I was standing in front of a shop in Naugarh Bazaar waiting for the vehicle that was to take me to some of the villages. A woman came into the shop and looked at me curiously.
"Where are you staying?"
"Upstairs with Doctor sahib."
"How long?"
"I came yesterday."
"Where are you from?"
"Delhi."
Her eyes lit up:
"Delhi? Sonia's Delhi?"
I nodded. At least this encounter was better than the one I had in a village in Ghazipur district. Again it was a basti, I was seated on the charpoy looking at the attendance register, talking with the children. Vallabh bhai and Vishvesh bhai were standing further away. An old woman came up, peering through her spectacles, she asked the villagers something. They shooed her away as though she was a fly. But she persisted. When this happened couple of times, Vallabh bhai decided to intervene. Going up to her, he asked:
"Mai, what is the matter?"
Mai took a deep breath, and pointing towards me asked:
"Beta, has Mayawati come?"
Needless to say Vallabh bhai never lets me forget this incident.
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