INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN....268

                              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