Election In Rabrigunj

By afternoon the news had spread. Guruji, the spiritual adviser of Rabriganj was hosting a feast. Rabrigunj a village bordering Nepal, has lots of natural assets, but its inhabitants craved for only one thing; alcohol. Guruji was a teetotaler but his feasts never lacked alcohol. So, by evening almost everyone in the village had gathered in the temple courtyard that traditionally served as the community-meeting place

After a huge meal of red meat and unlimited arrack, the news was broken. Guruji wanted the villagers to support Railbabu in the election. The candidate was a disciple of Guruji. Yet, Guruji had taken care to see that people of Rabriganj were not sold cheaply. Railbabu was not ready to part with more than 50 per vote. But Guruji had bargained hard and raised the rate to rupees 100. However, he imposed a condition! ‘People would have to submit their voter cards and mark their fingers with voting ink, the evening before the election in presence of Guruji.’

A full 100! People could not believe their luck! After the ceremonial touching of Guruji’s feet, when they returned home, a new day had already begun.

But the euphoria was temporary. Even before the hangover of feast was over, came the disciples of Guruji. This time not with the blessing of food and arrack, but with sticks and swords! They ravaged the homes and slapped the children. At schoolmaster’s house, they had even damaged his TV. People were sternly instructed to forget about the feast and not talk to any outsider.

The reason became evident later. The unmistakable voice of Guruji announcing the gift of 100 rupees per vote on behalf of Railbabu, was one of hot news on TV. It was telecast by almost every TV channel. Somebody had recorded the proceedings with so much perfection that the faces of people could be clearly identified even in the damaged TV, owned by the village school master. Villagers vied with each other to identify their faces!

A photo is equivalent to thousand words and delivered with professional expertise, there was little scope for denial. Yet when Election commission of India had issued notice to Railbabu, he had denied every involvement with the unpalatable matter. Guruji was in a tight spot. Since no reporter had visited Rabriganj on that day, it was apparent only an insider must have done the job. Words were spread that whoever could identify the culprit would be rewarded handsomely. A massive manhunt was launched to catch the culprit photographer and teach him a fitting lesson.

Yet none had suspected Dukhiya. An orphan raised by nature, Dukhi slept in the temple compound at night and worked as its gardener at daytime. Landless Dukhi had always dreamt of land and was secretly saving for it. To him Railbabu’s opponent Madho Singh’s offer was a godsend. Learning the operation of a sophisticated camera equipped cell-phone was not easy. Still he accepted the challenge. He had photographed the proceedings with so much perfection that nobody could suspect it to be the work of an illiterate.

Sadly, Dukhi had really grown really fond of that ‘photo machine’. He had fervently hoped that in return of his exemplary service, Madho Singh would give him the cell-phone. Fighting shame, Dukhi had even asked for the ‘photo machine’ instead of cash. Cruel Madho Singh had given him money but not his cell-machine.

After the feast incident, Railbabu was silent. Guruji was spending most of his time in meditation, but election bonanza of Rabriganj was far from over. Madho Singh had donated a huge dish TV for Rabriganj club. One day on that TV, people saw another news clipping. ‘‘Madho Singh was wooing the villagers for votes with the gift of rice and paddy seeds.”

The footage was not as clear as the previous one. Though Dukhi had spent his entire savings on the Samsung cell, he could not buy one as good as Madho Singh’s.