Monday August 5, 6 pm: The monsoon session of parliament has just begun and Shashikant, who runs a small business in Karnataka's city of Udupi, checks into a Delhi hotel; he's in the capital to do "a bit of political networking". That involves, in the main, a meeting with OscarFernandes, the Union minister for road transport and highways, who also hails from Udupi. It's close to sunset but Shashikant is in no hurry to head to the minister's office. After a shower and an early dinner, he takes a two-hour nap before taking a cab to reach ParivahanBhavan on Parliament Street.
11 pm: The office of the minister is a beehive of activity. On the fifth floor, Fernandes' office staff has its work cut out to make seating arrangements for 100-odd visitors who have come from across the country. Shashikant grabs a chair in the visitors' room; each person has a couple of minutes to tell the leader his purpose of visit. Fernandes moves around the room, beginning each conversation with those gathered with: "Tell me brother." The requests to the minister are varied: from asking for a job or any other kind of favour to inviting Fernandes for a meeting or to a private dinner.
Midnight: As the clock strikes 12, the minister settles down for the next task on his schedule: an interview with ET Magazine. "Why do you like to work in the office so late at night?" this writer begins.
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