INTO THE
PAST WITH PAIN…137

                                           Dr K
Prabhakar Rao

 

 

                   (Gandhi,
Nehru and Patel are seen sitting in   Public garden in Hyderabad. Gandhi is in poor state of health
and appears suffering from weakness. Nehru and Patel are   fine and kicking.)

 

Gandhi.. eee…eeee..aaa… hai..
haye. What happened to me? I have become very weak.

 

Nehru. Please take rest Bapu. You
will be soon better.

 

Patel. Bapu. Forget about India for some
time. We have done enough for this country. It is their country now. We can not
change them a bit.

 

Gandhi eee…eeee..aaa… Have I
brought freedom to this country to see this day?

 

Patel. Who says you brought
freedom to India?
Plesae don’t be under any illusion.

 

Nehru. Patel. Be fair. Then who
brought freedom to India?

 

Patel. You guys are  living in some false illusions. No one is
thinking that you brought freedom to India

 

Gandhi. eee..eeee… That is unfair.
Eee.eee

 

Patel. Bapu. By crying you can not
change opinion of people.

 

Gandhi. Then who brought freedom
if not us? Has Mohammed Ali Jinnah brought it?

 

Patel.  The Englishmen left us disgusted much. When a
well is about to dry, all frogs try to run away. India was also like that at that
time. They thought India
was no more worth holding on.  There was
not much to loot further either. I am happy that they left some thing   for
past and present leaders to loot. They could not dig and take India to England. I heard now many political
leaders are doing that. They have started work from Karnataka and Andhra
Pradesh and digging everything away and selling off to foreign countries. They
are worst than grave diggers.

 

Gandhi. Do you guys believe this
story?

 

Patel. Bapu. Why do you call this
a story?  Many believe that the Englishmen
were unnerved after Subhas’s activities along with INA. World War II has
destroyed their potential as a great global power. They lost nerve after Naval
mutiny.

 

Gandhi.eee…eeee.. Then why call me
father of nation?

 

 

Patel. Bapu in 1947 Subhas was not
seen. All thought that he was dead. Many were happy too and must have
celebrated  behind curtains over a rink
and chicken tikkas and kabab. Till date nothing is known. They have to make
some one great. You were the automatic choice. Neither me, not Jawaharlal could
  be made because you were alive.

 

Gandhi.  Was it my mistake that I did not die? Any how
I died soon in 1948. Godse took me away…eeee..e..eeeee… It is paining much (Holds
his chest over the bullet holes)

 

Patel. Bapu,  I did not mean like that. Father of nation is
not a transferable title. If some one is made father of nation, he remains
permanently whether some one likes or not. All decisions were in the hands of
Congress party then. Subhas deviated from the path of congress when he created
forward block and when he left India
to associate himself with Hitler of Germany. He was written off then and there.
All the subsequent tear shedding is just an eye wash. These are crocodile
tears. In heart and heart guys are very happy that he disappeared.

 

Nehru. We had no choice then. Bapu
had to be made.  He was an automatic
choice. A man from congress party only could be made father of nation.

 

Patel. That means only congress
party can father a nation. I was sure that congress party will make Jawaharlal
as uncle of the nation.

 

Nehru. I hope you did not expect
to become cha-cha of nation.

 

Patel. I was saved. Probably you
would have loved. Any how you got the name Cha-cha Nehru. You used to pick up
kids here and there while on visits and soon were  washing hands at the earliest  instant with  antiseptic Dettol fluid.

 

Gandhi. heee..heee..haa..haa..
What a joke!

 

(Suddenly Gandhi falls down
shivering and soon he develops convulsions. Many people gather around him.
Patel and Nehru sit beside him and try to comfort him)

 

Nehru. I think Bapu should be
shifted to some hospital soon or he may get very serious.

 

On looker. My name is  Hari Om. Why delay things? Let us take him to
a hospital. There is a government hospital close by.

 

Patel. Let us take him.

 

( Hari Om has an old  car and the people around help to lift Gandhi
into car  and the car proceeds to a
government hospital  quickly. On the way,
the car is stuck at a crossing. Traffic is halted)

 

Nehru. Ohfo. What happened now?
Why car has halted?

 

Hari Om. I think some VIP is about
to pass through this point. The police have halted traffic for him.

 

Nehru.  Is it because the VIP car driver can not
drive in traffic?

 

Gandhi (opening eyes feebly) Bhai.
The driver may be used to drive on empty roads.

 

Patel. Hee..heeee.( Laughs) Bapu.
You have sense of joke even in this pathetic condition.

 

Gandhi.( In weak tone) I am    born with that sense.

 

Patel.  There is no doubt. You know many jokes.

 

Gandhi. (In weak tone). I am happy
you did not call me a joker.

 

Nehru. Who could be the VIP?

 

Patel. It must be Chief Minister
surely. They are crazy of

such things. You know Rosiah never
thought he would become a CM. It is a life’s chance. YSR’s death was a boon to
him. He can not win election. In YSR Govt he was not even given a ticket for
elections. He was made MLC. Then he was made a minister. Luck has pushed him
into CM’s chair. Usually such guys are said to have a double spiral on their head
amidst hair.

 

Nehru.hee..hee.. But he  is completely bald. How spirals can be formed.

                           

Patel. Even on bald head very
small hair will be there that can be felt and not seen. Please look at my head.
I have no double spiral.

 

Nehru.  Is it so? Then Bapu also must be having one like
that. He became father of nation Let us see his head.

 

( Nehru  looks at Gandhi’s head and feels it)

 

Nehru. I can not make out
anything.

 

Patel. Never mind. By the by Bapu
is appears slightly better. This traffic jam will take some more time to clear.
What shall we do?

 

(In the mean time, suddenly the
VIP  car screams past and soon traffic
clears up. Hari Om drives the car quickly to hospital. Once the car enters gate,
Gandhi again becomes sick and is seen shivering. The car halts at entrance and
Patel and others pull out Gandhi from car and carry him inside. They are
stopped by an attender at the entrance)

 

Attender., Hey  . Where are you going? The out patient time
is over.

 

Patel. This is emergency case

 

Attender. I see.( He takes Patel
to a side) Please give me hundred 
rupees. I shall allow and also 
will take him to the doctor

 

Patel.  If not what will you do?

 

Attender. You will never get
admission and  doctor will not see you.

 

Ptatel.  I do not carry money with me.

 

Attender. Take  from others.

 

( Patel  goes to Hari Om and explains. Hari Om gives
Rs 50 to the attender and he is happy. The attender takes them inside and
Gandhi is made to sit in a chair)

 

Atender. Please  wait here. I shall tell duty doctor about your
case.

 

( In the mean time some stray dogs
arrive in group  and one black dog comes
to Gandhi and looks at him  and wags
tail)

 

Gandhi. Hello.eee…eee… How are you
doggy? I do not have anything to give you.

 

Dog. Bow. Wow.. eee.eeee…kooo…koooo.oohhh..ooooh

 

Nehru. Sha.. Sha .. Go away..sha

 

Dog. Grrr.. Grr ( It bites Nehru
suddenly on the thigh and runs away along with other dogs)

 

Nehru. Eee…eeee… Mar gaya (I am dead)

 

( In the mean time, the doctor
arrives and sees Nehru in pain. He learns that he was  bitten by a dog)

 

Doctor. Please do not mind. We
know that dog. Its name is Heera. It bites one every day. We take it lightly.

 

Nehru.Doctor . Please save me. Please
give me anti Rabies injections.

 

Doctor. We shall see that later
on. Now let me take care of this old man.

 

( He goes to Gandhi  and checks pulse. He opens eye lids with
finger  and looks at them)

 

Doctor. He appears very weak and
famished.  Iam sure he has not eaten for
many days.

 

Patel.  No Doctor. He has been eating regularly.he
drinks goat milk in gallons. His constitution is like that.

 

Doctor. Are you the doctor? I did
not ask your opinion.

 

Patel. Luckily I am not one.

 

( Doctor angrily stares at Patel)

 

Doctor. Then please keep quiet.(
sings)

 

I am here the great boss

Do not think that I am an ass

I shall throw you out from here

Kindly behave oh  my dear

 

Patel.( Gets angry) ( sings)

 

Do not think you are great

You have a face like a
kitchen  sooty plate

You behave and treat this guy

Or else like a fish I shall fry

 

Nehru. Patel ,  please cool down. We have to get things done
coolly.

 

(Doctor examines Gandhi and
scratches head)

 

Doctor. I am sure this old man
needs brain surgery .I suspect a clot in his brain.

 

Patel.  Is it he or you?

 

Doctor. What do you mean? I am the
doctor here.

 

Patel. Come on Doctor. Do you have
experience in such surgeries?  You are a
just kid.

 

Doctor. I have. I learnt these
while studying medicine.

 

Patel. Where did you study? What
was your EAMCET rank when got admitted.

 

Doctor. I studied  at a private Medical
College in Hyderabad. I had zero rank in EAMCET
examination. Still I got seat.heee…heeee. Do you know> I get salary here
even if I do not treat people.

 

Patel.eee….ee..eeee….. Did they
teach you these things like brain surgery?

 

Doctor. We  were taught using plastic models and charts.
What is there in surgery? Just  cut the
guy where we want. If he survives well and good. Otherwise God blesses him. Any
how his representatives will sign a bond 
before operation. Why are you asking me all these things? I have MBBS
degree.shall I show it?

 

 

Patel. Not required.

 

(Gandhi hears conversation. He
looks at the doctor. He suddenly gets up and sits on the bed)

 

Gandhi. Yeah…Yeah.. Hip Hip
Hurray… Patel. I am fine. Let us go.

 

Patel. What a miracle!

 

( Patel looks at doctor)

]

Patel. Doctor. I think you have
some mystic heeling powers. Bapu has seen your face   and he was cured. No brain surgery is
required for him.

 

Doctor. I don’t have any such
powers. I am a normal man  like you.

 

Gandhi. ( looking at Doctor)
eee…eeee… Patel. Let us go. The moment I saw 
the doctor I am cured.  Otherwise
he would have operated on my brain thinking it like a plastic brain. In his
medical college he had no training on real brains of dead bodies. He was
trained on plastic models. Eee…. Save me from him.

 

Doctor. Look old man.  I am a doctor with MBBS qualification.

 

 

Gandhi. That every one gets  now if pays up in lakhs of rupees. Leave me.
I want to live with normal brain.. eee..eeee 
Bacho( save me). Thoda kuch akkal raha gaya hai mujhe (I have retained some  brains now)

 

 

( Gandhi jumps out of the cot and
runs to the doctor while doctor is after him. Some stray dogs that have come
back also run after Gandhi shouting bow…bow..wow…bow)

 

Doctor. Come on old man. Do not
run away. I shall treat you well.

 

 

Gandhi. No.. No.. Not me.

 

( Gandhi jumps through window  and on the street lands on a  roadside bitch that raises  huge hue 
and cry shouting bow…bow.. wow.. wow)

 

Gandhi. eeee.. eeee Where I have
landed?

 

Bitch. You bloody man.  Iam Anita the street mongrel. Can’t you see
through your eyes? You have  glasses too.
I am much hurt. Bow. Bow,   bow.. Wow.
Wow

 

Gandhi. Sorry madam Bitch. Plesae
excuse me.  I was scared of the doctor in
this hospital

 

( In the mean time Patel and
Nehru  also arrive  and join Gandhi)

 

Patel. Bapu. Bach Gaye (We are
saved)  May god bless people from that
doctor. Let us run from here

 

( Hari om  picks up all in his waiting car and drives
away while Doctor shouts at  them angrily)

 

 

                                  CURTAIN FALLS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

---------------- Note: Content of this blog post is writer's personal opinion and may not be SanghParivar.org or Sangh's view.