"S.J Vidya Niketan"
That was what the board said..
The yellow peach like background and the black painted name reminded me of only one thing then. It was my school.The first one. It was 14 years back and I was still in Nursery then. I can remember being that underweight kid who loved the trouble of going to school everyday. I had enjoyed some great days in that place. Days that I won't come back again.
And here I was coming back to same place after so many years and trying to spot some difference. The children were (obviously)missing.Nothing much. A guard was discouraging anyone from stopping (near the booth)except the ones who had an intention to vote. A police van occupied the place where the school bus was. The exact same place. Many a guards stood there with a smile on their face and a huge gun in their hand. No kidding them.
I had a voter ID card and a booth slip in my pocket. Booth number 32 was what it said. My father had guided me distinctly,"Press the button till the beep sounded". And I was like,"Dad, I know!!".
The booth had considerable number of people out there. Many a lines were made and the polling officers were checking the card at every step. As a matter of fact I was told the location of my line by 5 men and a woman. The line was not long. Only 4-5 men were in front of me. It was 11 a.m. , so I was not surprised. Many more people will turn after 12. The interesting thing is that the line for Women was a lot longer than mine. And that is a positive thing!!
An old man was leading the line. He was frail,had grey hairs and was wearing a white dhoti which was not clean. He walked into the room. The polling officer checked his credentials.
"You have already cast your vote",he said.
"Nahiin(No)!!!", said the old man while showing his hands. "Dekho syaahi nahi hai(See,there is no ink)!!"
"But you have signed here. Have a look. It shows your signature."
"Hum to angootha lagaate hain(I am an illiterate)!!!"
"But that is not possible.",said the polling officer.
My turn had come by then. I walked in. The polling officer checked my credentials. He looked at me suspiciously after having a look at my ID. I walked on after having a look at the old man. He was still trying to figure out a way to cast his vote. The guy marked an indelible ink on my forefinger.
I walked to the EVM. Two lines were there of buttons. I had to search for the candidate of my choice. I found it. A beep sounded as soon as I pressed it. "That was easy".
I am not gonna tell you to whom my vote went to. But the important thing is the old man didn't get to vote. He was sad. I don't know if he was a crook who had found a way to forge his card or someone else has cheated on him... I wish I knew. Because I see many people not voting just because they have nothing to worry about. They have good jobs and good money and they think that not voting is a thing to be proud of. (Believe me!! People are like this. A woman in my colony told my mom yesterday that she has left behind the 'trouble' of voting. She says this with a smile on her face. I have much more respect for that poor old man than I have for that considerably rich woman.)
I returned home with a blue ink on my finger that I unsuccessfully tried to rub off. I think it will stay.
(A thing that has to change in our society is that we have to realize that the voting day is not another holiday to stay with the family. It is an important day to determine who is gonna govern the place for the next five years. You have realize the importance because your one vote matters. You may not feel so,but it does.
As always every single political party is saying that they are gonna win this election with an 'overwhelming majority'. I don't know about that. But I know one thing,"Presidents rule will come in UP if Congress doesn't wins this election"- Sriprakash Jaiswal(Union Coal minister).I will leave you with this thought. It sounds bogus though. )
The booth had considerable number of people out there. Many a lines were made and the polling officers were checking the card at every step. As a matter of fact I was told the location of my line by 5 men and a woman. The line was not long. Only 4-5 men were in front of me. It was 11 a.m. , so I was not surprised. Many more people will turn after 12. The interesting thing is that the line for Women was a lot longer than mine. And that is a positive thing!!
An old man was leading the line. He was frail,had grey hairs and was wearing a white dhoti which was not clean. He walked into the room. The polling officer checked his credentials.
"You have already cast your vote",he said.
"Nahiin(No)!!!", said the old man while showing his hands. "Dekho syaahi nahi hai(See,there is no ink)!!"
"But you have signed here. Have a look. It shows your signature."
"Hum to angootha lagaate hain(I am an illiterate)!!!"
"But that is not possible.",said the polling officer.
My turn had come by then. I walked in. The polling officer checked my credentials. He looked at me suspiciously after having a look at my ID. I walked on after having a look at the old man. He was still trying to figure out a way to cast his vote. The guy marked an indelible ink on my forefinger.
I walked to the EVM. Two lines were there of buttons. I had to search for the candidate of my choice. I found it. A beep sounded as soon as I pressed it. "That was easy".
I am not gonna tell you to whom my vote went to. But the important thing is the old man didn't get to vote. He was sad. I don't know if he was a crook who had found a way to forge his card or someone else has cheated on him... I wish I knew. Because I see many people not voting just because they have nothing to worry about. They have good jobs and good money and they think that not voting is a thing to be proud of. (Believe me!! People are like this. A woman in my colony told my mom yesterday that she has left behind the 'trouble' of voting. She says this with a smile on her face. I have much more respect for that poor old man than I have for that considerably rich woman.)
I returned home with a blue ink on my finger that I unsuccessfully tried to rub off. I think it will stay.
(A thing that has to change in our society is that we have to realize that the voting day is not another holiday to stay with the family. It is an important day to determine who is gonna govern the place for the next five years. You have realize the importance because your one vote matters. You may not feel so,but it does.
As always every single political party is saying that they are gonna win this election with an 'overwhelming majority'. I don't know about that. But I know one thing,"Presidents rule will come in UP if Congress doesn't wins this election"- Sriprakash Jaiswal(Union Coal minister).I will leave you with this thought. It sounds bogus though. )
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