Scene I
(Somewhere on Cloud Nine. Abraham Lincoln is floating on a white cloud and Mahatma Gandhi is floating on a gray cloud.)
Abraham: Mahatma, you had better get off that cloud, you know. Last time you were sitting on a similar cloud, the Americans seeded it and rain poured out from it and down you went hurtling.
Mahatma: Abraham, you seem to forget that there is no such thing as hurtling down for us heavenlings-for want of a better word, heh, heh. Last time around I just spread my angelic wings and flew off. But you are right; seeding of cloud does disturb a heavenling when he is meditating.
Abraham: Let’s get off these clouds and levitate under the ozone layer, or whatever is left of it.
Mahatma: Abraham, there is enough left of it, as you will presently see Had the West-the Americans in particular-not pumped the CFCs into the earth’s atmosphere there would be far more left. But let’s go under the ozone layer and see for ourselves how much of ultra violet rays are seeping through. Let’s see if there is a hole in the ozone cover.
Abraham: The third world has its share of CFC pumping, Mahatma. However, if I find a hole in there I will plug it with my divine powers.
(Abraham flies off. Mahatma follows him)
Scene II
(Mahatma and Abraham are seen levitating under the ozone layer.)
Mahatma: You were contemplating fixing holes, if any exist. Remember, He has forbidden us to meddle with anything earthly save for the case when we voluntarily go down to earth as human beings and reverse anything untoward-like Krishna did some eons ago. Are you ready to do that?
Abraham: I would do anything for my beloved America, Mahatma.
Mahatma: Think bigger, Abraham. Think of the whole world. You are now one with the entire world. Even the earthlings have started understanding that God did not make the boundaries, the earthlings themselves did. You, for example, when you were down there, drew new boundaries when you united the North and the South. There is this American, Friedman, who says that the earth is flat. Earthlings are ever so slowly veering round to a unified world view.
Abraham: Not so fast, Mahatma. Far from uniting, the world is disintegrating into smaller dominions and fiefdoms. Everyone seems to have his or her own agenda. Only the other day I tweeted to Barak that, the Government which was ‘Of the people, by the people, for the people’, has over the years become one that is ‘Off the people, buys the people, frauds the people’
Mahatma: Those are 172 characters, you know. Must have gone in two tweets, my friend. Besides, I don’t recall God permitting us to communicate with the temporal world.
Abraham: He did too! Once the global economic crisis happened, He lifted the embargo. He said the earthlings needed divine intervention to fight off this extraordinary situation. I have been tweeting regularly to the Americans, the BRIC countries, the African countries, and the European countries. Although, I must confess that I know as much of this mess as does Barak or did Alan Greenspan. But I do think that your timeless quote on greed is the answer. You said: There is enough for everybody’s need, but not enough for anybody’s greed. Indeed, the essence of all cooperation is in this quotation.
Gandhi: Thank you, Abraham. But for me abolishing slavery was the original step towards universal cooperation. It was the fountainhead of all ideas about freedom. And you, Abraham showed the world how to do it. Only between equals can there be cooperation, all other is coercion.
Abraham: With us heavenlings, there is no such thing as pride; else I would have said with pride that America showed the way!
Mahatma: Yes, America showed the way! But India took it up from there; a billion people exercised their will. The underdog is now on way to become the top dog.
Abraham: True, but where is the cooperation? As the earth sizzles all that Indian leadership says is ‘We didn’t start the fire!’ The global warming will need more than smart quips if it ever were to be reversed.
Mahatma: This is the point of a billion people exercising their will. Each will have an opinion. Manmohan has to bring all of them around to understand that whoever started the fire, the fire has to be doused. At this stage of global warming, finger pointing will only scald the finger. Equally, for this, Barak will have to mandate that he will open his research labs for all developing countries without thinking of profit. A deeper and transparent cooperation is truly required; it is no more about quid pro quo, it is about survival now; global warming knows no boundaries.
Abraham: All around the temperatures and tempers are rising, so what should be my next tweet?
Mahatma: Just cool it! And my tweet to Manmohan?
Abraham: Just do it!
Mahatma: Yes, he has work to do, my Captain! Our nations' fearful trip is still not done!
(Exit Mahatma and Abraham)
