Babulal Marandi shows the victory sign while campaigning for the Koderma bypoll. Picture by Shanawaz Akhtar

Koderma, Nov. 5: Atul Krishna Mandal, a quack, has two samudri bichhu (ocean scorpions) crawling on a polythene sheet that he has spread before him and is boiling live two others in a tub to prepare medicine for “all diseases” on the civil court premises on the town’s outskirts.

His makeshift kiosk exhibiting various other black and grey coloured herbs and roots attracts a big crowd of youth and old who wish to buy the “all disease liquid medicine” — revolting in odour — at Rs 20 or Rs 50 or Rs 90 per bottle depending on the size.

Ironically, the court has the Koderma sadar hospital right in front that is supposed to treat the patients free of cost in this backwater of Jharkhand.

But it wears a deserted look even at 1.30 pm on a weekday. Dozens of cows and bullocks are grazing on the hospital campus. Civil surgeon Vinay Kumar leaves in his Zen looking at the quack attracting more patients than him with curious eyes. His hospital has well-maintained offices and five rusting ambulances parked but no patients.

“I had severe pain in my leg. But I rubbed Mandal’s medicine and got instant relief,” says Gopal Prasad, a civil court broker. “Angrezi aspatal sab bekar hain (All the modern hospitals are useless).” Mohan Das, a litigant who looks smarter, counters: “Had it been so, Atal Behari Vajpayee suffering from knee pain would have first invited this roadside quack.”

If the quack is doing good business, so are the dhabas, serving tea, coffee, chhola batura, chilli chicken and even liquor.

Poor women carrying log of woods are seen walking by the side of swanky campaign cars belonging to the political leaders and their supporters parked near the dhabas.

Hotels too are doing roaring business. A supporter of former chief minister Arjun Munda complained that with so many aides, workers and mere hanger’s-on descending on Koderma, it’s become difficult to get a decent accommodation. Money power is on show.

While Babulal Marandi promises “bhai, bhookh and garibi mukt samaj (society free from fear, poverty and hunger) at Ichak, a speeding campaign vehicle hit a young woman carrying wood near the Chandwara bridge on Thursday crushing her to death. Policemen came an hour later to lift the body from the pool of blood splattered on the road.

It’s soothing to stand near the Tilaiya dam with the vast expanse of water feeling the soft caress of the gentle breeze coming from the tall trees and enchanting hills.

“But it is unsafe to be here after 5 pm for extremists may attack,” murmurs a visitor before leaving the reservoir devoid of boats and restaurants and shops.

It’s bonanza time for three-wheeler owners who are charging Rs 50 to 75f or a trip from Koderma to Rajauli against the usual Rs 10 for the Election Commission has seized many local buses. But a nightmarish moment for poor rural folks visiting the city for employment, court and check-up at the hospital or at Mandal’s private health centre.