Into the past with pain...339

                                                  INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN,, 339

                                                     DR K Prabhakar Rao

Gandhi, Patel and Nehru are  seen on the Kotha pet road in Hyderabad city. It is very busy and congested and dirty area with filthy fruit market.. They are dressed as usual.

Patel. Bapu . What is there here that you brought us here?

Gandhi. I want t go  to a big shopping mall here.

Nehru. Bapu. We do not have much  currency to buy anything here

Gandhi. We shall do some widow shopping.

Nehru. Then it is fine.

(The trio  goes to a big shopping mall displaying  huge board SORE in coloured lights. The entrance has many steps. The trio climb the stairs. At the entrance ,they are stopped by a sentry.

Sentry. Where are you going bhai?

Gandhi. Where else we go? We came to the mall.

Sentry. You can not take the long stick inside

Gandhi. Then how shall I walk? I need this support

Sentry. I have to ask the manager. Please wait for some time.

( sentry goes in and returns with the manager)

Sentry. So, He is the man holding a strong and long stick.

Manager. Sir, Do you really need this inside the mall

Patel. Look . He is an old man. He needs it

Manager. I can not allow the stick. This can be a lethal weapon. No weapons are allowed

Patel. Come on manager. Be practical. Is the stick a fire arm or a sword. This is not even an axe.

Manager. Our rules are such. I may have to speak to regional manager. He stays in Banjara hIlls I shall seek his advice on cell phone

Gandhi. May I sit for some time here? Oh ! There is no chair   here. Fine, I shall sit on the stairs.

(The Manager rings up his boss at regional office of SORE and explains. He gets a negative reply.)

Manager. Sir. You can not take the stick. Leave it with security. He will give a receipt for it

Gandhi. OK. What can we do?

Manager. Sir Why are you dressed like this. Dont you have a shirt?

Nehru. He had many. He donated all to poor.

Manager, Oh. Where do you stay?

Gandhi ,We have no place here. We stay in Vaikuntahm

Manager (scratches his bald head) Where is that colony? I have not heard about it.

Where is it sir.

Patel.  In the sky.

Manager. Haa..haa..You are joking sir.

Patel. That is real. No joke

Manager. OK you can enter. Please go through security check

( The trio enters the security check and they are also searched )

Gandhi, Ohfo. What a head ache here.  We are being troubled like this while terrorists freely enter city and do whatever they feel like.

Security guy. Sir this is done as per instructions.

(The trio enters the mall and look strangely at various   racks  kept neatly. There is lot of crowd inside. Well dressed females with bobbed hair and sleeveless blouses are many doing purchases. Teen agers are also many with long hair and goggles and nail polish. Even teen age girls are wearing tight jean pants with torn patches at many places. Gandhi goes to a teen age girl )

 Gandhi. Look baby. Why are wearing this torn trouser? Dont you have a good one? You look educated and  rich too with your costly shoes, goggles and bag

Girl. Sir. It is not that I am poor. This is the latest fashion. Hee..heee OK Fine Bye, Keep enjoying

Gandhi. What is there to enjoy!

Patel. Bapu. The world has changed a lot. India too has changed. Now no one wears dress like you.

Gandhi. Oh What a change!

The trio walks past the racks looking at the  things. ( At one place Gandhi encounters a person with long hair tied like pony tail. Gandhi is behind the person

Gandhi, Madam can you move a bit?

(The person infront looks back and steps aside )

Gandhi. Eee. Sorry  I thought you to be a woman

The stranger. I am  Narsa Reddy, Returned from US yesterday only

Gandhi. Hee..hee Your  dressing up fooled me

Reddy. Thats fine. It happens

(The trio moves to another corner )

Gandhi. Look Patel. What a change in india.  We can not make out from behind whether the person is woman or man.

Patel . true Bapu. The world has changed a lot

Nehru. All shit in the name of modernization

Gandhi,  I think people must change with times

( They come across an  escalator and want to go to Ist floor. Patel and Nehru get in easily. Gandhi tries to stepin  and he  fumbles and his dhoti is  caught in the moving metal steps )

Gandhi, eee.. my dhoti is caught. It is being pulled out. Oh   I shall get naked

(Patel rushes and tears out the stuck cloth   and Gandhi jumps out to ist floor )

Gandhi. Oh No  next time shall not use this. Idiotic  Mobile steps.

Nehru. Bapu You must switch over to jeans

Patel. True Bapu. Change with times

Gandhi. So I should wear jeans that too with torn patches.

Patel. Bapu, You look jazzy in that dress

Nehru. I shall also get one with patches

( the trio goes to snacks section. They go to the counter and  examine the eatables. The cheapest one is vegetable puff. They order one each. After some time the vendor gives them in  plates. )

Gandhi,There are no stools atleast to sit. Where is drinking water/

Vendor. Sir you have to purchase sealed water bottles.  If we keep stools people will sit for hours here.

Patel. Oh, strange really

Gandhi. Patel please pass on the ketch up bottle

Patel. Bapu , this is empty.

Vendor. Please take this small pack of ketchup. Earlier we used to keep bottles. People used to pur large quantities  forone puff and it was proving not cost effective

Gandhi. It s highly commercial here

Vendor. Kindly  press your feed back on the display

Gandhi. I am giving very bad feed back.

Vendor . You are welcome sir..

Gandhi.  I think we don’t get tea or coffee here.

Vendor. True

( The trio feels  tired)

Gandhi. Patel. It is getting late. We have to g back

Nehru. True Bapu. I also feel tired.

(The trio goes to the entrance. They get back the long stick)

Gandhi.  Let us go. It is a good time pass place

Patel. Yeah..

Nehru. I am not impressed. I also caught cold.

(The trio moves out of the  mall and suddenly vanish)

Security guard. Where are these old guys. Just now I saw them.

Another guard. Yeah. They just vanished..  One of the guy said his residence is in Vaikuntahm.

SecurityGuard. Yeah. They were ghosts.We shall tell the manager  run  Ee..eee..  Run

                                        CURTAIN FALLS