INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN...317

                                                INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN..317

                                                         Dr K Prabhakar Rao

  (It is the festival of Bonalu in Hyderabad and entire city looks colorful with all durga, chandika   pochamma, Kali, Ellamma ,maisamma, peddamma, maremma,Nalla pochamma,Nookalamma  and , renuka temples are decorated in city. People are seen in  gay mood and everywhere drums are being played. Songs are blared out on  speakers.Gandhi, Nehru and Patel decide to watch the festival and they proceed to Tank bund.)

Gandhi. Patel, I heard there are many temples of goddess in Hyderabad. These are known to be at Lal dawrwaza, Tank Bund, secunderabad, Dilsukhnagar, LB Nagar, Saroornagar, Ameer pet, Osmania university, Madhapur road, Karwan, Golconda fort, Kukatpalli. Khilla maisamma,Chaderghat, Charminar, Afzal gunj and  many more smaller ones,     in twin cities.

Patel. Let us go to Tank bund . It is close by.

( The trio reaches tank bund lower road and the temple is called Katta .maisamma. At the temple ,there is great rush. Lot of women are dressed in colorful sareees and are carrying bonums  )

Gandhi. What are the things the women are carrying.?

Patel. They are called bonums. In fact  it is Bhojanam means  food. In the local  dialect the word got corrupted and became Bonum.

Gandhi. Interesting indeed. Every place has own traditions and one must respect it.

( In the mean time  some goats  bleat near by )

Gandhi. ( Gets perturbed) Where  are these goats.? Why they are  bleating? I hope they will not be sacrificed. I am itching to drink goats milk.

\

Patel Govt has banned animal sacrifice at temples 

Gandhi. Good. They have done atleast one thing good.

( In the mean time, a devotee brings a goat duly decorated with garland. It is presented to the goddess by the   priest. Once the devotees are blessed, they  take away goat away from the temple . The goat has a garland around the neck and has kum kum ( Red color powder used in worship) and vermilion on the fore head)

Gandhi, Patel. Have you seen it?  They brought a goat and presented it to the  goddess. I do not know what next awaits it.

Patel. What can happen?. Any one’s guess.  The orders are that the animal can not be sacrificed in front of the deity. They are abiding by it. There are no orders that it can not be killed away from temple. The goats re taken to a place slightly  away from the temple where a butcher awaits with a knife.

Gandhi. Ram. Ram.. What a cruelty!  The govt made rules to prevent sacrificing of animals. But I never thought that this would take place.

Nehru. Bapu, Why meddle in their affairs? They may sacrifice us  if we interfere.Many would be drunk too..

Gandhi. If you do not want to come, most welcome.

Nehru. No , I shall follow.

Patel. That is good.

( The trio travels to the place where goats were taken. There is a cement platform   available at road level on foot path. They find two strong men holding the goat to the ground. The third person has closed its mouth to prevent bleating. The butcher takes his knife  and  sluices the throat of the goat and blood gushes out. The goat struggles severely  but is pinned down to ground. Slowly the goat stops struggling and gives up the soul. The  dead goat  is taken to  another side where it is skinned and meat is carried away  by the owners of the goat. The butcher is paid before that. )

Gandhi, Patel. Have you seen it?  They brought a goat and presented it to the  goddess. I do not know what next awaits it.

Gandhi. Ram..ram..What a cruelty on streets!

Patel. That means cruelty can take place off the streets,

  

Gandhi. Did I say so? Please do not twist my words.

Patel. Bapu. This is a regular affair. It happens  near  most of the temples of durga and kali temples in twin cities and other places.

Gandhi. It is a sad thing.

Patel. Bapu. There are  sanctioned butcheries in city. Killing the animals is regular affair  to sell meat to people. Govt can not stop this activity. Some also  butcher animals at their homes. Can you stop? No, I know that. You see and forget.

Gandhi. No. No. I can not  keep quiet at this cruelty.

(Gandhi runs to the place where goats are being killed waving his long stick)

Gandhi. Stop this murder and mayhem. Are you not humans? Why are you killing them.?

Yadiah ( Butcher) It is our job . We kill because we are being paid on this holy occasion.

Gandhi. That means you are sacrificing animals,

 Yadiah (Butcher). If we kill in front of the goddess , it is sacrifice.

Gandhi, This is not correct. This is sacrifice only because initially you presented the animal to the goddess 

before killing it  here. I shall not allow it.

Yadiah. What you can do old man? Go away. Do not create trouble.

Gandhi. Nothing doing. I shall stop this. Have you seen this lathi?

(Gandhi gets excited. He swings lathi and sings )

Come on guys look at me

And see this swinging versatile stick

I shall not allow this  murder and mayhem

Although you may feel I am mentally sick

Narsiah (devotee) what you can do with lathi?.  See these knives.

Maisanna. Who are you buddhe ( Old man ) to stop this. Go away from here. Or else…

Gandhi. What else you can do? You said ‘Or else’. Are you threatening me? . What will you do?. Will you kill me? Come on kill me..Sacrifice me instead of goats

( Gandhi kneels at platform bending his head and shouts kill me .. kill me )

( The passers collect and soon big crowd collects at the site. Nearly ten goats also are collected at site. They start bleating loudly. The butchers are getting shaky. Many people are objecting to killing. The police  arrive soon at the site )

Inspector. What is happening? ?

Yadiah. We are killing goats here and this old man is preventing us.

Inspector. Hellow oldman. What interest you have in this? Why are you interfering in the function?

Patel. Look Inspector. Sacrifice of animals is banned by govt. Although they are not killing animals  in temple in front of goddess, they are killing them after presenting them to goddess. These poor animals are being killed here away from temple. This is nothing but sacrifice

Inspector. Old man , Why you are interested in this? In what way it will help you? Who has sent you here? Who paid you for this.

Gandhi. No one has sent me.

Inspector. What is your name? You look familiar

Gandhi. I am Mohandas Karam chand Gandhi,

Inspector. I heard his name. I read in text book.. But  He died long ago.

Patel. You heard correctly.

Inspector. Then how can you be alive now? You are  some trouble maker and cheat and trickster..

Gandhi. What else you can think bhai?.Your level of intelligence is limited andvery poor. The uniform has made you like this.

Inspector. Please go away from here before things turn violent. This is a religious affair. The practice is going on since many years, No one is bothered about killing goats,.

Gandhi. This practice should stop. All of you are party to this.

Inspector. If you guys do not go, I have to arrest you for disturbing peace. ..

Patel. Please do it. I am not scared of your arrest. I have seen many guys like you.

( In the mean time, the crowd swells up. There are many in the crowd who are against killing. They start raising slogans against police and the butchers shouting down..down... Sensing situation, the Inspector rings up his superiors on mobile phone)

Inspector. Is it the SP Avataram speaking? Sir, this is  Inpector  Tikka  shankaram from Tank bund maisamma temple. There is trouble here. Some guys are preventing killing of goats away from temple.

SP ( Voice ) Do they want the animal to be killed within temple ?

Inspector. No sir.. No sir… No where.

SP( Voice ).Better send away butchers and get all goats to police station. We shall see later. Post extra police men at site. Do not use force unless essential. Get the ring leaders to station. We shall see later. We shall chew them alive.I shall show what is Avataram.

Inspector. Ok Sir..sir..sir..sir..sirrr..sir.sir.sirrrrrrrr

( Inspector orders that all goats be  collected and sent to police station immediately.

Inspector. You three guys are  under arrest  for disturbing peace.

Patel. Why we should be arrested? Arrest butchers first. We shall come on our own.)

 (Police men arrest butchers and take away goats in a van. Crowd raises slogans against the police. They approach Gandhi and Patel congratulating them )

Inspector. Where is the third guy?

Patel Ohfo. Bapu, Nehru fainted some time ago. We forgot about him. Let us search.

(Police also search for Nehru and they find him near the site where goats were killed. He is not recovered and violently shaking limbs shouting no killing .. no killing here)

Inspector. (calls SI Yadiah) Mr SI.Yadaiah, Take this guy to hospital in ambulance immediately.

Gandhi. Not required. We shall take care of him.

Patel. ( Goes to Nehru) Come on Jawaharlal. please get up. Goats are safe

( Nehru opens eyes and slowly gets up)

Inspector. You three guys have to come to station. You started trouble.

Gandhi. Is it trouble?

Inspector. Then what?

Gandhi. Catch us and take us if you can .

Inspector. Are you playing with us? I shall skin you guys.

Patel .That you can do for goats in police station and have Biryani in the night.

( Inspector and few police men fall on the trio. But fall flat on ground as the trio have no bodies. They break their teeth. Inspectors revolver in holster fires accidentally and bullet goes through the leg of a constable.)Constable. Ho.Ho..Haaa. I am dead.. Save me. ( He collapses)

(Other constables carry him away to ambulance )

Trio. Well done Inspector. You can not even look after personal arm. Go to some dentist and get cured. We are off.

                                          ( The trio walks off  ) 

                           

                                        CURTAIN    FALLS

INTO PAST WITH PAIN. 3 1 3

                 INTO PAST WITH PAIN.  3  1 3                           

                                            Dr K Prabhakar Rao

Gandhi , Patel and  Nehru are   seen chatting in heavens in Gandhis room. 

Gandhi. Bhai Patel, How about getting registered for a Ph D program. I am very keen.

Nehru. Why Bapu, Now? What you gain out of it.

Gandhi.Look. Now adays I find all clowns using the title Dr In front of their names.How we are less?

Nehru. I was awarded Doctorates by many universities In world during my tenure as the PM of India

Patel. We know that. We are    proud of it. We are also very proud that you do not use Dr in front of your name.You are known as Pandit meaning learned man.

Nehru. Thanks Patel.

Gandhi. But I find that  some filmi nuts  and some politicinas who can not even  speak well and rustic are awarded these honorary doctorates by various universities and these clowns write Dr in front of their names proudly.

Patel. These days universities award these doctorates to all sundry probably after collecting some  heavy donation.

Gandhi. I think it is a fact.But I do not want such degrees. I want to earn  by hard work.

Patel. In that case, you have to  sweat and work hard at a university after getting registered.

Gandhi. I know that.

Patel. Bapu. Getting registered is not that easy

Gandhi. Why?

Patel. It is like that.There are vested  interests.I heard that from the time of registration for Ph D program, we have to wet that hands of officials. The guide who has to sign the form of application is the first guy in the line with extended palm. Then at every stage there is a guy extending palm.

Gandhi. What a shit indeed.

Patel. Bapu. This is India, where nothing moves without dolling out bribe

Gandhi. Now Modiji has become the PM. I am sure things will change

Patel. What Modiji can do? No one reports or complains. The drama eternally goes on.

Gandhi. That means I can never get registered.

Patel. I think so.

Gandhi. I shall fight against this. I shall fast infront of the University.  He gets up from the chair and gets excited. He looks at sky and sings and also waves hands wildly.

Look oh guys, Here my word now

I am taking an oath in earnest spirit

I shall soon end the corrupt practice

And will earn the  doctorate with great grit

Nehru. Hear . hear.. Bapu you are great.

Patel. Bapu. You can not do this. Your days are over. You have to fall in line if you want to get a Ph D.

Gandhi.Oh God, What a country this India is.

Patel. Bapu. With  tightening the norms by UGC the craving for Ph D  has increased.Universities prescribe Ph D  even for a lecturers job. By the by Bapu, in which field you want to do research.

Gandhi. I have not yet made up my mind.

Patel. I suggest that you concentrate  on the research field itself. Your title must read “ Studies into the aspects of carrying out pseudo doctoral studies in India n universities   with respect to  corruption, nepotism, exploitation by the guides,  officialdom and  all concerned”

Gandhi. It is a very good suggestion indeed.But who will  register such controversial topic? Which guide /Supervisor will sign my papers.

Patel. Bapu. All is posible. You pay and get things done. You wil get live example from your life itself

Gandhi. That is nice.

Nehru. Bapu, If you accept Patels  sugestion you will never realise your aim.

Patel. Jawaharlal, Then you suggest some thing.You are a Pandit.

Nehru. I suggest  your topic should be “The hard truths of partiotion of India and the failure of MK Gandhi.

Patel. Hee..heee. Can Bapu accept his failure?

Gandhi. Why not? I am straight forwards. I speak truth.But I am inclined  more for patels  suggested topic

Patel. Then you must go ahead soon.

Gandhi. Let us get a application from Chamanlal technical university. I know some guys there.

                                              ‘The trio proceeds to the University

                                                                  CURTAIN FALLS

INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN...316

                                          INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN…316

                                                      Dr K Prabhakar Rao

                    It is the  gun park in Hyderabad and  many students have collected at the park. Many    of them    are carrying placards. Some are shouting Down down.. KCR… Suresh, Ramesh, Asadullah, Naveen, Rithika, Venkanna, Yadaiah,  Ellanna, Veeranna, Iliah , maisanna, Rani, Kareem    are some of the  vocal students. Gandhi, Patel and Nehru are also seen at the park sitting near the fence.

Gandhi. Patel. What is  happening here? Looks like some agitation.

Patel. Yes Bapu. The students are protesting  as fees have not been paid by govt yet

Nehru. Managements of the colleges are forcing students to pay and students claim that they are being harassed.

Gandhi.  What happened to this nation? Have  I  brought freedom to see this day?

Patel. Bapu, Why do you  repeatedly say that you brought freedom? No one feels so today.

Nehru. Then who brought it.

Patel.  No body brings it. Some one gives it. The Englishmen gave it as good riddance.

Gandhi ( sobs) What a change! Then why I should be called Mahatma.

Patel. It is up to you. These titles have no meaning. Very great emperors with many titles vanished into  oblivion. No one remembers him. Lenin was  worshipped for many years. Where is he now?  Victoria was the empress of India. Her statue was removed and thrown in dust bin after independence. Do you  find any of your statue now ?  If atall it is there it will be in filthy state.

Gandhi. True. ( sings)

Ab kaun hai mera…. ab kaun hai mera

Faryad hai.

Faryad hai Takdeerne

Loota hai basera.  Ab kaun hai mera

Barbad hai dil ujada hua ashawonka mela

Hu jag mein akela

Ujdee hui ….Ujdee hui bastee mein hai

Har owr  Andhera..aaaa 

Ab kaun hai mera…………………………..( Immortal Surendranathji.. Anmol Ghadi.. 1946)

Patel.  Bapu, Do not be so dejected. This is part of game.

Gandhi, Patel, Call some of the students here. I want to talk to them.

Patel. Sure. By all means

( Patel goes to the crowd and requests some students to meet Gandhi.  The students agree and go with Patel)

Gandhi. My dear friends. Good morning to you. I am happy to see you.

Veeranna. Good morning sir. You look exactly like Bapuji. Who are you sir? Are you his younger brother?

Gandhi. I am real Gandhi. I have no brother looking like me.

Rani. But Bapu died long ago. He was killed by Godse. I read in a book. How can you be real Gandhi still alive and talking?

Patel. He is real Gandhi. I am real Patel. The other guy is real Nehru. We came from heavens.

Asadullah. Should we believe this? Till now no one  returned after death,

Rani. Christians believe that Jesus returned after death  having been crucified.

Patel. We should not get into these discussions.

Gandhi. Fiends, why are you agitating.?

Naveen. Sir, We are suffering as govt has not released fees. Managements are forcing us to pay from our pockets

Rani. How can we pay?

Asadullah. Sir, Recently a student committed suicide as management was  harassing him to pay.

Pate;. Oh No. This is bad

Nehru. This is not on. Is there a govt or nothing  is there.

Naveen, Recently the  big state was broken into two. Telangana is formed. So many spokes are being inserted by the govt now. Is it our fault?

Gandhi. No. It is  our fault. We brought freedom to this nation.

Patel. Churchill declared long ago that nation will be handed over to crooks.

Nehru. Patel. Why do you tell youngsters all these things?

Gandhi. They should know. Poor guys are ignorant of past. Our history books at school level do bhajan of Nehru family.

Nehru. Bapu, this is not fair

Gandhi. I tell facts. Why everything is named after members of your family?

Rani. Sir, please stop fighting among yourselves. I thought you will advise us.

Gandhi.  What you are doing is correct. You must agitate. You must paralyze govt. Do not attend classes.

Patel. These ministers are enjoying the perks and office.  They do not feel pain and  pinch.

Gandhi. I learnt that fees reimbursement has ruined professional education in the state.

Patel. When country has been ruined, this is included.

Naveen. Sir What is your message?

Gandhi. Agitate. Boycott classes, Bring machinery to halt. Agitation is your birth right. Fight for justice. Govt is not at fault by opening  many colleges.  In fact colleges do not maintain standards. They have no proper faculty, No proper labs and equipment. Then what happens? If shit is poured in a machine only shit will come out. This is also like that. If the students are not serious and study why blame govt? Every guy going on road joins  engg courses whether he has flair or not. The guy who can not add  2 and 2also joins. Then what you can expect?The guys getting zero in  examination for entrance is also given rank.Haa..haaa.. That is engineering. Medicine is still worst.

Naveen.I agree sir. But managements are also to be blamed.

Patel. But you guys must study well. How many of you really satisfy attendance requirements? Any how it is up to you. Please do not give up. Fight till you get fees.

Naveen.. Yo..yo..yo.. We are blessed

Asadullah. Yaeah.  Strikes mean no classes.  Exams will be postponed. Valuation also will be easy. Yeah..Yeah…

Yadiah.. Yeah.. Maza  wastadira bahi. ( we shall enjoy)

Ramesh. OK Sir Thanks for advise.

( In the mean time truck load of police men arrive with Lathis at thepark. They immediately start hammering the students with lathis.)

Inspector. Kick them, beat them black and blue. These guys have no other work. Kick them more.

( Within 10 minutes the place becomes  a battle ground. Students respond by pelting stones and brickbats. May students are badly injured. Most of them are dragged by police men into the vans. The park is cleared and all students are dispersed and they run away. Many are taken away in vans.)

Gandhi.  The outcome is not good. But these are inevitable. All agitations lead to some violence. Every govt wants to suppress voice of dissent. This is very common. Struggle goes on. Patel, Didn’t we receive many police lathi blows?

Patel . True. Nothing comes without sacrifice.

Nehru. Bapu, Let us go. The police might feel that we instigated the crowd. They will arrest us,

                           ( the trio vanishes)

                                        CURTAIN FALLS 

INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN...315

                                    INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN…..315

                                                Dr K Prabhakar Rao

(It is outskirts of Hyderabad and  it is morning hours. There is notmuch of traffic. Occasional  vehicle is seen passing lazily on the road, A group of people are seen at a bus stop near a tree. The re is an old mosque nearby and a shack selling tea. And  some eatables. In the mean time a lorry arrives  screamimg and halts near the group. The lorry has open top and some barrels are kept and some palm leaves are tied to them as  bunches.  The driver lazily gets down , yawns and sits on a roadside stone. The cleaner of lorry gets down and opens tailboard. Two people sitting in lorry jump out.  The  crowd of people gather around the truck. Narayana,  rasool,  and moses are among them.

Narayana. Yeah. The kallu has arrived at last.

Rasool. Bhai.It is not kallu. It is neera. Naryana. Soon it will become.

Moses.  Yeah. I am itching to drink.

Rasool. Whatever it is. Let us drink.

All of them jump on to lorry and grab few bottles and get down. The lorry driver laughs.

Rasool. (Gulping neera sings)

Piye jaa

Our piye jaa

Zindagi ka yehi hai mudda

Aur piye jaa.

Bothal uthha

Aur piye jaa   ( Saigal  sahib )

Moses ( drinks Neera in one gulp and sings )

Yo  yo Yo

A bottle of Rum

(In the mean time  a bus arrives t the spot and from it  get down Gandhi, Nehru and patel )

Gandhi. This is the place . Yeah.. Body is tired. Needs some rest. The bus seats are horrible.

Patel. Yes Bapu, There are no cushions on seats. The back rest is vertical. There is no leg space. They call it a luxary bus.

Gandhi, Be thankful. It  is rolling on road. We have not pushed it. Now it is Telangana state. The buses also have been divided. Bad buses will be shared equally. Look Patel. Find out if the shop has some cold rinks.

Patel. OK Bapu.

( He goes to the shop and enquires)

Patel. Brother do you have some limca, Coke or Gold spot

Shop vendor.  Nothing like that. We sell Telangana drink. That is Neera.

Patel. Is it similar to sprite?

Vendor. It tastes like  Coconut water.

Gandhi. Then it is fine. Let us have some.

( Actually   at this point of time the day is fully broken  and neera turns into toddy)

Patel. Nehru and Gandhi all collect two bottles of Neera  and start gulping. 

(Patel fetches some Mirchi Bajjis  that are fresh.)

Gandhi ( Bites one Bajji ) Ohfo . How nice it is?

Patel. That is why it is Telangana delicacy. There is a proposal to install a very huge replica of this Bajji infront of assembly hall. And in air port.

( The effect of Toddy slowly takes place on the trio). They become  a bit shaky ad are unable to stand.the slump to ground near the tea shop.

Gandhi. Bhayee.. Oh Patel. I feel  something funny. I feel I am floating. Am I on ground?

Nehru. Bapu. You are above ground. I am also above the tree.

Patel. You guys are getting drunk. This neera is changed to Tod

dy after sunrise. We have been fooled.

Gandhi. Chee..Chee.. Drink .. eee..eee.. b…aaaack… ( Vomits)

'''

After vomiting his  condition becomes more unstable. He gets up   swaying  and sings waving hands.

\

Bhool jaa… Bhool jaaa

Bhool jaa jo dekh ta hai

Jo bhi Dekha bhool jaa

Yad rakh kar kya karega

Ye tamasha bhool jaa           ( Surendranathji from Vishwas 1944)

(Gandhi embraces a nearby tree and hangs on ) Nehru is seen lying under the tree with half closed eyes and singing)

Chah barbaad karegee hame malumnatha

Rote Rote hi kategi Hame malumnatha

Chaha barbad karegi hame malumnatah

Chayeeghan ghor ghata chand sitare na rahe

Wo ummeede na rahee ab Wo sahare na rahe

Hampe aisye hi padegi hame malumnatha… ( Kl Saigal sahib from Shah je han,,1946)

Patel (. Balancing himself.)Come on guys get up. Enough of Tamasha of Neera. We in fcat drank Toddy thinking Neera.We shall take the shop guy to police station.

Gandhi. Going to police  is  waste of time. Nothing will be achieved. They may lock us up in turn as drunkards.

Pastel. It is also true

Nehru. Bapu. It is better we forget and forgive. Never  drink Neera in future

Gandhi. True. Let us go.

                                               CURTAIN FALLS