“Ammi, when will school reopen?” asks Muniyaa. Sahara continues with the last round of thinning out jute plants. These are busy days in her 10-decimal land. She has no time for Muniyaa’s questions.
“Why aren't schools reopening…!” The little girl is harping on the same question. This time Sahara pauses, turns to her and desperately trying to control the frustration in her voice, says: “ dekhish naa ki groom [don't you see the scorching heat]? It hasn't rained for eight months.”
“Then why don't they install AC?” Muniyaa is relentless with her questions.
“Sarkar [government] doesn't have money.” Sahara’s patience is thinning.
“How come the borolok English schools [English medium schools for the rich] have so many ACs then?”
Sahara sinks into hard work and silence until the evening. She had to leave her work unfinished and hurry home with Muniyaa today. It is voting day. Sahara rushes towards the primary school booth to cast hers with her eight-year-old girl tagging along.
“Why do we need to vote, Ammi?” Muniyaa is unstoppable today. Sahara is relieved that the topic has changed for now, but she is too tired to engage her daughter.
“I heard it on the TV the other day. A big leader was saying that they don't need Muslim votes! We are Muslim, Ammi. So why do we vote?”
Sahara stops in her track only to stare at the little one. Muniyaa knows what that cold and empty stare means. She shuts up.Indian Election
1. Freebies
Election
days make our poverty bare –
Laxmi
Bhandar for Muniyaa's mother
Cycle
for Muniyaa's father.
Free
dresses for Muniyaa in school.
What
does Muniyaa need?
The
manifestos never know.
The
dilapidated school buildings
now
shelter goats.
Rats
run amok
on
the scaffoldings of factory floors.
Leaders
give freebies.
and
gobble up our jobs.
2. Language
The
leaders play scrabble on the election board.
Time
runs fast.
They
have a winning concoction at last:
Language
sliced into little pieces,
marinated
in hatred,
served
on platters glazed
for
television viewers
and
WhatsApp chatters
3. God-crazy
Humein vote dijiye
Hum mandir banayenge
[Vote for us
We will build Temples]
I
see the gods winning…
gods
of a certain religion
partisan
gods
gods
that live in their houses
gods
that don't visit our homes
or
roam our streets.
Gods
that don't know hunger
or
inflation or what it means
to
want our daughters’ education.
Don't
blame me now
for
being blasphemous
or
an atheist.
I
see all the leaders fighting
this
battle over gods –
talking
to priests not people.
They
visit the temples
not
worshiping shanties.
They
fight over gods –
their
gods versus our gods!
Tomorrow,
it will be gods’ victory.
Oh,
inflation, starvation, poverty!
Oh, democracy!
