INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN...279

                         INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN…279

                                 Dr K Prabhakar Rao

(Gandhi, Patel and Nehru  are near Ayodhya  and at a bridge. They are trying to cross over to reach Ayodhya. It is  late in the evening and  it is getting dark. They are stopped by  police men.)

SI. Look. Where are you going, you old guys?

Patel. We are proceeding to see Ramlala.

SI. You are not allowed. Go back.

Patel. What is this? Why we can not go? Why we are prevented by you? What wrong we have done?

SI. Are the questions  enough? We need not answer. Once we say, you must go. No questions are asked.

Nehru. This is  unfair.

SI. Why. We are doing our duty.

Gandhi. Look Bhai. We are old guys. What harm we can do at Ayodhya?  Look at us. Are we appearing to be some terrorists? Are you believing that we are from some political party?

Patel. What further damage can be done here? Everything is over.

SI. You guys are funny. I command you that  you must go.

Patel. What a sorry state of affairs here! Is this a democracy? Is there any rule of law?

SI. We are the law.

Patel. I feel sorry for you.

Gandhi. Patel. Leave him. OK SI Sahib. We are staying back. We shall sit in the open ground there.

SI. You may sit. But you will be watched.

( The trio walks to nearby open ground and sit under a tree. It is already dark.)

Patel. Now what to do? In the morning that guy may allow us.

Nehru. Hope so.

Gandhi. Relax. Whatever is to happen, it will happen. I think we must try to sleep.

Patel. Sure Bapu. We have no way out.

( Patel and Nehru sleep on floor while Gandhi is still awake. Soon Patel and Nehru fall asleep)

Gandhi.  Ohfo. What a sad state of affairs in this country!  There appears to be police raj in India in every state. Any how, nothing can be done. Let me do Ram Bhajan ( Sings)

Raghupathi Raaghava Raja Ram

Pateetha pawana seetha Ram

Eswar aalh tero nam

Sabko snamathi de Bhagawan

(  A figure slowly walks towards Gandhi with two people walking behind him. . Gandhi is unable to see them clearly as they are standing in darkness)

Gandhi. Bhai. Who are you? What you want?

Sri Ram.    You just now called me.

Gandhi. Me ? I did not call any one.

Sri Ram. No . You surely called. Remember what were you doing just now.

Gandhi. I was doing Rambhajan.

Sri Ram. Didn’t you recognize me? I am Lord Rama. Lord of this universe. These are Laxman and Hanuman.

Gnadhi. Oh Prabhu! How lucky I am to be infront of you. But I am unable to see you. I can only hear you and watch faint figures.

Sri Ram. That is enough for present. Our full form can be only seen by real saints like Tulsidas.

Gandhi. Prabhu, people in India believe that I am a saint.

Laxman. They might be doing that. They are clueless guys. Are you a saint really? Search your heart.

Gandhi. I can not say that. I do not know.

Hanuman. Kabir das said:

I set out to look for a bad  one

And I could  find none

I looked at my ownself then

And I was the evil one all said and done

Gandhi. What can I say about it?  You are wiser.

Ram. Why are you struggling here?

Gandhi. I wanted to have a darshan ( Look)  of you   at  Ayodhya.

Ram. I am everywhere. Why  at only Ayodhya?

Gandhi. Then why millions are visiting shrine at Ayodhya?

Ram. You are accomplished as claimed and you are called Mahatma ( Great soul or enlightened) too. You must know it.

Gandhi. If  what you said is completely true why so many temples are constructed everywhere?

Ram. An enlightened man  realizes that Lord resides within himself. Look inwards.

Gandhi. Any how, I wanted to see the place.

Laxman. There is nothing at the site. A temporary shack is there with  many ill tempered tyrant police men around with weapons.

Gandhi. That is bad.

Laxman. Earlier, a mosque was built over the site and it was destroyed by a large crowd some years ago. Now only rubble remains.

Gandhi. I know that great king Baber got a mosque built there through his General Mir Baki in 1527.

Hanuman. What is this mosque?

Gandhi. It is the prayer house of followers of Islam.

Hanuman. So, it I like a temple for them.

Gandhi. Very true. You are highly learned man.

Ram. Please know that he is  not a man. He is vanara.

Gandhi. Sorry sir.

Ram. OK.

Hanuman. Why do you call  Baber a great king? If he erected a mosque there after destroying Lords temple, how can he be a great king?

Gandhi. He defeated many Indian kings and established an empire with capital at Delhi. So people call him Baber the great.

Ram. How sad! My temple was destroyed and over the site a mosque was built.

Hanuman. ( Angrily) How dare they could do that! If I was present I would have shown stars to them ( He lifts his heavy mace and swings in air)I shall chew them. I shall crush them into pulp as I did at Lanka.

Ram. Hanuman. Please cool down. This is kaliyuga. You know Kali effects. You were given boon to live eternally and guide people on right path.

Hanuman. That is true my Lord.

Laxman. I support Hanumanji. How dare they could destroy Ram temple?

Gandhi. Lord. The world has changed. You lived in Treta yuga where virtue prevailed.This is Kali yuga where evil prevails.

Hanuman. I know that. We need no preaching from you.

Gandhi. I am not preaching sir. I am telling facts. Please understand.

Laxman. Therefore the site became a great dispute with followers of Ram agitating against the mosque..

Gandhi. Correct sir.

Ram. But you lived long in this land. What you have done to solve?

Hanuman. He could not do anything. I think he even does not know much about the problem.  I am also watching things. People say that  he went on appeasing followers of Islam at every instant. He could not do anything except sing Rambhajan and call for mutual understanding that always lacked in India right from the days of Baber.

Ram. How sad? I am much pained. You were called a Mahtama. But you could not get this land liberated with slogans Hindu Muslim Bhai Bhai..

Hanuman. They only remained slogans. At the last India was partitioned. Mercilessly the land was cut into three parts.

Laxman. Then what was the use of slogan Bhai Bhai?

Hanuman. It remained slogan.

Ram. I am very unhappy. Look at my small tent temple in Ayodhya . Is it befitting?  When my great Temple will be constructed?

Gandhi. You should know better   as you are the lord.

Ram. I  do not need any temple in fact.

Hanuman. We feel sad because at birth place of Ramji there is no temple for him.

Laxman. These are the vote politics in India where  some crazy democracy is followed which in fact is not democracy. People are nuts and they practice democracy of nuts for the nuts and by the nuts. It is not transparent. I heard crazy guys are after dynastic rule.

Ram. I heard about it. Do you know that when a tree is about to whither away it yields distorted fruit?Finally it dies too;   democracy in your country.

Hanuman. Lord Yogi Vemana  of this land long said;

Oh The langoors brought monkey

And worshipped it as an almighty

Worthless men in  politics    are always  together

Where Idiots and clowns to play politics gather

Laxman. Well said Hanumanji.

Hnauman. Thanks Laxman Bhai.

Ram. Look Mr Gandhi. I am very unhappy with you. You failed to prevent division of this land. That was your greatest  failure although you worked hard in your own way. You also got the fruit of it at the end.

Gandhi. Eee..eee… Sir forgive me. I did best.All things are not in our hands.

Laxman. It is OK. You are already in heavens after your death for good deeds done. Now your turn for hell too will come for failures and  sins.

Gandhi. What can I say? It is my fate.

( Lord Rama, Laxmana and Hanuman disappear. Gandhi is thunderstruck He weeps.)

Gandhi. Eee..eee..eeeee

( Patel and Nehru get up and find Gandhi weeping)

Patel. Baou. What happened?

Nehru. Hope  he  saw a bad dream. Relax Bapu.

Gandhi. Yeah. It was really a bad dream. Sleep now

( The trio tries to sleep )

                                          CURTAIN FALLS