INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN...236

INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN…236
Dr K Prabhakar Rao

( Gandhi, Patel and Nehru are seen walking on a street in Hyderabad and the area is a commercial center. Most of the city’s educational Institutions have displayed their flexies ( Banners). Entire area looks very crowded and milling with crowd.)

Gandhi. Patel. I think we have come for first time to this place.

Patel. True Bapu. We are new to this place. Any how place looks busy too.

Gandhi. Hey Look at that big banners. Please read. I am having some problem with my glasses.

Patel. Please do not worry Bapu. We both are your eyes. We were like this till you died having been shot dead by Nathuram VinayakGodse at Delhi during a prayer meeting..

Gandhi. Ohfo! Is it necessary to say every time that Godse shot me dead? I feel upset about it whenever some one s me about it.

Patel. Bapu. What is wrong in saying truth. You always preached that one must always say truth. I am following your doctrine.

Nehru. Patel. Was it really required to say every time that Bapu had no natural death.

Patel. Why you are getting worked up? Death is a death whether it is natural, accidental or getting killed. Only difference is that the soul will not have peace if it was not natural.

Nehru. How do you know this?

Patel. People have this belief and I am sure scriptures also say something on this. But whatever has to happen will occur. It is his fate.
Gandhi. That is OK. Please read it.

Nehru. That means such souls who had unnatural death keep wandering.

Patel. True. Look at Bapu now. Is he not restless? Have you seen at any time happy and quiet and peaceful. All the time he is worried abut India, his non violence and India.

Nehru. That is true. But we are also roaming with him. But we had natural death.

Patel. We were flunkies to Bapu. So we are with him.

Gandhi. Why do you use word flunky? It does not sound well. Better say true followers.

Patel. Both are more or less same. We are with him always. Wherever he goes we follow him. Invariably we accept everything whatever he says. Even if we do not agree on some thing we are generally scared to say anything against it. We clap to whatever he says. This we did throughout the freedom movement that ended with 1947. Is it not true Jawaharlal?

Nehru. It appears as if you are true. It is true that we did not have much freedom.

Patel. Even after 1947 where was the real freedom?

Nehru. Why. The Englishmen left us.

Patel. Say to our fate. That looks better.

Nehru. Why that addition you made.

Patel. Why not?. Is this country being run well? I said we had no real freedom although the English men left because you were forced on the nation as PM although I has mandate.

Nehru. So, you have not forgotten the issue.

Patel. How can I? It was a great injustice done to me.

Nehru. What can I say. It was complex state. Bapu had to be listened. No one can go against him. There was no freedom although the whites left.

Patel. It was Subhas Chandra who had guts.

Nehru. You know what happened to him.

Patel. He was bold enough to leave us, the party and the land too. He had his own way.

Nehru. What is the use?

Patel. Why? He became a Martyr. People love him so much more than us. Now hardly people remember us. Bapu, your statues have also very much reduced.

Gandhi. Why? Are the people ungrateful to me?

Patel. Bapu, It is not like that. Now Ambedkar has become more popular everywhere. Every where his statues have come up.

Gandhi. It is also good. There is a saying that anything going up has to come down. After freedom I became an icon. Now see, None is caring for me.. eee..eee..Any how it is the effect of time. Great emperors have vanished into time. What am I? Where are Asoka, Akbar, Chadragupta, Harsha, Raya?

Patel. Bapu. I am happy you said that.

Gandhi. In this confusion we forgot to read the flexy.

( Patel reads the flexy)

Patel. Bapu. This advertisement is about admission in an Engineering college. It says
.. Join us. If you have fire, we shall stoke it. If you are aflame, we shall make it in to a volcano. Join us. Free bus facility to all girls, handicapped students. For boys it is 50% fees for transport. Seat in management quota are given at very reasonable rate. For IT branch we take Rs 10000 per year in II, III and IV year. First year there is no fees for IT. Please come to us. Free calculators, cell phones with camera and college uniforms two pairs.. ZZZCET. Contact no @@@@@@ bla..bla..blaaaa, Mazelelogudem, RR Dist

Gandhi. That was good. Please read the next flexy.

Patel. “ Join us. Quick. Late comers will loose. All fun. Studies are also there at times. No fees for I year for management seats in all braches for the first 8 students in each branch. No harassment for fees. Pay at your convenience before final year is over. Yearly tour for final years students to four good places in North India including pubs. No detentions.Attendence is guarnteed. Please come fast. Jai Hind.. Join XYZCET. Time pass pura, Hyderabad.

Gnadhi. How nice it is for students? These are very interesting. Please read more and more.

Patel. Bapu. There are dozens of flexie here.

Gandhi. Read . Go ahead.

Patel. “Late comers will loose. Join us fast. We are waiting for you. Excellent staff. Good labs, Fine atmosphere is there. Many trees are in campus with a small zoo. Swimming pool is also there. Weekly you will have free periods for swimming. You will be taken for picnic on two days. One day is holiday for enjoying at pubs. You can come to college whenever you like. No harassment of students. Nominal fees for all. You can complete degree as fun. Please rush fast. .

Gandhi. Oh..Great.. Read more and I am getting inspired too.

Patel. This is from another engineering college. Its name is YYXX CET. It says, “ Come soon, Join us and get benefits. No attendance worry. Attend at your leisure and convenience. Teachers when required will also come to your house. Do not worry about practical examinations. Hundred percent pass in labs. You need not write lab records. We shall do it for you. You need not write assignments. We shall accept Xerox copies. Original will be on notice board. Come soon. Enjoy your stay with us. All fun. Very little studies. Degree guaranteed.

Gandhi. I am getting inspired to write EAMCET examination next year.

Patel. Bapu. I shall also write. We will get fees reimbursement too from AP govt. They will give to all. We are sure to pass EAMCET examination. Even if we fail still you can manage seat some how.

Gandhi. Will they give to dead persons?

Patel. They may give. They are giving to all guys. Who knows we are dead? We can always manage income certificates. In India, even blind persons get heavy vehicle driving licenses. It happened some years ago.

Gandhi. That was good. Everything is merry making in India now. Haa..haa..hooo..hoo

Patel. Hee..Heee.

Gandhi. We are wasting time. Read more.

Patel. Ohfo Bapu. I forgot to read. You deviated me from the tempo. Next College says, “Dear students. Welcome. Why worry for engineering admissions when we are here. We shall take care of you. No fear of examinations. No difficulty for English language. No fear of attendance and internal examinations, No fear of main examinations. Your future will be in our hands. We shall get you Visa too. Admissions in USA are guaranteed. Every one is guaranteed First class. Join without hesitation. Free buses are provided for all wherever they stay in twin cities. Our campus is beautiful. Lot of greenery is there. We have excellent canteen wilh all types of stuff. In free periods you can watch a movie in auditorium. Plenty of play fields are there.Weekly once you can pay cricket throughout the day. No one will trouble you. Every year, there will be four annual days. Enjoy and study for a change. Our campus is at Happy go lucky pura in RR District.

Nehru. What is this nonsense? Are these Engineering colleges. Oh God. How bad is Engineering education in AP !

Patel. Jawaharlal, Do you know that only 10 percent of graduates passing out of engineering colleges in AP are fit to be employable. Rest all is mere scrap. They can not even write their names and date of birth correctly. Forget about Technical skills and other skills. None will have writing skills. They only can understand their language.

Nehru. How they will pass then?

Patel. That question you should not ask.

Gandhi. This is very strange. I also heard that some students who fail to pass in few subjects are also given degrees. Is it true?

Patel . You are very true Bapu . They are given option to take degree with two left out subjects. Still they are engineers. All these are not mentioned in Engineering degree that they get. That is the trick. So employer does not know. Who will examine their memos of marks? They go abroad also to do MS at some third rate university.

Gandhi. Whys such things are done?

Patel. That is to help some guys who are not capable of passing some subjects. Bapu. You know that engineering drawing is the basis for engineers. The guy who is not good at drawing will be an useless engineer. Now even if the guy fails in that subjects throughout his four years of study still he gets his degree. University bails him out. Haa.. Haa. What a fun!

Patel. A stage may come when students are given degrees just after attending the four year course. There may not be examinations. We can not say anything in this country.

Gandhi. How about international values?

Patel. They go to USA too. They have no future thee too. They do some odd jobs here and there and learn some slang, talk like yankies and show off when they visit India. Any how these useless graduates some how join PG courses here and there and get M tech degree too. Even then he does not know any thing. That is the tragedy.

Gandhi. God save this nation. Will they do PG also?

Patel. True. That is another apology for PG degree. I know a guy who said at an interview that the voltage supplied at homes in India is 5 volts. He was a Post graduate in electrical Engineering. Such guys are also working as teachers in engineering colleges.

Gandhi. Let us go from here soon. I am getting upset.

Patel. I am also like that. Let us go. How about doing engineering in AP?

Gandhi. Never. Never. I shall forget whatever I know.

Nehru. Hee..Hee. For a change Bapu, you are right. Haa..haa

( The trio call an auto and vanish from the place soon )

CURTAIN FALLS