By Chryselle D’Silva Dias
If you thought that announcing an all-woman observer team being sent to Goa because men can’t be trusted was unusual enough, think again.
Goa is in full election mode with candidates hustling for votes at doorsteps and on the street. There are promises and sneaky deals being made over bhaji-pao in local restaurants. The eight-member female team of observers from other parts of India are hopefully vigilant and not, like their male counterparts, apparently seduced by the lure of rice-curry and siesta while political games are being played.
Games of a different kind are being played though, with the Chief Electoral Office announcing that each constituency would have one special women-only polling station. We assume that this was to encourage female voters to step out and vote, cutting through long queues.
The catch? It’s all going to be pink. The polling station will have pink flowers and pink balloons. The polling officers and security guards will be asked to wear pink. And female voters will also be requested to come dressed according to the theme, so they know their vote is precious (and pink).
According to a report in the Herald, “The polling officers on duty will be made to wear pink. We are also making efforts to appeal to the voters to wear pink while visiting the station to cast their vote,” said IAS officer Kunal, Chief Electoral Office.
There’s more.
First-time female voters will also receive a gift for making this tremendous journey into democracy. Not cash (the ATMs are dry), not fish (too expensive, even for the EC), but, wait for it, a pink teddy bear. You can’t make this up even if you put on a pink hat all day and thought about it.
And what about first-time male voters? Don’t they deserve a pink teddy bear?
The Election Commission should be congratulated for their novel ideas. But perhaps we should count our blessings that the ‘selfie points’ introduced in Punjab’s polling stations haven’t made their way to Goa yet.
The big question now for the 5,62,930 female voters in Goa is not which candidate to vote for but what to wear on election day. Will the security staff wear pink camouflage? The sartorial worries one faces to defend democracy weigh more than the question of which candidate is the least corrupt.
I can imagine our Goan ladies queuing up in their Sunday best pink sarees, satin blouses and ballerina dresses. The young ones will bring a large shopping bag to keep their pink teddy bear (since size of bear has not yet been announced). Perhaps, sales of clothing will go up in the next few weeks as the women of Goa rush to be part of this innovative new adventure. It’s a good excuse to go stand in ATM queues again.
The bonus? We can always reuse the costumes for Carnival.
Chryselle D’Silva Dias is a writer based in Goa. You can read her work at www.chryselle.net