INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN....111 ( Part II )

 Dr K Prabhakar Rao

 

 

 

 

Gandhi. Rajiv. What is this Bofors issue? Every one claims
that you made money in this scam.

 

Rajiv. Bapu. Please do not believe them. I am the grandson
of Nehru and son of Indira.

 

Gandhi. Now days I lost trust in all. Till now nothing is
clear. Olof Palme, the PM   of Sweden was killed. I do not know
why? (Note…
When this article was written ,Bofors issue was 
hot topic and Rajiv was not absolved. All types of stories were in
circulation)

 

Gandhi. Time only will tell. Any how money was lost. People
were cheated. What a shame to politicians! People’s money is being swindled.
How correct was Churchill when he said India would be taken over by cheats,
crooks and scoundrels. How true he was ! What a fore thought. At that time, all
Indians abused him in filthiest words… Oh God save this nation from swindlers,
jokers, cheats, crooks and hypocrites.

 

(Gandhi gets excited and coughs loudly. He beats his chest
and cries.. Mera Bharat.. Mera Bharat.. Oh Maaa ise Bacho.. Sab badmasho se..
aaa..eee..waaa… oooo… He struggles to take breath. His chest heaves up and
down)

 

 

In the distance great singer Surendra nath BALLB is heard
singing

 

Bhool  jaaa..Bhool  jaaa

Bhoola jaa. Jo Dekhataa hai

Jo hai dekha bhool jaa

Yaad rakh kar kya karega            

Ye Tamasha Bhool  jaa

Khwab kee roodad  par

Kaisee Khushee kaisa Malal

Apni haalat par ye hasna

Our rona bhool  jaa                            ( From Film Vishwas
1943)

 

 

(The deep and pathetic voice puts Gandhi off and he screams
loudly waving hands wildly. Gandhi screams… Bacho mujhe (Save me)..Is Mulk ko
kya ho gaya (
what happened to this country?).. 
Khaliya badmasho ne. ( therascals have eaten). lootliya cchorone (The
thieves have burgled).  Hadap liya dakuone
ne..eee..eee (Swallowed by the dacoits)…)

 

(Rajiv holds Bapu firmly in chair and wipes tears. He gives
him water and Gandhi drinks. He slowly gets composed. He still is seen crying)

 

In the distance kavi Pradeep  is heard singing

 

Pinjreke Panchi re…ye.ye.ye

Tera dard na jaane koi

Tera dard na jane koi

Baahar se   khaa mosh
rahe too

Bheethar bheethar 
roire..ye…ye

Bheethar bheethar 
roire..

Tera dard na jaane koi

Tera dard na jaane koi

Kahana sake too apni kahani

Koyee bhi Panchee kya zindgaani re

Vidhine teri kathalikhee..eee

Aasumein kalam duboye

Tera dard na jaane kpoi

Pinjre ke panchi re…ye..ye..ye

 

( Gandhi hearing the sad song gets upset and picks up a near
by drinking glass and hammers his own head crying.. let me die…let me die.. I
ca not see  more…)

 

Rajiv. ( holds to Gandhi) Bapu. Please  control yourself. You can not do everything.
This is a changing time. Even my  mom said
corruption is a world phenomenon. We have to live with it.

 

Subhas. What a way of consoling and what he can do.

 

Gandhi ( coughs) Oh mera  Bharat Mata. What you have done to my country?
What type of leaders you gave to my country? You have not been fair to us. I do
not know which side we are sliding. ( sings)

 

Let not my country go down the drain

While the people feel perils of pain

Neighboring enemies trouble as rain

While the leaders watch and are in gain

 

 

Subhas,  Bapu. We are
surely sliding into a shit pot. Be sure ( sings)

 

Oh My Bapu why are you crying?

Didn’t you know when dying?

All the troubles you have been buying

What  is the use by
now crying?

 

Gandhi. Oh Subhash, Do not be so harsh. I know that I made a
blunder by ditching Vallabh bhai Patel and making Jawaharlal as the PM. I do
not know why I fell to the Nehru lobby? ( he wipes tears with a khadi hanky )

 

( The door opens  and
Patel walks in )

 

Patel. Hello Subhas, Namaste Bapu. Nice to see you guys
here. I heard Bapu has some thing to say.

 

Subhash. Bapu says that 
he should have made you PM .

 

Patel. What  can I
say? I was the iron man of India.
I got rid of all kings and princes from India. Otherwise how India could be
amalgamated?

 

Subhas. I am happy that you were ruthless with them,
particularly with the Nizam of Hyderabad, the wicked and clever guy.

 

Patel. Do you know that the Nawab dared to declare
independence?

 

Bose. For this he got hammered. How he dared to take on
Indian army? How foolish he was. How he dreamt of defeating Indian army? This
Nawab did not even have Tanks .

 

Patel. It was Kasim Razvi and PM Liakat ali who poisoned
Nizam. Nizam by himself I think was not bad.

 

Subhas. Kasim Razvi means the Razakar leader. The crooked
Razakar. Isn’t it?

 

Patel. Yes. The crooked guy paid for it. But for
accomplishing all this what I got?

 

Bose. You got Bharat ratna. Of course you were dead already.
You hardly lived after independence

 

Patel. You were lucky. You died eve earlier before we got
independence.. you mentioned about Bharat Ratna what I will do this. It is not
worth even to scarpe my tongue. I was given because some one was given.

 

Gandhi. I do not know why they forgot my wife Kasturba. She
was a great woman. Silently suffered my doings. Ee..eee..ee. she also deserved
Bharat ratna.

 

Subhas. The  funniest
part is that I was also given Bharat ratna. There is a limit to mockery. I am
very happy that my Geramndaughter refused to accept it. Who are they to give me
Bharat Ratna?

 

Patel. Why  can’t they
give to Asoka, Hanuman, Lord Buddha, 
Mahavir,  Krishan, rama,  they also deserved more than us.. If secularism
was the problem they could have given to Akbar, cotton Arthur, Brown,
Mountbatten.

 

 Bose. Bapu. Even
gallatry awards follow a definite pattern to plase a section of people. Do you
know Japanese army does not give any awards Ever one is expected to give out
best. In army there is a rat race for PVSM, AVSM, VSM. AGeneral  has toi be given atlesat an AVSM for
surviving so long without getting court martialled.

 

Gandhi. it is better to talk less. More you talk about them
more you get trapped in a stinking pot… Forget it. I am happy that they did not
give me Bharat Ratna. I was scared

 

Patel. They are capable of it.

 

Gnadhi. Why I should be scared of. In India army is a
holy cow. Better talk less about them

 

Bose. Why should I e scared of them? Forces that run after
material comfortswill surely decay over a period of time.

 

Patel. True.

 

Bose. Yet the forces should not be downgraded. I heard the
Chief of army staff is much below a leader in protocol and equivalent status.In
India
army and police are at blows.

 

( In the mea time Ghost of Field Marshall Cariappa walks
in.Cariappa  salutes Subhas and shakes
hands with him.)

 

Bose. How are you Marshal? I am very happy to meet you ater
a long time. I am also happy that you have been elevated to the rank of Field
Marshal.

 

Cariappa. But when ? I was bout to go to my grave. Manekshaw
got it at proper time. He was able to walk and receive it. I think I was given
a looly pop as given to a sulking kid.

 

Bose. How sad?

 

Cariappa . ( sings)

 

What a sad state for army in India?

Where they are always shy of media

They struggle serving a rickety nation

All the time fighting for free ration

 

Ok all of you. Bye. Namste Bapu see you. Bye Subhas

 

( Cariappa leaves the hall to the Marshal music)

 

Bose. Gen Nawaz. I think we have spent lot of time here and
made them wise. Let us go.

 

( Bose and Gen nawaz walk of goose stepping to the  music of INA)

 Gandhi. Patel. Have
you seen Bose. He has not change a bit. He is same as he was in 1939.

 

Patel Bapu. Subhas is a true soldier unlike our politicians
always politicking and cheating and making money in scams and posing clean and
pious. They speak as if a devil recites Bible.

 

Gandhi. Patel I shall ask you one thing. Be frank in your
reply. Luckily I died in  1948. Had I
lived more what would have been the result?

 

Patel. It is very simple. As a mater of fact, I think most
of the   leaders were getting frustrated with your
actions. Most of them who were after power must be happy that you died. They
were greatly relieved. You still commanded great respect in public and you could
have used the tool of fasting and Satyagraha if they acted funny. So they were
greatly relieved when they learnt that you died. I am sure in private they most
have celebrated too.. I am sure about it. The world was changing. If you had
lived more, you would have become another Jayaprakash narain. Better you died
and really died. ( sings and does jig)

 

Bapu you died and it was good

All the leaders were relieved and at ease

Many were smiling behind the curtains

And at last they thought they had peace

 

Your policies were frustrating

And they thought you became a crank

Please do not get upset Bapu

This I am telling being frank

 

Bapu I shall give one example. You know the great singer
actor KL saigal

 

Gandhi. Who does not know him? His film Devdas was a big
hit. I saw it.

 

Patel. Saigal died in 1946. With him the great typical
tradition of saigal style also  faded out.
Mukesh copied saigal for some years. Surendra and CH Atma sang in the old
tradition and continued into fifties. By 1950 the English tunes and music
invaded Indian cinema in a big way. The down fall started in a big way.  See today. Where is the music? Some cock and
bull and stupid words to suit the beat are made. Lyrics are written and it
becomes the sing. The crack - pots jump and shake to these tunes and are given
awards too. Luckily Saigal died in correct time .Otherwise he would have become
highly frustrated and I fear he would have cut his throat vexed up. You also
would have been in similar fate. You were already 79 years old when Godse shot
you. At best, you would have lived for few more years.

 

Gandhi. So you say that I must be happy that I died in 1948.
How sad it  is?

 

Patel. Bapu. Please do not feel bad. I am sorry that you did
not understand people. Once we had freedom the rat race already started. Like
wolves they were after power. There are some people who wrote memoirs and had
no courage to publish them. They sealed memoirs in a box with a letter stating
that it should be opened after their death.  What type of people these nuts are? No names.
While they were alive they occupied high posts. They had no courage when they
were alive.

 

Gandhi. all these years I was under illusions. I am happy
that you opened my eyes. I know how to live now. 

 

(Gandhi coughs vigorously and swoons while in the distance
great singer actor

 

Surendranath BALLB is heard singing)

 

Mujhko jeene kaa bahana milgaya

Mujhko jeene kaa bahana milgaya

 

Tum mile goya zamana mil gayaa

Mujhko jeene ka bahanaa mil gaya

 

Tujhko chitwan Mubarak mera dil

Masth karn ko nishaaa mil gaya

Mujh ko jeene ka bahana milgaya         ( from Film Garib 1942)

 

 

 CURTAIN
FALLS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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