Biryani meets ballotStudent union elections are back after nine years, and campus democracy seems to have discovered its favourite campaign strategist — biryani. Across colleges, aspiring leaders are serving plates faster than poll promises, turning campuses into all-you-can-eat election arenas. Girl voters are also being courted with chocolates, hair clips and colourful goodies. While candidates focus on winning stomachs before winning votes, some students are wondering whether the promises will survive longer than the biryani’s aroma.Decibel countStudent election fever in Nayagarh recently produced an unintended decibel contest. MLA Arun Sahoo took on the police after reports of youths entering a women’s college campus riding on the poll buzz. While officers tried to explain, Sahoo launched into a full-throttle critique that could probably be heard without a microphone. For onlookers, it briefly appeared less like a law-and-order discussion and more like a clash between official clarification and opposition amplification.Bandh meets logicDuring the INDIA bloc’s bandh, protesters stopped a woman driving through the city and asked why she was out. Her reply was a googly they didn’t see coming: “First close schools and offices, then I won’t have to drop my child or go to work. And honestly, who doesn’t like a holiday?” As protesters searched for a comeback, a passerby advised them to let her go before she started auditing the bandh itself. Debate over, the woman drove away.Pilgrim’s progressAfter a long stint on central deputation, IAS officer Roopa Mishra traded govt files for temple bells and embarked on a spiritual journey through Odisha. From Lingaraj Temple to Jagannath Temple and finally Neelamadhav at Kantilo, the journey blended devotion with homecoming. Kantilo, her ancestral place, added extra emotional mileage to the itinerary. Sharing photographs online, she reflected on her roots by Mahanadi. It was a rare tour where heritage, spirituality and nostalgia all received equal administrative clearance.(Contributed by Team TOI)
