The Campaign Part 1

The airport was extremely chaotic; Trisha struggled through the crowd and got out. She saw her dad waiting for her. She gave him a tight hug; she was meeting him after five long years

 ‘It’s been so long, you look great old man’ Trisha said

‘I know, though you still look the same. Now let’s go your mother is waiting’ her father replied

‘Has she come?’

‘No, she wanted to plan the perfect welcome for her daughter’

‘Alright let’s go then’

Trisha couldn’t wait to reach home; she desperately wanted to meet her mother, while she was away from home she missed her mother badly.

‘Wait, Dad you just drove us out of the city’

‘Well, when I said that your mom is waiting at home, I didn’t mean Delhi’

 ‘Then where? Oh wait are we going to Kibla’

And her dad gave his sign of approval. Trisha’s most fond memories were associated with Kibla. It was the place where she was brought up before moving to hostel. She was even more excited to reach home than before

‘How is it like there? Do you still have that machaan (tress house) on that banyan tree? ’

Her father chuckled, he knew that his daughter missed Kibla; it was the place where his daughter had grown up.

‘Yes we still have the machaan, we use it occasionally’

‘Good, I can’t believe that I have finally come back’ she said with relief.

They reached Kibla by noon. Nothing had changed, everything was still the same even the pond where Trisha spent hours wondering. Kibla definitely seemed greener than before, all thanks to good rains.

‘Ma! Where are you? Look your daughter is back’ Trisha ran screaming in their house

‘Trisha!’ and her mother came running towards her daughter. She hugged her tightly, kissed on her forehead and blessed her with good wishes. After meeting her mother, Trisha roamed around the house, her parents had revamped the house but some places had been left untouched, just for the sake of memories. This included Trisha’s room which she shared with her sister Naina. Numerous memories were rooted from this house, Trisha felt at home finally.  

‘So Trish how come such a sudden plan?’ asked her dad. Meanwhile Trisha’s mother served dinner

‘Hmm… London got boring and I wanted to come back home’ Trisha said

‘What about your job?’

‘I quit and Ma you don’t know how much I have missed this food!’

‘Why did you quit?’ her father asked, concerned.

‘Let her eat her food, you can question her later’ intervened Trisha’s mother

And they all had their food in peace. Trisha’s sudden decisions like quitting her job and leaving London had got her father worried but he was happy that she had decided on coming back. Though Trisha was happy but all this wasn’t easy, she had just turned twenty six when all of a sudden her life was up and down. She didn’t quit, she was fired. On top of that her boyfriend cheated on her. She was crushed from inside and out but never let her parents know about this. When she thought that she had it enough, she boarded the next flight to India.

In the night, her mother oiled her hair, she had almost forgotten how soothing it was, she could realise how much peace it gave her. After so many months she could sleep without any worries. The next day Trisha decided to explore Kibla. She walked through the small village and found local villagers staring at her. They greeted her and invited her to their houses. Moving on she found a man teaching five six young children maths at the courtyard of his house. He was a handsome man; Trisha couldn’t help but notice him. When she reached home, she asked her mother about him.

‘Ma, today I saw this man teaching these five six kids maths, near Dadavar ji’s house. Do you know him?’ Trisha asked

‘Are you talking about Abhay?’ her mother replied

‘Who?’

‘Don’t you remember, while you were a child you used to play with Rudra Devi’s grandson, that’s him’

‘You mean Chotu? That’s him? But he never stayed in Kibla’

‘Yes he didn’t but his grandmother did, he has come to meet her, she has not been keeping well lately’

‘Oh! Can’t believe he has changed so much’ Trisha murmured

‘Okay, now hurry up your father is expecting some guests!’

‘Who?’

‘Some people from party’

‘Since when did papa contest for elections? ’

‘He is not contesting, he said no to them but they are still trying to rope him in, they say he can attract voters for them’ her mother giggled 

And the people from the Raj Mandal Party did turn up, Trisha served them tea.

‘Ajit ji you know how the situation is, we need a candidate to represent this district and who else better than you. Your father was a great leader and we are sure that you will become a leader too’ said the Party secretary

‘I understand Yogendra ji but I am not keen in politics, my business already keeps me busy’he replied in good spirits.

‘But Ajit ji if we lose these elections, your land might come in danger’

‘What do you mean?’ asked Trisha’s father

‘Kibla’s maximum land is owned by your family, when your grandfather bought this land it wasn’t government claimed but now it is and if we lose, the opposition will do anything to take it away from you’

 ‘How can they just take it away, I have my property papers’

‘These people can do anything; you might lose Kibla Ajit ji’

Trisha overheard her father’s conversation with the party secretary; she couldn’t believe that they could take away their land. She definitely didn’t want that happen. After the party people left, Ajit Rao had become worried.

‘But how can someone take our land away from us?’ Trisha argued

‘Trisha, Yogendra ji is right about this land being government land. When my grandfather bought this area, the government hadn’t claimed it and since your grandfather was in politics this problem never arose’ her father replied

‘So what are we going to do?’

‘I don’t know, I guess we will have to hope that Raj Mandal Party wins from Kibla or we might have to give up most of our land’

‘And who is going to contest for the election?’

‘That is also something we need to think about’

 ‘Why can’t you contest?’ she asked   

‘Trisha I have my reasons, I can’t and I will not’

‘But papa you need think about what is at stake; you just can’t let others take away our land’

 ‘Trisha if someone has to take it, he/ she will take it anyway but if contesting in the election is the price to pay then sorry I can’t , now don’t worry and go off to sleep. We will talk about it later’

And her father left, Trisha stood helpless, her father wasn’t willing to contest, he won’t tell her the reason, how and what she could possibly do to change her father’s mind she thought.

‘I need to come with something good, something that papa agrees and we can save our land. Elections are not far…’ she thought