INTO THE PAST WITH PAIN 348
Colonel Prof Dr
K Prabhkar Rao Vetearan
Gandhi, Nehru and Patel are seen at Koti in Hyderabad in their usual attire.
They are near troop bazar and are dragging their feet. Bapu is holding his long
stick.
Gandhi. Jawahar I think
we must go to some bank and
find out whether we can have bank account.
Patel. What for?
Nehru. Why bapu . Why we need these now? Do we need money
now ?
Gandhi. Without money nothing moves. We keep coming quiet
often to this country.
Patel. OK let us try. To Which bank will we go?
Gandhi. Any one, in which money is there.
Patel. Ok there is
one in this place . We shall try
(They go to a road side vendor to enquire)
Gandhi, Hello bhai is there a bank in this place?
Vendor . Yes sir.
Just behind me there is a big bank. You can read the name too.
Patel. Thanks bhai
for the hep
Vendor. what help I
have done to thank me
The trio goes to the
main door of the bank after climbing few steps. T^here is a board .. GOLMAL BANK. There are
steps and also an inclined path with railing. Babu climbs steps while others
walk over the ramp.
At the main door
a sentry is there who stops them
Sentry. Where do you want to go sir?
Gandhi, Hame bank ke andar jana hai. Kya ham jaa sakte?
Sentry. OK . but kya
kam hai?
Patel. Is it a must to tell you what we are going to do
there? These are personal things
Sentry. It is not like that. If you tell me I can guide you
correctly. Otherwise ,you will run around here and there.
Gandhi. Oh I thought some thing else.
Sentry. Are you taking the stick inside
Gandhi. Yes without
this I feel uncomfortable
Sentry. I will ask manager and let you know . Please wait
here
He goes in and
returns after few minutes
Sentry. Sir. we do
not allow taking sticks. It is
objectionable. You may keep this with me. I will give back when you return
Gandhi. Bha ,I feel difficult to walk without this
Sentry. As exception we are allowing you.
Nehru. Thank you brother, May god bless you.
Sentry. Who is he?
Nehru.. God
Sentry. I do not
believe in god.
Gandhi. OK, OK never
mind. Thank you bhai.
The trio opens glass door and walk in. They open another glass door and enter a
large room where many people are sitting
in cabins and doing paper
work. Some are drinking Chai I,e tea.
Some are speaking on phones. Some are
chatting with each other giggling. Some are serious as if the whole world is
resting on their shouldrers.
Nehru goes to a
person and enquires. His name is ram
bharose
Nehru. Where can we open an account?
Ram.. Sir you have come to a wrong place . Go to another
large room with glass doors. That is the place. Please wear masks immediately. If you do not have
go to sentry . He will give for Rs ten
each
Patel. We have masks with us.
They quickly wear masks and go to another big room. Outside,
they have a sanitizer stand with instructions , where they spray the liquid to
the palms and rub hands then they enter inside.
The moment they enter, a person Holds a pistol like gadget
to Gandhis fore head . He is firkiram
Gandhi .Hey are you shooting me?
Firki ram.. No bhai,
I am taking your temperature. If you have fever we will not allow you
Gandhi. Eee.. What is all this ?I thought you are going to
kill me.
The trio passes the fever test and then are allowed to get
in. they go to a counter…may I help you? A lady is manning the counter. Her
name is Radha
Radha what I can do for you sir?
Gandhi. Madam,I want to open an account.
Radha. Yes, You can do. (She gives an application and asks
Gandhi to fill up and hand over with the
enclosures indicated at different places)
(Gandhi goes to a standing desk with patel and Nehru)
Gandhi. There is no place to sit and write. How can old
people stand and write and fill up these long applications. Appears, senior citizens have no facilities
Patel. true bapu. Banks are least bothered about these
facilities.values have disappeared.
Gandhi. In the second column ,I have to write home address.
What should I write? we don’t have any home now.
Nehru. Write c/o Old age home, street no 2 Vaikuntam.
Gandhi. There is a remark stating enclose your Xerox copy
of Adhar card. Original should be shown
for verification. Next requirement is enclose Xerox of PAN card. What is this
PAN card ?Next is occupation. I can write retired and doing time pass.
Patel. They will surely need phone number and details of organisation from you which retired
Gandhi. That I do not have.
Nehru. What is this Adhar card.
Patel. It is a type of identification issued by Govt.
The govt has some office , where it is
issued after furnishing details . They will also take photos with their camera.
Gandhi. I see
Patel. But the photos they take are atrocious. One can not
recognise you from the photo they take.
You look deformed and atleast another twenty years old. Some times your
photo is not printed but some others photo
or a childs photo will be there. Do not be surprised if a cats or cows photo
appears on your card. Hee.hee
Gandhi .ee..eee.
aaa.What crap is going on in this country?. Now, I have to get some
clarifications. I shall go to help counter again.( He goes to the counter)
Radha. Sir ,Have you filled up the form?
Gandhi. I do not have any adhar card ,pan card and proper address
and tele phone number
Radha. How is that? How are you managing? Now where do you
stay?
Gandhi. In vaikuntham
Radha. I never heard about that colony where is it?
Gandhi, It is not in this city. It is in heavens
Radha come on sir. You are joking.. how can it be?
Gandhi. I am telling truth.
Radha. Sir your face looks familiar. Where I have seen .
(she scratches her head)
Gandhi. Daily you must be seeing me.
Radha . Yeah…I see your photo on all currency notes. That is MK Gandhi.
Gandhi. Now you are correct. I am MK Gandhi
Radha. But you died long ago in 1948.. shot dead by Godse at
Delhi. I read in books
Gandhi. Why remember all those things?
Radha. But how you are back again. Did you not you die. ?
you were cremated also. I saw your Samadhi in Delhi at Rajghat. There is a
black marble on Samadhi.
Gandhi. All those things are true
Radha. Then how you are alive? For dead people ,no bank issues account. How can you reappear?
Gandhi. I some times come to earth.
Radha. Then you must be a ghost or a spirit
Gandhi. I am not a ghost or spirit. I am only the soul of
Gandhi
Radha.. eee..eee. ( .
she screams loudly and faints?
(There is a commotion at the bank as she falls from her desk
and lies on ground froth coming out from the mouth. All people gather around
her not knowing what happened at the
help counter.
Gandhi slowly slips out and joins patel and Nehru)
Patel. What happened? … she fell down. There is a commotion
in bank. I think we must slip out immediately,
The trio slowly goes out from glass door and reaches exit
door where the sentry is seen doping in chair.
The trio walks over the ramp and goes onto the road and
walks over to a tea shop.
They hear screaming
of an ambulace that arrives at great speed. After some time, the ambulance
rushes out screaming again along with two more bank cars.
Sentry at bank appears puzzled.
Gandhi.. I think we must go from here. The girl at counter
was scared when I told who I was. She fainted.
Patel. Bapu, lot of
changes have been introduced in banking system
at present. These adhar pan card were introduced to prevent bad elements in the country getting into the system.
Gandhi. Do you think all is well now?
Patel. I doubt. It is
humanly not possible to arrest all mischief. Loop holes will be there always.
Nehru. Even after
introducing all these , banks have been
duped and thieves who duped banks
escaped from country. Skeletons are still rolling out of cupboards.
Patel. It is almost
impossible to eradicate mischief. It can be reduced. When honesty is there dishonesty also will be
there. Particularly middle class guys are much oppressed on all fronts. Those
are rich and very rich can always manage and get away. All govt organisations
help them. Middle calss guys are shoed around at 3very place and they are made
to run from pillar to post. Suckers are middle class persons.
Gandhi. Where do we stand.? Which class?
Patel You and me are
middle class not Nehru
Nehru. How? Do you think I have thousands of crores.
Patel. You know better. Your Dynasty knows.
Gandhi . patel. leave it there? We are dead now and do not
have any mortal money and we do not
need.
Patel then why you tried for an account?
Gandhi. I think I should not have done. Good riddance. Let
us go back
In the mean time the sentry is heard shouting..
Sentry.. sir , sir. Look at those three old guys who came into bank and spoke to the
lady at the counter. She fainted after
talking to one of the old one. Catch them. run
Patel. Bapu let us vanish from here or trouble will be there
The trio vanishes suddenly with a flash.
CURTAIN FALLS