INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN...297

                                   INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN……. 297

                                                   

                                                   Dr K Prabhakar Rao

Gandhi, Patel and Nehru are seen at Abids circle in Hyderabad. They are strolling lazily and they find a Sweet corn masala shop. Smells is sweet and Patel is attracted.

Patel. Bapu, How about a cup of  boiled corn with Masala each?

Gandhi. I do not mind Patel. Weather is also stimulating. Few rain drops around make it more convincing. OK

Nehru. Come on Bapu, Do you eat on road side shop.

Gandhi. What is wrong in it. We are on road side now. Sp we are eating on road side shop. Will the shop be in sky?

Nehru. Ohfo. I didn’t mean that way. Roadside shop means a clumsy one.

Gandhi. Jawaharlal, You are ego is not yet dead  although  you were dead long ago. We are nothing now in society. All of us died long ago and guys have forgotten us. Here and there  one can find my statue and your statue too. Most of the statues are badly maintained. Of course at very few places they are looked after because they are needed for garlanding on our death and birth days. I hardly find statues of Patel.

Patel. Bapu. Mans  actions are not measured by statues. More the statues are erected less work is indicated. More statues mean some  image exploitation for social and political purpose.

Gandhi. That I agree.  But  for some guys in India there is a statue at every crossing as if they are standing to direct  passers in different directions like police men. Hee..hee… In that way we are lucky.  I feel sad  because at many places our statues are surrounded by filth, pigs, stray dogs, urchins and dust bins and pissing guys. Some also ease themselves at night.

Patel. That is very befitting because you struggled to clean up public toilets when you were alive.

Gandhi. Hee..Hee.  That is the befitting tribute by the nation to me. I am very happy. ( sings  and does also jig. Some  on- lookers gather around and clap)

Look my brothers , please  listen to me

 I struggled all my life  half naked and in  rain

Strangely the nation looks other way today

 However I do not feel a pinch of any pain

Patel ( sings)

Bapu,  Well done , you composed  nicely

It is very great and  I can not any more dwell

You are  a born poet in this thankless  world

And I can see also that you do jig very well

Nehru. Come on guys, Other guys are watching us.

Gandhi. So what. This is a free country and we are free people.

Patel And we have freedom of Expression.

Onlooker. I am   Phaltu Sareen. You sang poems well and also acted well.

Gandhi. What do you mean acted well ?

Sareen. Then what you were doing?

Patel. We were not acting. We are real guys. Not actors.

Sareen. I thought you were on some street play. I wasted my time.

Nehru. No one asked to stay brother.

( On lookers melt away)

Patel. We forgot about sweet corn. Let us have some fun.

( The trio goes to the vendor )

Patel. Please give us three cups of  corn.

Vendor. Sweet or sour?

Patel. I want sweet one

Nehru. I want sour one.

Gandhi. I want mixed.

Vendor. I can not make mixed one.

Gandhi. Why. Shall I help you.

Vendor. I shall try

( Vendor gives them cups and they start munching )

Gandhi. Why you guys preferred  different tastes?

Patel. I am a sweet guy. So I take a sweet one.

Nehru. Do you mean I am bad guy because I took a sour one?

Patel. Did I say that? It is up to you.

Gandhi. I am a mixture of good and bad. So I tool mixed one.

( They finish off the cups and start walking  and  arrive at the circle)

Nehru. Bapu, Have you seen my statue holding a pigeon and releasing it from palm

Gandhi. Yeah. I see it. I happy you released it and not made a breakfast of it. But why so many strings are tied to the neck

Patel. Whenever some political party has a program they tie their flag strings to his neck in every direction. It looks as if his statue is hung by strings. Hee..hee..hee. Now all paper flags are withered way and only strings remain. Haa..haaa.haaa

Gandhi. I feel bad  for the disrespect to the statue.

Patel. Bapu. Do you think they are erected out of respect? It is pure exploitation of our images and memories.

Nehru. I can not keep watching this nonsense. I shall remove strings

( Nehru tries to jump the fence of the enclosure and he is caught by a police man)

Police man. Hey. What are you doing? Why are jumping over the fence?

Nehru. I want to remove the strings around.

Police man. That is not your job.

Nehru. Then is it your job?

Police man. Neither mine. It is the work of city  municipality. Go away. Or else I shall take to police station.

Nehru. Please take me if you can.

Police man. Can’t I take you?

Gandhi. Look  Constable. Please leave him. He is a bit upset.

Police man. Why.?

Patel. The statue looks like him

( Police man again looks at Nehru and statue in turns)

Police man. True. He looks like statue.

Patel. Sorry. Statue looks like him

Police man. Correct. I understand his problem.  You can go now.

( The police man goes away)

Patel. Bapu. I think we must leave now. It is getting very cloudy.

Gandhi. True

( The trio  walks away fast )

                         CURTAIN FALLS