Swapan could not recognise the person standing before him in the mirror. He was looking very strange. He was, however, more astonished to see the reflection of his finger in the mirror.

Swapan had stains of blue ink on the index finger of his left hand. He looked at it from different angles. But he could not get out of the trance-like state.

Swapan was 18. He went to the polling booth for first time to cast his vote that day. A feeling of maturity and responsibility had gripped him .

He had been thinking of himself as a responsible citizen of this great nation since his name was published in the voter list. When he went to the polling booth, he could feel that his age and experience both were increasing rapidly.

Swapan did not know how sensitive he was about the society. He did not know how much awareness one could generate inside a person through newspapers and TV news channels. But he was confident that he would be wise while choosing the candidate who deserved his vote. He did not suffer from any dilemma.

Swapan had updated his Facebook status in advance that morning. It read: ‘Cast my first vote’. He had to do it because his internet data pack was going to end a few minutes later.

Swapan was stunned when he was about to enter the polling booth. There was a huge line of voters. He could see the police and central forces also along with the cadres of various parties. It seemed like a grand arrangement.

As Swapan was about to cast his vote by pressing a button on the EVM, suddenly someone’s hand grabbed his.

‘Boy! This is not the right symbol. Press here.’

Swapan did not object. He just did what he was told to do.

‘Yeah! That’s nice. Now go home,’ the man was visibly happy.

Swapan looked at the mirror sadly. He had a tear in his eyes, just like the person in the mirror. The ‘Swapan’ caged in the mirror is also bearing the stained mark of democracy. The ‘Swapan’ on Facebook also had become a first-time voter. After returning home, he had tried hard to remove the indigo from his finger using soaps and oil. But he could not get rid of this mockery.

For the next few weeks, Swapan would have to lead his life with the identity of an elector in the world’s largest democracy.