Prashant Gatkal
here is what i have writtten in marathi:
Dadasaheb pahlke : A Story of Childhood
Phalke: ( in sanskrit) all stones on which was written the name of lord RAMA surprisingly started floating on the sea water. ( enacting his kathawachak father and may be even school teachers ) "Come on! each one of you write lord RAMA's name on stones given to you and throw them in this KUSHAVARTA".
Friend1: hey Dhondy why would our stones float on water? Phalke: Why not?, if you write with faith even your stones would float; come on throw your stones. friend 2: hey my stone is floating!! friend 3: hey even mine. friend1 : well even mine, but how come our stones are floating?, where did you get them from? Phalke: by the way these are not stones but coals ( Dagdi Kolsa ) friend1: oh, thats why they were somewhat lighter. friend2: i thought it was really some divine power!! haha! Phalke: ok now, all of you line up and tell me what role are you playing;
friend2: Angad. friend 3: Jamvant friend4:Sugriv. friend5:Laxman. friend1: Halumal.
HaHaHaH
Phalke: What's this?! You cant even pronounce a simple word how would you deliver sentences. Come on, somebody else can become Hanuman.
Friend1: This is not fair Dhondi, i will never play with you ever again. (crying and angry he runs off.) Friend5: dhondy why do you play RAMA all the time. Today i ll be RAMA or else even i wont play. Phalke: Well for that you have to learn the whole of Ramayana by heart, if you agree to this i have no issue. friend5: sorry no conditions please! friend2: Hey Rakhma, leave that lamb and come here you are suppose to play Sita. Rakhma: Mind you, its not a simple lamb its the 'Golden Deer'. Dhondi would you take my lamb in our play (HaHaHaH) friend3: lamb ! in Ramayana! what a joke? friend4: can your lamb speak? Rakhma: dont make fool of my lamb, why should my lamb speak, we will make the lamb run like the Golden Deer, and any body can shout" Laxmana save me" whats the big deal? Phalke: hello, is anybody going to listen to me, enough of your suggestions.?
meanwhile friend1 comes back running and shouting- dhondy, dhondy!
friend1:Nobody is going to listen to you anymore, britishers have come to arrest your father!
( everybody gets tensed and surprised at the news) friend2: My god britishers? they are very cruel? friend3: their soldiers beat very hard! friend4: they have big leather whips! Phalke: shut up, your are all fooling me, why would britishers arrest my Father? its all lies.
phalke runs towards his home.
as phalke approaches his house he finds the lane towards his house quite congested and sees a big crowd gathered arround his house. he slows down an starts getting panicky, still he makes way thru the legs of the crowds only to find a british soldier right in front of his house main door.phalke is completely soaked in sweat and terrified. he gathers strength and rush out of the crowd to entre his own house from the back doors.
getting forward from one dark room to another he finally finds shelter behind a big wooden cupboard and peeps into the living room where his father and a british man are discussing something. unable to comprehend what they are talking about he blankly keeps on watching his father.
phalke father see phalke peeping and reads his face. he smiles at little phalke and calls him in.
the smile on his fathers face was enough to release the tension and a relived phalke runs towards his father and embraces him. phalke is overjoyed that his father is safe.
phalke fathers introduces little phalke to the guest. and tell him that his father is going to teach the brit sanskrit and other allied things.
shaking hands with the british guest phalke is awe struck and unknowingly moves his hand over white skin, pink nails, and wonderstruck, gaze at the wrist watch, chained spectacles, hairdo, golden mustaches etc.
then concluding their discussion the british man and phalkes father walk towards the main door .
the crowd runs away and settle down a bit far to see whats on? seeing the brit bowing down and greeting phalke abruptly bring an end to the expected anti-climax. and everybody is spellbound to see what they were wittnessing.
little phalkes little friends go dumb on seeing the british man running his hands over phalkes head.
phalkes joy knows no bounds. he runs straight down the the pond and his favourite play places, singing and dancing , all on his own and almost neglecting all his friends running about behind him.
thereafter whenever the british person came to phalke's place, little phalke would runaway from the middle of his play to join him with his father.
now phalke had grown in authority in his playmates and everbody would listen to his instructions without any hesitation or fuss.
their games had now graduated from just ramayana and krishna to British and Indians and the friend with bad pronounciation would invariably get the role of the british to play and on each wrong pronounciation he had to undergo the punishments conferred on him by his playmates.
the imitation of adults around went on innocently, till the innocense went by due to the nagging adults around, seamlessly.
LOSS OF INNOCENCE: may be the story to follow.
regards
prashant gatkal
please let me know what you feel of the completed story now.
