Mausam charms seasoned voters

1 Apr 2009, 0100 hrs IST, Subhro Maitra, TNNMALDA: In the rustic, dusty backdrop of the tribal belts of Dhumpur, Ashrampara and Rishipur, she wafts in like a breeze. Mausam Noor, the
maternal niece of ABA Ghani Khan Chowdhury, is stepping into the sun to carry forward Barkat Da's legacy. "Oi dakh, oi meyeta, oitai Barkater Bhanji (Look, that girl is Barkat da's niece)," Shila Mudi whispered to her daughter
in the CPM stronghold. Mini Hembram tried to crane over the heads and shoulders of the men around to take a look at Mausam. Hundreds line the village lanes. Her glamour may have attracted the curious crowd, but she seems to know which chords to touch. "I lost my father in childhood, a year back I lost my mother as well. I miss the shade of Baromama (Ghani Khan) over my head. Now you're my parents. You're to look after me." Buoyed by the final approval of her candidature, 28-year-old Mausam is going all out on the campaign trail. A hug for a woman here, a pat on a child's
head there, she plays to the gallery. She had visited Gajole, Ratua and Araidanga in the last three days, but Tuesday's campaign was certainly different. The confusion regarding her nomination and the opposition by Ghani's estranged brother Naser over, Noor was visibly upbeat. In spite of the searing heat, she refused the car and walked through the rough roads. In Babupur, she picked up the two-year-old baby of Jahnara Biwi. A cheer went up. Schooling from La Marts, LLB under her belt, registered in Calcutta High Court, a regular at Supreme Court, Mausam is perhaps more comfortable with English rather than rustic Bengali, but she is desperate to be declassed'. "Don't you find my mom (Rubi Noor) in me?" she asked, as she had lunch in a shabby hut. "Mummy always wished me to join politics, to serve the people here," said Mausam. "I pursued law with this intent alone." However, her dream to go to the UK for higher studies had to be postponed due to the sudden demise of Rubi Noor six months back. It was Rubi Noor's wish and more importantly the backing of the Kotwali faction of Malda that led her to contest the by-election. And what about leaving Sujapur within two months of winning as MLA? Mausam deflected the question with a seasoned answer: "The people of Sujapur will be happy to see their daughter as MP in Delhi. Soniaji has bestowed on me this duty and I'm going to perform." And how did she fare with the electorate? Going by the reactions of Jahangir Sk or Akhtari Bewa, Mausam has won the first battle. Reactions ranged from "Ki pharsa! Ami haat chhuyechi!" (How fair! I'm lucky to touch her hand) to "Aha re meyetar pichane kato legeche sabai! (Pity, people are attacking her)." Perhaps this is the sentiment which is sensed by the Congressmen as well. If Samit Chatterjee and Sabitri Mitra were with Mausam from the beginning, now leaders like Asif Meheboob and Mustaque Alam, too, have joined the bandwagon.