C22 The Year of The Persecution
A New Government
“A wrong person in a position of power becomes a curse for the nation.” Professor Sri Latha was teaching ‘Ethics’. She was in her forties now, having secured the position of Visiting Professor in the Prestigious Shakthi College of Education in the Mandooka Province. The only problem was that this was the least developed province in the empire which sustained solely on the welfare projects funded by the Shaktheya Trust.
“Such a person creates inexpressible pain not only to the victims but also to the society. There comes a time when it becomes imperative that such pests be removed to ensure safety and well-being of a society. Today, I will introduce you to the story of one such pest who was removed by a daring lady. Please welcome, Captain – retired – Mounika!”
The readers will remember Mounika from ‘Part 2 – A Living Hell’ of this book. She had gone through great anguish in those chapters even leading a protest movement, getting imprisoned, tortured and finally being rescued by Major Sangram Singh and his men.
The whole class looked at the 340-year-old woman who looked so beaten and battered that they felt she might collapse any minute. She limped to the lecturer’s podium and placed her hands on the rostrum. She fixed the class with her gaze that sent chills in the minds of those present. It was the look of a predator waiting for its kill.
“Dear Children!” she said surprising the students who were all 20-year-old young adults. “You are old enough to be my sons and daughters, so no need to look so surprised.” She surveyed the class again making sure that she had their attention. “How many of you think that this “Ethics’ class is useless?” Two thirds of the class raised their hands. Mounika seemed unperturbed though Professor Sri Latha was frowning. “Even I don’t like sermonizing. Instead, I shall tell you a story and you decide what to do. Are you with me?”
“YES!” the class roared. Afterall, who wants to listen to lectures in the classroom? They had already been bored by the previous lectures and so, they wanted to see what this crumbling old lady had to say.
“It was the year of The Persecution. Do you know why it is called so?” silence greeted Mounika. “I was one of those who faced the atrocities committed in those days and how we managed to end that blot in our history.”
..................................Flashback................................................
“Good evening. Welcome to the 7 PM news.” The news reader started speaking as millions of viewers watched the broadcast from their homes, offices, schools, colleges, etc. “The Balban Party swept the polls today winning all the 673 seats to form the government in the Kalikiri Province.” There was a gasp of surprise from the viewers at the unexpected news. “Mr. A has been chosen as the Head of the Provincial Administration...”
“How can that be possible?”
“We didn’t vote for them!”
“How can they win?”
“..... the party won by creating rifts in the majority community voters and capitalizing on the mass voting of a particular community. These mass votes combined by a few votes from the majority communities saw Balban party emerge victorious in every seat ultimately forming the government. The fact that there is no opposition presence in the Provincial assembly rings alarm bells....”
Mounika was shocked. Mr. Parasuram, her boss and Principal of AVM Girls High School, had been warning for a long time against the superstitions and evil practices that had been eating away the oldest culture and civilization in the universe.
“We need to discard our egos and work towards strengthening the society as a whole.” He would always say to people. “We need to rediscover our glorious past and the scientific culture that made us great.” It seemed very few people cared about his words.
She shuddered to think what steps the new government would take. She was sure that whatever the decisions might be, they would only add to the woes of the female population. She was reminded of the chaos when she had first entered Sourabha Rajyam on a work assignment from Bharat. It had destroyed her life and turned her into a killing machined devoid of any remorse. It made her sick.
Sarvani was walking nervously towards her college with three of her friends. Her confidence had been shattered with the ragging in her previous college where the senior boys had forcefully stripped her in front of her classmates and her lecturer burning her clothes. She had been unable to do anything while the lecturer instead of helping her had simply stood there looking bored and irritated.
Her father had come to know of the incident, and he had managed to take a Transfer Certificate from her college and had shifted to Kalikiri Province – the only Province with a female Administrator. Now that also had changed. She shivered to think about the things she might face in her new college. She had gone to the temple that day praying that he keeps her safe.
As she walked, she noticed a group of boys sitting on the bikes that had been parked near a tea stall. Her throat dried up in fear as she searched for an escape route. There was none. She had only two options – go ahead and face the possible threat or go back home.
“Hey, where are you going? Aren't you coming to college?” one of the girls in the group asked her.
“D-d-don’t you see them?” Sarvani asked nervously. “It’s better to go home.”
“Are you mad? If you go back now, you will lose that seat and a whole year will be wasted. Don’t be stupid.”
“I-I-I am afraid.”
“Nothing will happen. We are there, no? Come on!”
“Yes, Come on. Nothing will happen.”
Unable to protest, Sarvani followed her friends chanting the Hanuman Chalisa to build up her strength. She started praying anxiously as she forced herself to walk forward and closer to the group of boys. She just hoped they would do nothing to her. How nice it would be if prayers could be answered, and our wishes come true!!
