Even as McCluskieganj was on the trajectory of success, the sad news of MLA Mr Angus Brown’s passing away left all its residents heartbroken. The local newspapers published detailed obituaries. Both the chief minister and the governor of Bihar paid glowing tributes to him. Reporter Basant of Jharkhand News gathered the views of the people of McCluskieganj on the event. The death of Mr Brown spelled the end of an era for the Anglo-Indian community of Bihar in general and McCluskieganj in particular. He was like a messiah of the people. If there were tube wells and roads in
McCluskieganj, they had all been gifted by Mr Brown. He was a true leader who required nothing for himself; he lived for the welfare of others. A great soul had indeed departed and many wept for him.
Robin and Neelmani arranged a condolence meeting at the Highland Guest House. It was attended by young and old alike, irrespective of caste and creed. Lt. General Maya Das, D.C. Hasan, Mukherji-da and so many others. It was touching to see the village that shared with and stood by each other, both in joy and in suffering. All the residents praised Mr Brown’s sense of fairness. If Mr Cameron got the road in front of the Highland Guest House repaired through Mr Brown’s funds, Bhutba Ganjhu remembered how he had wept before him because he lacked drinking water. Sure enough within seven days, Mr Brown had a tube well installed in front of his house. That is why after the 1995 election, when Mr Brown was nominated to the assembly, the chief minister had aptly said, ‘Right or wrong, Brown Baba strong!’
Yet, time never stops, and the people of McCluskieganj were already discussing who the successor of Mr Brown would be. ‘Who will have the trump card and win thereby?’ Mr Gibson had the effrontery to suggest that he would meet the chief minister with his curriculum vitae. To this, Tuinyan Ganjhu said, ‘Yes, you will go to Patna on your Ma Ganga’. To this, Khushia Pahan added, ‘Arre, Tuinyan, Mr Gibson’s words are like a horse’s fart. Just leave him to his ideas. Everyone knows that Mr Brown had chosen his successor in his lifetime. In his will, he had mentioned Mr Rozario as his successor.’ To this, Mr Mendez laughed outright at Khushia. ‘There is no will in the matter of politics. But the news is that the Anglo-Indian Association has recommended the name of Mr Rozario to Chief Minister Lalu Prasad.’
Many were the opinions expressed on the choice of Mr Rozario. Pandit Ramagya Pathak, for one, was definitely very supportive of Mr Rozario. ‘After all, the way Mr Rozario has changed the life of the Anglo-Indian community with the opening of Don Bosco School, along with its effort to house the hostellers in the homes of the local families, is truly remarkable.’ But the astrologer Mukherji-da of Guhabadi had something else to say. He had observed that the position of the stars on 3 August 1995 was not very auspicious for Mr Rozario. Which meant that his tenure would certainly not be as long as Mr Brown’s. But Mr Mendez refuted the last prediction saying, ‘The configuration that has given Mr Rozario the honour is not up to us Mukherji-da. There are powers beyond us that control such factors. We cannot say who will stay and who will go.’
Idle chatter aside, the fact was that Mr Rozario had been nominated MLA and he would stay so for the next five years. So a warm reception party was arranged by the residents of
McCluskieganj for him. However, the rains were an impediment. They were non-stop, and according to Khushia Pahan, westerly winds in July and easterly winds in August were a sure sign of continuous rains. And he was proved correct. Mr Mendez was only concerned about Miss Bonner somehow surviving the rainy season, because he knew what trouble they had had during the burial of Mr Reuben Rafael.