Orissa is a State on the Eastern coast of India. So much for the geography lesson. Let's get political. Orissa is one of the few states the Congress still rules; still, being the operative term there. Over the last fortnight it has witnessed turmoil in the form of the ghastly murder of an Australian missionary and his two children and the alleged rape of one Anjana Mishra, who is also said to have been molested by the State's Advocate General.

Till recently, the State's Chief Minister was one Janaki Ballabh Patnaik (yes, Patnaik, you can smile at that, but you won't for long). Patnaik, if you recall, was once embroiled in a defamation case against a media house over allegations that he enjoyed sodomising young boys. That, the courts ruled, was untrue. And, JB the pure continued to rule the State. That is, till recently.

JB is now history. The royal edict from 10 Jan Path has been his eviction notice. And he has been replaced. by one Girdhar Gomango. This gentleman may sound a runaway fruit, but nevertheless Mamma Sonia has smiled upon him and he has now taken oath as the new CM, while JB is quietly taking oaths of a different sort.

Gomango is a tribal who represents the Koraput constituency in the Lok Sabha. He entered the House purely by accident, contesting a seat vacated by his uncle. His rise in Indian politics has an interesting tale behind it.

Apparently during the early 1980s, a small musical troupe of politicians aka the sycophants orchestra played up to Indira Gandhi. In her regal style, she sat in the middle of her lawn, while the cadgers made their music. Among them was Gomango on the mridangam. Madamji was so impressed that she offered him a post as a Deputy Minister at the Centre. And, thereafter, Gomango's name came to the fore in the gossipy corridors of New Delhi.

However, Gomango has problems now. Yes, he may be CM, but this also an election year in the State. And he has the distinct advantage of enjoying a reputation for integrity, which in Indian politics is akin to oblivion. Then again the source of funds to the State Congress will dry up. Why? JB pulls the purse strings and he may not be in the mood to disburse of his largesse. So wags in Bhubaneshwar argue that Gomango has been appointed as an interim CM. Till? Till the Congress manages to woo Naveen Patnaik, son of Biju, brother of Geeta Mehta (of Karma Cola fame), friend of Jackie Onassis, New York socialite, and part-time Oriya. Naveen seems inclined to merge his party, the Biju Janata Dal, into the Congress, in exchange for total control of the State. If that happens, the State Congress should have a gay time of it.

What of JB and why exactly was he removed? Hey, the moralistic reasons, in the context of politics as it is, hold as much water as a single-kidneyed Atal Behari Vajpayee. So, what? Well, apparently JB's real sin was his continued proximity to PV Narasimha Rao, former Prime Minister, now persona non grata vis-à-vis Sonia. In fact, Rao's name still figures in the voters' list in Bhubaneshwar and could JB have survived a stigma of that magnitude?

So JB is out and Gomango is in. And for Gomango, a numerologist by hobby, it's a question of counting the number of days till he follows JB up the garden path.