Well, looks like the saffron brigade needs to sharpen its act against missionaries because, judging by the number of hopefuls - many of whom had waited for more than 24 hours in the winter chill - outside the reputed Lourdes School here, their campaign has failed.

One day every year, Lourdes hands out admission forms for its junior classes. These forms are much sought after. This year, however, it was supposed to have been different. What with the city Vishwa Hindu Parishad unit targetting Lourdes - and St Xavier's, where, incidentally, similar scenes were played out yesterday - and `forceful request' made to parents not to send their wards to missionary schools.

A few weeks ago, the VHP had issued a four-page leaflet titled "Hinduo Jago...", whichconcluded with the lines "Hindu Jage...Christie Bhage" and in-between named the two missionary schools and asked Hindus not to send their wards their.

That request, however, have been met with a firm rebuff. Anxious parents stood in queues that began at the school gate and extended several hundred metres to get the forms. While there is no "first come first served" practice, rumours that the first 10 people to get a form would have easy entry to the school added to the anticipation.

Every parent that this reporter spoke to had the same thing to say, "We are only interested in our children receiving good education." What about the communal tension in Surat district and the Dangs? "We are least concerned. That is all politics," they said.

Piyush Gandhi, a parent, was more emphatic. "There are a few BJP and Bajrang Dal activists in the queue as well," he said pointing to Bajrang Dal activist Piyush Desai. When cornered, Desai admitted, "It's a good institution."

The first parent came to the schoolat around 8.30 am on Wednesday, almost a day in advance (distribution was to begin at 8 am on Thursday). The parents first took turns standing in the queues and then, as night fell and the winter chill seeped in, handed their places over to servants. There they squatted through the night, wrapped in blankets and clinging on to the chits that indicated their place in the queue.

All this, in fact, despite the school management's announcement that all comers would be given a form.

By 11 pm on Wednesday, there were as many as many as 260 persons holding the chits. "I don't want to take any chance," a young parent told The Indian Express

, pointing to the serpentine queue encircling the footpath. He was going to buy vegetables when he saw the small queue. He dropped the idea of buying vegetables and was handed over chit number 28.

VHP acting president Laljibhai Patel and Bajrang Dal's South Gujarat convenor Harish Surti called the rush a mad craze. Patel, reiterating the VHP's stand on Christians,said, "Hindus are slowly becoming aware."

But, going by the scenes of the past two days, Patel's words may have an ironic ring to them.