AUGUST 15

INSIDE THE OLD MANS HOUSE MORNING
A portrait of Mahatma Gandhi hangs in the living room of a middle-class home in an apartment building.

An old man,on a sofa,is dressed to go out,even as the TV is on.
A steady rain pours outside.

MALE VOICE
It was the morning of the old mans birthday.

On the TV: The Independence Day speech.

MALE VOICE CONTINUED
Sharing his birth with the birth of free India had always been a source of pride to him. He had always been a real patriot.

The old man stares at the TV,emotionless.

MALE VOICE CONTINUED
But things had changed lately8230;

CUT TO:

INSIDE THE CAR MORNING
The old man travels in the back seat of a small car. Next to him is his six-year-old grandson. In the front are the boys parents.

MALE VOICE
A close friend had died in a West Bengal train bombing not so long ago8230;

OUTSIDE THE CAR
Signs of construction,of dirt and filth mixed with modernity and progress. Signs of choking. It continues to rain.

MALE VOICE CONTINUED
When he read that the bombers of the train are supporting the party of the current railway minister in the upcoming elections,something inside him snapped8230;

A wet street urchin tries to sell paper flags to them. The young boy wants some. His father buys some. The old man watches.

CUT TO:

INSIDE A MALL DAY
The family of four walk through a swanky mall. All around,signs of prosperity shops selling overpriced goods and food,happy families laughing and chatting. Lots of Indian flags everywhere. Lights,colours8230;

MALE VOICE
He knew that politicians had always lined their pockets with obscene amounts of taxpayers money. What dismayed him was that this attitude had rubbed off on the Indian public. All they wanted now was money and success,and they had no qualms about being corrupt and selfish. When atrocious crimes against humanity go unpunished in this country,who cares about a little greed? Greed is good.

CUT TO:
INSIDE MOVIE THEATRE DAY
The family watches a movie in a theatre.

MALE VOICE
So the rich get richer,the poor get poorer,and everyone lives in their own private cocoon without a damn for anyone else other than themselves and their families. Maybe this is what the politicians had planned all along. Maybe they were laughing at us8230;

People laugh at the movie. The old man doesnt.

MALE VOICE CONTINUED
There is a saying that a country deserves the government it gets.

Maybe we were so busy being corrupt and making money that we couldnt care less. Maybe bad things happen to us because we let them8230;

CUT TO:

INSIDE A RELATIVES HOUSE DAY
The old man sits on a couch at a relatives place.
His grandson runs about with other children his age. The others pass around cups of tea.

MALE VOICE
The old man felt guilty about 26/11. It had been less than two years since it happened but everyone seemed to have moved on. Forget the past,they said. But they all forgot that the past is only prologue. And that same prologue has happened to us many times over8230;

CUT TO:

The children stand in line and sing the national anthem together.
The adults watch,beaming and proud.

MALE VOICE CONTINUED
He was tired of living in a country where every citizen had to always look over their shoulder. He was tired of potholes,of traffic,of excuses,of passing the buck,of delays,of denial,of politicians,their black hearts and their hypocritical white clothes.
The children finish singing. Everyone claps.

CUT TO:
ON THE SEASIDE EVENING
The family stand at the beach. Its packed with people,sellers,animals. A celebratory atmosphere. Everyone seems to be having a great time.

MALE VOICE
He remembered one of his friends warning him that India was close to a civil war and how he had laughed off the idea then. And then he remembered the story of the young man who lived in a building that would get water for only 15 minutes a day. And how that young man witnessed a Holi party at a filmstars house where eight tankers rained down water on dancing guests. What was the cracking point for that young man before he took the law into his own hands? Was it when his water supply would stop for a whole week? Or was it his child dying from a lack of water?

The sound of thunder. The old man looks up. Grey clouds are approaching. It begins to rain. People run for cover.

INSIDE THE CAR EVENING
The family is in the car.
The young boy is asleep.
It continues to rain outside. Bumper-to-bumper traffic.

MALE VOICE
He wanted the politicians to choke on his hard-earned money. He wanted roads,good drainage and running water,he wanted accountability and security for everyone. He wanted the justice system to work and corruption to stop. He wanted a guarantee that 26/11 would never happen again8230;

INSIDE THE OLD MANS HOUSE EVENING
The old man sits on his couch,emotionless once again.

MALE VOICE
But most of all,he wanted the people to wake up8230;
He hears the sound of people singing. He looks up.

His grandson walks in,holding a birthday cake. The parents follow. Theyre all singing,Happy Birthday. Standing in the midst of candles on the cake is a tiny Indian flag. The young boy pulls it out and gives it to his grandfather.

The old man holds the flag,looks at it. It looks tiny and fragile in his hands.
As Gandhi continues to watch them,his family sings,Happy Birthday8230;

FADE OUT