INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN..253

INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN…. 253

Dr K Prabhakar Rao

(Gandhi, Patel and Nehru are seen walking in heavens at a park. They are in normal mood. )

Gandhi. Patel. What are the news from India? For the last few days, I have been suffering from cold and caugh… ( He caughs) .Uh..Uh..Uhh hoooo. Grrr…rrrr..trrr…Aha..ahha…eee..eee..

Patel. Bapu. Take it easy. Please sit down for a while. You are looking pale and weak and exhausted too.

Gandhi. What to do? I have spent most of my life in India struggling to get freedom and fasting too. I ruined myself and my family too. I am ruined and my family too was ruined. ( sings in sad voice)

Ab kaun hai mera… Ab kaun hai mera
Faryad hai. Faryad hai..
Takdeerne loota hai basera..loota hai Basera
Ab kaun hai mera..
Barbaad hai dil ujada hua aashawonka mela
Hoo jag mein akala
Ujadee hue baste mein hai.. ye..ye. …. ( Surendranath from Anmol Ghadi 1946).

Patel. True Bapu ( wipes tears).Plesae do not cry Bapu, I also feel like crying. In turn you lost your health too. You look like a cage of bones. Look at yourself.Youa re looking like a model for a medical school.

Nehru. Hope you are not making joke of Bapu.

Patel. Am I sounding so? Take it easy boy. For you all others appear to be jokers.

( They come across an old, tall and weak man in suit along with a another old man with big moustache.)

Gandhi. Look at those guys. They look familiar .

Nehru. I know them. They were from Indian army. The tall guy is Field Marshall Cariappa and the second one is Field marshall Manekshaw. They were stalwarts.

Gandhi. Oh I see.

Nehru. What is there to see? They are already there. You also know Cariappa. You may not be knowing the second one much. He rose to power after we left India.

Gandhi. I know Cariappa. He was only a General when I died.

Nehru. True. Later he was made a FM. But he was made after Sam was made FM.

(The trio walks to the Field Marshals and greet them)

Gandhi. Namaste Marshal sahibs. Hope you have recognized us.

Cariappa. Why not Bapuji? Namste Panditji and Patelji. Namaste.

Patel. Namste Bhai. How are you?

Maneskshaw. We are fine. But I am not happy the way things are going on in India with Army.

Gandhi. What happened there? All was well.

Nehru. What can be wrong there?

Patel. True. But I smelt something too. What can be correct there?. Things are not cordial between Govt and Defense forces.

Bapu. That is bad indeed. Poor Army guys ! What they have done?

Patel. They sacrifice themselves as lambs in all wars for which they are meant.

Nehru. I think it is a sweeping statement. It is army’s role. No one is being sacrificed. It is a volunteer army. No one is being forced to join army. If they want, they can go home after serving specified agreed period. No one forces them.

Patel. True. It is also like any other job in India. Then, why guys should risk themselves for a thankless nation?

Gandhi. But there is a pride in uniform for which many guys join.

Patel. Bapu. True. The pride keeps them there. That is the only reason. But there is a sure feeling that they are secondary and discriminated persons. They always are concerned and run around for equations with civilian Babus. These equations have no meaning in democracy. Civilian power is supreme. Babus are supreme. It is only an ego satisfaction. Occasionally, Army gets into blows with Police guys at different places Recently it happened at Pune. That reveals rising frustration among youngsters. Senior guys run after heavier brass on their shoulders and for star plates and flags. Then they retire to fade away unsung and un heard. There is saying that a good soldier is one who dies unsung and unheard after retireemnt.

Gandhi. That is bad.

Nehru. Hee..Hee..That is how army functions in democracy. They have to sit on back benches.Some may not have back rests also .

Patel. People say that you were shit scared of General Timmayya when he was the chief.

Nehru. It is a news for me.

Gandhi. What is the latest problem? Why worry for General Timmayya now ?

Patel. At present, Mr Singh is the army chief. There is a problem with his date of birth. He has been fighting to get it changed to a correct one.

Gandhi. Has he got any proof?

Patel. Yeah. His 10 th class certificate shows 1951 as date of birth while he by mistake entered 1950 as the date of birth when he appeared for an examination while joining army training Institution.

Gandhi. Poor Guy.

Patel. From then onwards he has been struggling to get it changed.

Gandhi. If an army chief could not get it changed all these years going through various promotions what can be the fate of ordinary officers in army? It reveals the shocking functioning of the system.

Patel. True. Shocking indeed.

Cariappa. It is shame to know these things.

Patel. At last, Gen Singh has filed a case in Supreme court against the Govt. He had no option. All option were shut.

Cariappa. Even a cat will retaliate if cornered in a closed room. It will jump at your throat.

Manekshaw. He is only seeking justice. He is not up at some ones throat.

Gandhi. I think Ministry of Defense has taken this as a prestige issue and wants to pin down the General.

Cariappa. Every citizen whether he is in uniform or in civil dress can seek justice.

Patel. Govt did not expect Gen Singh to go to Court.

Cariappa. Then what he would do? Sing sad Saigal songs? Keep sucking his thumb! He has done properly. He can serve for one more year if date is corrected.

Manekshaw. It is not for serving more. He is fighting for his honour. Probably he will call it a day even if date is amended to 1951.

Cariappa. It is up to him.

Nehru. It will be an embarrassment to Mr Antony and others who are after him to ensure that old date is finalized and the General retires .

Patel. Mr Antony can not give arbitrary decision.They are playing with fire. I do not know why he goofed up things. They are taking army for granted.

Gandhi. This could be war between Babus and Army.

Patel. Things are not clear. Any how, a sad thing has happened. Even Supreme court has directed the govt in a harsh way recently. Things will come up for hearing soon. Drama will be unfolded at that time. This will be a historic case in independent India. During Jawaharlal’s time, General Timmayya resigned over differences with Mr Krishna menon the defense minister. Every one knows how army lost Chinese war then. Army civil relations suffered greatly. Some patch work was done in hurry.

Gandhi. All these things are happening because these Babus and politicians are not matured enough to handle army in a democracy. They have ego phobia. Hence all these problems are coming up. Some time ago, there was chaos for pay commission goof ups. Former Generals and ex servicemen sat on protest at Delhi. All shameful things happened.

Cariappa. When a tree is about to die it delivers distorted fruit. This is also like that.

Manekshaw. In a big organization, some chaos will be always there. Some of the serving Generals who are in the queue must be sweating now for promotion. If Gen Singh serves for one more year, some of them have to go home too. They will be un happy men.

Patel. These things will be always there. I happened with me too. I was to become PM in 1947. But I was sidelined by Bapu. Jawaharlall became PM. But I did not take Sanyas ( becoming hermit). I still worked till I died. Some must be surely relieved too when I died in 1950.

Nehru. Hope you are not pointing to me.

Patel. Why do you feel guilty always?

Gandhi. Please relax you guys. Let us hope the General Singh gets justice at the court.

Cariappa. True

Manekshaw. Democracy runs by courts only. If these courts are not there, the politicians will eat away everything.

Patel. Very well said Marshal sahib

Gandhi. Let us all pray for the General that he gets justice

( All sing Raghpathi ragahava raja ram…pateetha pawana seethe ram.. seethe ram jaya seethe ram..sab ko sanmathi de bhagawan..)

Gandhi. I am praying to God to give Sanmathi to all the guys in Ministry of Defense immediately. Let us go. It is getting late.

( All walk away from the place)

CURTAIN FALLS