Sometime ago, Nisha, the wife of Kottayam MLA Jose K Mani, went to attend the annadhanam at the Pisharukovil Devi temple at Piravom. There, she met several womenfolk, including an 84-year-old lady who requested Nisha to come for the celebrations of her birthday in February.
It was a day when Nisha was heading towards Bangalore in her car with her daughter, Priyanka, who had to sit for the entrance exams for the National Institute of Fashion Technology. But, somehow, Nisha managed to make a stop at the temple and greet the old lady. “Her look of happiness made my day,” she says.
During the election campaign for the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, Nisha had campaigned extensively, and given her number to numerous women in the seven Assembly segments - Ettumanoor, Kottayam, Puthupally, Kaduthuruthy, Vaikom, Pala and Piravom - that comprise the Kottayam constituency.
“I told them to contact me in case they need something,” says Nisha. “And they have been calling me. And we have become friends.”
Thus far, Nisha has 500 numbers saved on her mobile phone. And following in the footsteps of Jose, she has attended weddings, birthdays and death ceremonies. “Yes, definitely, I am doing this to help my husband,” she says. “But I am also a people-person and enjoy meeting women.”
In fact, once desperate to find a toilet, while travelling between Kaduthuruthy and Thalayolaparambu she stopped at a random house, knocked on the door, introduced herself, used the toilet and became friends with the family. “I have attended their birthdays and baptisms,” she says, with a smile.
Interestingly, Nisha says that she does not play politics. “In fact, I don't even know which party they belong to or have sympathies for,” she says. “I have a clear mind on this.”
Meanwhile, her day begins very early when people come to the house at Kottayam. “Many of them are well-wishers, who want to meet Jose,” she says. Nisha ensures they all have something to eat. However, if there is a woman accompanied by a child, she will provide breakfast.
Thus far, the feedback she is getting from voters about Jose for next month's Lok Sabha election is positive. “With God's grace, there is a good chance that Jose will win once again, although I have told my husband not to take anything for granted,” says Nisha. “He should keep working as hard as ever.”