Azaadi Ki Mashal (The Torch of Freedom)

(Extended Version)
by Radhesh Ranvijay
Characters:
• Narrator: Sutradhar, jo kahani ko aage badhata hai.
• Scene 1:
o Mangal Pandey: Ek joshila Hindustani sipahi.
o British Officer: Ghamandi aur hukum chalaane
wala.
o Ishar Prasad: Ek buzurg aur samjhdaar sipahi.
o Hindustani Sipahi 2: Ek naujawan, darra hua
sipahi.
• Scene 2:
o Mahatma Gandhi: Ahimsa ke pujari.
o Shanti Devi: Jallianwala Bagh ki ek peedit
mahila.
o Arjun: Gusse se bhara ek naujawan.
• Scene 3:
o Bhagat Singh: Ek durandesh krantikaari,
shaant aur dridh.
o Sukhdev Thapar: Joshile aur satark.
 o Shivaram Rajguru: Jwala jaisa nidar.
o Jailor: Jail ka ek British afsar.
• Scene 4:
o Jawaharlal Nehru: Azaad Bharat ke pehle
Pradhan Mantri.
o Lord Mountbatten: Hindustan ke aakhri
Viceroy.
o Aadmi, Aurat, Baccha: Azaad Hindustan ke
aam naagrik.
(Stage par andhera hai. Ek spotlight NARRATOR par
aati hai.)
Narrator: Namaste. Aaj hum azaadi ki sunahri subah ka
jashn mana rahe hain. Lekin yeh subah ek lambi, kaali
raat ke baad naseeb hui. Ek aisi raat jo lagbhag 200 saal
tak chali. Hamari azaadi ki kahani koi ek din ki nahi, yeh
anginat qurbaaniyon ki dastaan hai. Iski shuruaat ek
chingaari se hui, ek aisi chingaari jisne bujhne se inkaar
kar diya. Chaliye waqt mein peeche chalte hain, saal
1857, Barrackpore ki chhaavni mein.

Scene 1: The Spark (Woh Chingaari - 1857)

Setting: Ek parade ground. Do sipahi, Ishar Prasad aur
ek naujawan sipahi, dheemi awaaz mein baat kar rahe
hain. Mangal Pandey pareshan haalat mein tehel rahe
hain.
Hindustani Sipahi 2: Ishar Kaka, kya yeh afwah sach
hai? Kya sach mein kaartoos par gaaye aur suar ki
charbi hai?
Ishar Prasad: Beta, afwah ho ya sach, hawa mein zeher
toh ghul gaya hai. Yeh sirf charbi ki baat nahi, yeh unki
neeyat ki baat hai. Woh hamare astitva ko hi mitana
chahte hain.
Mangal Pandey: (Ruk kar unki taraf gusse se dekhta
hai) Toh hum kab tak yeh sab sehte rahenge, Kaka? Kab
tak? Pehle zameen chheeni, phir izzat, aur ab hamara
dharm? Gaddari woh nahi jo main kar raha hoon!
Gaddari apne zameer ko maar kar chup rehna hai!
Ishar Prasad: Pandey, josh mein hosh mat kho. Gusse
se kranti nahi hoti. Soch samajh kar kadam uthana
hoga.
Mangal Pandey: Sochne ka waqt gaya, Kaka! Ab faisle
ka waqt hai. Yeh hamare gaon ko bhookha maarte hain
aur hamari izzat ko raundti hain. Aaj hum unhein dikha
denge ki jo haath unki bandook utha sakta hai, woh
unke khilaaf uth bhi sakta hai! Ab yeh sirf kaartoos ki
baat nahi rahi. Yeh baat hai Swaraj ki! Apne Raaj ki!
(Ek British Officer sakhti se enter karta hai.)
British Officer: What is this commotion? What is this
foolish whispering about 'dharma'? You are soldiers of
the Empire! Sepoy Pandey, I order you to put down
your weapon!
Mangal Pandey: (Be khauf hokar hansta hai) Order?
Tumhare order ke din ab khatam ho gaye! Main, 34th
Bengal Native Infantry ka Mangal Pandey, un logon ka
hukum maanne se inkaar karta hoon jinhone hamara
vishwas toda hai!
British Officer: (Gusse mein doosre sipahiyon se) What
are you looking at? Arrest this traitor!
(Ishar Prasad aur doosra sipahi hichkichate hain, kabhi
officer ko dekhte hain, kabhi Pandey ko.)
Mangal Pandey: (Apni bandook uthaate hue) Bhaiyon!
Daro mat! Apni Bharat Maa ke liye uth khade ho! Halla
Bol! Bharat Mata ke liye!
(Pandey aage lapakta hai. Stage par andhera ho jaata
hai aur goli chalne ki awaaz goonjti hai. Spotlight
NARRATOR par.)
Narrator: Mangal Pandey shaheed ho gaye. Lekin
unhone jo chingaari lagayi thi, woh ek dehkti hui aag
ban gayi. 1857 ki kranti ne British Raj ki buniyaad hila
di. Bhale hi usey behrehmi se daba diya gaya, par
azaadi ka sapna ab har Hindustani ke dil mein bas
chuka tha. Is ladaai ne kai roop liye. Ek taraf shastra
the, toh doosri taraf... shanti ki ek aisi taakat, jisne
azaadi ke sangharsh ko ek nayi disha di.

Scene 2: The Fork in the Road (Woh Raasta - 1919)

Setting: Amritsar mein ek ghar ka aangan. Kuch saal
Jallianwala Bagh ki ghatna ke baad. Mahatma Gandhi
charkha kaat rahe hain. Pareshaan Shanti Devi aur
gusse mein bhara naujawan Arjun wahan aate hain.
Shanti Devi: (Rote hue) Bapu! Unhone mere pati ko,
mere bhai ko uss bagh mein cheentiyon ki tarah maar
daala. Baisakhi ka din tha... har taraf laashein thi. Woh
kuwan... aaj bhi cheekhein sunai deti hain. Hum yeh
zulm kaise bhool jaayein?
Arjun: Bhoolna bhi nahi chahiye, Taiji! Khoon ka badla
khoon se liya jaayega, Bapu! Hathiyaar uthana hi ab
ekmaatra raasta hai. Un angrezon ko ussi tarah kaatna
hoga jaise unhone hamare logon ko kaata!
Mahatma Gandhi: (Shaanti se charkha rok kar unki
taraf dekhte hain) Putra, gusse mein insaan andha ho
jaata hai. Agar aankh ke badle aankh lenge, toh ek din
poori duniya andhi ho jaayegi. Hinsa se mili azaadi,
azaadi nahi, sirf satta ka badlaav hoga. Dil ka badlaav
nahi.
Arjun: Toh kya hum haath par haath dhare baithe
rahein? Aapke is charkhe se kya hoga? Kya yeh unki
bandookon ka saamna kar paayega?
Mahatma Gandhi: Yeh charkha sirf soot nahi kaat'ta,
Arjun. Yeh desh ko jodta hai. Yeh swadeshi ka prateek
hai, aatmanirbharta ka prateek hai. Hamari asli taakat
unki bandookon mein nahi, hamare Satyagraha mein
hai. Sach ke liye hamara agraha. Jab karodon
Hindustani bina dare, bina haath uthaye unke anyay ke
saamne khade ho jaayenge, toh unki saltanat ki neev
hil jaayegi. Ahimsa, kayarta nahi, sabse badi veerta hai.
(Arjun asantusht hokar chala jaata hai. Gandhi, Shanti
Devi ke sar par haath rakhte hain. Spotlight NARRATOR
par.)
Narrator: Gandhi ji ne desh ko ek naya raasta dikhaya.
Ahimsa aur Satyagraha ka. Laakhon log unke peeche
chal pade. Lekin Arjun jaise naujawanon ke dil mein lagi
aag shaant nahi hui. Unke liye azaadi maangne se nahi,
chheen'ne se milne wali thi. Aur isi aag ne janm diya...
inquilab ke deewano ko.

Scene 3: The Sacrifice (Woh Qurbaani - 1931)

Setting: Lahore ki ek andheri jail. Bhagat Singh kitaab
padh rahe hain. Sukhdev aur Rajguru paas mein hain.
Tareekh hai 23 March 1931, unki phansi ki shaam.
Sukhdev: Poora desh hamare baare mein hi baat kar
raha hai, Bhagat. Log kehte hain hamari qurbaani
bekaar jaayegi. Gandhi ji ke anuyayi kehte hain ki
hamara raasta galat tha.
Rajguru: (Clenches his fist) Galat? Apne desh ki azaadi
ke liye hathiyaar uthana galat kaise ho sakta hai? Jab
zulm charam par ho, toh kranti hi insaaf hai! Woh
sochte hain ki humein phansi dekar woh dar ka
maahaul bana denge. Bewakoof!
Bhagat Singh: (Kitaab se nazar uthaakar, chehre par ek
shaant muskaan ke saath) Sukhdev, Rajguru, shaant ho
jao. Raaste alag ho sakte hain, par manzil toh ek hi hai -
Azaad Hindustan. Qurbaani kabhi bekaar nahi jaati.
Hum important nahi hain, humara idea important hai.
Vyaktiyon ko kuchla jaa sakta hai, par vichaar ko nahi.
Hamara maqsad sirf chand afsaron ko maarna nahi tha.
Maqsad tha behron ko sunana. Ek soyi hui kaum ko
jagaana.
Sukhdev: Par kya yeh jaag chuki hai? Kya hamari maut
se woh jaag jaayegi?
Bhagat Singh: Zaroor jaagegi. Hamari maut unki neend
tod degi. Naujawanon ko josh dilaayegi. Kranti sirf bam
aur pistol ka kul nahi. Kranti vichaaron ki talwar se ladi
jaati hai. Aur hamari shaahadat us talwar ki dhaar tez
karegi. Revolution is the inalienable right of mankind.
Freedom is the imperishable birthright of all.
(Jailor enter karta hai. Woh teeno naujawano ko rehem
aur farz ki mili-juli nazar se dekhta hai.)
Jailor: It is time. Waqt ho gaya hai.
(Teeno krantikaari khade hote hain. Unki aankhon mein
darr nahi, garv hai. Woh ek doosre ke kandhe par haath
rakhte hain.)
Sukhdev: Chalo bhai, gaate hain. Sunne do unhein
hamara aakhri geet.
Teeno: (Gaate hue, awaaz buland hoti jaati hai) Mera
rang de... Mera rang de basanti chola, maaye rang de...
(Woh bahar ki taraf chalte hain, sar uncha kiye hue.)
Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Rajguru: (Jaate hue ek saath
chillaate hain) Inquilab Zindabad! Samrajyavad ka nash
ho!
(Unki awaazein dheere-dheere band ho jaati hain.
Stage khaali aur andhera. Spotlight NARRATOR par.)
Narrator: Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, aur Rajguru, jab woh
shaheed hue tab unki umar sirf bees-tees saal ki thi.
Unki qurbaani ne poore Hindustan mein deshbhakti ki
ek aisi leher paida ki, jisne azaadi ke aandolan mein ek
naya josh bhar diya. Chingaari ab jwala ban chuki thi.
Angrez ab humein aur nahi rok sakte the. Aur
aakhirkaar, woh lamha aa hi gaya.

Scene 4: The Dawn (Nayi Subah - 15 August 1947)

Setting: Lal Kile ke backdrop ke saamne ek manch. Paas
mein ek flagpole hai. Logon ki bheed (Aadmi, Aurat,
Baccha) jama hai, ummeed aur utsaah se upar dekh
rahi hai.
Aurat: (Aadmi se) Kya aapko yakeen ho raha hai? Kya
yeh sach mein ho raha hai? Itne saalon ki tapasya...
kitni maangon ka sindoor ujda, kitne bachpan cheen
liye gaye...
Aadmi: (Bhari hui awaaz mein) ...lekin aaj un sabki
qurbaani safal ho rahi hai. Chahe woh Bhagat Singh ka
Inquilab ho ya Bapu ka Satyagraha, manzil ek hi thi. Aaj
raat hum apni kismat ke maalik khud honge. Hamare
bachche ek azaad desh mein saans lenge.
Baccha: Pitaji, kya hum apna jhanda phehrayenge?
Apna Tiranga? Jiske liye itne logon ne jaan di?
Aadmi: Haan, mere bete. Aaj raat Tiranga shaan se
lehrayega. Aur humesha lehrayega.
(Lord Mountbatten podium par aate hain.)
Lord Mountbatten: On behalf of His Majesty's
Government, I hereby transfer the governance of India
to the Indian people. Long live a free India!
(Woh peeche hatt jaate hain. Bheed mein josh bhar
jaata hai. Jawaharlal Nehru podium par aate hain. Sab
taraf khaamoshi chha jaati hai.)
Jawaharlal Nehru: (Josh aur gambhirta se) Long years
ago, we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time
comes when we shall redeem our pledge. At the stroke
of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will
awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which
comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the
old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul
of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance.
(Jaise hi woh bolte hain, ghadi mein raat ke 12 bajna
shuru hote hain. Aakhri ghante par, Nehru flagpole ki
taraf ishaara karte hain. Tiranga shaan se lehrata hai.
Bheed khushi se jhoom uthti hai. Phoolon ki baarish
hoti hai.)
Bheed: Bharat Mata Ki Jai! Vande Mataram! Jai Hind!
(Rashtragaan, "Jana Gana Mana," bajna shuru hota
hai. Stage par sabhi log savdhaan khade hokar garv se
gaate hain. Narrator aakhri baar aage aata hai.)
Narrator: Aur is tarah, Hindustan ne azaadi ki subah
mein aankh kholi. Woh mashal jo Mangal Pandey ne
jalayi thi, jise Bapu ne ahimsa se aur Bhagat Singh jaise
shaheedon ne apni qurbaani se zinda rakha, woh aaj ek
azaad desh ki roshni ban kar chamak rahi hai. Yeh
azaadi unka diya hua tohfa hai, hamari aane wali naslon
ke liye ek amanat hai. Ise surakshit rakhna, iski izzat
karna, aur ek aisa India banana jis par hamare
shaheedon ko garv ho, yahi hamara param kartavya hai.
Jai Hind!
(Sabhi kalakaar stage par ek saath aate hain, Tirange
ko uncha thaame hue, aur rashtragaan samapt hota
hai.)
- END -