Into the past with pain...332

                                                  INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN..... 332

                                                       Dr K Prabhakar Rao

 Gandhi, Patel and Nehru are seen in the room of Gandhi in heavens. Gandhi is lying in a cot  and the room is devoid of comforts. The furniture is very old, but neat and clean. On his bed side table a Book of Geetha is kept. Nehru and Patel are seated in wooden chairs with hard bottoms. Gandhi is seen occasionally coughing. 

Nehru. Bapu. I see you  uncomfortable with the cough.Did you have some medicine.         

Gandhi. No. I didnot haveany. I  gorgled hot water withsalt. 

Patel. It is good. But it is not the remedy for cure. It will  clear throat slightly.

Nehru. It is generally believed that in heavens the inmates are free from ailments

Patel. True. But Bapu is getting sick often. Look , he is down with cough.

Gandhi. We are in heavens no doubt. Foir minor sins we are not sent to hell  for punishments. We are made suffer in heavens too .. Cough is one like that.

Patel. Bapu. You must be joking.

Gandhi. No. What I said is true. Patel, Have you read  the news paper.

Patel. Yeah, I had a  quick glance at it.

Gandhi. Anything special?

Patel. Nothing much. There is  some trouble in India. It is regarding money.

Gandhi. India is always troubled for money. People are greedy. Leaders are corrupt. Guys  are not hard working

Patel. True. They hardly work.

Gandhi. Let them hang themselves. We have suffered there  enough. Jawaharlal of curse enjoyed after freedom was granted to India.

Nehru. That is not fair. Patel also enjoyed as Dy PM.

Patel. It was just three years. It is as good as nil.

Gandhi. OK fine. I feel like visiting India

Nehru. Fine. Let us go.

( The trio descends at Delhi at Old Delhi railway station. )

Gandhi. I think I must get some cough syrup from a medical shop.

Patel. That is a good idea. You need it too urgently.

Patel. I shall go and get. You guys can wait and sit in the bus stop. There are cement benches although dirty.

Gandhi. The area is as dirty as it was in 1947.

Patel. Haa..haaa.. hee..hee. Ok you also come.

Gandhi. Fine. Let us go.

( The trio walks into roadside market and spot a medical shop. They go to the  shopowner who is standing at the counter.)

Shop owner. Sir what can I do for you.

Gandhi. I want a good cough syrup. Do you have  Glycodene ?

Shop owner. It is not there.

Gandhi. Then what you have? Do you have Zephrol syrup?

Shop owner.  Sir . It is a very old type of syrup. It used to be popular in 1950 or so

I have a good brand named cough ..o..kiss.

Patel. I have never heard it.

Owner. It has entered market recently and  has become very popular. All doctors are prescribing it.

Gandhi. How mush I have to pay sir?

Owner. It costs Rs 45

( Gandhi takes out Rs 500 note and gives to the owner)

Owner. Sir. This note is not valid. Are you not aware of it?

Gandhi. Bhai. This is not a fake note. It  has been issued by RBI.

Owner. I know that this is not a fake note and was in circulation till recently

Patel. Why you are not accepting the valid money. It is not torn,defaced or pasted up. It is a brand new one

Owner. Sir. The govt has banned Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes fifteen days ago.

Gandhi. Then how do I purchase medicine?

Owner. I do not know. If you have Rs 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, I shall accept. I am helpless.

Patel. We have either Rs 500 or Rs 1000 notes.

Owner.  Sorry sir. You have to go to bank and deposit these notes in your account. Then you are  allowed to draw fresh money through a cheque if they have cash.. At some places you can exchange old notes with new notes.But waiting lines are very long

Patel. Who has done this?

Owner. The govt headed by Modiji

Nehru. Modiji was earlier CM of Gujrat state

Owner . Very true

Gandhi. Do you know who I am?

Owner. How do I know sir.?

Patel. Have you seen the  figure on this note?

Owner. Yeah. It is Mahatma Gandhi, our father of nation.

Nehru. Can you recognize now this old man.

Owner.( Looking at Gandhi)Yes. He resembles Mahatma Gandhi.

Patel. Look sir. Not resembling Gandhi. He is the actual Gandhi.

Owner, How can it be. MK Gandhi was shot dead like a sitting duck long ago  in this city on 30 Jan 1948 by Nathuram Godse.

Patel. Cant you say slightly in polished way?

Owner. I could not understand

Patel. your words are harsh. You could have said ,he was killed by Godse

Owner. Both are same

Patel. Please do not mind. Are you a member of congress party.

Owner.. No.. No

Patel.  Using words like sitting duck  and shot dead are offensive terms.

Owner. I am not that good at grammar. I studied at local school  and not at oxford

Gandhi. Never mind sir. Whatever it be I was dead long ago.

Owner. If you are dead how you are here and talking and asking for cough syrup. I was telling about MK Gandhi. You only resemble him. You can not be MKGandhi.

Gandhi. You shall not understand. Please touch me and feel. Then you understand

( The owner of the shop tries to touch Gandhi and falls down when he bends from ounter as Gandhi has no physical body.

Owner. Eee..ee.. I am dead.

Patel. Nothing happened to you. Hee..heee

Owner. Are you happy that I fell?  Who are you? I cannot touch. Are you ghosts.. eee..ee... Ohsave me...

Gandhi. Relax bhai. Nothing happened to you. We want only cough syrup.

Owner. Take this bottle and pay me  next time when you have change. Plesae go away soon.

Patel. That is fine

( They take the bottle and walk  out from the shop)

Gandhi.. Patel  why this guy Modi demonetized high denomination notes?

Patel. I think he   wants to eliminate black money

Gandhi. How it can happen. Black money is there in every country. Some have more and some have less

Patel. It is the outcome of license raj started by Panditji. For everything govt restrictions are there. Then what people do? They bribe  govt guys at all levels. Look at RTA,Police, commercial taxes. Transport, revenue, hotel industry, excise, telecom, schools  education dept...  all make money Govt servants are thus habituated to collect bribes in all depts  and as  salaries increased bribes also increased. Same is the case with industry.  They bribe officials with large amounts. Then will they keep quiet? They also make all efforts to  show less taxable income  and  collect  black money. Real estate, cinema industry are the biggest culprits. Medical colleges and Engineering colleges swindle openly. No one opens mouth as they  have no proof. Everyone knows it. But all are quiet.

Gandhi. Chee Chee.. This country is a shit pot. Let us go back.

Patel.  Should we meet Modiji

Gandhi. Not now. If we meet him he may impose  some tax on us for coming again to the country after having died. He must be angry too.He might see us as burden to society.

Patel. That is also true.

Nehru. Fine. Then we shall go  back.

( The trio  vanishes )

CURTAINFALLS