INTO THE PAST
WITH PAIN…268
Dr K
Prabhakar Rao
Gandhi, Patel and Nehru are seen at cross roads of
Chanchalguda in Hyderabad.
The road is blocked towards jail and barricades are kept. Many police men are
on duty wielding weapons of all sorts.
Gandhi. Patel. What is going on here? In fact, we wanted to
go towards Dabirpura via Chanchal guda. I find this as a fortress. Only thing
is that a cannon is missing mounted on walls.
Patel. Bapu. This is the jail that too very prominent one.
Gandhi. Why so? What is so big about it? After all criminals
are lodged at jails.
Patel. Bapu. True. But this jail has become famous for other
reasons.
Nehru. What for it is
famous? Do criminals run away from here frequently?
Patel. No. No. This is famous because all VIP prisoners are kept here. This can be termed a
VIP prison.
Nehru. Whoa re all the
VIPs here now?
Patel. The latest VIP is Jagan mohan Reddy.
Gandhi. I heard his name. Is he the same guy who was waging
a lone battle against the congress party for several months?
Patel. Yeah. He
wanted to become the CM of this beleaguered state after his father YSR
Reddy crashed in a chopper in inclement weather and passed away.
Gandhi. How sad? I feel sorry for the soul. ( Sings with
closed eyes)
Raghupathi raghava Raja Ram
Patheetha Pavana seetha Ram
Sab ko swarg dede ram
Unke atmako kush rakho ram
Patel. Bapu. Your prayer may not be accepted.
Gandhi. Why?
Patel. YSR Reddy was a Christian and they do not believe in
Hindu gods.
Gandhi. I see !
Patel. Bapu. There is nothing to see. You can see only
blocked roads and police men with khaki uniform with weapons.
Nehru. Patel. Do you reply back Bapu in this fashion? Please
learn to respect him.
Patel. I never meant
any disrespect to him. I only corrected him. YSR was buried in a grave
in his native place as per Christian
customs. His soul has to wait
till the day of judgment to get
salvation or not.
Nehru. When it will be?
Patel. How do I know? If I knew I would have given exact
date.
Gandhi. We side tracked. Why this poor Jagan is here?
Patel. He is no poor man. He is one of the richest man in India. At Bangalore he is having a place type house with
helipad. CBI charge sheeted him for
accumulating wealth by fraudulent means using his father’s position. Lot of water has flown under the mat all these days. The
guy crossed swords with high command and got displeasure of the high command.
Finally he is behind bars.
Gandhi.Pch.Pch. How bad!. How about YSR who helped his son
in his deals?
Patel. What can be done about a man who is no more now? Do you remember song of
KL Saigal sahib?
Gandhi. Which one? He sang many hit songs.
Patel. It is from very old film Lagan made in 1941 ( sings)
Koyee bhi manush kitna hee bura ho
Kuch Hothee hai
bhalayee bhee
Eeswar ka ik gun hai
ye bhi
Katonme phool khila dena.. aai..
Sath manushake gayee burayi
Rahgayi uski bhalayee
Tumbhi man me phool ko rakhana
Aur kato ko hasa
dena..aai..
Gandhi. What a song and lyrics!. He says that every person
however bad he might be will have some good quality too. This is the trait of
the god who makes flowers to blossom
among thorns. With
death of a person, his bad qualities and deficiencies will vanish and good
things only will remain. Therefore
one must maintain love in hearts towards
others and make thorns laugh.
Patel, Bapu. You are great. Message by the singer in fact is
very great. But I find that YSR has also been named in many CBI charge sheets.
They have not forgotten him. He also did
many good things while he was the CM.
Gandhi. Law is different. It will take its own course. In
some of the foreign countries even dead person are put on trial and if charges
are proved against the person his memory is erased from history. India is
different. His statues and memorials are removed. We have more sentiments.
Nehru. Bapu, Do you say, if charges against YSR are proved
some thing will be done in that direction.
There are thousands of statues of YSR erected in AP immediately after
his death. What happens to them?
Gandhi. It is too early to say any thing. Any thing can
happen. One thing is that YSR belonged to Congress party and he brought it back
to power in the state. Some soft corner will be there.
Patel. Hee..hee. Our nation is different and can not be
compared to African or Western nations. Saigal sahib also says that one must look
at good qualities of the dead man and to forget
the bad ones. One thing is that YSR made
fees reimbursement possible for lakhs of students belonging to weaker sections
and economically backwards sections in AP.
Gandhi. That has made the AP govt bankrupt. There is no
money with govt. they are unable to pay to the colleges and colleges are not
paying salaries to the staff. He landed the state in dire straits. They are in quagmire.
If they back track they shall loose votes.Tragedy is that guys traveling in Innova and Skoda cars produce
certificates that their annual income is les than Rs one lakh that is given by Mandal revenue officers and apply for fees scheme. Such a shame!
Patel. That is the tragedy. Black sheep are there at times.
Bapu. But black sheep are in plenty everywhere. They damage all govt schemes. This is also
like that.YSR without thinking for consequence
made the folly and dumped the
state in a shit pot. Now govt does not know what to do.
Patel. What can be
done now?
Gandhi. What can be done? Suck own thumbs and then others.
Patel. Haa..Haa..Haa
Gandhi. Patel who are
other VIPs in this place?
Patel. The list is long. Earlier Rama Linga Raju of Satyam computers
was there. He is out on bail now. Some IAS officers are there. Recently
minister Mopidevi is alos there. There many other stalwarts who helped Jagan
are here. Many are in waiting. They are the most worried lot. They are having
nightmares.
Gandhi. At last law is looking like working. But law should be
commonly applied and not for suppressing opposition.
Patel. That is the allegation being made by the wife of YSR in her speeches. Govt
says people are paying for their bad
deeds.
Nehru. Time is a great heelers. I doubt something will coime
out of all these rthings. Finally all will escape noose.
Gandhi. Hope not. God is there too.
Patel. Hope so. If congress
looses power in next elections opposition will fix up the others in retaliation.
That is natural. Hee..hee
Gandhi. Any how you are going to eat cake. Why talk of
taste? Haa..Haa
Patel. Hee. Hee . It is good. A good past time for all in
the state. In this confusion Telangana
issue is forgotten.
Gandhi. It is a dead issue now.
( In the mean time some police men go to the trio)
Inspector. Who are you guys. Why are you here?
Gandhi. I am Bapu father of nation.
Inspector. Good joke. Did you not find any one to joke?
Patel. You are the first one who asked us
Inspector. You guys must leave this place or else we have to
take action against you.
Patel. What will you do?
Inspector. We shall put you behind bars and hammer you.
Patel That we have been many times.
Inspector. That means
you are established criminals. I shall chew you guys.
Patel. Please try. You shall repent.
Gnadhi. Patel. Leave him. Why get into trouble with these
men. Feel sorry for them.
Innocent. You appear to be a wise guy.
Patel. All of us are wise.
Gnadhi. OK. Inspector. We are off, Try to catch us if you
can.
( The trio vanish from the place while the police men are
lost )
CURTAIN FALLS