remove all these things? Poor Hazare. He is over expecting. Along with him you find another saffron clad turbanised guy called swami Agnivesh.He is in many controversies. Guys who want some popularity like some retired police guys have joined him now. Now everything is quiet after initial halla gulla. The tamash appears to be over .

( In the mean time Darya ram and Munna Ram get down at a station before train stops not before robbing some passengers at gun point. All are relieved)

Patel. Bapu. Those guys are gone. We may stretch legs for some time.

Nehru. Iam also tired. I want to relax. I shall occupy upper birth.

Patel You may. After all you are a VIP. You need upper birth and not lower one..

Gandhi. Hee,,Hee, OK Jawahar lal, Relax for some time. Patel. How about a song? You know many.

Patel. Ok Bapu, As you wish. How can I refuse?( sings)

chho.D musaafir maayaa nagar
ab prem nagar ko jaanaa hai
is duniyaa kii safar ba.Dii hai
jiivan kaa na Thikaanaa hai
ab prem nagar ko jaanaa hai ...

(aalam saaraa jaa rahaa hai
teraa din bhii aa rahaa hai) - 2
(prem kaa saudaa kar le musaafir
piichhe nahii.n pachhataanaa hai) -2
prem nagar ko jaanaa hai ...

(putra potaa ko_ii na apanaa
ko_ii na apanaa ko_ii na apanaa) -2
(maayaa rath kaa jhuuThaa sapanaa) - 2
dekh musaafir kadam kadam par
jag kaa daND chukaanaa hai
ab prem nagar ko jaanaa hai ... (Great singer actor Pankaj Mullick)

Gandhi. Great.. Great philosophy Patel ( Claps )

Patel. Thanks Bapu.

Ram Naraian( Co passenger). Very well sung brother. Lagta hai Pankaj sahib waapas aagaye hain. ( It looks as if Pankaj Mullik has returned)

Patel. Thanks Bhai. I am obliged.

( The train stops at a station. Suddenly about 20 guys along with some luggage barge into compartment. They swarm the place.)

Patel. Bhai. This is reserved bogey and not a general one. Please go to some other place.

Buddhu singh. What do you talk. Is this your das property. Shut up and get up and sit down.

Patel. What is this julum( oppression). I shall call police.

Buddhuram. Call them. What they can do? Ye Bihar hai. We have no tickets, Still we travel. We shall see what happens to us. I shall teach lessons to all. Sit down now and do not lie down. When so many have no seats how can you sleep and travel. Get up now..

Patel. ( Gets up) You guys will not listen like this. I shall take care of you.

Gnadhi. Bhai. Please do not fight. Plesae come and sit down on my seat. I shall stand.

Patel. What are you doing Bapu? These are ruffians. Please do not have sympathy towards them.

Gandhi. Look Patel, The satisfaction one derives from giving away to others who do not have is great. Plesae understand this.

Patel. Bapu. Those days are over now. This is 2011 and 1947 was over long ago.

Gandhi. Values are same every time and they do not change.

Patel. We fail to understand you even now.

Gandhi. Plesae think coolly. Muslims wanted Pakistan before partition and we agreed. We gave away great lands to them. They are having a separate country. Many wanted to stay back in India. We accepted and again we gave away. I feel so happy by giving away things.

Patel. Now probably Indians have to give away Jammu and Kashmir to Pakistan

Gandhi. Time will decide it. If it is inevitable and gods wish who can stop it.

Patel. Bapu, Come on stop this talk now. The country already suffered much.

Gandhi. Look Patel. Just now you sang a beautiful song. You preached in that song that nothing belongs to us here in this false world. This is illusion.

Patel. Bapu, It is high time you change yourself.

Gandhi. I can not change myself at this stage. ( sings)

Pyar bant te chalo.. Pyar bant te chalo
Ya Hindu ya Mussalman
Ham sab hai bhai .. bhai.. eee..
Pyar bant te chalo…haa..

Pyar bant te chalo.. ho
Pyar bant te chalo… heee

Pyar bat te chalo

(The train halts at a station and all the ruffians get down a nd one of the guy takes away Bapus shawl. Bapu gives up happily)

Patel. Look Bapu. The goondas have robbed you of your shawl.

Gandhi. No... No . I happily gave it. If some one is happy with it why keep it. Give it away. That is what I did with my life too. When Godse wanted my life I gave it away. If that guy was happy killing me, let him have it. When Godse shot me I did not resist.I simply gave up.

Patel. You could not do anything Bapu. You were so old and fragile.

Nehru. You guys, Can you stop discussing all nonsense for a while Iam getting vexed up.

Patel. Bhai. What is the matter? Why are you getting angry?

Nehru. This is all shit talk. All is irrelevant. Iam having serious headache listening to you.

Gandhi. Look Jawaharlal, You were yes master to me. Suddenly you are talking too against me.

Nehru. Even a cat will react if driven to wall.

Gandhi. Oh. You are now turning to be a tiger.

Nehru. I did not say that. I was only getting worked up with your talk

Gandhi. Please learn to be patient. It will benefit you some day.

Nehru. What benefit I shall have except to wreck my brains? I can not again become a PM of India.

Patel. So, you want to become PM of India again if given a chance.

Nehru. Who does not want?

Patel. You are already dead. How can you become?

Nehru. That is the tragedy.

Gandhi. It is a comedy in tragedy. Why do you want to goof up again? You have done enough of it.

Nehru. If I have goofed up, my dynasty would not have continued till now.

Gandhi. A good point.

Patel. This it is the goofing up. Imposing dynastic rule in a democracy is the biggest goofing up.

Gandhi. Did I promote my sons in politics? If promoted my sons who would have prevented me. I was the supreme.

Patel. It is a point. That is why you became Mahatma.

Gandhi. Haa..haa

Patel. Hoo..hoo..hoo..hee..hee. Loook Jawaharlal, Average Indian is clueless of what goes in government. He is carried away by slogans, sentiments and slogans. He is not much worried about scams. The information does not reach him. Sympathy factor is thegreatest one in India.

Gandhi. I agree to what Patel says.

Patel. If a political leader dies that too while in power his son or wife would surely win hands down. People vote blindly as per sympathy factor. Look at Jagan in AP. Look at his winning pattern. He bull dozed all opponents. Opposition leaders from Congress and other party lost deposits. He got more than 5 lakh votes. What a down fall for congress in AP! They have bought congress to ground. This happens everywhere. When you died of course Lal Bahadur was propped up as Indira Gandhi was very raw. For her luck, the Lal Bahadur died within two years after 1965 war. It was a golden chance for Indira. There was none to oppose.

Gandhi. . People like Yashwant Rao Chauhan and few more were there.

Patel. They had no say. They were not all India figures. YB Chavan was more powerful as a Maratha leader. Of course Gulzarilal Nanda was an honest man. But he was good as a guarding sentry for PM s post.Ledaers used him. He could be eased out at any time. So he was made twice the care taker PM. Poor guy. In his evening hours of his life he used to go on bicycle in Delhi while the guys who worked under him drove past him in AC cars without paying any attention to him. It was sad day indeed. When Indira was killed the sympathy wave was great for Rajiv and he was pushed into PMs chair. There was noopposition in Congress although some murmurs were there. By that time inner party democracy aws already killed in congress party. Only Nehru dynasty has to rule. No other guy had chance. When Rajiv died at Madras, there was none from dynasty to take up POMs post.

Gandhi. But Sonia had a chance.

Patel. Sonia kept herself away. She was grieved woman. Her kids were young. Narsimha Rao as PM was the choice and he was the honest south Indian guy and other Bengali Bapus and few more had to be kept away. Luck laughed at Pranab several times and vanished. When Narsimha Rao was to be replaced, Sonia had problems and she preferred to be lady who sacrificed the throne. She is waiting for Rahul to rise one day. Dynasty is around corner. Although Sonia is not PM, practically she runs the show, The present Man Mohan singh is a puppet dancing to tunes of high command and singing yes sir Yes sir three bags full.. Ba..baa black sheep have you any wool.? Image for Rahul is being built up everyday.

Nehru. You guys are after me and dynasty.

Gandhi. We are not against any one. This is after all democracy and every nut can become a PM if he manages himself. Indians keep reminding the world about our success as a democracy and world knows what happens here.

Patel. What would have happened Bapu, if you decided to become the PM of India after 1947?

Gandhi. I would not have been given title mahatma. Aspirants were there. All were itching. I was already old. It was good that I did not become the PM. I gave to Jawaharlal. I thought he was a more accepted candidate compared to Patel. Minority card was there. We had to appease them. Patels views were straightforward and minorities would have had some apprehensions. So I made Jawahar the PM. The show went on. Then 1948 war was there. Pakistan attacked India and wanted to grab Kashmir.

Patel. That was a turning point. You were knocked off by Godse finally.

Nehru. What do you mean by that?

Patel. There was surely great opposition to Bapus policies in India. It culminated into his assassination.

Gandhi. I agree. I had no choice.

Nehru. It is all destiny.

Patel. True. This is the last resort for humans. It is destiny. Tomorrow we loose Kashmir, will it be destiny?

Nehru. It has to be.

Patel. Come on , Jawaharlal. It is our failing. Surely not mine. All of you are responsible for it.

Gandhi. Why fight now? Let it happen. Then we can say.

Patel. The way the Indian leaders are acting on Kashmir policy, only god has to save it.

Gandhi. We are all slaves in front of god.

Pate. Bapu. God also helps only those who help themselves and do actions.

Gandhi. True.

Nehru. Bapu. The station Delhi has come. Come on pack up.

Gandhi. Ohfo. We have reached Delhi. Iam happy. It has reached and not fallen any where.

Patel. Why worry for it. We are already dead. We can not die again. Haa..haa

Nehru. No Jokes now. Let us go.

(The trio gets down the train and walks away)


CURTAIN FALLS