INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN..282

                                INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN…282

                                             Dr K Prabhakar Rao

(Gandhi, patel and Nehru are  seen chatting at Delhi  Vijay chowk. The entire area is strewn with  chappals, shoes, broken bangles, spectacles, hand bags and many things. Poops of water  are around.)

Gandhi. Patel, What is this? This area always looks clean and neat. What is this. The area is horrible.

Patel. Bapu. Less said is better about this place.

Gandhi. What happened? You look dejected.

Patel. Bapu, I can not tell you.

Gandhi. Be bold. You are a freedom fighter that too a veteran ( Sings).

Be bold and do not hide

Tell me what happened here?

This area appears to be a battle ground

Now tell me all without any fear

Patel. Bapu, Please do not force me ( Sings).

I am helpless  and  I can not tell

Kindly forgive me now oh dear

This land has gone to cats and dogs

While on Delhi roads roam tiger and a bear

Gandhi. Jawaharlal, Do you know any thing about this?

Nehru. I do not know any thing. Patel knows everything. As usual I am cool.

Gandhi. If you guys do not tell, I shall go on fast right now here.

Patel. Bapu. Your fast has no meaning now. You are already a dead guy. What can happen to you now?

Gandhi. Ohfo. I forgot about it. Patel, Please tell me without any delay. I am itching to know Look, My hands and legs are getting scratchy ( He starts scratching violently).

Patel. Bapu. Please hold. I can not stand you doing this. I shall tell you everything.

Gandhi. I am a bit relieved. No wtell me.

Patel. Yesterday there was mammoth crowd here. All were  youth boys and girls.

Gandhi. Why they were here? What there any fashion show or cat walk?

Nehru. Bapu, How do you know about catwalk?

Gandhi. What do you think of me. Please do not underestimate me. I know everything.

Nehru. Sorry Bapu.

Patel. Bapu, there was nothing of that sort here. The youth were protesting about violence  against women. 

Gandhi. But it was always there in India.We never had such huge protests.

Patel. This was particularly  staged after a recent incident of violence against a young lady in a bus during night on Delhi road. It was a mass rape by a gang of criminals in the bus.

Gandhi. How sad!

Patel. The  woman is battling for life in an hospital. It is a shame to our country. So there was huge protest right in Vijay chowk.

Gandhi. Then what happened?

Patel. What can happen in India. The Delhi police as usual overreacted. They used water cannons against the youth. There was a severe lathicharge too several times. Most of the youth were injured including many young women.

Gnadhi. Why such police violence? Did the youth go berserk?

Patel. The police guys went berserk. This is another shameful incident against woman this time by the law enforcing agencies.

Gandhi. I know, Delhi police is famous for these things.

Patel. They should have shown restraint against the youth. They were not protesting for something funny.  Where was the requirement of using force?

Gandhi. What happened then? Did the PM of the country respond?

Patel. Who Bapu? Dr Man Mohan Singh was quiet seeing the tamasha. They can only say afterwards that law will take its own course. They say police arms are very long.

Gandhi. Shame..Shamee.. PM should have responded immediately and assured the nation.

Patel. You know how MMS responds. We have seen him after Bombay terrorist attack. He is meek and not forceful. No one will get assured after seeing him or listening to him.

Gandhi. It is a national misfortune indeed.

Patel. The govt after all these things says  that they will appoint fast track courts to punish the criminals.

Gandhi. Has the police arrested the guilty.

Patel. They say they did including the main guy.

Gandhi. Hope they caught the correct guys.

Patel. Hope so.

Gandhi.  I think Delhi is a state. How about the Chief minister of Delhi state? Where he or she is ?

Patel. She or he only knows. God bless this nation.

Gandhi. How shameful it is. Our nations prestige has nose dived. What face we can show at international forums?

Patel. If we have one Bapu.

Nehru. Patel, Please do not over react Our nation is great in fact.

Patel. Yeah, For rapes of course we  now stand first.

( In the mean time a Delhi police van arrives with some armed police men. An Inspector calls the trio)

Inspector. Who are you guys here? What work you have?

Gandhi. We are passersby. We have no special work here.

Inspector. Then pack off from here.

Patel. That will surely do. Any thing more?

Inspector. You appear to  be a stiff guy. If you do not go I shall show you what si more for you.

Gandhi. No requirement sir. We have seen enough.May god bless you. We are going from here.

Inspector. You appear to be the leader of the team. You look wise too.

Gandhi. True. We are going now.

(Inspector goes away in the van)

Patel. Have you seen Bapu, how  he was behaving with us.

Gandhi. That sit the usual police way. They are brought up that way. They also behave that way. It is no wonder they behaved that way with the crowd.

Patel. Bapu, This nation  can not   be corrected. It has  gone to dogs.

Gandhi. Patel, please do not feel dejected. Good days will come one day.

Patel. When Bapu?

Gandhi. You will know soon. I am sure about it. Let us go before that nut returns in the van.

                  (The trio walks away)

                                                     CURTAIN FALLS