3MOML

'Can I talk to you?' I said.

The man came to me. He held a fire torch in his hand. My cheek felt the heat.

'Sir, I want to offer you a proposal.' 'What?'

'How many of these men are yours?' 'Ten,' he said, after some hesitation. 'If I promise you ten thousand, can you slowly step back and walk away?' I said.

'Why?' he said.

'Please, don't ask. Consider it an offering. And keep it quiet as I don't have enough for all.'

'Why do you want to save the boy?' he asked.

'Fifteen thousand last. My shop is at the temple. You can ruin it if I don't pay.'

The man in the gold chain went back to his group. He spoke to them as they stepped backwards. He turned to me and nodded. Twenty-five per cent of my problem was over.

Mama left Omi and came to me.

'What's going on here?' Mama said. He did not notice forty people turning to thirty in his drunk state.

'Mama think again. You have a future in the party. Parekh-ji will not approve of this,' I said.

Mama laughed. He took out his mobile phone and dialled a number.

'Parekh-ji won't approve?' Mama said and waited for the phone to be picked up.

'Yes, Parekh-ji, I am well. Don't worry, I will grieve later. Right now it is war time. Oh and someone thinks you are not happy with me ... here talk ... yes talk...'

Mama passed his phone. The crowd waited behind us.

'Hello? Who is this,' Parekh-ji's voice came at the other end.

'Govind, Parekh-ji. One of Omi's friends. We came to Vishala with you...,' I said.

'Oh yes. Son, trying day for us Hindus. So are you supporting us?'

"This is wrong, sir,' I said, not sure why I called him sir, 'this is wrong.'

'What? The train burning, isn't it?' 'Not that Parekh-ji, they want to kill a boy' 'So what can I do?' he said. 'Stop them.'

'Our job is to listen to people and do what they tell us. Not the other way round.'

'People don't want this,' I said.

'They do. Trust me. Today, the cooker needs a whistle to release the pressure."

'But kids? Women?' I said.

'Doesn't matter. Whatever it takes to quench the hurt feelings. People in pain want to feel better. Unfortunately, today I can't think of a better way.'

'This is a horrible way,' I said.

'This will last a day or two, but if we stifle it, it could explode into a huge civil war.'

'Your party will be blamed for it,' I said, trying to appeal to their self-interest.

'By who? A few pseudos? Not the people of Gujarat. We are making people feel better. They will elect us again and again. You wait and see.'

'Sir, this boy. He could be in the national team someday.' Mama snatched the phone from me.

'Don't worry Parekh-ji, I'll take care of all this. You will be proud of me tomorrow,' Mama said and hung up.

I looked around for another mini-leader in the pack. I walked up to him and took him aside.