C5 CHAPTER-5

Chants of 'Om Namah Shivaya, Om Namah Shivaya, Jai Shiv Shankara Parameshwara......' followed by blowing of conch shells at the temple located at one end of H block announced that it was time for the evening aartis. Rajeev woke up feeling refreshed. His thoughts took him back to his home where everyone would wait for his mother to finish reciting her evening prayers before switching on the lights.

“Places of worship, prayer, religious ceremonies and the supernatural or the occult hold a special place in the lives of us Indians, they instil a sense of peace and calm in the minds of those weary souls who are overburdened by thoughts of material gain. It draws them to seek spiritual solace by introspecting into the meaning behind their own action's and their own existence. It provides them with that spark of inspiration, that strengthens their spiritual side just about enough to attain oneness with God, albeit for a fleeting moment, and brings true happiness, the kind, that one feels from the heart”, Rajeev thought.

He got dressed and without waking up Akhil, who was still busy catching his forty winks, switched off the light and quietly closed the door behind him. An old man was sitting on the chair behind the cash counter reciting his prayers, eyes closed, hands folded in reverence in front of a small idol of Goddess Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth, kept in one corner of the glass cabinet. Rajeev quietly walked passed him and sat down on the sofa placed opposite to Saxena Ji's reclining chair. After his prayers were over, the old man sensed that someone was in the room and craning his neck looked in Rajeev's direction when he saw an unknown face.

Rajeev got up and folding his hands into a neatNamaste introduced himself. “So you are Rajeev, my son told me about you”, the old man replied with a smile. “Where is your friend?

Hope you guys are enjoying your stay in Delhi aren't you? By the way, I am Madan Mohan Saxena, I was at my youngest son's place in Ghaziabad otherwise you would have been seen me much earlier. I normally stay upstairs but like to spend most of my waking hours downstairs. My son has gone out to the tourism department's office and I am looking after this place”, the old man went on. “I spent three days in Assam some years ago, during the elections doing election duty”, Dadaji said. “It's a nice place, full of greenery, but the centre allotted to us was in an insurgency infested area somewhere in Goalpara, we camped in a high school and a posse of armed policemen and CRPF personnel were deputed to keep us safe, but at the dead of the night we heard the sound of gunshots and were scared like anything”, Dadaji said. “The security personnel returned the fire, luckily none was killed, but one policeman sustained minor injuries, later someone told me that they were the disgruntled local youths, who had formed an armed outfit to liberate their state from the so-called illegal occupation by the imperialist Indian forces. We were badly shaken by the incident but there was no turning back until our job was done. News of the incident spread like wildfire and as a result the voter turnout on the day of the polls was abysmally low as most of the people preferred to stay indoors than come out and face the ire of the militants who had issued a terse warning to the people to boycott the polls. There was no long queue outside and the few people who turned up were outnumbered by the security personnel present and by five in the evening only about thirty percent of the voters had exercised their franchise. I, along with three of my colleagues was driven to Guwahati early in the morning the next day from where we took the afternoon flight back to Delhi. And boy o boy!

Wasn't I glad to be able to return home; those three days spent there seemed almost like an eternity. Hope the situation is better now”, Dadaji said with a sigh, probably tired after speaking for so long.

“There is no improvement; on the contrary things have deteriorated owing largely to the stand taken by the local politicians, who want to keep insurgency alive in the North East in order to usurp the funds that the Centre keeps doling out in generous quantities in the name of weeding out these anti-social elements and taking up developmental works”, replied Rajeev with a downcast countenance. “And to make matters worse, those so- called crusaders fighting for the rights of the indigenous people have taken shelter in neighbouring Bangladesh owing to the counter-insurgency operations launched by the government. They have now become pawns in the hands of Islamic fanatics working with the tacit support of a section of the politicians and the intelligence agencies of that country who are encouraging mass illegal immigration into Assam in general and the North East in particular besides parts of West Bengal, Bihar & Jharkhand. The leaders have turned a blind eye to this problem owing to vote-bank politics and very soon these land-hungry, uncouth & filthy immigrants emboldened by such gracious patronage will start attacking the locals in order to grab their land and harass their women thereby causing communal unrest while our saviours who have taken up arms vowing to fight for our rights would only be able to watch helplessly as their fellow brethren are reduced to second-class citizens in their own land, said Rajeev”, his voice trembling with anger. “Unfortunately that is not the case only with Assam, the rest of India is also facing the same problem owing to the lack of far- sightedness of our politicians. I feel that we are also to be blamed for this problem.

Most of us lack political consciousness and do not vote when we get theopportunity to elect the right people. As a result the shrewd politicians are pampering these immigrants by doling out voter cards, free electricity, free ration and what not to them to remain in power. And as they don't demand roads, bridges, schools and more jobs like us, the leaders have the liberty to do whatever they want to with the funds at their disposal”, Dadaji said. Rajeev got up and after excusing himself decided to take a walk outside. He needed some fresh air to lift his spirits after such a serious talk. He hated the feeling of powerlessness that he felt whenever he discussed such issues and longed for the day when he would be able to contribute something significant to matters close to his heart.

“Hey! What's up? 'Akhil said as he crept up from behind and placed his shoulder round his friend's neck. I was listening to your conversation with the old man, I agree with your views but what is the use of getting agitated over such issues when you can't do much, so cheer up man”, Akhil said. “Let's take a walk in the market, the bright lights & the sight of the dazzling beauties will make you feel better”, he continued.

“Don't know what to do next, my parents want me to join the best institute but good education comes at a hefty price these days and I know my dad won't be able to arrange that kind of money”, Rajeev remarked with a frown on his face. “Why do you worry about finances? If required, I am there to help you out”, Akhil said. “I cannot borrow money from you. If I cannot afford the admission fees then how am I going to complete my studies here? Besides, how am I going to repay you”? Rajeev questioned. “Don't worry dear, I am not running away anywhere anytime soon and about the repayment part, well you can start worrying about that once you get a job”, Akhil responded.

“Anyway your dad will be here tomorrow won't he?

You needn't be so anxious, everything will be alright”, Akhil said with a smile. Finding some solace in the words of his friend, Rajeev accompanied him to the park with the remarkably well-maintained lawns located next to Chawlaji's Restaurant for a leisurely stroll. Although the park was located next to a Mughal era tomb, a group of young kids running around the place playing hide and seek at that late hour in the evening made it amply clear that there was nothing sinister to it.

“So what do you want to have for dinner”, Akhil asked lightly tapping Rajeev on his shoulder. “Hmm, err, anything you like, but please order some raita or dahi for me”, Rajeev replied.

“Hey, try the paneer butter masala, its yummy” said Akhil. “No thanks, I have had enough, pass me the water bottle, you have your food while I take a walk outside”, Rajeev said. “Ok, but don't be late”, replied Akhil without looking up even as he greedily wolfed down a spoonful of gajar halwa. Rajeev was planning to walk up to the Mother Dairy outlet and purchase a pouch of flavoured milk when through the corner of his eye he saw Saxena Ji standing outside the door and waving at him. His footsteps quickened as he saw the urgency in the manner in which the burly man was gesturing at him and by the time he reached the door he was already gasping for breath. “It's a phone-call from your dad”, Saxena Ji said. “Hello son, how are you? I have reached Patna and will be in Delhi by tomorrow evening”, Mr Arora said as soon as Rajeev picked up the receiver. “Had you dinner, dad”? Rajeev questioned. “Yes. Now tell me how far your place is from the station”? Mr Arora asked.