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THE MAN
WITHOUT PROPERTIES
(A Play in Three Acts)
By
Vijaya Kumar Dar
Cast of Characters
President of India: An unkempt man of 70 with a mop of hair
brushed so it falls on the sides.
He is wearing a Nehru jacket and trousers.
Lady Maindhi: A severe looking woman in her 60’s wearing a white
sari.
Mumble Singh: A wispy old man with a blue turban, scraggly
beard, and large spectacles. Owlish looking. Wearing a Nehru jacket and
trousers
Plumberji: A short, balding, blunt looking man in his late 70’s.
Wearing a closed Nehru jacket and trousers. Thick glasses.
Lady President of India: An unpleasant looking woman in her
70’s. Wears a coloured sari with palloo on her head.
Monty Spudseller: A strong looking man in his late 60’s wearing
a blue turban, a suit with a tie.
ACT I
SCENE I
(Sometime in the year
2004)
A hall in the President’s
office
Enter Lady Maindhi
accompanied by Mumble Singh and Plumberji.
President greets the
three and invites them to sit.
President: Ah,
welcome, Lady Maindhi. I see you have Mumble Singh and Plumberji with you. How
is the mood of the party now that you have won a majority in the Parliament?
Lady Maindhi: Thank
you Mr. President. With the blessings of the Holy Virgin, our forces today have
vanquished the armies of Satan with the help of our brethren who believe in the
Holy Book. People have been falling over one another in their attempts to
cajole me to lead them in this hour of triumph, and to make this nation as
great as The Holy Roman Empire. I have come, Mr. President, with the list of
the members who have expressed complete faith in my leadership and who are
urging me to form the next government at the centre.
President: That is
very good Lady Maindhi. I am sure the list must be authentic and I really do
not have to look at it. So who is going to be the Prime Minister?
Lady Maindhi: (looking a bit surprised): But Mr.
President, I thought you understood that the people want me to take up this
post.
(Aside: “what a duffer
this Bhajan Party has selected”)
Mumble Singh and Plumberji together: Yes, yes, Mr.
President, Madam is the only choice of the country and we have come to seek
your blessings before we make a formal announcement to the people.
President: Ah, yes!
But before you came, this busybody Submarine Sammy had come here. He was sure
that you would soon be coming to me with such a demand, and he told me that I
should not accede to it as it would be illegal and liable to be challenged and
struck down by the Supreme Court.
Lady Maindhi (looking very cross): Why, that
good-for-nothing dark, Tamil rascal has the temerity to suggest that my
appointment would be illegal? How dare he?
Plumberji (ingratiatingly and then angrily): Yes,
yes madam, the first thing we have to do is to throw that man into the darkest
cell of Tihar and lose the key. What brazenness, what blasphemy! The man is a
horrible conspirator and should be quickly taught a lesson.
Mumble Singh (wringing his hands and looking sheepish):
He thinks that just because he is a Harvard professor he can claim to know
everything. He has forgotten what a long list of degrees I have acquired and
how much more scholarly I am.
Lady Maindhi: (rather authoritatively): Well Mr.
President, please let me have your letter immediately. Cannot keep the people
waiting any longer!
President: Madam, I
would be very happy to give you the letter, but I am afraid this Sammy has
shown me the clause of reciprocity under which our citizens cannot hold the
office of Prime Minister in the country of your birth, and accordingly you, not
having been born in this country cannot become the Prime Minister here. Now if
you have someone else in your party, I would be glad to issue the letter to him
or her. And, by the way, there is no bar to your becoming a minister, but the
objection is only to the office of the Prime Minister.
Lady Maindhi: (turning to Plumber): Hey, Plumber, you
are a lawyer, aren’t you? Come on and read the law to the President.
Plumberji (looking downcast): Madam I have been so
busy running the party affairs, first with your mother-in-law, and then with
your husband that I have not practised law for a long time. I do not know if
Sammy has got his onions right?
Lady Maindhi: Never
mind his onions, or garlic. Call that stupid turtlehead Veesingh immediately and ask him
where we stand.
Plumberji: Yes, yes,
ma’am. (Goes aside and makes a call from
his cell phone).
(Loud) Madam, Turtlehead says that daft Sammy is right. Madam what shall we do now???
Lady Maindhi (getting up): Well Mr. President, we have
to go and discuss this development with my family and other pets. We will be
back soon.
President: Any time
Lady, any time.
All exit.
***********************
SCENE 2
Lady Maindhi’s residence
at 10, Lokpath
Enter Lady Maindhi,
Mumble Singh and Plumberji. Lady Maindhi looking visibly agitated mumbling
threats and imprecations against everybody. Plumberji in most ingratiating
manner trying to suggest to Lady Maindhi:
Plumberji: If I may say so madam, why don’t we recommend
the name of your Binacaji? After all she is born here and cannot be disbarred.
Mumble Singh: But
Plumberji, Binacaji has said she doesn’t want to enter politics. She and her
husband Bobbyji are busy raising funds for the party to fight the future
electoral battles. After all we have to think of the nation and its poor
people. We must not take Binacaji away from her national duty.
Plumberji: Madam, in
that case why not make our Baabaa the Prime Minister? So what if he is not very
qualified or experienced. Mumble Singh and I will stand shoulder to shoulder
with him and make sure he does not falter.
Mumble Singh (aside): Your shoulder will reach Baabaa’s knees, you rogue. You think you can
wheedle your way in and lick the cream.
Lady Maindhi:
Enough! I have heard the two of you talking rubbish. Neither Binaca nor Baabaa
is going to sit on that chair while I am alive.
Aside: (You think I married that fool in England
just to be a dumb housewife listening to that tyrannical mother of his. Thank
God she is no longer around to torment us all. For that we have to thank the
guards who rose to the occasion and rid us of that monster.)
(Loud): Now we have
to think of someone else since I am sure that foolish man with the stupid
haircut will be difficult to persuade. Oh I can’t understand why those idiots
of the Bhajan Party made him the President? Anyway, his term will soon end and
then we will show him his proper place.
Aside: (Just to think how much I have waited for
this opportunity, only to be scuttled by that interfering Sammy and this
kalam-pusher. Fortunately Gorbachev finished the USSR and the KGB;
otherwise today they would have been at my throat demanding all that money
back. Good for them. Their money is now safe in my Swiss bank account where
nobody can touch it. Even my dear Lotus, who had a share in it, is mercifully
gone, and I alone can operate that account and enjoy its fruits. But how much
more delicious it would have been had I become the Prime Minister today. Oh
what shall I do now?
Mumble Singh (approaching timidly): Madam I have an
idea. Plumberji is the most senior member of our party. He has worked with your
mother-in-law, and he served her most faithfully. After her tragic
assassination he thought he should have been asked to form the government, but
that President Jhadoo Singh, in his infinite wisdom, chose instead to call your
dear husband. I beg you, madam, let Plumberji have the post that he surely
deserves. His skills in plugging leaks and stemming runaway floods of allies
and partymen are well known. He will serve you as faithfully as your family and
I will support him at all times.
Lady Maindhi: Thank
you Mumble for reminding me of those terrible times. The earth really shook
when that mighty tree was felled. By the way, how many of your faith committed
suicide to show their anguish at the bodyguard’s foul deed, and atoned for that
terrible crime?
Mumble Singh: I
believe, madam, there were more than 3500 of them who lit instant pyres using
anything inflammable they could lay their hands upon, like tyres etc., and
committed jauhar like the Rajput ladies of yore. Our able members Durjan Kumarji,
Tattlersahib, Bagulabhagatji really worked hard to help these martyrs in their
cause. It was not easy but within three days they showed what metal they were
made of and lit the greatest homage to our fallen leader.
Lady Maindhi: And
where were you at that time? Why didn’t you show the same respect?
Mumble Singh: Oh
Madam, I had gone to my native place for some urgent domestic work. Also you
may recall, I was not a politician then, just a bureaucrat. By the time I came
back, your dear husband had said that enough homage had been paid and that the
stalwarts of the party had worked tirelessly for too long and they needed some
rest. More such occasions could be sought when homage would be paid to the
departed leader.
Plumberji: (Interjecting): So madam, should we draft
a new letter asking the President to approve my name?
Lady Maindhi: Wait!
How impatient you look?
Aside (I can see you are already dreaming about the
loaves and fishes of office. I know how you love to eat fish, especially that
loathsome Maachher jhol that stinks to high heavens. But how can I forget that
you had told that family retainer Jhadoo to swear you in even before my darling
Lotus had boarded the plane that was to bring him to Delhi. No, you cannot be
trusted)
Turning to Mumble Singh
(Loud) Well Mumble
what do you say if we go back with your name instead of mine?
Mumble Singh, overcome
with emotion falls at Lady Maindhi’s feet and while trying to look down, cannot
but help letting a sly smile creep up to the corners of his mouth.
Mumble Singh: Oh
madam, I am so unworthy of this august office that had been held first by that
giant among us, your mother-in-law’s father, then by her and after her by that
shining star of the country, your late husband. Madam, please reconsider. I am
totally unworthy to sit in the chair from which such godlike people, divinely
ordained, dispensed justice and largesse among the people of this country.
Lady Maindhi: Oh
stop talking nonsense. Didn’t that nincompoop Barasingarao occupy it for full
five years? Weren’t you his Finance Minister? So if he can sit on that chair,
why can’t you? After all you are also not from the dynasty.
Mumble Singh: But
Madam, while I was serving him, I was always looking towards you for guidance,
and my eyes were constantly turned towards 10, Lokpath. You might have also
noticed that when this imposter died and his followers tried to bring his body
into the Party’s Headquarters, how stoutly the party members resisted that
move. Did I even utter one word in his favour? No madam, because I knew he was
just an interloper, even like the last Prime Minister we had from the Bhajan
Party who was prone to writing and reciting poetry at every possible
opportunity, instead of trying to do some real honest work. Please madam, do
refrain from suggesting my unworthy name.
Aside: (Plumberji, now
your goose is truly cooked. Just see how this putli will dance to my tune).
All exit.
******************************
Scene 3
Back in the President’s
office. Enter Lady Maindhi, Mumble Singh and Plumberji.
President: Well,
well, Lady Maindhi, have you consulted your family and pets? What is the
decision?
Lady Maindhi: Oh,
Mr. President, how I wish you were there? You would have heard the most
heart-rending cries from the faithful, who just could not understand how that
unworthy Submarine Sammy had wrecked all their hopes to see me anointed as the
undisputed queen of this land. How they cried and beseeched me to reconsider?
Oh what disappointments on their faces when I refused like Julius Caesar who
had refused the crown three times? But eventually they understood and
reconciled to their fate.
Well, Mr. President, we have decided to make this Mumble Singh
here the leader of the house and he shall rule in my place till our Baabaa is
ready to take over the command as is his rightful duty. Meanwhile, Mumble Singh
will keep the seat warm by placing a sheepskin over the cushions in order not
to pollute it with his rather too frequent gassy disseminations. By the way,
Mumble, why do you eat so much dal? Why can’t you eat pasta like normal people?
President: A very
good decision, Lady Maindhi, I daresay. Mumble Singh has all the qualifications
for this office and although he is not an elected Member of Parliament, I am
sure you would have thought of a safe constituency for him to fight a
bye-election.
Lady Maindhi: No Mr.
President, Mumble Singh cannot win an election even from the safest seat in
Andhera Pradesh., where my loyal Reddy would be ever ready to ensure his success. We
will have to think of a Rajya Sabha seat for him. I think Assam would be the
right place, what with more than half the population consisting of illegal immigrants.
We will smuggle in our Mumble Singh as one more and no one will notice. Anyway,
he is hardly audible or noticeable. We will make CM Google search for a place for
him and Google can be trusted to create a residence record for him.
President: Well, in
that case Lady Maindhi, you may declare Mumble Singh as the leader and form the
next government at the centre.
Signs the letter in front
of him.
Here you are.
Shaking Mumble Singh’s
hand,” Congratulations Mumble Singhji!. Today you have become the Prime
Minister of this great nation. I hope you will prove to be its worthy son! Good
luck, and may God Bless you!”
Lady Maindhi, Mumble
Singh, and Plumberji exit.
President: Oh my
countrymen, today I truly fear for you. The quirks of our electoral system have
thrown up this unholy combination like the pot of poison that the churning of
the oceans had thrown up. But then there was a God to swallow the poison and
hold it in his throat. Today there are no gods and no devatas. Only puny,
ambitious people, who will spread this poison among the multitudes, the hapless
and the poor. Mark my words; this Mumble Singh is not as innocent as he looks.
He nurtures within his bosom the grossest ambition and like Dr Faustus will not
be loath to make a pact with the Devil if it gives him the power to rule. His
ingratiating smile is the smile of the fox before it pounces upon his prey.
Make no mistake; he will ruin this country for sure.
Fade.
*******************************
ACT II
SCENE 1
Five years later. Year
2009. The Hall in the President’s Office.
New President, a lady in
a saree is seated in her chair.
Enter Lady Maindhi,
Mumble Singh.
Lady Maindhi:
Greetings Madam President. As you must know, our coalition has again swept the
elections. We have come to you for the formality of your permission to form the
next government at the centre.
President: Yes, my
dear Lady Maindhi. I was quite sure of these results. After all didn’t we have
our own man as the Election Commissioner? How we stuck to our guns and
appointed him in spite of the combined assaults of the opposition? I am glad
you didn’t give that silly kalam-pusher another term in the office. One never
knew what was happening under that mop of his. If that Nevla had not become the
Election Commissioner, you may not have been able to get enough seats. You saw
how at the last minute your candidates were declared victors even though they
were trailing in the beginning. Even that cocky Chorambrum had to be rescued
by Nevlaji. Now you see how important money becomes and its control? Why do you
think we have such an interest in cooperative banks?
By the way, I have heard that you have decided to continue with
Mumble Singhji as the Prime Minister till our Baabaa is fully ready to take on
this onerous responsibility from his aging shoulders. What a day that will be?
Once anointed, he will rule till the people completely forget the names of
opposition parties and their leaders.
By the way, Lady Maindhi, I hope you have considered my name
for the next term. Unfortunately our constitution does not permit more than two
terms for the President. Else I would have requested you to keep me here in
perpetuity to guide and help Baabaa. Maybe, Mumble Singhji you should think of
the possibility of amending the constitution in this respect.
Mumble Singh: Sure
Madam President. I will instruct the next law minister to seriously look into
it.
President: (signing the letter): Here you are Lady
Maindhi. Please go ahead and announce your new cabinet. I shall be pleased to
swear them in at an auspicious hour of your choice.
Lady Maindhi: Thank
you madam President.
(Aside): You really
believe I will nominate you once more? Let your term finish and then you go
back to the village from where we plucked you. We need this office for Mumble
Singh and Plumberji when my Baabaa becomes the Prime Minister.
(Loud): All right
Mumble, let us go. We have a lot of work to do.
Mumble Singh: Yes
madam.
All exit.
*************************************
Scene 2
Lady Maindhi’s residence at
10 Lokpath
Enter Lady Maindhi with
Mumble Singh in tow.
Lady Maindhi: Mumble
Singhji please sit down. Now let us finalize the cabinet. You, of course, will
continue to warm the seat for Baabaa. By the way, have that sheepskin replaced.
By now it must be stinking to high heavens. I don’t know when Baabaa will be
ready and it may happen anytime; so I suggest you change the covering every
week.
Mumble Singh: As you
please Lady Maindhi. I will give an order for a new sheepskin to be put on the
chair every week.
Lady Maindhi: Good.
Now let me see. During the last term of five years we have not served the
nation too well. You know, we allowed that Sugar Daddy and his sidekick Playful
Petal to skim the cream and now see where they have reached. The first one is
controlling the richest sport in the country and the second one has brought our
Maharaja to utter ruin while enriching toddy tappers and elfin upstarts.
Mumble Singh: True
madam. I am also learning that Sugar Daddy has become the richest man in the world,
owning, I believe huge amounts of land in America and God knows where else.
Lady Maindhi: Even I
have heard that. Can’t understand what he needs all that money for. After all
he has only one daughter and she too is well settled. Now look at me, two
children. My girl had to select that scrap merchant without any means, and how
hard I have to work to make him respectable. Why, I had to literally twist the
arms of that land-baron of Gurgaon to give my son-in-law a small share in his
business. And look at Baabaa. He has found this floozy from some drugland and
he won’t let go of her. Here I am working my bones off to make both ends meet,
and he is gallivanting with her from an American lock-up to god knows where.
Mumble, this time we must not allow these interlopers to do all
the service. We must replace them and show the nation who their true well
wishers are.
Mumble Singh: Yes
madam. May I suggest we keep Sugar Daddy in his ministry of Food &
Agriculture? I will make such policies that will send inflation almost
vertically up. That will cook his goose for sure. After all I have been with
the World Bank for so many years. That is all we do in the Bank anyway. Our
policies are designed to make nation’s bankrupt and whole populations
destitute. We have a special expertise in this area. By the way I will advise
Monty Spudseller to immediately implement the plan to ensure double-digit
inflation in fifteen days’ time.
Lady Maindhi: Good.
Let Plumberji continue to hold Finance. He cannot read one Balance Sheet from
another and his budgets are as confusing as his pronunciation. But he is useful
as the oldest member of our party and can be trusted to keep stray sheep in the
pen. Also keep Chorambrum in his Home portfolio. He is a meddlesome fellow and
thinks he knows everything. Even as a lawyer he has nothing much to show. I
would rather trust his wife more at any time. But he is verbose and uses long,
dramatic sentences to say nothing. His put-on accent also helps in keeping news
editors amused. Besides, he was too cunning in his previous job where he
allowed his son to manipulate the stock market and we have heard that the rogue
has made a tidy pile of a few thousand crores through his father’s P Note and
other leaks. We will sort that little brat when the time comes, but let us
ensure that Chorambrum does no further damage in this area.
Mumble Singh: Right
madam.
(Aside) Fortunately our
friendly neighbours from across the border came in with their timely help and
sent that Kasai and his team to clean up a bit of our Big City. How I used that
opportunity to get rid of that paramour of yours? As Home minister he was a
complete mess, though I believe he would spend hours in front of the mirror to
try new clothes and hair gels. I don’t know what you saw in him, neither brains
nor personality? But then who can understand the mind of a frustrated woman?
(Loud) And madam, may
I suggest we give the education portfolio to Kapti Sybil. You know how many
split personalities he carries! Every time he raises his eyebrow, like that
screen-villain K. N. Singh, he looks so different. Madam he also has a great
ability with numbers. He can make any number disappear and make it look like a
round figure. He will raise our standards so high that in no time we will have
zero illiteracy and zero absenteeism from schools and colleges.
Lady Maindhi: All
right. I don’t much like him myself, but he is dangerous and should be kept in
good humour.
Mumble Singh: Madam
there is a lot of pressure from our ally in the south. His party is our largest
partner and he is demanding a number of cabinet posts. Especially he wants
cabinet ranks for his son, nephew, and one more that I am not sure if he is his
son from a wife we know nothing about.
Lady Maindhi: What
is his name?
Mumble Singh: He is
called a raja but I am not sure if that is also his name. Maybe he is a prince
of some little estate in the hills.
Lady Maindhi: Oh
that raja. Don’t worry. He is not the old man’s son. My sources tell me that he
is actually his son-in-law on the sly. I believe there is something between
this raja and the old man’s daughter who has taken to writing poetry. Anyway,
give him the Telecom portfolio. I am sure he will make a very useful
contribution to us in that post.
And tell the old man we cannot accommodate his son, that
good-for-nothing Hara-kiri. In fact he should suggest that course for him. The
fool cannot speak one word of English or Hindi. What will he do here in Delhi?
Even the south Indian stenographers have become extinct in this computer age.
Mumble Singh: But
madam we cannot afford to displease the blind, old man. Why don’t we give
Hara-kiri Chemicals & Fertilizers?
As it is these industries are frowned upon by the green activists and we may
soon have to shut them down and outsource our requirements from the poor
countries of Africa. If he resists shutting these industries the public will be
angry with him, thereby saving us any embarrassment. His lack of communication
will also annoy the people and I am sure he will ask us to relieve him of this
burden.
Lady Maindhi: Good
thinking, Mumble Singh. I didn’t know you had this ability.
Mumble Singh: (Aside) there is a lot you don’t know about
me. Just wait and see how I twist you around my little finger. Changing the
sheepskin every week! Wait and see how I will keep that yuppie puppy of yours
cooling his dandy heels in the party office.
Loud: (ingratiatingly)
Madam is too kind. Otherwise what is my worth?
And madam, to keep the old man happy we will give his nephew
the Textile ministry. I have heard from my sources that the young man used to
run a small garment unit before his father cemented his place in the
government. So, he has first-hand experience of the industry. Further, there is
not much money to be made here. Recession in the west and Chinese domination of
the market will ensure the industry remains in the doldrums. We will upgrade
him to cabinet rank so he will be able to flaunt his suits and ties. Quite a
dandy isn’t he!
Lady Maindhi: Fine.
So I think all the problem people have been taken care of.
Mumble Singh: Yes,
almost madam. There remains the matter of that cantankerous woman from Banga.
She buys new sarees and then deliberately crumples them up in order to look
woeful and poor. I understand she never repeats a saree. Have you seen how her
hair is also deliberately unkempt to go with the image? Actually she is an
ambitious little witch and will do anything to be able to rule the state.
However, we will have assembly elections there soon. Till then let us give her
the Railways. This department has been doing without a minister for some time
now, and the babus there are actually running it well. The last minister, that
mumbling, bumpkin of a fodder-thief found himself completely off his tracks in
this ministry and allowed it to run on its own, as he understood nothing of the
technology or the logistics. The babus have found the arrangement very useful
and have not troubled the minister at all. They would do the same with this
Ditty from Banga and we will reap the benefit of trains actually running on
time. She will spend all her time and energy in Banga trying to destabilize the
incumbent party who have anyway done enough and more to destroy that state.
Anybody can win an election against them this time. So, the chances are that Ditty
will win and form the next govt. there. We should keep her in good humour and
latch on to her sari palloo for some seats in the elections. Once she goes
there, she is out of our hair for good.
Lady Maindhi: Smart
thinking Mumbleji. Now we must hurry and finish the formation of the cabinet.
Swearing-in has to happen tomorrow as it is the most auspicious day in the
calendar. The Cardinal himself called me from the Vatican and told me the day
and the time that would be most suitable for such a great event to take place.
They start poring over
the list of names and filling the posts.
Fade out.
******************************
Scene 3
Prime Minister’s Office
at 7, Ratrace Road
Enter Mumble Singh,
addressing the audience
Mumble Singh: Oh!
What a relief! Swearing-in is over and all the lip-smacking vultures have got
their pounds of flesh. How easily I have manoeuvred the whole lot to my
advantage! Another five years! Could anyone have imagined that I would be the
Prime Minister of this country for ten years? TEN YEARS. And that too without
having to win an election! Yes. Can you imagine me getting my feet dirty in the
hustle-bustle of election rallies, running from one dirty village to another,
picking up snotty little brats and wiping their bottoms? No, thank Wahi Guru
for these mercies. Nobody can remove me from here now. Not that Plumberji, nor
that chhokra who would like to be king. Change the sheepskins every week, my
foot! What does she think? I am just a windbag farting around all the time? No,
I am not a fool. Not for nothing have I been plotting ever since that Submarine
Sammy told me about the reciprocity clause. It was destined that I should be in
this chair today. Otherwise why would Plumberji have contrived to fall out of
favour? No sir, your man of destiny is standing before you today. Be sure you
watch his rise and continuous rise!!!
Enter Monty Spudseller
Monty Spudseller:
Congratulations Boss! What a brilliant performance! Now what are my orders?
Mumble Singh: Monty,
we have known each other for a long time now, even though you are so many years
junior to me. After all we have worked for the same great organization that is
the foremost expert in making healthy nations sick and completely ruining the
sick ones. Now, we have retained Sugar Daddy in the Food & Agriculture
ministry. He thinks he is the kingmaker because he has amassed all this
enormous wealth. We want to put him in his place so that he never ever dares to
glance at the Prime Minister’s chair, which, we know, he covets so much. Let
your planning department create a situation where the country has galloping
inflation in food products. As a matter of fact, I have promised Lady Maindhi
that you will have a double digit rate of inflation within two weeks. So get
along with the job.
Monty Spudseller:
But sir, the agricultural production figures are very good and it will be
difficult to raise the prices when supplies are profuse.
Mumble Singh: What
nonsense! It is so easy. Just ask Food Corporation to buy all the food produced
by raising minimum procurement prices. FCI doesn’t have enough storage space
for all that grain and they will leave it in the open only to be destroyed by
the elements and rodents. Simultaneously allow private buyers to buy as much as
they can and let them hoard it, by selectively leaking this policy to them. You
can depend upon the covetousness of your merchant classes to help you to the
maximum in this noble endeavour. Soon your surplus will turn into a shortage.
And then see the graph rising! That will put paid to any ambitions Sugar Daddy
might have harboured.
Monty Spudseller:
Brilliant sir. But what about Baabaa? How do you keep him in check?
Mumble Singh: You
are still too young to understand the workings of a Faustian mind. Only when
you have mastered all the arts and sciences do you look towards those teachers
who can give you the knowledge of total control. I was lucky to have been
apprenticed by that artful master Barasingarao who taught me so much. But what
I learnt most from him was the art of total “inaction”. You do remember his
famous statement; “taking no decision is also a decision”. How do you
manipulate people and situations without appearing to be doing anything and yet
things happen exactly as you wish and desire? I learnt this from Barasingarao,
till then the only person who had completed a full five years as Prime Minister
without belonging to the first family. How he managed to destroy the
credibility of the Bhajan party by allowing them to demolish a disused mosque
would have done credit even to Senor Machiavelli? And the manner in which he
fixed those junglees from Jharkhand was just amazing. Have you ever heard of
large sums of cash given as bribe for votes being deposited in Bank
accounts? Just look at the deep
divisions he has left as his legacy. Not even that Mandal-vandal could achieve
so much with his cock-eyed policies. It was his ego that got the better of him
and his edifice came tumbling down like a house of cards. Now look at me. Do
you see any ego? Similarly did Barasingha have an ego? No. That, my dear Monty,
is the secret. All these Chorambrums, Baabaas, Kapti Sybils have huge ego
problems. They can never reach the heights that men like me can. The only
person who could really be a threat is Plumberji, but his indiscretion in 1984
has sealed his fate. Now just keep doing what I tell you and we both will reap
the benefits.
Monty Spudseller:
What benefits sir? In our last term what have we made?
Mumble Singh: You
are too immature. Is money everything for you? Haven’t you read your Faust?
What did he ask for when the devil gave him his powers? Did he ask for diamonds
and palaces or any such things? No. All he asked for were some fruit that was
out of season and some exotic delicacies. Played some harmless tricks on the
Pope. Yes, what he really hankered for most was the kiss of Helen, the queen of
Sparta. You see, I do not even desire that. What would you get from the
fleeting kiss of a dead queen? After all how much money do you need? Hasn’t the
state taken care of all our needs? Is there anything we want that has not been
provided? It is only the shallow minds that want to hoard and collect filthy
lucre. Look at Sugar Daddy. He may be the richest man in the world, but what
good is his money? Cannot even keep his lips straight. And all the time worried
about his connections with the resident of Clifton Karachi. What has that
connection got him? Maybe a few thousand crores. But is he going to take them
with him to the next world? No, all that will remain here. But one word of indiscretion
and he is finished. I am sure he must not even be sleeping well. Or look at our
patron Lady Maindhi herself. What has she got from all that money she keeps in
Swiss banks? She has opened herself to blackmail by Cockroachies and such
unsavoury characters. What for? Just a few billion dollars in foreign banks?
Now look at me. Could you seriously have thought that I would be requested, yes
REQUESTED, to occupy this office by a descendent of the Imperial family? Me, a
man without any properties! No money or assets worth the name! But here I am,
dear Monty. Listen to me and keep following my instructions. You and I will
still make history in this land.
Now go, and put the wheels in motion.
Both exit.
******************************
ACT 3
Scene 1
Sometime in March 2011
Lady Maindhi’s residence
at 10 Lokpath
Enter Plumberji
Plumberji: Good
Morning Lady Maindhi. Did you wish to see me madam?
Lady Maindhi: (irritatingly) Yes Plumberji. What is
this nonsense going on about corruption in the country? I am being told that
the Supreme Court has started asking silly questions about spectrum allocation,
commonwealth games, and some foreign accounts. Since when have the courts
bothered about such trivial things? Don’t they have anything better to do?
Plumberji: I beg
your pardon madam but our chosen people for some jobs seem to have gone
overboard and now the media and the opposition parties have got some whiff of
the situation.
Lady Maindhi: What
nonsense? We had placed very trusted people in charge. Mumble Singh suggested
the name of that raja for telecom and Golmali has been the chief of the Olympic
Association for as long as I can remember. They have done no corruption. All
the money they raised through spectrum sale and contracts for stadia has been
fully accounted for and every rupee deposited in our accounts. And, of course,
in the process if they have skimmed a few rupees off the top, should it really
worry the courts? Ask Bahuji and she will confirm that what I am saying about
Golmali is true. After all she is one great book-keeper. You remember when her
father-in-law was the chief Minister of UP. It was she who managed all the
books. Tell the media to speak to her. As for the telecom guy, he is too daft
to even understand what skimming-off-the top means.
Plumberji: Yes
madam. But the problem is that the CAG has done some calculations according to
which the loss in spectrum sale is a huge number that I cannot even write down
on one piece of paper. Similarly the loss in Commonwealth Games has been
estimated to run to tens of thousands of crores. It seems our Income Tax
department has been snooping upon some Nadia dame whose telephone conversations
have been taped. I hear she has been promising heaven and earth to all and
sundry. The opposition is asking for answers and won’t permit the Parliament to
function.
Lady Maindhi: Oh
Plumberji, you are so tiresome. Anyway, isn’t the IT department under you? How
did they do such a stupid thing without your knowledge? And as for the
Parliament, what difference does it make if it works or not? When has the
Parliament done anything even when it functions? These opposition wallahs are
just a bunch of buffoons. Throw a few crumbs to them and see how they will
crawl. Go and do it at once. You know whom to use for this purpose. Speak to Mulla Yamsingh and his sidekick Humbersingh will arrange everything. Also talk to that Dotty Bukbuk and tell
her to shed some crocodile tears on TV. That should soothe some hearts.
Plumberji: Madam, it
is not just the opposition. It seems a new beast called civil society has
suddenly taken birth. It is a very strange animal. At its head is an old
demonetized Anna coin in a dhoti-kurta, while the rest of its body is made of
thousands of clones wearing Gandhi caps and claiming to be Anna coins too. This
animal is threatening to launch a country-wide agitation if all the
skimmers-off-the-top are not put in jail.
Lady Maindhi: But I
thought the Anna coins had been taken out of circulation more than fifty years
ago. How come they are still around? Why don’t you just put this beast in Tihar
jail and be done with it? What is so difficult about it?
Plumberji: But
madam, this animal cannot be put in jail. It is the size of a behemoth and no
jail is large enough to contain it. We have to do something about it before it
gets out of our control.
Lady Maindhi: Ok. If
you are so disturbed then throw that raja and his rani into jail. Even dump
Golmali there. Anyway he suffers from dementia and cannot remember his own
name. If you need to round up a few more people you can throw a few of the IAS
officers and some businessmen in there too. Only make sure that the really
important ones are not touched.
Plumberji: Like,
madam?
Lady Maindhi: Look,
I don’t want you to bring any harm to my Aamdani brothers. Especially the older
one! I have so much reliance on his expertise in creating wealth from nowhere.
He was very well trained by his father. Do you know how close he had become to
my mother-in-law? She did nothing without consulting him. Unfortunately, the
younger one has gone astray. He has made some very silly friends and his wife
is no good. That is why he has been throwing rocks at some Miss Universe bimbo.
But still, in his father’s memory, I’d like to protect him. You can haul up
some of his executives and give them the treatment but do not harm him.
Plumberji: As you
say madam. But the head of this civil society beast has threatened to go on
indefinite fast if we do not bring in a piece of legislation and appoint an
ombudsman that will oversee corruption in the whole country. They want to call
him a LOKPAL.
Lady Maindhi:
LOKPAL! Why would they like to have a caretaker for my road?
Plumberji: Not your
road madam. The Lokpal will be a central authority that will have powers of
investigator, prosecutor, judge and executioner. Kind of a multi-headed,
multi-limbed being, as we have in our Hindu mythology.
Lady Maindhi: Oh you
and your Hinduism! Such a stupid religion! Three hundred crore gods, and yet
they cannot find an Indian to rule them. See how within only fifty years after
independence from the British they have fallen on my feet to rule them? I tell
you, you cannot govern by yourselves. You need a foreigner to whip you into
shape. Now here is what I want you to do:
Throw that raja and his rani into jail.
Give his job to Kapti Sybil. He will make all the figures that
you cannot write on a piece of paper vanish into thin air and show that the
loss is one big zero. Next, unleash that Doggy from my kennel and let him loose
upon this new beast. He will tear it to shreds in no time.
Tell our pet columnists and editors to start a campaign
discrediting the move by the head of this beast. Call upon people like the drunken editor of Lookout and our spoonfed columnists to write scathing articles and editorials on the proposed fast.
Start a blitz on our pet 24x7 TV channels and let our spokespersons Phoney
Itwari and Insane Jhonny, with some guidance from Dotty Bukbuk, the screaming Sagging Ghost and her blinking husband throw every kind of accusation on
this beast and discredit it completely. You see it will self-destruct in no
time.
Now go and put this whole operation into active mode.
Exit.
********************************
Scene 2
Sometime in April 2011
No. 10, Lokpath
Meeting going on between
Mumble Singh, Plumberji and Lady Maindhi
Lady Maindhi::
Mumble Singh, I am told the crowds are becoming bigger and bigger at the site
of the fast.
Mumble Singh: Yes
madam. The old geezer is proving quite a draw, and attracting a lot of young
people to his cause. We have tried to dissuade them gently not to be swayed by
what he says, but so far it does not seem to have worked.
Lady Maindhi: What
do you think we should do? Maybe you should offer to resign. Our Baabaa can
take over. He is young like these crowds. I am sure he will be able to strike a
chord with them.
Mumble Singh: If you
think so madam, I’m most willing to step aside and let Baabaa handle the
situation. After all he will have to do it one day. But are you sure this is
the right time? Young people are most unpredictable. Also the image of our
government is not very bright. You have put the Telecom minister in jail as
well as the MP from Pune. A number of senior bureaucrats and noted business
barons are breaking bread in Tihar. The CAG and PAC are dead against us. Many
more scandals are waiting to be exposed. Do you think we should let these
burdens fall on the young, delicate shoulders of Baabaa?
Lady Maindhi: Maybe
you are right. So what do you suggest?
Mumble Singh: Madam
let us send Kapti Sybil to talk to this village fool. Sybil will twist him with
honeyed words and promise him everything. Oh he can be no match for that wily
fox. Let him promise that we will make a joint drafting committee with five of
their members and five from our side. Plumberji here will chair this committee.
Sybil, Chorambrum, Oily Moily and Salmonella will be the other members. Let them
nominate any five from their side. I am sure that with Sybil and Chorambrum
they will make no progress at all and after the tempers have cooled and all the
agitators have gone back to their homes, Plumberji will announce a breakdown in
talks and produce a draft bill that has already been prepared by me. Under this
bill we will prosecute everyone who reports any corrupt act while ensuring that
nobody of consequence from the government is harmed by it. Even the opposition
will go along with us. After all they too have the deepest desire to serve the
nation.
Lady Maindhi: Do you
think it will work? What if that country bumpkin goes on another indefinite
fast?
Mumble Singh: Madam
you have forgotten how short people’s memories and interests are? I am sure
civil society will see that it has been bested and in order not to look foolish
again will desist from repeating its mistake.
Lady Maindhi: Well
if you think so, then please put Sybil on the job right away.
Suddenly Lady Maindhi
looks ill and collapses on a chair nearby.
Plumberji: (Alarmed) Madam, madam, what happened?
Orre koi hai? Jol lao, dactor ke bulao.
Lady Maindhi: Oh I
feel unwell. Suddenly my legs seemed to collapse under me. There is a sharp
pain in my neck, and my head seems to be reeling. Please leave me now. I need
some fresh air and rest.
All exit.
************************
Scene 3
29th August
2011
No. 7 Ratrace Road, Prime
Minister’s Office
Mumble Singh is sitting
behind his desk. He is looking quite exhausted. The strain is visible and his
face is chalk-white.
Enter Monty Spudseller.
Monty Spudseller:
Phew boss! That was a close one. For a moment I thought you had blown it and
nothing would save us. Seeing those crowds surging all over Ramlila Maidan, and
the support this one Anna was getting across the land, I thought our time was
up. I truly thought so. In fact I had told my wife to start packing as we would
have to head straight for Washington where there is always a value for my
services.
Mumble Singh: Look
at me. I have never been so taxed. These last 13 days have been the longest in
my life. I had to resort to all kinds of subterfuge, chicanery and plain
silence to thwart the members of this civil society. But they seem to have
anticipated all our moves and cut through us like a swarm of locusts. Even I
thought that I had overplayed my hand and I may have to quit and retire into
the moonlight. You at least can still go back to Washington. Where will I go?
Even that humble apartment in Assam is a bogus address and I have never paid
any rent. The landlord will not let me even enter. Eventually, I may also have
to take asylum in America. I hope that Bush remembers how much I flattered him
and told him that all Indians love him madly. But, then I recall how mentally
deficient he is. By now I am sure he has forgotten all about me or India or
even about Iraq.
Monty Spudseller:
Quite so. But now don’t you think the situation is under control?
Mumble Singh: For
the time being, yes. You see, it was I who suggested that we form a committee
and appoint five of our ministers on it. The idea was to string the civil
society members along and then ditch the whole process. That part of the script
has worked beautifully. Plumberji and his committee stand completely exposed as
a bunch of cheats. These five were the closest threats to my continuance as the
Prime Minister. Now they are neutralized. Baabaa will always remain a threat,
but I had to plan my move with him with utmost caution.
Monty Spudseller: I
don’t quite follow how you have removed his threat.
Mumble Singh: You
are still a kid. Fortunately Wahe Guru came to my aid. He struck Lady Maindhi
with a dreadful ailment, which has forced her to go abroad for immediate
treatment. Naturally Binaca with her husband accompanied her. Baabaa too had to
go and keep an eye on his brother-in-law. You never know when he might make
Lady Maindhi sign some papers that would give him control over the Swiss
accounts. These scrap merchants can never be trusted.
With the Maindhi clan out of my hair, I could plan my course
without hindrance. First I let Sybil and Chorambrum detain and send the Anna
to Tihar jail. That I knew would create immense anger against them. Then I
ordered his unconditional release the same evening. I let him have his Maidan
where he could stage his fast. For the next eight days I let him stew in his
own juice. You see, I know he has a lot of resilience, having been in the army
for some years. When I felt the time had come I allowed some middlemen like a
model-turned-godman to intervene. This was all eyewash. These middlemen were
made to talk to Plumberji, Kapti Sybil and Salmonella. I made it seem as if the
government was willing to negotiate. Every time a breakthrough appeared to
happen, I’d scuttle it. The masterstroke was my intervention in the two houses
of parliament. All were expecting that I’d make a big announcement. But I kept
them guessing and ultimately made it clear that the demands of the civil
society would not be met. The fast was now entering a crucial phase. There was
desperation on both sides. Again luck helped me. Baabaa’s first cousin, the
estranged son of his uncle, put the civil society draft before the speaker as a
private member’s bill. This was a godsend. I immediately informed Baabaa about
this and he went berserk. “How dare that fat buffoon try to steal a march over
me? I’ll show him his place. Tomorrow I’ll make an intervention in Parliament
that will make history. Then we will see who becomes the true heir of the
family throne!” he said.
Well, then you know what happened next. Baabaa made his
intervention. I had already got it drafted for him and all he had to do was to
read it from his ipad. And what a performance he gave? Clenching his fists and
speaking as if he was declaring war on an enemy, he played the role of the
pugnacious brat to the hilt.
That speech of his, my dear Monty, has finally removed any
remaining aura he may have had. You should have seen the outrage in the public.
People were marching from all over Delhi to his house to express their anger.
Cleverly, I arranged to shut down the Metro stations near his residence. That
caused more inconvenience to the public and built more resentment against him.
Today I can say with confidence that Baabaa will not be any threat to me for
the rest of the term of my government. His mother, if she returns from wherever
she is getting treated, will not be able to tell me to keep the seat warm for
her darling son. Changing the sheepskins every week! Let us see now who has the
last laugh!! Ha! Ha! Ha!
Fade Out
THE END
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