INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN...294

                                         INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN…294

                                                   Dr K Prabhakar Rao

(Gandhi, Nehru and Patel are in Delhi and are chitchatting in a park at Rajghat.  From distance black marble Samadhi memorial of Gandhi can be seen. Gandhi looks at it and sighs )

Patel. Bapu. What happened.? You look upset.

Gandhi.  Do you see from here the  memorial with black marble

Patel. Yeah. That is your grave.

Nehru. Patel. Do not call it a grave. It is a memorial. Bapu was a Hindu. He was cremated and not buried. Samadhi was not  built for him. It is only a memorial.

Patel. Oh I am sorry Panditji. After all I am not that learned man like you. You were known as Panditji.

Nehru. Please do not be sarcastic..

 Gandhi. Look. People fondly call their leaders with many titles. I was called Bapu. Patel was called Sardar. Jawahar was called Pandit, Rajen Prasad was called Babu. Bose was called Netaji. Azad was called Moulana, What is wrong in that.

Patel. There is nothing.

Gandhi. That  is fine.

( Suddenly the hear  some commotion on the road. A crowd is passing over the road shouting slogans. Down  down Advani down down.. Modiji ki jai ho..  Modiji ki jai ho… Down with Advani)

Gandhi. Arre. What is this tamasha? Why guys are after Advani. What he has done. Poor guy. He is a Ram bhakt too. Has he stopped singing Ramdhun?

Patel. I shall find out Bapu soon.

( Patel  runs to the gate and talks to some people and returns)

Gandhi. What happened. Why they are after that poor guy?

Patel. Bapu. Advaniji was against nomination of Modiji as the haed of the campaign committee for BJP in next elections.

Gandhi. I see. But why he was like that?

Patel. Bapu. Advani is the senior most leader in BJP. He nourished the party. He was no 2 after Bajpaiji. He has his own ambitions. He failed to become the PM till now. Modi is too junior to him. Obviously as BJP has chances to win in next elections with congress party in shambles, he is getting jittery   with coming up of Modiji.

Gandhi. I understand his problem.. But old guys graciously must give way to the young.

Patel, Saying is easy Bapu.  Who will do that?

Gandhi.  I am one. Once we got freedom did I run for any post?

Patel. Bapu. You were great guy. All are not like you.

Gandhi. I understand. Look Patel. Do you think Modi will become the next PM.

Patel. Why not? Stars are in his favor. Congress party is in doldrums. It is a sinking boat with a shattered captain. He does not know which way  to steer, How to steer and when to steer. He looks like an dumb helpless guy. I feel sorry for him.

Gandhi. But what he can do? His hands are tied behind and lips are locked.

Patel.  Bapu. I shall tell you one thing. Id you do not use your limbs for too long they become useless. I know a Sadhu at Mathura who has been  standing still at Yamuna ghat with a raised hands for the last twenty years. Now his hands has become like a rod in raised position  and it can not move. Similarly this guy too   would  have become useless by this time  as he was inactive for so long , all most  10 years.

Gandhi. That is his fate. I heard he is dreaming for another tenure in the chair.

Patel. Let him dream. Modiji almost on it.

Gandhi.  I think whole nation wants Modi as the PM. They are fed up of these congress guys with scams and daily tamasha going on.

Patel. Then what?

Gandhi. I think you are the strong supporter of Modi.

Patel. Any sensible guy would be.

Gandhi. But Rahul is also dreaming for it with his mom  pushing at it.  It will be now or never.

Patel. Bapu. He is no match for Modi. He has no base, except that he is being propped up. Wherever he led his party he goofed up. They lost miserably. Youth I India want Modi. They sing Jai ho Modi..

Gandhi. Advaniji is unable to swallow the change. In front of his own eyes, his dreans are being shattered. Rajnathji has nominated Modi as the chief of campaign. It will be difficult for Advani to  forget this.

Patel. Bapu. You also went through such things in past. I know the situation when Netaji won  the President ship of Congress at Tripura in 1939. He won against your Pattabhiramayya. You were much upset and you expressed it too. Advaniji is also in same situation. You did not cooperate with Bose. Finally he resigned and said bye bye..

Gandhi.  Patel. Are you mocking at me ?

Patel.  How can I do that? I am frank. You were no different. It is a human trait.

Nehru. Patel. Why do you find faults with Bapu?

Patel. I am not  doing any such things. I am only telling truths. Kabir said ( sings )

Bura na dekhan my chala

Bura na miliya koi

Jab dil my  khojoo apna

Mujhse bura na koi

Gandhi. Well said. You were frank to tell straight on my face. I like it.

Nehru. Bapu. It is getting late. This is a grave yard, I am scared of ghosts. I herad that  ghosts of all dead congress leaders roam here after sunset. I am scared bapu. Let us go.

Patel. Haa.. Haa. Haa.. What a guy you are? Hee..hee,,hee

Gandhi. Let us go.

                      ( The trio walks away )

                                                CURTAIN FALLAS