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Wednesday, October 19, 2005

Eavesdropping and the Elections


Eavesdropping is a proscribed pleasure. Though I don't actually stick my ear into keyholes, but occasionally unwillingly or otherwise overhear other people talking. The discussion of the office help, security guards, electricians and their aides are particularly engrossing. Their canvas is wider than that of primetime TV chatterboxes. From the newly appointed secretary to international relations, they have their say in all. Two of the liftmen are self-proclaimed authorities on the Hindu scriptures and they always make it a point to preach the workers following faiths varied from theirs.

Yesterday the hot topic of discussion was the elections in the state of Bihar and the winnability of the different parties. This led to the electrician's assistant narrating an incident in his village. A relative of his stood for the panchayat (village level) elections and lost by a single vote. Later the distraught candidate discovers that his father didn't vote. Because his name didn't figure in the voters list.

This reminds me of my father's solitary foray into politics. His friends in college proposed his name and also did the necessary canvassing for the college elections. When the results were declared it was a tie and the winner had to be decided by the flip of a coin. And to his relief, he lost.

2 Comments:

Admin said...

that post on eunuchs was rather touching.. but so unlike of me, I have never liked them, somehow. Quite irritating at times. But then they earn a living by beng irritating. But I am not talking baout the eunuch per se but all sexually challenged people. I know i shoul treat them equally as Human and not just as MEN.. maybe I will try, i never gave it a thought, only hated them for no fault of them. I have even beaten some as a grown up. hmmm can I learn to lik them?

Admin said...

Hi soumyadip. i guess it my third comment and maybe my 3rd or visit to ur blog. Somehow ur posts screms out at me for a comment. many blogs i visit seem to be just dead ends where i have to ponder for what to comment.. lol, but somehow i want to write something or the other on ur posts.. just read that Visa power Post via ur tag and i just wrote 5 diff cheques yesterday..paying off.. hehe and I win all possible awards and deals on them.. the latest deal spend 30 K and get a return trip anywhere in India on citi. for the next month I am only using my Citi..