The episode premise rests on a local official calling up Abhishek and threatening him with disciplinary action. Apparently some slogans need to be painted on the village walls and it hasn’t been done as yet. 

Abhishek heads over to the site with the entire Panchayat. The slogan is about family planning. 

Chahe munna, chahe muniya

Do bachchon ki pyaari duniya. 

The deputy comments that slogans like these make no difference. After all, people will produce as many kids as they want to. HIs sarcasm is disarming. Abhishek is trying to buy milk from the Chief which his mother is worried he’s not drinking enough of. But it’s not a simple - Can I please buy milk? - conversation. There’s the question - Does he want cow or buffalo? Which type of buffalo? (In case you’re wondering there are three types). And when Abhishek says half a litre, the chief forces him to take more. The little details in these conversations are wildly amusing. 

They arrive at the next sign which says:

Do bachche hain meethi kheer

Usse zyada bavaseer. 

I read that and wondered. What does “Bavaseer” mean? So I switched on the captions and discovered it’s translated as piles. Oooh! That’s harsh!

Prahlad is concerned about the extremity of this message. But Abhishek and Pradhan are okay with it saying that no one really reads these signs and no one pays attention. They dissipate off to their respective days. 

Pradhan ji’s wife is upset that he’s offered free milk to Abhishek. She’s concerned about mounting expenses and their daughter’s impending wedding. I like how these two wind each other up. 

Elsewhere Abhishek is back at the site taking a picture of the painted slogan when a villager appears with his three children. He reads the slogan and gets very offended. His third and youngest child Pintoo is not a “bavaseer” he exclaims. His elder children start making fun of and bullying Pintoo. Uh oh! Is this going to cause all the third and counting children to be ostracised? The villager, Bhushan, tells Abhishek to remove the slogan, but Abhishek says he can’t do so because he has orders from the top. This infuriates Bhushan who collects the nearby villagers and promises that he will not vote for Pradhan ji in the next election. The crowd, most of whom have several children agree. 

Abhishek takes this issue to Pradhan ji who immediately wants to remove the slogans. But Abhishek is concerned because the orders have come from the top and if he doesn’t follow them he could get fired. While they are discussing this, Pradhan ji gets a call regarding this same issue. He starts calculating how many votes he is likely to lose and is visibly panicked. Abhishek says that he will try to speak to the higher ups and see if they can be convinced otherwise. 

Pradhan ji steals a lauki from his farm, much to the anger of his wife. He sends it with Abhishek to convince the higher ups to repaint the slogan. Abhishek enters with the lauki and the official is not impressed. It’s interesting to see how an elected official’s responsibility differs drastically from a government official’s. Abhishek asks the official to convince Pradhan ji, but he says it’s not his job. They also discuss that the word “bavaseer” is offensive and the official clarifies that it is meant to be that, so that people will learn and not have that many children. This logic is so bad. I can see this backfiring in a big way. The official leaves them with the threat of the District Magistrate’s authority and wrath looming over their heads. 

Abhishek is back at Pradhan’s home. They are discussing how they should proceed next. Pradhan tells Manju Devi that she will lose the next election. But Manju Devi points out that while men are protesting this slogan, if you ask the women, they’ll all share that having more than two children - raising them, caring for them - is a difficult task. They would actually appreciate this slogan painted. 

She further goads her husband telling him that he is too scared to stand up for what’s right. For instance, he won’t ask for the money for milk, and he won’t let the slogan stay up. 

This triggers his male ego and he decides to do the right thing. The next morning, Pradhan ji calls a ward meeting and stands by the slogan. The wards are concerned that this will affect their votes. However, the Pradhan ji agrees to take full responsibility for the decision. The entire Panchayat stands behind him. These guys are quite endearing I must say. They convince the wards and adjourn the meeting. 

Just as the meeting finishes, Abhishek gets a call from the BDO saying that the slogan caused arson in a nearby village. Therefore, they’ve decided that the slogans are no longer mandatory. Abhishek freaks out and immediately asks for a reversal of the decision. But Pradhan has now put his full force behind it. He also knows that the folks in his village aren’t going to burn things down. He explains that whatever the outcome, they’ll know in the next election. And then he adds, addressing the secretary that he needs to start paying Rs 750 from next month on. After all, the Murra buffalo has expensive upkeep. Abhishek looks confused but nods in agreement. Meanwhile, I’m thinking - Rs 750 for half a litre of milk sounds really expensive! I hope it’s his monthly bill or else Abhishek is getting screwed.