BEGUM HAZRAT MAHAL, QUEEN OF AWADH KINGDOM, Second wife of Nawab wajid Alikhan  who was a poet singer  and musician. He was easy going. In 1856 the East india company annexed the Awadh Kingdom.  The nawab was exiled to Calcutta. The revolt 0f 1857 took place and Begum assumed control of awadh forces and  she gained control of Lucknow.  She  made prince  Birjis quadr as the next ruler and carried on the fighting. However with reversals in the war, she escaped with the prince to Nepal where she got assylum. She passed away in Nepal in 1879. Her son the prince was later pardoned by queen Victoria  permitting him to return  to India.

 LALA LAJPAT RAI, Distinguished  congress freedom fighter from Punjab.He was known as lion of Punjab. He was a father figure to all. He led peaceful demonstration against Simon commission in Lahore on  30 0ct 1928. SP police of Lahore, James Scot ordered lathi charge and he personally assaulted  lajpat Rai who succumbed to injuries on  17 Nov 1928. As a revenge,  Bhagat singh and Rajguru members of HSRA took a oath  of revenge, planned and  shot dead ASP Lahore Saunders in mistaken identity  . Chandrasekhar Azad also was associated in the act  and shot fatally a head constable who was trying to chase the activists  in shooting. Bhagat singh claimed that the revenge was achieved. Later Bhagat singh ,Rajguru and Sukh dev Thapar were arrested and were tried and hanged  at Lahore jail. 23 march 1931. 

RAO GOPAL SINGH, RULER OF KHARWA near Ajmer in Raputana.. He was a Thakur rajput by birth.He was sentenced to 4 years prison term at fort Todgadh 70 kn from beawar   for organising revolt against British empire, He was president of Ahail bharateeya kshatriya samaj for 1924.Govt of India issued a stamp in his memory in 1988.

 

                 INTO THE PAST WITH PAIn….346

                                         Dr K Prabhakar Rao

 

Gandhi, Patel and Nehru are  seen at Tank bund in Hyderabad at 600 in the evening… The appear to be confused.

Gandhi. Look Patel. Why there is no one on the roads. Looks deserted.

Patel. No idea Bapu. Usually this place is much crowded.

Gandhi. I see some police guys  moving about.

A constable runs towards them and approaches.

Constable. Hey old man why you guys are loafing around.

Patel Look Constable . Is this the way you address elders. Are you taught in this way

Constable.  You are not supposed to be on roads at this time.

Patel. Why? Is there a curfew in city.

Constable. There is no curfew. But lock down is there to prevent Covid spreading.

Gandhi. We do not know  about it.

Constable. Are you not from this state.

Gandhi. I am from no place. I belong to whole world. I keep moving

Constable. You appear to be a crank. How you do not have a place ? You have to come to SI.

Patel .Fine. We shall come.

All of them go to SI who is sitting on a motorcycle shaking his foot and munching pawn

SI. Why  these guys are here?  Are they violators of lock down?

Constable. Yes sir. They were loafing. Let us chew them si r They are acting funny too

SI ..Hey old guys. Do not you know the rules?

Nehru. No we do not know.

SI. Since when you are in the city?

Nehru. We came  about one hour ago from heavens.

SI. what nonsense you are speaking. How can you come down from heavens?

Patel. Yes . very true.

SI. You guys appear to be off the centre. Needs treatment at Erragadda mental hospital.

Patel. We are ok .We need no treatment.

Constable. You  guys must go home by 6 pm.

 Gandhi. Suppose our scootter gets punctured. Then what happens?

SI. You change  spare wheel and go.

Nehru. If  spare wheel is also bad, then what can a guy do?

SI. Then run home.. leave the scooter on road.

Gandhi. By next day nothing will be left in the bike.  All parts will be sold.

SI. Come on do not argue. You said you do not have any place.

Gandhi. We do not have any single place. Whole world is ours.  Have you not  recognized us.

SI. Are you some VVIPs

Gandhi. I am Gandhi, these are patel and Nehru.

SI. Good acting and dressing up. Is this your profession?

Gandhi. Come on Mr SI. We are real guys.

SI .The real guys  died long ago. Even before my dad was born.

Patel. Are we responsible for that.

SI. You guys are just cheats. I just give three minutes  to you  to run and vanish

Patel. What will you do otherwise?

SI.  I shall put you under arrest.

Gandhi. If you are so sure catch us and show.

(SI  and Constable jump on the trio. They fall flat on concrete  road breaking most of their teeth.)

(SI and constable shout and cry loudly for help)

Gandhi. Look police guys. You have no business  to misbehave with people. It is ok lock down is there. But you can not be a tyrant. You have to be careful with old people. Who will respect you, if you are like this.

Patel. You can never catch us. We told  that we are dead guys and just souls. You thought you could catch us but   you fell flat. Now go home and go  to dentist for treatment. We are vanishing now.  Be careful. Treat people with respect. Then you will also get respect.

The trio vanishes with a flash.

SI. I shall ring up for some help from police station. I shall call an ambulance too.

Constable OK Fine sir..

                                              CURTAIN FALLS

 

                                     INTO THE PAST WITH PaIn ..333

                                      Dr K Prabhakar Rao

 

Gandhi, Patel and nehru are  sitting  in Heavens. Gandhi is lying on a cot. Room is simply furnished. Gandhi occasionally coughs.. says ram.. ram.aaa  margaya ( dead )…  aa..eee.

Patel Bapu.. Are you having lot of pain in the leg after you fell down yesterday?

Gandhi. Yes. It is much painful. Unable to bear it.

Nehru. Bapu.   You should not  show off as if you are young. Your days were over long ago. People even forgot about you in India.

Patel. Yes. You are correct.

Gandhi. I can not change my way of working.

Patel. Now people are tired of seeing your photo on the notes.

Gandhi. I never said that notes must have my photo.

Patel. You were made father of nation.  So your photo has to be there.

Gandhi. Why on all notes? There were many patriots too.

Patel. Then it becomes cheap practice. It becomes like a postal stamp practice.

Nehru. Every guy wants a postal stamp  in his name. 

Gandhi. But when I go  to post office , I feel bad. Every where we can see my photo stamps   pasted on old covers are thrown all over on roads and people spit over them, urinate too in corners. Is it a good thing? Some times gum is not available at post offices. People spit on back of th stamp and paste it on cover. Cheee,,chee, How shameful

Patel Bapu that is our  culture. A national trait.

Gandhi. Many places I find  the   stamps are torn into bits and thrown around.

Eee…eee.. aaa . aah .. Is this my life? Then why print my stamps when no respect is to be shown.

Nehru, Bapu respect can not be demanded.  Our nation is very strange type. All types of guys are there. .

Patel.. Look Bapu .. it is time for you to take the cough syrup.

Gandhi. Please give me . I can not get up.. coughs. ugh…ugh..

Patel  gives the syrup  and a spoon and Gandhi gulps..

Gandhi.  This syrup tastes well. sweet it is.

Patel. Cough syrup always tastes good. Otherwise who takes.

Gandhi. Hope this is made in India now.

Nehru. Yes. If we can not manufacture it after  65 years  of freedom we are not worth.

Patel. Hee..hee..Some imported syrups are also there. But very few.

Gandhi. Now I am feeling better. I think we must visit India once. Many days have passed since we went.

Patel. Bapu ,no one bothers for us. People do not recognize us. Many think we are some  actors and on begging spree. They try to offer some coins.

Gandhi. This is bad. Once ,I went to Exhibition ground in January in Hyderabad. There I found a person dressed like me with silver paint begging.  People were giving some coins. Some were laughing. Have I become a laughing stock. A police man even used lathi on him to drive him away.

Patel. You know it better.

Gandhi.  Most of Indians do not recognize Patel.  Any one  with bald   head with stick has to be Gandhi. Nehru is of course is recognized with his cap.

Nehru. How does it matter to us? We are already dead since long.

Patel. True. Bapu. Now it is getting late, Take rest . We will meet tomorrow and chalk out plan.

Gandhi, Are you tired of me , Hope not ,  Fine, good night.

Nehru and patel ..  Good night Bapu,  see you..

They walk away to their rooms

                                      CURTAIN FALLS

 MIRDAD KHAN.. He went to USSR to get trained in Marxist ideology. He was killed in the naval revolt  at India in 1946

 SOHAN SINGH BHAKNA.. Founder president of Ghadar party. He was a distinguished member of the party. He spent 16 years in prison having been tried and sentenced in Lahore conspiracy case. After release he concentrated on peasant movement, kisan sabha and communist party activities. He passed away in 1968