House of Cards: A Novel Read online

  ‘When will she meet us?’

  ‘Please wait. I’ll let you know as soon as she gets here.’

  People waiting outside in the hall felt restless. Some of them got hungry and went to have coffee and snacks at a tea shop in front of the Health minister’s house. The shop was doing brisk business that day. Mridula started talking to some people around them. Sanjay felt frustrated. He said, ‘Mridula, I’m going to get myself a cup of tea. Do you want anything?’

  ‘No. You go ahead. I’ll stay here. If the minister calls your name while you’re out, I can go and talk to her.’

  The elderly gentleman sitting next to them was listening to their conversation. He said, ‘I’ll also come with you.’

  While walking to the tea shop, Sanjay asked him, ‘You don’t look like you are working for the government. Why are you here?’

  ‘I have come to ask for help for my daughter and son-in-law. Both of them are doctors and they’ve been transferred elsewhere.’

  Sanjay told the old man that he was there for the same purpose. The old man said, ‘Oh, this is very common. Most people are here for the cancellation of their transfers. Everybody’s reasons are different. Some people lie and say that their spouse has cancer—and Bangalore has an excellent cancer hospital. They even get a false certificate. Some people are about to retire in a few years and are settled here. So they don’t want to leave Bangalore. People from north Karnataka come here for five years and then they don’t want to go back. Even people from different states come here and don’t want to return because of the nice weather here. Everybody wants to settle down in Bangalore.’

  Sanjay thought, ‘That’s true. Bangalore has hi-tech hospitals for cancer, heart, eyes, neurosurgery and so on. It’s a good city for education too. Nobody would like to leave Bangalore.’

  They bought tea and walked back. The old man wanted to talk more. He said, ‘Bangalore has around fifty-three engineering colleges and ten medical colleges.’

  ‘Do you know the minister?’ Sanjay asked.

  ‘Sort of. When the minister was young, she was a substitute teacher in our village school. Later, she got into politics and slowly went up the ladder. She is not very educated but has good experience in politics.’

  ‘How does she manage to do her job with so little education?’

  ‘Who says she manages? She has people under her to help manage everything. But I really appreciate her courage and aggressiveness, especially since she’s a woman. She doesn’t get perturbed even in stressful situations. There are many people more educated than her but they’re standing in front of her in a queue to request for the cancellation of their transfers. None of them has the guts it takes to be a minister. I tell my daughter—every year this transfer epidemic affects you. Both you and your husband are doctors. Why don’t you resign and start a nursing home? But they don’t agree. They say that there is so much security in a government job and private practice is difficult. So they send me every time to request for a cancellation. They don’t have the courage to even spread their wings.’

  Sanjay thought of Alex. He was a man of courage. For a minute, Sanjay sadly wondered why he was not more like Alex.

  When they got back, they saw that the crowd had increased and there was still no trace of the minister. The security man said, ‘Madam has tremendous tension. So she’s resting. I don’t know when she’ll be available.’ After some time, another peon said, ‘Madam is having a bath. Then she’ll do her puja and have lunch.’

  It was one excuse after another. One thing was certain: the Health minister was not bothered about other people’s time. At 4 p.m., she finally came out. She was plump and in her mid-fifties. She was wearing an expensive silk sari and a lot of jewellery. The air-conditioning was on, but she was sweating profusely.

  People crowded around her. The security men asked everyone to form a queue. Sanjay and Mridula stood at a distance. They noticed that everybody gave a written application and almost all of them were asking for cancellations or promotions. Mridula realized that if they continued standing there, nobody would see them. The Health minister may go back inside at any moment and then the whole day would be wasted. Mridula insisted that Sanjay go and give his application. By the time their turn came, the Health minister was at the end of her patience and looked tired. Without even looking at the application, she asked, ‘Which MLA sent you?’

  ‘Thayamma. She is an MLA from Kolar.’

  ‘Tell me, what do you want?’

  ‘I have been transferred to Bellary.’

  ‘And you don’t want to go there. Well, if nobody wants to go to Bellary, then how will our state progress? Karnataka doesn’t mean that you’ll only be in Bangalore. Moreover, this is a government order.’

  Sanjay did not know what to say. The Health minister continued, ‘You’re young and energetic. At your age, there are usually no physical problems either. You should be bold and adventurous. If you were about to retire, I would have understood why you don’t want to move. But it’s better that you go to Bellary. Come again next year and I’ll relocate you back to Bangalore. I’ll also update Thayamma about our conversation.’

  Her personal assistant came in with a cordless phone. The minister was happy to take the call. She took the phone and, without even turning back, went back into her house. Sanjay and Mridula did not have much choice and came out. Mridula said, ‘I’ve talked to other people here about our situation. Most have bigger problems than ours. In government service, you can’t refuse your transfer. We are young and Sishir is in a lower grade at school. Even the minister has promised us that you’ll be transferred back to Bangalore next year. I can manage to stay alone with Sishir for a year. We’ll try again next year.’

  Mridula loved peace and did not have the capacity to bear conflicts. She believed everybody. If someone said a few nice words to her, she thought that they were genuine. As soon as she heard the minister’s decision, she made up her mind to live without Sanjay for a year.

  A few hours passed; Thayamma phoned the Health minister. She said, ‘Madam, I’ve sent a candidate to you because of pressure from my son’s teacher. The candidate’s name is Sanjay. You can decide whatever you want to do in his case. The decision is completely yours. I don’t have a personal interest in the case.’

  This was politics. All MLAs gave recommendation letters but that did not mean that they actually cared. Sometimes, they themselves called and told the minister not to do the work. If the work was done successfully, then they got the credit. If it was not done, they would simply say, ‘I tried my best. But nobody listens these days. Even God needs pujas and bells to remind him to do our work. A minister’s job isn’t easy. She gets pressure from party workers and the local and central government. That’s why she has high blood pressure.’

  And the drama went on. In today’s politics, everything was an act but no actor was permanent. The only constants in politics were money and power. You needed money to be in power and you had to be in power to make more money. Why would anyone help Sanjay, who was never going to be in a position to return the favour?

  Sanjay decided to go to Bellary for a year. The maternity hospital was in Satyanarayana Pet in Bellary. Sanjay rented a small room nearby with a kitchenette and an attached bathroom. Since he intended to stay just for a year, he did not buy many household items. Mridula continued to stay in Bangalore with Sishir. Rukuma and Bheemanna came and stayed with Mridula for fifteen days, but then they got bored. The pollution in the city did not suit them either. So they went back to Aladahalli.

  On most weekends, Sanjay would come to Bangalore by the Hampi Express and go back after two days. During school holidays, Mridula and Sishir visited him in Bellary. People there were friendly and nice. Sanjay’s honesty was noticed and he became popular. Sometimes, Sanjay thought, ‘Why should I ask to be transferred back to Bangalore? If I tell Mridula that I want to stay here, she’ll agree. But Bangalore has its own attractions. It has good colleges. People like to send thei