Into the past with pain..348

 

                                   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