Milan: So just like we did a play that was focussed on the childhood and boyhood years of Dr Ambedkar we could do something similar with Mahatma Gandhi.
Sonia: Ah, I see what you mean.
Hari: That makes sense.
Monica: But in Dr Ambedkar’s life there were many challenges he faced and overcame as a child, which made that play so interesting. Do we have anything interesting about Gandhi’s childhood?
Milan: In the beginning, I thought we didn’t, but I’ve been researching the issue online and in the school library. I found out that this is actually not true. There exists sufficient interesting material on Gandhi’s childhood for us to do a play on him.
Karim: But isn’t Gandhi too good?
Milan: What do you mean?
Karim: I meant that for our play to be a success it must tell an interesting story. The character cannot be too good, can he?
Monica: Karim is right.
Milan: And you both think that Gandhi could not have done any wrong things as a child?
Hari: I’m sure he did not.
Milan: (after a pause) As a matter of fact this was my impression too, till I started to read him – and about him. It was a completely wrong impression.
Sonia: So, did Gandhi do bad things as a boy?
Milan: Yes, he did.
Sonia: (in a disbelieving tone) Really?
Milan: Absolutely.
Sonia: What did he do? Give us one example at least.
Milan: For instance, as a young boy, he smoked cigarettes.
Monica: I don’t believe that!
Milan: Yes, he did. In fact, we have a scene that has him smoking a cigarette in one of the opening scenes.
Hari: We can’t have that!
Milan: Why not?!
Hari: The drama teacher will censor out that scene.
Milan: Why?
Hari: Because of two reasons.
Milan: Yes?
Hari: Firstly, even if he did smoke the school authorities would not like for us to show that. After all he is the Father of the Nation, don’t ever forget that!
Milan: But it’s the truth, don’t you see? And Gandhi was a real, ordinary boy just like us. Gandhi’s childhood is interesting not because he was a model or perfect child. It is interesting because he made mistakes but learnt from them. His is a story of personal growth, and that’s what makes it inspiring! We need to tell the truth, not be hypocritical, and pretend he was always perfect.
Sonia: (nodding) Milan makes a great point there.
Hari: (continues) A second problem is that the teachers wouldn’t want to have a student smoking on stage.
Milan: But, as I said, the play goes on to show that Gandhi realised that it was foolish and unhealthy to smoke cigarettes.
Monica: And, Hari, in order to show that, we need to be able to show him smoking a cigarette.
Hari: Makes sense. I see what you mean.
Monica: We can put up a signboard on the side.
Milan: A signboard?
Monica: Yes, it will say we are not trying to promote cigarette smoking in any way.
Hari: (laughs) Like they do in the movies these days, at the bottom right hand corner of the screen.
Monica: Yes.
Milan: That will be a laugh!
Everyone laughs at the idea.
Hari: Okay, let’s say Gandhi smoked cigarettes as a child for a short period. Still, that is too small an event and by itself doesn’t make his childhood sufficiently interesting. Did he do anything else that was wrong?
Milan: Yes, he did.
Monica: Such as?
Milan: Once he took a piece of gold from his elder brother’s armlet without telling anyone.
Monica: Really?
Milan: Yes. Although he took the gold for a good reason, he soon realised that it was something wrong he did and confessed to his father.
Karim: He took gold! That’s impressive.
Sonia: Impressive? What do you mean, Karim? He confessed that he had taken the gold. That’s way more impressive!
Monica: Karim been watching too many Bollywood films.
Karim: I only meant to say that it makes him more “interesting” as a person.
Sonia: So, Milan, did Gandhi do any other bad things as a boy?
Milan: (after some thought) You could say that he tried to be a bully.
Sonia: A bully? Really? That’s like the worst thing to be. We even have policies in school against bullying.
Milan: Let me correct myself. Maybe I should have used the word “dominate” instead of “bullying”.
Monica: I cannot believe this. To me, Gandhiji is like the epitome of goodness.
Sonia: Whom did he bully, or rather try to dominate?
Milan: His wife Kasturba.
Hari: Really? As a boy?
Milan: Yes, don’t forget they had a child marriage.
Monica: Like in the television serial, Balika Badhu.
Milan: Exactly!
Sonia: So, in other words, he was behaving like a typical Indian husband?
Hari: I’m not so sure typical Indian husbands are like that!
Sonia: Maybe not all of them, but enough of them are.
Karim: (with a mischievous smile) I thought it was the wives who were bullying their husbands.
Milan: Leave it guys, let’s focus on the play.
Karim: So, who is going to be playing Gandhiji?
Milan: We can all get an opportunity.
Karim: How so?
Milan: We will have Gandhi as a child. And then Gandhi as an older boy. And then as a young man.
Sonia: And finally, as an old man?
Milan: Yes.
Hari: So, we have four different versions of Gandhi in the play.
Excerpted with permission from The Boy Who Became Mahatma, Rajesh Talwar, Ponytale Books.
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