Daughter Megha, 23, does fashion design. Another son Siddhartha, who is not in India at the moment, is studying medicine in Europe.

Abhijeet and Megha voted for the first time this year.

Says Prabhash, "I wish we had a government that was genuinely concerned about the people's needs. One that is sincerely committed to what it [says] in its manifesto. Every party paints a very rosy picture about itself in its manifesto. But when it comes to delivery, none rise to the occasion.

Prabhash has other strong views: "In India, every government must conform to the secular spirit of the Constitution. In fact it would be so much better if people were barred from writing their caste against their names; it could bring an end to the many social and political evils that arise on account of the deep-rooted caste system in this country. Any government, we have, must rise above considerations of caste and creed."

"[The government we elect] should reform the system of reservations for jobs," he says. "In its present form this system is politically oriented. I feel the system of reservations should bar the second generation of well-to-do [backward caste or scheduled tribe] families -- at least those in top government jobs or in reasonable income brackets - from [taking advantage] of the reservation policy.

"Why should the son or daughter of an IAS or IPS officer, belonging to the scheduled caste or an OBC, be entitled to reserved jobs? She has had the best of everything in life. By doing so governments are [being unfair to] the truly deprived ones, who actually deserve reservations."

Wife Manju looks forward to a government that can improve the quality of life for all -- better roads, uninterrupted power supply, clean drinking water and above all better law and order.

Abhijeet, like other youth of his age is concerned with jobs. "The government must offer better job opportunities. There is so much talk of self-employment but I have been here for four months and I find it so difficult to even explore the possibilities. I have already started thinking of going back abroad to settle down there. There is a need to create smooth systems where things move without bribes and [matters do not] get bogged down by corrupt bureaucratic systems which no government seems to check."

Megha too has voted with the hope that this time the nation will get a cleaner government. "I feel that corruption is the root of all evil. If the new government enforces a strict check on that more than half the problems of the country would be solved."

The Chandras spoke to Sharat Pradhan in Lucknow

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How We Will Vote