INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN..230

INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN…..230

Dr K Prabhakar Rao

(Gandhi, Patel and Nehru are near Jantar mantar in Delhi that was earlier the place of protest by Anna Hazare )

Gandhi. Patel, I came to know that there will be some trouble here soon.

Patel. What can be it Bapu. Plesae tell us.

Gandhi. You know Hazare.

Patel Who does not know him? He is as great as you now in india. Govt is scared of him

Gandhi. Is it so. But I do not think so.

Patel. Why Bapu?

Gandhi. Hazare has been fighting for few months for the LOK pal bill and Govt is buying time and dilly dallying the issue.

Patel. Govt is always like that. It does not take quick and timely decision. If it takes quickly then it can not be called a govt.

Gandhi. Haaa..haaa.. Hee..hee, Patel you are humorous .

Patel. That I am Bapu. Without humor a man is as good as dead. Look , this Jawaharlal is anti humor. I never saw him cutting jokes and laughing.

Gandhi. That’s fine. Every guy has his own personality. We can not change some guys. They will be like that with constipated look.

Nehru. Bapu. This is a bit too much.

Patel. Look Jawaharlal, Bapu did not mention your name. Why are you worked up. Better take things easy.

Gandhi. we were discussing Hazare.

Patel. True. We deviated. All these days govt played great tricks with Hazare. Now it is stubborn that PM and CJ should be out of this. They also do not want MP in this bill

Gandhi. Govt will always do this. They do not want their feet to be cut.

Patel. Hazareji wants to go on Fast again.

Gandhi. Do you know? Mr Digvijay singh who happens to be the mouth piece of the party talks said that Hazareji will meet the fate of Baba. In fact it is a direct threat from top. That means govt would arrest Hazare

Patel. True. But that guy has now changed plate as usual. He said press has twisted his words.These leaders words are like Gramophone records of 78 RPM type. One side they will have what they said Otherside it will be no I never said. Press has twisted my words. Haa..haa..hee..hee.

Gandhi. What else he can say? They are comic figures in politics.

Pate; Hazareji is no less. He said he is prepared to give up life and asked police to shoot him,

Gandhi. Will police be that bold? Even if they fire rubber bullets, it will be over.

Patel. We can not say anything now. Any thing is possible. Let Hazareji start the fast.

Gandhi. Look Patel. I think Hazareji has arrived here to go on fast.

Patel. Hello Hazareji. Namasthe.

Hazare. Namste Patel sahib. Namste Bapu. Iam feeling very happy to see you here. I seek your blessings. I am getting inspired much.

Gandhi. My blessings are there always for good cause.

Hazare. Is my work not good?

Gandhi. It is very good. No one has done it after I was killed by Nathuram Godse.

Hazare. Bapu. I am struggling against corruption while the govt is trying to shield corrupt guys, not only now, but also for future.

Gandhi. Hazareji. This is a murky set up. . All old leaders vanished who had great integrity. You know how democracy in India has been working although we intended for a best set up. It is not new. It promotes corruption. The guys are habituated. They have become thick skinned and insensitive. To come to political power in India one has to spend tons of money. A poor man can never win elections. He will remain only a flag bearer. The leaders who matter now and in power are feeling very uncomfortable when you started your fight against the evil. The entire set up has become murky. How do you expect to clean this shit? Will Lok pal bill solve it? You are unable to get your suggestions passed as a bill and there is no guarantee that it will come through. Can Lok pal solve hundreds of corruption cases? It is humanly not possible. These are not summary trials by Lok pal. Their findings will be challenged in High courts, supreme courts, full benches etc. How many decades the tamasha will go on? Did you atleast think over this?

Hazare. Bapu. I think I am getting de-motivated by your talk. I am not getting inspired. Is it good for you, the father of nation.

Gandhi. Look Hazareji. I am not de-motivating you. You are doing a good job. But you have taken up this in fag end of your life. How much time you have to see this through? You are also a sick person and can not undertake serious fasts repeatedly. You may collapse too. Then police is already there to interfere and break things. Iam not sure whether entire nation will stand behind you I case of any emergency. There was no major up rise when Baba Ramdev’s fast was broken and he was whisked away. The poor guy went to some other place of Sadhus at Haridwar and took up a fast and that too he closed up soon under medical advise. I am not sure that you will succeed. Odds are against you.

Hazare. But Bapu, some one has to fight this. After you vanished, there were no major protests against corruption.

Patel. Hazareji, in which world you are living? Corruption is a part of life and world phenomenon. Madam Indira Gandhi said this long ago and certified that this was OK. After we belong to third world. We are not still considered as developed nation. Guys have taken cue from this and minted crores of rupees and deposited in Swiss banks. I am hundred percent sure that most of the important guys in political parties are now involved in Swiss bank accounts. They will never allow the accounts to be disclosed. It will happen only when Swiss govt discloses the information to world. It is doubtful this will happen. After all they have to do this murky business.

Hazare. One day things have to come out.

Patel. When it will come out? Is it after all evidence is destroyed? Probably all such guys must be planning against this.

Hazare. Bapu. What should I do now? I am already in this.

Bapu. What can I say? You are very wise and accomplished too. Make efforts. Lord Krishna said in Gita,

"Karmanye Vadhikaraste Ma Phaleshu Kadachana,
Ma Karma Phala Hetur Bhurmatey Sangostva Akarmani"

(You have a right to perform your prescribed action, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results your activities, and never be associated to not doing your duty)

Patel. Hazareji. Please do your bit. Please do not worry about the result. Do your karma.

Hazare. I am doing that. I shall also do fast if the govt acts funny delaying the issue and creating hurdles and does not accept our demands.

Bapu. Such things will be always there, The path is not smooth and it is full of thorns. ( sings)

Unchi nichi unchi nichi
Dagar jeevan ki
Chalana sambhalke pyare
Sambhalke chalna
Manjail tho hai badee dhoor
Manzil tho hai badee dhootr
Sambhal ke chalna..
Manzil tho hai badee dhoor

Thmhee safar mein tho bhi
Chor milenge tho bhi
Karnee karnee hai zaroor
Dhram karam kee jholi
Kahanpe gawaayi toone
Poochenge tere Huzur
Sambhalke Chalna
Manzil tho hai badee dhoor.
Unchi,,nichi… (The great singer Ch Atma from old film Bhakta Kabir )

(The path of life is uneven
Tread it with care, Oh dear
Know the destination is very far
While to you things are also not very clear

On the way down your path
You may find thieves, cheats and crooks
And there will be also many scoundrels and rogues
Yet carry on with your task with bright looks

On the way your path
You might loose your noble aim
Remember, and this will be asked at the end
So tread your path with care and get no blame)

Patel. Great Bapu. What a song at appropriate moment! On the way, oh, Mr Hazareji, you shall find many cheats and crooks and rogues, mischief makers, and scoundrels to misguide you, to turn your attention, to lure you, to defame you, to threaten you, to hoodwink you, to misguide you so that you are aim is defeated.

Gandhi. You are going through this phase now exactly. Your patience is being tested in your fight and waiting for an opportunity to trap you when you commit any mistake and say something in that direction. Then there are any number of laws in country to put you behind bars and break your will and the same laws are ineffective against corrupt guys.
For quick justice.

Patel. This is the normal practice in all governments.

Hazare. I am aware of such dangers. I am clear and I am not scared of anything including death. Even if police shoot at me , I am not scared. I am sure thousand Hazares will rise from my ashes.

Bapu. That is a great commitment. But I am not sure of your expectations. In this country, people have no such time to rise and demonstrate. They are timid and . Elections to parliament are still far away. Even if govt acts very strongly against your , as they have done to Baba Ramdev Maharaj, the memories will be short lived. Guys will forget things by the time elections arrive and they will be as clueless as before.

Patel. But Mr Hazareji. Please do your Karma. Rest is your Kharma

Hazare. What is this Karma and Kharma.

Patel. Hazareji. I stayed in AP for long and travelled widely and picked up Telugu words too. Karma is the Sanskrit word meaning action that one must do without expecting any thing in return. Kharma means ones misfortune to be closer to meaning.

Hazare. So I have to be prepared for everything. That under any case I am.

Bapu. That is very good. Go ahead.

Patel. Bapu. It is already getting late. It is better to be away from these places. Any thing can happen any moment. Similar thing happened to Baba Ramdevji Maharaj. Let us not get caught in such tamasha here.We have many better things to do and monitor.

Bapu. That is OK . Let us go. Jawaharlal . let us go.

Nehru. Fine, to days tamasha is over. I am happy now.

(The trio says bye to Hazare and walk away rapidly into distance while Hazare looks at sky in great hopes. In distance KL Saigal is heard singing


Panchi re… ye..ye..ye..ye
Panchee…. kahe hoth Uddas
Panchee..eee..eee…eeee… kahe hoth udas
Thoo Thodna mun ki aas panchee
Too todna mankee… aas
Panchee… Kahe hoth uddas…) (Great actor singer KL Saigal)

CURTAIN FALLS