INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN.......167

INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN…167
Dr K Prabhakar Rao

( It is Diwali festival and Gandhi Patel and Nehru purchased crackers from a shop and returned to their place . They are preparing to celebrate)

Gandhi. Patel. The crackers are very expensive. Look. We spent almost Rs 5000 and see the amount of crackers we got. Big loot is going on here.

Patel. Bapu. Every where loot is the ultimate. It is the national slogan. You take any field, show me a place where loot is not there. (Sings and does jig)

Looters are there everywhere
What is so great about them?
Loot ..loot .loot is the slogan today
Better swallow your own flum

Show me a place where loot does not take place
The nation has mastered this art
Better learn to live happily with this loot show
And in the last go to crematorium in a bullock cart

Gandhi (Claps) Very great show Patel. Excellent poetry. Even Tennyson is no match to you

Patel. Thanks Bapu for inspiration.

Nehru. Is this shit a poetry? Bapu. You favor Patel always.

Gandhi. What is wrong in it? You never recite any thing at any time. Patel instantly does it. Thatis the difference. So I appreciate. Any appreciation must be given immediately

Nehru. Bapu. Please have a heart. I also can speak recite poetry. ( sings)

Please, Read my books that were great
All in the world spoke of them very high as sky
You guys may not know any thing from them
You only know how and why

My words are sure have not entered your brains
Or else you have clapped with a smile
You appear dumb and look like a clown
Kindly understand my poetry for a while

Gandhi. Come on Jawaharlal. We understood everything. There is nothing to appreciate from it.

Nehru. Bapu. I over expected from you .

Gandhi. Just relax friend. Take it easy. Better to live with criticism. All days are not yours.

Patel. Bapu. It is already very dark. Let us burn crackers now.

Gandhi. So be it. First I shall burn the pot that throws up sparkling colors

( Gandhi lights up a pot. Nothing happens . )

Gandhi. Ohfo. What happened? This is not burning.

( Suddenly the pot burns and throws out some smoke with sound ..shh…)

Patel. Ohfo. What a waste? Rs 25 gone waste. This did noot give any colors. They just cheated us

Gandhi. Keep watching. Patel. Now you take that Bhoo Chakkar and light it up. Jawaharlaal you too. Please .

( Patel lightsup a bhoo chakkar. It just burns very slowly and doers not rotate)

Gandhi. What happened now ? It does not rotate.

Patel. Bapu. It is no Bhoo Chakkar. It is loot ka chakkar

Gandhi. Hee..heee.. That was nice. Now I will go for atom bomb

Patel. Bapu. Plesae be very careful. It is sutli bomb. It is dangerous to explode. Be very careful.

Bapu. I am very brave. Nothing will happen to me. Any how I will be cautious.

( He takes up the sutli bomb and lights it from a distance. It glows for some time and the fuse wick goes off)

Gandhi. Ohfo. What type of bomb it is. Hope it is not a Pakistani bomb. Hee..heee

( Gandhi takes up the bomb in his hand and dances and sings)

Look guys Watch this bomb
Iam holding it bravely in my hand
Know that I am not a scared guy
I can even swim in a heap of sand.

( Gandhi throws the bomb into sky and suddenly it explodes with a big sound)

Patel. Bapu. See how dangerous it is? If you have delayed it a bit it could have exploded in your hand,. Be careful. Plesae do not play with them

Nehru. That is why I do not play with them.

Patel. You play safe Jawaharlal. So you became a PM and screwed the nation too.

Gandhi. Relax Patel. Please do not trouble him.

Patel. Bapu. All these crackers appear to be useless. We can not waste time like this. There is no enjoyment either.

Gandhi. How things are so bad? No cracker is good

Patel. Bapu., This is a big racket. The cracker industry literally loots the nation. The MRP printed on box is almost 4 to 5 times of actual price. One can bargain to any extent. Now they are selling on Kg basis too. The cracker manufacturers have to bribe every one in the chain. Starting from licence, commercial tax, sales tax, police, excise, chota mota neta. Ministers, MLA and every one gets a share. So the prices are very high. ( sings and does jig)

Looto deshko khoob maze se
Din raat is e mat chodo
Loot loot kar apna jeb Bharo
Yaa nadi me jaakar maro
Jab saare neta loot rahe hai
Sarkar kewal dekh rahee hai
Loot maar ki khabar nahee hai
Jage jab aur Koyee bataawe
Koyee lajja nahee kiseeko
Jo loot mar mein shamil hai
Loot lo phir shayad
mauka nahee milega
Jor jor se loot lo
Loot lo ab zaman kya karega
Looto looto aur looto
Lootna mulka ka mudda hai
Ise kabhi naa chodo

Gandhi. ( Claps loudly)

( He gets into inspiration and does jig)

Patel. Enough Bapu. We enjoyed without burning crackers.

Gandhi. true.Ab kya karenge( What we will do now?)

Patel. Now we have to eat sweets

Gandhi. Hoo..hoo. That is good.

( the trio shares sweets that Patel brings and offers)

Gandhi. This is the best part of Diwali.

Nehru. Yeah.. I like sweets.

Gandhi. I too like them.

( the trio swallow all sweets and walk into distance)

CURTAIN FALLS