SHIRDI SAI PARTHI SAI
PART - 37
(Continued from the previous issue)

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ACT XII - SCENE 1

The scene is Seshama Raju’s house. Word has spread that Sathya has given a blank answer. Seshama has heard the news; he is worried and questioning Sathya about it.

SESHAMA RAJU: Sathyam, it seems You have given blank answer books in the exam. Are You not serious about studies?

SATHYA: It is not correct to say that I have not written the exam. I have done so.

SESHAMA: But Your Teacher told me that You did not write even a single word in the answer paper!

SATHYA: He will himself tell you that I answered very well.

SESHAMA: I don’t like this attitude. You are behaving like a crazy person. Tomorrow when the marks are announced, we will know the stuff You are made of. I shall then teach You a fitting lesson!

SUSEELA [to husband]: Please take this…….Sathyam, freshen Yourself, and come for tiffin.

SCENE 2

The scene now shifts to the Staff Room in the School. The Telugu Teacher Koteeswara Rao, who was supervising during the examination continues to be puzzled about what happened. He expresses his misgivings to two colleagues.

TELUGU TEACHER: Vasudeva Murthy, it is very interesting! Not a single letter was written on the answer sheet that Sathyam had on His desk. Yet, when I sat down to evaluate, I found that the answers were all there and absolutely correct too! What do you have to say about this?

THE THIRD TEACHER: Really?

VASUDEVA MURTHY: What do you mean by asking “really”, when Koteeswara Rao Master telling you what actually happened! Are you suggesting that he is uttering falsehood?

THE OTHER TEACHER: No sir, I didn’t mean it that way!

TELUGU TEACHER: Shut up! …..A few days ago, I asked Sathyam to materialise a citrus fruit for me. Just as He was about to give the fruit to me, I wanted it changed to a custard apple, which He did. I did not give much thought to this incident, dismissing it as mere magic. But from this miracle it would appear that Sathyam is a boy with a Divine aspect in Him.

OTHER TEACHER: Sir, if you want to believe in it do so, or else forget the whole thing. Don’t believe and entertain doubts at the same time.

TELUGU TEACHER: It is not quite like that. Those two dunces Ramesh and Mahesh who normally are unable to answer any question, they too have answered very well!

THIRD TEACHER: What is there so surprising about it? Were they not sitting near Sathyam? Obviously, His intelligence has rubbed off on them too.

TELUGU TEACHER: Are you saying that’s all there is to it?

THIRD TEACHER: Yes sir, that’s all there is to it.

TELUGU TEACHER: I am not too sure; I have my own doubts. … [summons the School assistant] Yadagiri, go and fetch Ramesh and Mahesh.

YADAGIRI: Yes sir!

Yadagiri goes out. He finds Ramesh and Mahesh playing there along with other boys.

YADAGIRI: Ramesh! Mahesh! The Telugu Master is calling for you both. Go, and hurry up!

RAMESH & MAHESH: We will come.

OTHER BOYS: OK fellows, let’s continue our game.

Staff Room again.

TELUGU TEACHER: Listen you two! Never in your life have you answered any questions properly in the class, and yet you two have answered so well in the exam. Between us, tell me, did you copy?

RAMESH: No sir! How could we copy when you were there invigilating? Besides, we would never do such a thing!

TELUGU TEACHER: Then how come all your answers are correct?

MAHESH: Sir, we studied hard and prepared well at home.

TELUGU TEACHER: In that case, I shall ask those questions now, and you had better answer them!

RAMESH: At that time we knew the answers….

MAHESH: Sir, we wrote very fast,…….

RAMESH: And now we have forgotten all the answers!

TELUGU TEACHER: Oh I see, you have forgotten, have you?!

TEACHER: What is so strange about it Sir? Although I was taught about the Indus Valley civilisation so many times, I don’t remember a thing!

TELUGU TEACHER [to Ramesh and Mahesh]: Great souls! Do you know that in the entire class, only three have passed? And Sathyam has done so in the First Class! Go and tell the others.

RAMESH & MAHESH: Thank you sir!

SCENE 3

News spreads that in Sathya’s class, only three boys pass – Sathya, Ramesh, and Mahesh. Among the three, Sathya secures a First Class. By way of celebration, Sathya is carried through the streets of the village by His classmates in a sort of ‘victory parade’. They hail His success. The cheer leader shouts “RAJU” and the others shout “FIRST CLASS” in chorus.

BOYS: Raju,….. First Class! Raju,…..First Class! Raju,…..First Class.

The villagers watch with surprise. They want to know what is going on.

A MAN [to one of the boys in the procession]: Hey boy, come here. What’s this carnival procession all about?

BOY: This is no carnival sir, but a celebration of the announcement of the exam results. Our Raju has passed First Class in our School.

ANOTHER MAN: That is strange! It appears that Raju didn’t write anything; and yet He gets a First Class!

FIRST MAN: The boy must be a favourite of the teacher – that is all there is to it!

Meanwhile, the procession moves ahead.

BOYS [chorus]: Raju, …..First Class! Raju,……. First Class! Raju, …..First Class!….

Another group of people sees the procession, and starts its analysis.

MAN 1: The exam results have been announced.

MAN 2: That is the reason for all this excitement among the boys.

MAN 1: It seems that Raju knows all the Mantras and the tricks!

MAN 2: They say that Raju even has Divine powers.

AN OLD MAN: These are not miracles. Sathyam does not have to write exams; He knows everything anyway. Sathyam is not an ordinary boy but a Divine one; He is an Incarnation of God.

SCENE 4

Seshama Raju’s house. Sathya comes home to announce the outcome of the examinations.

SATHYA: Brother, ……brother, I have passed in the First Class!

SESHAMA: What?!

SUSEELA [to husband]: Sathyam has just entered; hold on and wait! Don’t start your questions right away!

SESHAMA: I know very well when to talk, what to talk and to whom! You go and attend to your work. … [to Sathya] Sathyam,….. Hey Sathyam, come here. It seems your friends carried You on their shoulders and paraded You all over the town like a God being taken in a chariot? What for? Is it because You have passed?

SATHYA: Yes brother. In our class, only three students passed, and among these, I alone secured a First Class. That was the reason for the parade.

SESHAMA: Why were the other two who also passed not paraded like You?

SATHYA: That’s because they also were lifting Me!

SESHAMA: I see. ….. But your Teacher said that You did not write anything and gave a blank paper. Is that true, or even though You wrote all the answers, the Master falsely declared to me, “Your boy gave me a blank answer sheet!”?

SATHYA: What the Master said is true. It is also true that he saw all the answers on the paper while correcting. That is why I passed.

SESHAMA: If You knew the answers, then why did You not write them in the first place? You could have answered the questions even then!

SATHYA: The Master saw all the answers in the answer book, and that is why I passed.

SESHAMA: I will get furious if You keep on giving such irritating replies. It is good that You enjoy Divine Grace. But others should not dismiss it all as magic, trickery, and sorcery. It would be better if You behave like all normal boys do.

SATHYA: Brother, I did not do anything wrong. I know no magic or trickery. God is in everyone. I have identified Myself with the Divine in Me, and I follow My own way – that’s all.

SESHAMA: [totally perplexed]: I don’t know whether You understand what You are saying; I certainly don’t!

SCENE 5

MATHS TEACHER: I am not able to find my pen; I had left it on this table here, and I am exhausted searching for it.

TELUGU TEACHER: Did the pen acquire legs and walk away from the table? You must have left in some class. Try to remember.

MATHS TEACHER: Is a pen a desire like what people give up when they go to the holy city of Benares?

SOC. SC. TEACHER: After all it is a pen, and you are making a big fuss as though you lost something precious. By the way, where do you think you lost the pen?

TELUGU TEACHER: If he knew that, would he be bothering us so much? First he severely boxed the ears of the boys, then searched all the servants and now has begun to suspect everyone he sees! As if it is a new pen! It is old, and belongs to the Aurangazeb era! The nib had become blunt and the cap was just junk!

MATHS TEACHER: So what if it is old? Old is gold!

SOC. SC. TEACHER: So you lost gold?!

MATHS TEACHER: For me, my pen is like gold.

TELUGU TEACHER: Listen, let’s not argue. We will call Sathyam and ask Him. In just a snap, He will tell us who has the pen, who stole it, etc. Master, you do one thing; go and fetch Sathyam.

SOC. SC. TEACHER: I shall [goes out].

TELUGU TEACHER: I wonder where your pen has disappeared?

MATHS TEACHER: Me too.

The Social Science Teacher locates Sathya and asks Him to come to the Staff Room.

SOCIAL SC. TEACHER: Sathyam my boy, come with me.

SATHYA: Yes sir.

SOCIAL TEACHER: Come boy.

The two go to the Staff Room.

TELUGU TEACHER: Sathyam, come my boy, come. Master here has lost his pen, which for him is very precious like gold. Can You tell us where it is, and who has taken it?

SATHYA: Sir, servant Yadagiri has taken it.

MATHS TEACHER: Yadagiri? ….Yadagiri will never do such a thing. I have full faith in his honesty.

TELUGU TEACHER: You may have that belief, but know that what Sathyam says is the truth. Trust Sathyam!

At this stage, the Head Master of the School walks in.

HEAD MASTER: What’s all this? Looks like you teachers are having a meeting?

MATHS TEACHER: No sir; just that I lost my pen.

TELUGU TEACHER: And Sathyam says that servant Yadagiri has taken it.

HEAD MASTER: Sathyam said that? Then that must be the truth. Yadagiri, did you take the pen?

YADAGIRI: Sir, what pen? What will an illiterate like me do with a pen?

SATHYA: You may be illiterate but your son is studying, is he not?

YADAGIRI: But he is not here!

SATHYA: He is studying in Anantapur and using that pen there, is he not?

YADAGIRI: I am here all the time; how then did the pen find its way to Anantapur?

SATHYA: You sent the pen through the boy’s mother. The pen is red in colour!

MATHS TEACHER: That’s right! The pen is red in colour!

HEAD MASTER: Yadagiri, is what Sathyam saying correct?

YADAGIRI: The boy has described it as though He had personally seen it! Forgive me sir, I did take the pen.

HEAD MASTER: Everyone used to say that you were most reliable, faithful, and humble. But Sathyam has revealed your true colours. Listen, never do such a thing again……. Sathyam, come with me; I must speak to you.

The Head Master leaves along with Sathya.

TELUGU TEACHER [with folded hands]: Great man! [to Yadagiri] The Moghuls robbed our temples, the British stole our trade, and now our own people are robbing us! At least spare the chalk and pens!

(To be continued)

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