INTO THE PAST
WITH PAIN……...98

 

                                       Dr K
Prabhakar Rao

 

(In the center of a room Bapu is seen sitting in an old
chair. He is also coughing occasionally A Charkha is kept in a corner. Some time
he utters Ram..Ram.. Hare..Hare.. The door opens and Nehru enters)

 

Nehru. Bapu. Bapu Have you heard this/

 

Bapu. What is that / Why are you excited/ relax a bit.

 

Nehru. Bapu. I heard that in parliament in India in future
there will not be any member. All will be ministers. That is the latest
amendment to constitution being planned.

 

Gandhi. That is very good. It solves many problems. As it is
they are fighting for ministerial berths. People are mad after power.

 

Nehru. Bapu. You are taking things light. Earlier you used
to feel bad and some times sob also. Why this change?

 

Gandhi. Look Jawaharlal. When you can not solve a problem
better endure it. I left india
in 1948. Now what can I do?

 

Nehru.Bapu.Still we must find out what is happening now.
Bapu.Do you kow that old man Narsimha rao has become the PM now.

 

Gandhi.  I do remember
him. He was a kid when  I was there. I
herad he is a intellectual. He knows many languages, He is   also a law graduate. He translated into
Hindi a big novel Veyi Padagalu meaning thousand hoods and  more than 1000pages written by Kavi samrat
Viswanatha Satyanarayana a Telugu writer. It is named Sahsraphan.

 

Nehru. In politics he was not known much then.

 

Gandhi. Some times it happens. His stars are good. He
faithfully served your family eversince I left, I mean congress. Rajiv died in
a blast engineered by LTTE and this helped him in the career. That turned
fortunes for him. He was OK as foreign minister. He was silent and more or less
non controversial.

 

Nehru. Many thought that this was a temporary affair and
Sonia Gandhi would take over. But some how 
it did not work, PV became pm. He has cut all opponents to size. They do
not know where to go.

 

( In the mean time an Andhra Brahmin walks in. He touches
feet of Gandhi.)

 

Brahmin.  Sir. You may
not know me. I am the poet laureate of 
AP state. My name is  Viswanath
Satyanaraya titled kavi samrat.

 

Gandhi. Very nice to see you sir.What makes you to be here.
We are no match to you in literary skills.

 

Satyanarayan. Sir. I wrote a great book  called Veyi Padagalu many years ago and  it was also translated into Hindi by Sri PV
as Sahasraphan. It was 20 years ago. Suddenly some one got interest in the novel.
I was  told a TV serial is being made in
Hindi, Why this sudden love for this old novel.

 

Nehru. It is any ones guess. There are  always many sychophants  every where. They are more on govt. Their
work is to please the top brass some how. tHey will find ways and means for these
activities. This is also one among them. Rao himself is not bad.

 

Satyanaraya. I am known to be forthright and straight
forward. I suffered a lot. You know I was not awarded even a doctorate. For
achievement in literature. However I do not bother.

 

Nehru. Sir. These doctorates from Universities have no meaning.
Now a days all types of guys such as 
singers, dancers,  Film stars,
poets,  journalists,  politicians are being given. Many are of no
use. . In future the way things are going on even dacoits, smugglers,  thieves also can hope to get one. Why not? They
have excelled in their field. They are also artists.

 

Gandhi.  Oh. I am  happy. No one has given me one after my
death. I wsa rather worried. Patel told me that recently he was given  Bharat Ratna 40 years   after 
his death along with Subhas,  I
was scared some wise guy will give me too. Then where is my position? I will
also be one among the ratnas. Eee…eeee…

 

Nehru.  Plesae do not
worry. Ambedkar turn is over. It is the turn of 
Babu jagjivan ram and Maulana azad. One guy from minority has to be
given . Otherwise they will feel bad. In future some may even demand  the award for Jinnah too. Hee..heee..haa..haa

 

Satyanarayana.I think I made myself clear. Thanks every one

 

( He leaves the hall after paying respects to Gandhi and
Nehru)

 

Gandhi. Look Jawaharlal, What is the chance of PV again
making as  PM.

 

Nehru. Bapu. He is in boat without rudders. Unfortunately
there are no proper leaders in Congress. Arjun singh, Pilot,  Pawar, Tiwari, and many more want to become
PM replacing Rao. All have been cut to size. They do not have following. At any
time carpet can be pulled under the feet of Rao. But he is also clever and
playing game carefully. He is the only hope for congress. All others would
fight for the loaf. 

 

Gandhi. I heard recently he expanded ministry.

 

Nehru. Yes. He had to please all sundry

 

Gandhi. Any how Rao is also very old and learnt tricks of
the trade. But one can not expect too much from him. He I  alos very old.

 

Nehru. During my time also people thought what would happen
after me

 

Gandhi. Nothing happened. Rather it ran well..

 

Nehru. Bapu. This a bit too much. Eeee….eeeee…. I struggled
for 16 years after independence

 

Gandhi. So what? You enjoyed power and comforts and
prestige.  You ensured that your family
rules after you generation after generation. What else you want? The country
has been enslaved by your dynasty after Mughals. This I never foresaw in Indian
democracy.. Or else I would have ensured that no one would continue as PM, CM
or MLA, MP for more than two terms. They develop vested interests.

 

(Bapu gets sentimental and gets up and sings doing jig)

 

The Indian democracy has been misused by one and all

Where the leaders made power as their personal property

New dynasties have sprung up that are  high  and tall

And the roots of nation have been made rickety

 

All are busy in projecting their sons

While few bring up their clever daughters

None is bothered for the game of reason

While common man is scared and is in jitters

 

I should have fore seen the things to come

Limited the posts for mere two terms

Dynastic rules are imposed by some goons

And leaders have ruined the state as dirty worms

 

It I high time people are taught lessons

That the state is not some ones personal property

People should wake up from drinking sessions

And throw out the leaders who made the nation dirty.

 

Oh Mother give these fools some wisdom

And they are running after instant stardom.

Some of them ruined nation brick by brick

As people have failed to deliver them a mighty kick

Nehru. Bapu. Please relax. You can not change the world. We
have to watch and see the tamasha.

 

Gandhi. That is true. I am tired. It is not that easy to do
jig. Oh fo. It is time I go to bed. I have to drink goats’ milk also .OK Bhai.
See you tomorrow. Come soon.

 

Nehru. Ok..Bapu. Good night.

 

(Nehru leaves the room adjusting his cap)

 

 

CURTAIN FALLS

 

 

 

 

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