INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN..231

INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN…231
Dr K Prabhakar Rao

(Gandhi, Nehru and patel are walking on a street in heavens. They are also chitchatting and there is no tension in atmosphere. )

Gandhi. Patel. I am much relaxed to day after last weeks trip to Delhi and meeting with Anna Hazare. Some how, nothing is happening correct in that country. Some thing or other tension is there in India. Not a single day passes calmly. Every one is aiming at goofing up the things.

Patel. Bapu. This is modern age. Life is like that. We left in most appropriate time. But Jawaharlal hanged around for 16 long years to goof up things. I think he has done well.

Nehru. Why do you say like that? Do you think I al goofed up things? Why don’t you see the positive aspects of my rule? I initiated five years plans. I started IITs in the country. I reorganized states based on languages. Why do you see only negative aspects of things? You are surely a person with negative perspective.

Patel. This you can not decide friend. People of India are the judges. They are very clear about every one. Only your party beats drums about your deeds and achievements if any. Rest is known to all. Every one feels that but for me all princes in India would have remained independent after 1947.

Nehru. Entire credit you can not get. I had great image in India. Most of the Maharajas would have fallen in line at my call. If you are so great why I was made PM by Bapu.

Bapu. Looks otherway and acts as if he has not heard any thing.

Patel. Hee..hee..haaa ( He throws hands in air and does slow jig and sings)

Look oh foolish friend Mr. Jawaharlal
Do not live in some foolish and false dream
None would have listened to you at any stage
And you would have licked thumb with a coat of bitter lime

Which foolish guy will loose power and prestige?
What they needed was some fear of a stick
Have you not seen what Nizam has done at Hyderabad?
He bowed like a sheep only when his army was given a mighty kick

Gandhi. I agree to what Patel said. No one will give up power easily. Look! What is happening in India now?

Nehru. What is that Bapu?

Gandhi. The government at center is trying its best to scuttle efforts of Anna Hazare who is fighting against corruption. They are also up against Ramdev. They already spoiled his attempts by breaking up fast Delhi.

Patel. I agree.

Gandhi. They say normal civilians have nothing to do with administration. They are not the people to decide what is to be done against corruption. It is the rulers and elected members of parliament to do things.

Patel. That means no one can raise finger against corruption. How can corrupt men frame rules against their interests?

Gandhi. That’s what they want. They want all citizens keep looking at them while they swindle the nation for full 5 years. They make money left and right, top to bottom and store cash in foreign banks so that their next 100 generations live happily like kings.

Patel. Otherwise why they should enter politics? It is the last resort of s….. as per George Bernard Shaw, the great writer.

Nehru. Come on guys. Please do not generalize things. We all lived through politics.

Patel. Those days were different.

Gandhi. What Patel said is hundred percent true. But there are some good people in politics. Iam much pained at the way the govt is trying to delay Lok Pal bill doing all tricks. They want to make two drafts and they will only accept the bill which they would make. Then why to hold discussions? Hee..Hee.. It is all fooling Hazare and people of India. Poor old guy.

Patel. What Hazare can do? Every now and then, he threatens that he would fast again to death.

Gandhi. This time the Govt will say, “Go ahead with your fast. We are least bothered. Keep seeing till our patience is out? Better watch out. We know what to do. We are mighty powerful. We were considerate to you seeing past and merit of your past deeds.

Patel. That means Anna is in real danger.

Gandhi. I think he is least bothered. He is also saying that.

Patel. Bapu. Will this bill really work?

Gandhi. If you ask me, I doubt sincerely. How many guys Lok Pal will try in courts? Many people say this will be a blackmail bill. In India, no case can be decided so easily particularly when big guys are involved. They will dilly dally the issue, delay things greatly, do some time pass raising thousand doubts. Ohfo, The guys in government are strange men. They are experts in delay tactics.

Patel. True Bapu, What you said is true. When I wanted to take action against Hyderabad Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan in 1948 when he un leashed Razakars on Hindu population in state, Jawaharlal never agreed. I had to act without his knowledge. We hammered Razakars and Hyderabad army.

Gandhi. I knew it, But that was a bold action. But by that time, I was already killed by Godse at Delhi. So I can not say much about it. I am literally ignorant about it.

Patel. Bapu, Govt will never take bold decisions. All problems regarding security in the country today are due to indecisiveness of govt. Take case of Afzal Guru who has been sentenced to death by the courts and is still enjoying in jails getting VIP security. Why his case can not be decided. What prevents the President to decide? Is she so indecisive and lacks skills? Some people are not happy if his case is decided. They want to keep problem alive. How abut Kasab? The govt has spent already few crores of rupees on this wretched 26/11 guy who should have faced firing squad after capture. Instead they tried him so long, spent millions of rupees and could not extract anything worthwhile from him.

Gandhi. What to do? People elect such funny nuts who are of no use to this nation. So they also get govt what they deserve,. Hee. Hee,

Patel. Bapu. You are words are worth billions of US dollars for each alphabet.

Gandhi. Why you are not saying in rupees.

Patel. Every guy in this country is after US dollars including the followers of Marx and Lenin in this country.

Gandhi. Is it so?

Patel. Yeah. The children of these so called Marxists live in US and earn dollars. These guys also run to US on pleasure trips and spend dollars there. There is nothing new. After all they are also human beings. Marx is out dated now.

Nehru. Can you guys discuss some other issues?

Patel. What issue can be discussed. In India everything spins around corruption. You think of Puttaparthi of Satya sai baba, it is engulfed in sordid drama. Crores of Rupees and gold are found in Babas private room. No one wants to question. Cat is out of bag now. You discuss about govt it is full of scams. You discuss about foreign relations, you will find everything in shambles. You discuss about State politics, it is all shit in each state. ( sings and does fast jig)

In this nation all is cock and bull
While all nuts sing in chorus to their throats full
The nation is made a laughing stock
While the country is about to burn like a hay stock.

You and me keep watching with dismay
The leaders will swindle come what may
Those who raise voice like Baba are dealt in dead night
And the govt thinks that they are only right

Gandhi. Hear. Hear.. Very well sung and worded.

Patel. Thanks Bapu.

(In the mean time, a Sadhu maharaj approaches the trio and introduces himself)

Sadhu. I am a Sadhu from Hardwar. I am Nigamanand

Gandhi. Nice to see you sir. We are happy to see you. But we are also not happy that you came here when you were young.

Patel. I learnt that you fasted for nearly four months and then left your body.

Sadhu. That is all gods wish.

Gandhi. You fasted for saving Ganga. But no one bothered for you.

Sadhu. I did my Karma and I did not run for fruits thereof.

Patel. True sir. You are very wise.

Gandhi. To day fasting has become a joke. Most of the political leaders go on fast to death . They do this Tamasha for some time and will end fast under fanfare and end the fast when some fool gives lemon juice to them. Most of these leaders want some publicity. They want their photographs to appear in news papers and in TV. All this tamasha is repeated now and then.

Patel. Baba Ramdev is an exception. He is very sincere.

Gandhi. I am not saying of Baba Ramdev. I am saying about the normal thick skinned leaders from political parties.

Nehru. You guys are talking all trash.

Gandhi. How do you say that. Are you only the wise guy here?

Nehru. I never said that.

Gandhi. OK. It is up to you. If you do not like our talk better stay at your room. Please do not expect that we shall sing praise of your family always.

Nehru. Are we so bad?

Gandhi. I did not say that. But you do not want any criticism> Most of the time you guys only ruled and brought nation to today’s pass.

Nehru. Bapu. Iam fed up. I am going.

Patel. Please do it fast.

( Nehru walks away)

Gandhi. Look. This person can not stand any criticism.

Patel. That every one knows.

Gandhi. May god bless him, sorry his soul.

Patel. (Bapu. It is already late. It is lunch time. Let us go)

Gandhi. Ok. Let us go.

( The duo walks away)

CURTAIN FALLS