Final Phase Campaigning (LIII)

Reviewed by Ridhi and Padu.

Campaigning inside the hostel continued throughout the weekend. I was so sucked into the elections, that, I even forgot the 2 weeks of my absence from the classes. Anu spoke with our representatives in various departments, and arranged for mini meets, micro meets and the likes within our hostel blocks.

Time just then passed 9.30PM. We ensured that the Resident Councilor finished her round of night attendance and then we moved in. After some 15minutes Anu, Divya and a couple other girls from other departments collected 23, 2nd year girls, and assembled them in one of my junior’s room.

I sat near the window, which was just opposite to the door. On the cot right to me 6 girls sat, and on the cot to my right 7girls crushed themselves. A few others sat on another cot near the door. Anu and Divya sat on the chairs near the door. The rest were standing. I started my usual, yes it had become my usual political talk.

The talk continued for more than 10 minutes, followed by a Q&A session. I gave out promises about things, that, I never knew existed in our college. I talked about their profanation towards college, which again I never knew they did. All I wanted was their votes.

At the end most of them were convinced, which again was, as usual. Not just my department girls, but even other department people had some respect for me. Thanks to the computer basics classes, which I took last year for the first semester students.

I had become a social figure, a charming leader and one of the top class female politicians in college. It did make me feel good. I tried to control myself from being a victim for power temptations. Nevertheless I wished, I had a post. Shantanu promised me something powerful next year.

Monday morning, after munching in some mess food, we ran to our classes. I sat in my usual place in the second bench next to Anu. The first hour was the class of Dr.Sushma our Distributed Systems faculty. She entered the class with her ever lasting cute smile.

She had this habit of questioning the absentees of the previous class about what had happened in the last class. “If you missed a class, well it’s alright. It’s not possible to attend all classes. But you should ensure, that, you have learned, what you missed, if at all you want to attend my next class.”

She started calling out names, “Abitha Vijaykumar, Anusuya, Arvind…”. “Elvia, absent for all the previous classes”.

“Mam I had been to internships at Bangalore. I came back last Friday night”

“Well, so, have you learned, what has been taught in the last six classes?”

I shuddered, “Mam I started learning, mam, but haven’t completed everything”, I lied.

“In two days, can’t you learn what happened in six hours?” I cursed myself for saying Friday night.

“Mam there are other subjects too. I gave my time equally to all subjects.” I managed.

“Hmm.. anyway this is your first class in Distributed Systems. So this class you are excused. When is your next class?”

“Tomorrow 4th hour mam”, other people replied.

“Hmm.. by then I want you to cover all that has been taught”

I obediently nodded. The class went on. She drew boulder like circles in different fashions, and called them nodes. Drew lines between them, and called them connections. “As we have already seen a single way connection is prone to break up, and leave the entire system idle. So what do we do?”

“Back up connections”, Shantanu and a couple others answered. It’s not the very first time Shantanu answered, yet I was a little petrified.

“So what shall we do?”

“We make it…”, Shantanu again. I was thoroughly annoyed. ‘How the hell?’ Looking at my puzzled expression, Anu, “Hey he has been doing well at DS classes. In fact he is kinda fave to mam”

“But besides the elections, how does he do all that?”

“I have no idea.” The lecture continued for another half an hour, and he had answered at least half a dozen times. In spite of my absence, I understood a few concepts, and I even answered a question near the end of the class. Mam gave a smile, which comforted me.

The next class was math, ‘Wow Padma mam’ my insides cheered. She never failed to identify me, “Hey Elvi you are in this class”

“Yes mam, I had been to internships..”

“Ha, I remember reading your name in the attendance. So how was the internship?”

“It was good mam. I learned a great deal”

Smiling, she completed the attendance and started teaching. Discrete mathematics I heard was interesting. But I had no clue on what she was teaching. After sometime, reading my petrified expressions, “Dear, you missed some classes. Don’t worry, you will make it up. Meet me this evening after classes”

Anu reminded, what was running in my mind too, “We gotta do a lot more campaigning this evening”.

The other classes moved similarly. In the evening forgetting Padma mam, we continued campaigning.

Tuesday morning first hour, Dr. Arundati Palaniswamy, the most popular AP ma’am had some important work, possibly related to the fair play of elections, and she abstained from classes. We used every gap every opportunity for election campaigning.

Wednesday morning, I got up. Dresses to be washed were in the dirty dress basket, hand key of a junior who was an active person in elections, was lying on the floor. She must have missed it last night.

Rubbing my eyes, I walked to the bathroom, thinking about the fate of the elections.

On my return, Anu, who had just then woke up, “If we lose, I would rather die, than facing that bastard.” This set my heart on fire. I grew more anxious about elections.