Influencer Candidate

College gate ke saamne Aarav Khanna ne apna phone selfie mode pe set kiya aur smile aise di jaise kisi brand ka naya face reveal ho raha ho. Peeche North Campus ka purana iron gate, side me auto-wale ki horn, aur saamne do fresher bacche full curiosity se dekh rahe the. Aarav ne light ko check kiya, collar thoda straighten kiya, aur camera ke saamne bolna shuru kiya, “Guys, this election isn’t about politics. It’s about your voice.”

Kabir Malik, jo thoda door khade hokar tripod pakde hua tha, turant bola, “Perfect. Bas ek aur take. Is baar end me thoda pause de dena, reel zyada cinematic lagegi.” Aarav ne ek chhota sa nod diya, jaise yeh sab uske liye natural ho. Uske campaign posters pe likha tha: “Aarav Khanna: Student Voice. Real Change.” Caption me hashtags the, teaser clips the, aur QR code bhi tha jo campaign manifesto ke Instagram highlight se connect ho raha tha.

Dekhne me sab kuch polished tha. Aarav ka white kurta, thoda casual denim jacket, confident walk, aur woh effortless smile — sab kuch campus me viral hone ke liye enough tha. DU ke students waise bhi half time class me aur half time story me rehte hain, toh Aarav ka entry game instantly hit ho gaya. Canteen se hostel tak, library se photocopy shop tak, sab jagah log ek hi baat kar rahe the, “Yaar, ye candidate toh pure influencer vibe de raha hai.”

Aur honestly, Aarav ko ye sunna achha lagta tha. Bahut achha.

Uska phone constantly vibrate kar raha tha — likes, shares, DMs, story mentions. Kabir khushi se almost analytics ka pooja karne wala mood me tha. “Bro, first reel pe 18k views in three hours. Engagement rate insane hai. Agar aise chale toh election toh pakka.” Aarav ne bas muskurate hue reply kiya, “Bhai, people want authenticity. Main wahi toh de raha hoon.”

Sach? Thoda sa.

Poora sach? Bilkul nahi.

Aarav ko public me bolna aata tha. Camera ke saamne woh aisa lagta tha jaise bachpan se stage uska ghar ho. Har issue ko ek line me punchy bana deta, har problem ko tweet size me compress kar deta. Bus timings? “Students deserve punctuality, not excuses.” Library access? “Knowledge shouldn’t have a gatekeeping policy.” Internship support? “Future ko filter mat karo.” Students ko catchy lagta tha. Shareable lagta tha. But deep? Nahi.

Meera Sethi ne pehli baar Aarav ko seriously tab notice kiya jab woh canteen ke paas ek group ke beech khada ho kar bol raha tha, “Bro, this election is not about power. It’s about platform.” Uske baad usne ek perfect little laugh diya, jaise line khud uske dimag se nahi, kisi script se nikli ho. Meera, jo campus bulletin aur debate society dono me active thi, thodi door se ye sab observe kar rahi thi. Usne apni notebook me bas ek line likhi: “Too polished. Too convenient.”

Meera ka nature loud nahi tha. Woh woh type ki girl thi jo corner me khadi rehkar bhi room ka temperature samajh leti thi. Uske questions seedhe hote the, par unka effect uncomfortable. Aarav ke campaign ko dekhkar usko pehle irritation hui, phir curiosity, aur phir suspicion. Kya woh sach me student issues ke liye khada hua hai? Ya bas ek aur boy-next-door brand build kar raha hai?

Usne interviews start kiye. Library ke bahar ek second-year student ne kaha, “Aarav bhai ka reel mast tha, but mujhe nahi pata unka actual plan kya hai.” Hostel gate pe ek girl boli, “Campaign vibe toh strong hai, but safety ka kya?” Canteen wale ne bhi has ke bola, “Ye sab election me sab bolte hain, beta. Kaam koi nahi karta.” Meera ko har jagah ek hi pattern dikha — people were entertained, not convinced.

Aur yeh baat Aarav tak bhi pahunch rahi thi, bas us tarah nahi jaisa Meera chahti thi.

Kabir ne campaign ko launch se zyada brand rollout bana diya tha. QR-coded posters, meme templates, “Aarav reacts to campus problems” reels, “day in my campaign” vlogs — sab kuch planned tha. Agar koi student complaint karta, Kabir kehte, “Bro, usko story me convert karte hain. Emotional angle milega.” Aarav bhi is game me comfortable tha, kyunki attention uske liye oxygen jaisi thi.

Uska background bahut fancy nahi tha. Middle-class family, Noida ke ek compact flat me growing up, jahan success ka matlab tha “log notice karein.” School me woh average tha, ghar me quiet, aur relatives ke beech “theek-thaak baccha” type. College aake usne discover kiya ki agar tum camera ke saamne bright ho, toh log tumhe important maan lete hain. Social media uske liye sirf hobby nahi tha; woh invisible hone ke khilaaf ek weapon tha.

Ek shaam campaign shoot ke beech, jab Kabir lighting adjust kar raha tha aur ek junior student background me fake crowd reaction de raha tha, Aarav ka phone dead ho gaya. Charger dhundhte-dhundhte woh terrace ke side wale corridor me chala gaya. Wahan noise kam thi, aur first time usne apni hi voice bina echo ke suni. Kabir ne door se chillaya, “Aarav, bhai, next take me thoda zyada passion!” Aarav ne hansne ki koshish ki, par uska face thoda loose pad gaya.

Meera wahi paas me bulletin ke liye notes le rahi thi. Usne Aarav ko dekha aur seedha bola, “Tumhe lagta hai tum jo kar rahe ho, woh leadership hai?”

Aarav ne instant defensive smile lagayi. “Aur tumhe lagta hai tum jo kar rahi ho, woh journalism hai ya personal vendetta?”

Meera ne eyebrow uthaya. “Depends. Tumhara campaign ka actual agenda kya hai? Ya bas aesthetic hai?”

Uska sawaal seedha tha, aur Aarav ko pasand nahi aaya. Par usne jawab diya, “Students ko connect karna bhi agenda hota hai.”

“Connect?” Meera ne thoda sa laugh kiya. “Tum har issue ko one-liner me convert kar dete ho. Real problems ko reel-friendly bana rahe ho.”