I am standing at a small railway station in Bengal early in the morning in cold weather. Fifty percent of the station's length is covered with a roof. Under that roof are the booking office, station master's office and a small waiting room. Which always remains empty. In the name of a maternity home, it is used by stray dogs and cats. There are two big dense banyan trees in the empty place. The tree is very old, probably from the British era. The tree was surrounded with stones up to a height of three feet and given the shape of a platform. Passengers used to wait for their trains by sitting or lying on them. It is said that last time when Bengal was submerged in floods, people of nearby villages considered this station as their home for a few days. When the situation was very bad, the then Chief Minister Jyoti Basu had appealed to the world for help. At that time many Durga Puja committees of Mumbai had given all their donations to Bengal. What I mean to say is that the hero of my story is coming from there.
It was 5:30 in the morning. There was fog all around, visibility was a hundred feet. The azan of the mosque could be heard from somewhere in the distance. On both sides of the station, there were small and big pond-like pits which were filled with water. There were banana trees on their banks. Amidst all this there was a settlement of mud and cement houses. There was a slight increase in activity at the station. The people who were sitting around stood up. Railway employees swung into action. This was the signal for the arrival of the train. A small light was seen breaking through the fog in the distance, then the engine was seen, then the whole train came out of the fog whistling and slowly came to a standstill at the station. This train had come from Sealdah and was going to Guwahati. Some passengers ran towards their reserved coaches. A couple got down from the AC coach. These were Buddhadev Chakraborty and his wife Madhavi Chakraborty. People lovingly call him Babu. He is a handsome 28-year-old young man from Mumbai. He works as a manager in a private company. His wife Madhavi was 24 years old and is a professor in a reputed college in Mumbai. Their marriage was arranged by their parents. Their marriage took place in Mumbai. Madhavi was coming to her maternal home after two years of marriage. They picked up their bags and started walking.
Crossed the railway line and came out of the station. The train kept its promise and moved towards its next destination. There was a big empty space outside the station in which some cycle rickshaw drivers were sitting with bonfires. Some of them had wrapped themselves with blankets. Some stood up as soon as they saw them. Madhavi talked to one of them and sat in his rickshaw. The destination was the old Bata shop. By the way, autos are also available here which people call Tumtum. It can seat four passengers and runs on battery. But Madhavi decides to enjoy the cycle rickshaw ride. Passing the office, hostel and grounds of the Railways' RPF Training Centre, they passed through the middle road of a nearby settlement. The road there was rough. There were houses and shops on both sides which were not open yet. After crossing it they reached near the highway. Which used to go from Kolkata to Siliguri. Crossing it, they went inside the city where Madhavi's maternal house was.
Sitting in the rickshaw, she started giving information about the city to Babu. She showed her school and then showed the way to her college from where she is a graduate in M.Sc. While passing on the way, she showed him the government office as well as the District Court where her elder brother Alok Sen practices law. They passed by the public library, behind which was a large football field, on which some people were walking and some running. There was a cinema hall where she used to come to watch movies with her family.
Most of the people here had added one more floor to their old houses. The houses of these people were so close to each other that you could easily go to each other's terrace. They saw showrooms of big renowned companies in the market. At this time everything was closed except the roadside tea shop. Someone was opening his tea shop and someone was boiling tea. Everyone was covered in blankets or wearing sweaters. At a shop, a customer was sitting on a nearby bench, waiting for tea.
At this time, it was 5.45 in the morning. Piles of garbage were visible at every distance on the road. In which some dogs and cows were searching for their food. There were some temples on the roadside, some of them were of Goddess Kali and some of Lord Shani Dev. His wife showed him a permanent big stage where the Shardiya Goddess Durga Puja is celebrated. She pointed towards a street where some of her close relatives lived. Some taps were seen on the way, on which some women were filling water and some were washing clothes. In comparison, some taps were not so lucky; It was flowing without any beneficiary. Some sweet shops had started opening. His mouth watered after seeing the sweets kept there.
As he started getting closer to her house, people standing nearby started raising their heads and staring. They all were looking at Babu as the son-in-law of their area. On this pretext, Madhavi sits straight and puts her arms around his elbows. These women know very well how to set fire to someone's heart. It is possible that someone might have insulted Madhavi in ??the past or broken her heart or imposed some condition to which she responded today. When he tried to put his hand around her waist, she scolded him with wide eyes.
Finally, at 6 o'clock they reached their destination. Their house was originally a single storey, like others they also built another storey on top of the old house. It was adjacent to the road. There was a medicine shop below her house. This was the entire market area. There were shops on both sides of the road. This area is very densely populated. Her house faced east but the entrance was in a narrow lane towards the north. The width of the lane was such that you could easily spread both your hands. The main door of the house was very old, there were many square designs on it. The height of the door was less than 6 feet.
As soon as they reached there, Madhavi kicked the door hard. The door on the right side opened completely but the door on the left did not open completely. If someone in Mumbai repeatedly rang the bell, let alone kicked the door, Madhavi would get angry.
When Babu tried to open the door, she said, 'It won't open, leave it.'
He saw that the ground below that door was raised. It was dark inside. When he tried to enter inside, his head hit the door frame.
She immediately said, 'Walk carefully.'
He walked a few steps holding his bag like a blind man.
He murmured softly, 'It seems that we have reached some dark cave.'
While crossing the 12x4 feet long dark narrow path, Babu collides with a bicycle kept there. After this they reached a small space of 10x20 feet, there were doors in front and on the left. There was a bathroom on the right side of the front door. A bike and a scooter were parked in front of the bathroom. There were stairs to go up on the left side. There was a window on the wall near the staircase from where light was coming.
Pointing to the front door she said, 'This is my elder brother's office and next door is his bedroom.'
They climbed the steep stairs in the light of the window. He was not in the habit of climbing such stairs. He felt a strain in the muscles of his knees.
As soon as they reached the square empty space on the first floor, she shouted loudly, 'Mother, I have come.'
The next moment a crowd gathered there. The crowd included her parents, two brothers, her twin sister, her elder sister-in-law and their 3-year-old son. Her father Gautam Sen was 60 years old. He had glasses on his eyes. Her grandfather was a good doctor in that district. Since her father could not become a doctor, he became a pharmacist, obtained a license, and opened his own drugstore. Her mother was 57 years old, name was Debopriya Sen. She was a graduate in B.Sc. Her smile was heart winning. How beautiful she was in her youth could be gauged by looking at her twin daughters. She was a staunch fan of famous Bengali actor Uttam Kumar. The day he died; She cried like a child and remained hungry for two days. You can see his picture on the wall next to the dining table in the dining room.
Her elder brother's name was Alok Sen who was 30 years old. His face was always smiling. He was a good football player in his college life. Even now, whenever he gets a chance, he goes to play football with his friends. Now he practices law in the District Court. Her middle brother's name is Indranil Sen. His age was 27 years. His eyes were beautiful. After completing his studies as a pharmacist, he started working in the shop with his father. They are looking for a bride for him. She has a twin sister named Riya Sen. Babu was surprised to see her. Both look alike. She went to London to study, now works in a prestigious hospital there. She is a gynaecologist. She could not come to India at the time of Madhavi's marriage. Hearing the news of her sister's arrival at her parents' house, she also reached there. The two sisters hugged each other enthusiastically.
She looked at her and smilingly said to Madhavi, 'If I were here, I would be next to your Babu instead of you.'
She winked at Riya and said, 'Beware, if you put strings on my dear Babu, no one will be worse than me.'
Everyone is laughing loudly. Her elder sister-in-law's name is Nandita Sen. Her age is 26 years. Her face is quite similar to that of old Bengali actress Madhabi Mukherjee. She was Alok's classmate in college. Later they fell in love and got married. Today she helps her husband in his work. They have a three-year-old son named Saheb. There was another person present in that crowd whom everyone loved very much. That was their stray dog ??Tumtum. According to Madhavi, when he was six days old, his mother died in a road accident and her sister-in-law brought him home. Now he was 9 months old. As soon as he saw the new member in the family, he started roaming around Babu's feet. Babu touched the feet of the elders and saluted them and lovingly caressed Saheb's head.
Tumtum also wanted his share of love, he stood on his hind legs and reached Madhavi's chest. She started caressing him lovingly and as soon as he felt satisfied, he left from there. On this floor there was a large dining room with a kitchen on the eastern side and a bedroom on the southern side. Their belongings were taken to the second floor which was recently constructed. There was one bedroom each in the east and south direction. They were given an east facing bedroom. The rooms were much nicer than others with attached toilet and bathroom. Riya was staying in the room next to them. It looked as if their parents had spent a lot of money building it. After freshening up they was called for breakfast.
Babu, reached the balcony adjacent to the room. The balcony railing was made of round concrete pillars. He found that the balcony of the adjacent room was adjacent to his balcony. From there the road was clearly visible on both sides for 100 feet. The sun had risen. A fair of pigeons was organized on the roofs of the houses opposite. There was an electric pole at the corner of the lane of their house. On which there were electrical cables which were passing at a distance of just 5 feet from their balcony. He looked around and found that at some places the distance between the cable and the house was even less.
He thought of taking a bath and took off all his clothes and wrapped a towel around his waist. Then his eyes fell on Madhavi who was busy opening her bag by showing her ass towards him. Seeing her in that position set off mischievous bells in his mind.
She understood his intention and said with wide eyes, 'Go quietly and take a bath, they are waiting for us for breakfast.'
She ruined his plan and he slipped into the bathroom like a withered flower. She smiled seeing his face. When he looked in the bathroom there was no water in the tap. When she screamed from here, someone started the pump on the lower floor and after some time water came in the tap. Free water is supplied to every house here. But drinking water had to be bought.
When they reached the dining hall with some gifts for everyone, they saw that everyone was waiting for them. Madhavi looked beautiful in a red maxi with artwork on the neck and chest. She had brought the same maxi for Riya which she was wearing. Then the house echoes with laughter and fun. When both of them came back to their room it was 8.30.
As soon as they entered the room, she said, 'You sleep here, I am in Riya's room. We are meeting after a long time. We will talk a lot.'
Babu had the habit of sleeping in the dark, so he closed the north facing window as well as the east facing balcony door and window. The room temperature was normal and he was tired, so he fell asleep as soon as he fell on the bed. When he opened his eyes due to the heat, his gaze fell on the wall clock; It was ten o'clock. He saw that Madhavi was on his left side and was sleeping with her back towards him. He got up from the bed, switched on the air conditioner and fell asleep clinging to her. In his sleepy state, he placed his right hand on her waist and slowly took it to her navel. Then he pressed the navel with his index finger and started rotating it in circles. When she did not retaliate, his courage increased further. He slowly started moving towards her breasts. After reaching there, he placed his hand on her right breast and pressed it gently. Still, she did not express any reaction. As soon as he put his hand inside her maxi, she caught his hand. When Babu opened his eyes around 12.30 in the afternoon, he saw she sitting near his head on his right side and caressing his head. He placed his head in her lap.
Just then Riya knocks on the door of the room and asks, 'Can I come inside?'
Hearing the voice, Babu tried to remove his head from her lap but she did not allow this to happen and said, 'Come inside.'
Riya opened the door and came into the room. Seeing her he was shocked for a moment. She was wearing the same maxi which Madhavi was wearing. There was not even an iota of difference between the two. This was a miracle of nature. Seeing his condition both the sisters started laughing. When he looked into Riya's eyes, her eyes were fearless and careless. Madhavi was completely opposite to her.
She said, 'Come, everyone is waiting for you in the dining room.'
There was a custom in that house that they used to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner together. On top of that, their son-in-law had come home for the first time, so there was bound to be a celebration. At around one o'clock the father and son handed over the shop to the servants and came upstairs. Elder brother also reached home from court. Usually everyone used to sit together and eat food, but today their son-in-law has come to the house, so men will eat food first and women later. Along with those four, Saheb also sat on the chair near his grandfather.
He asked, 'Grandfather, what is today, why have we prepared so much food?'
Pointing towards Babu he said, 'Because today your uncle has come with your dear aunt.'
He said in a low voice, ‘Tell them to come every day.’
Everyone smiles after listening to him. The food was beautifully decorated and placed in front of Babu. In a bronze plate, rice was kept on one side like a dome. There were nine bronze bowls around the plate which contained meat, chicken, fish, vegetables, kheer, dal fry, tomato chutney, sweets etc. Seeing so much food at one time filled both Babu's heart and stomach. He had to agree to their request and eventually the extra food went into his stomach. His stomach swelled like a sack full of rice.
After lunch, all four of them came and sat in the adjacent room, that room had a big bed, a sofa cum bed and some chairs. He thought, Let's go to the toilet, this will give him some relief. He entered the bathroom outside the room. There were western style toilets. After being relieved, when he saw that there was no water in the tap, his troubles increased further. In such a situation, if he had shouted, he would have become everyone's laughing stock. What should he do now? Then he saw that there were some clothes lying in the bucket which were probably kept for washing. There he found Saheb's shorts, the inside of which he used as toilet paper. At that very moment water came into the bathroom tap. After washing his hands, he comes back and joins the group. The women of the house also join the group after finishing their lunch. After some time, the maid comes. She goes to the bathroom, picks up the clothes and takes them to the washing machine kept outside the bathroom.
After a while she shouts, 'Sister, Saheb has made the shorts dirty.'
The mother felt very bad after hearing her son's exploits in front of others, she thought that people would think that she did not teach good habits to her child.
She scolded Saheb standing nearby, 'I had already said that when this happens, the shorts should be kept aside.'
Saheb was surprised because he had not defecated since yesterday. He looks at Babu with suspicion and he looks away. After all, he was the son of a lawyer, he understood everything, he did not say anything. That day, after dinner, a round of conversation started on the terrace which continued till midnight. Tumtum was also with them. He would go up to everyone and lick their feet or hands, in return they would caress his head lovingly.
Babu was not able to sleep so he started watching different channels on TV. He looked to his right and found Madhavi sleeping on his left shoulder facing him. She was wearing a white coloured deep V neck nightie which was suiting her. She is already beautiful but now she was looking even more beautiful. It was a unique blend of old and new. She was obsessed. Although seeing her in that avatar creates mischief in his mind, he was not in the mood today. When it was one o'clock in the night, he switched off the TV and came out of the room. He saw that the light of Riya's room was coming from below the door and the door was not closed properly. On listening carefully, he heard the sound of sobbing. He found this a bit strange. For a moment he felt like going inside to see why she was sobbing, but the next moment he thought it would be better to go to his room. He came back, closed the door and lay down with his back towards Madhavi. She slowly opened her eyes and moved towards him. She came very close to him, so close that he could feel her breathing. When he turned, he found her looking at him. Without wasting even a moment, he left aside the thoughts of Riya and took her in his arms.
One day after lunch he fell asleep while watching movies on TV. When he woke up at 6 o'clock in the evening, he found himself alone in the room. Someone had switched off the TV. He switched off the AC, freshened up and stood on the balcony. Then Tumtum came there and started spinning and jumping around him. By now both of them had become well acquainted. Babu kept caressing his head for some time and then he went out of the room. From there he started watching the people coming and going on the road. Just then the maid brought tea and biscuits for him.
He asked the maid, 'Why is the house so quiet? Where have the women of the house gone?'
She said, 'They have all gone to the market.'
While drinking tea he turned his eyes back towards the road. The maid brought a chair there for him to sit. There was a lot of crowds on the road. There were 8-10 people standing on the other side of the road. This group included everyone from children to old people. On closer inspection it was found that they were trying to rescue a puppy that had fallen into the drain. When they failed, they would go away and then someone else would come and stand there and try again to get him out. The mother of the puppy kept hovering there waiting for help while the child kept struggling in the drain. From conversations with people, it was revealed that the puppy had fallen into the drain early in the morning. It turned from morning to evening but his Messiah had not yet come.
The sound of Aarti bells and drums was coming from a nearby house. Babu looked at the clock on the wall and saw that it was eight in the evening. A little girl passed by the drain holding her mother's hand. When she heard some sound from inside the drain, she left her mother's hand and ran towards it. When she saw the puppy inside, she called her mother there also. There was light on the street but it was dark inside, only his eyes were shining. Seeing them standing there, two boys stopped there and at the request of the little girl, started trying to take the puppy out again with the light of torch.
Just then a man came, stopped his bike on the side of the road and looked back. When he reached there after parking his bike nearby, the girl gave him complete information. He bent down and looked into the drain and came back to his bike. He first took off his shirt and then his pants. He had only half shorts on his body. He kept all his clothes on the bike and reached near the drain. After instructing both the boys to keep the torch lit, he went down into the drain. After some time, he picked up the puppy covered in mud from the drain and brought it out. As soon as he placed the puppy in front of its mother who had been standing waiting since the morning, it started licking it and it curled up between its mother's legs.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
The little girl became happy and started jumping while clapping. Nearby shopkeepers provided water to the man to wash his hands and feet. He thanked them, wore his clothes and left on his bike. Someone brought a big basket and covered the open drain. Finally, after half a day had passed, God himself had to come to save the puppy. Babu's heart was filled with joy which came out in the form of tears from his eyes. He started wondering why people go in search of God. Whereas he always keeps roaming around us in some form or the other. We just need to have vision to recognize it.
He was shocked when someone placed a hand on his left shoulder. When he looked back, Madhavi was standing. She was in pink coloured saree.
He asked, 'When did you come?'
She sat on his lap and put her right hand around his neck and said, 'A little while ago.'
Pointing downwards he said, 'A man took that puppy out of the gutter....'
She quickly said, 'We all saw, we were standing in our street.'
He noticed that she was a little sad. He put both his hands around her waist and held her. She started caressing his head with her right hand. Babu was lost in his thoughts. From time to time, she would look at his face and try to read him. Both of them sat there without saying anything and kept looking at the road and the passers-by. Both of them said a lot through their touch and also heard a lot. Then suddenly Riya entered the room. She keeps watching them from behind for some time and then silently leaves from there.
One morning Babu woke up after hearing the sound of Azaan coming from a distance. When he looked at the time it was 5.20 in the morning. Madhavi was sleeping with her legs folded. He came and stood on the balcony. It was a pleasant atmosphere today. All the shops were closed and there was less activity on the road. A funeral procession carrying 8-10 people in a small truck passed in front of the house. They were chanting the name of Hari. He bowed his head and saluted them with folded hands. A man was going somewhere on a bicycle with his younger daughter sitting in the front and his wife sitting on the carrier behind. He saw the same feeling in him that is seen in a person who rides an expensive bike. Seeing this he remembered his childhood days. He had a bike and a car but not a bicycle. He mostly rides the bicycle kept in the gymnasium. Where he spends an average of two hours daily. To fulfil his wish, he decided to ride a bicycle today. He had seen a bicycle on the ground floor, perhaps it was Indranil's bicycle. He looked towards Madhavi; She was sleeping. He got ready and came out of the room. Just then he saw Riya closing the door of her room. She was looking beautiful and he kept looking at her.
She smiled and asked, 'Where are you going so early in the morning?'
He replied, 'I want to ride a bicycle but where are you going?'
She said, 'Going for jogging.'
He asked, ‘Would you run on the path?’
She said, ‘No, there is a park a short distance from here.’
He noticed that none of the family members had woken up. Babu came out of the house carrying the bicycle kept near the door. As soon as they came out of the house, Riya pulled the main door of the house towards herself and closed it.
Sitting on the bicycle he asked, ‘Where is the park?’
She pointed towards the south, towards the north was the railway station.
He said, 'Let me leave you there, come sit on the bicycle.'
She noticed that there was no carrier on the bicycle.
She said, 'Where will I sit?'
He said, 'You will sit in front of me, trust me I will not let you fall.'
She sat on the bicycle with her back pressed against his chest. She held his left hand with her left hand and placed her right hand on the handle. He advised her to hold the handle loosely. In the beginning he had difficulty maintaining balance. When she placed both her hands on the handle and sat comfortably, he picked up the pace. He was riding a bicycle after many years. He was enjoying the ride. Riya's flying hair was touching his face. Riya was thrilled with this new experience.
As soon as he saw the garden where some joggers and walkers were present, he said, 'Here's your garden.'
She asked, 'What will you do?'
He said, 'While coming by train I have seen the huge Bhagirathi River, I want to see it closely.'
She looked into his eyes and asked, 'Will you go alone?'
He read her eyes and asked, 'Will you come with me?'
She agreed by nodding her head. He increased the speed of the bicycle and moved ahead, leaving the park behind. Some people's eyes fell on them.
Seeing him, a middle-aged jogger commented, 'Look at that guy, how lucky he is to take his beautiful girlfriend on an early morning bicycle ride.'
Another middle-aged jogger said, 'She is his sister-in-law, not his girlfriend.'
He said, 'I wish I also had a sister-in-law.'
They left the main road and turned left. Now she was his guide. There were small and big houses on both sides of the road. There were many few people on the road. Gradually the road became so narrow that only small four-wheelers could pass. Gradually the number of huts started increasing on the way. Shepherds were seen walking with their cows and goats. They pass between banana trees on both sides of the road. After some time, fields, barns and unpaved roads started. Gradually the number of houses decreased and the number of bamboo trees on both sides increased. She was thrilled to sit in front of the bicycle. She was enjoying the vibrations of the bicycle as well as the undulations of the road. Sometimes his right arm was lightly touching her right breast. She opened up with that touch. The desire for that touch increased so much that she took her breast very close to his arm. She started feeling that touch as her own.
They reached Bhagirathi River at around 6.45 am. There were houses and shops on both sides of the road. There were many palm trees and bamboo trees along the river bank. A large bamboo platform was built on the boat to carry bikes and people across the river. Two such modified boats were standing there. A bamboo platform was made to board that boat. The long railway bridge was visible from there. Both of them got down and parked their bicycle nearby and walking on the footpath reached the bank of the river. Babu started looking for a way to enter the water.
Seeing them, an old man wearing shirt and lungi, who was sitting there smoking beedi, said, 'Don't move ahead, the flow of water is fast.'
On hearing this, Riya immediately caught hold of Babu's left hand and pulled him back. At her request, both of them sat under a tree nearby. They didn't even realize how the time passed. Riya was very happy. In her childhood, she once came here for a picnic with her family. She thinks that if she had brought her camera along, she would have been able to capture the huge form of the Bhagirathi River. She captured that scene with her eyes and cherished it in her heart. They stayed there for about an hour, during which they shared interesting things from their life. During this time, he noticed that she was quite talkative. The hesitation she had in the beginning had now completely gone away. It took less time to return than the time it took to reach here. As soon as they reached home, they saw that Madhavi was sitting at the dining table having breakfast with the whole family. Babu went to his room to freshen up. She sat down with them and excitedly began to tell where she had gone and how she had gone. Madhavi was watching and listening to her carefully. While she was trying to avoid her eyes.
That day was Saturday, it was decided that we all would go to visit the old Goddess Kali temple built in the mango orchard. Everyone started preparing since morning. It is said that the temple is 300 years old. At that time, it was in the middle of the forests and the forests were ruled by bandits. They used to worship it and also hide their looted goods here. Before going to commit robbery, they used to sacrifice goats here so that their objective could be successful. Even today people offer sacrifices here after fulfilling their wishes. The members of this family were going to do something similar today. The men of the house get ready wearing white dhoti and kurta, including little Saheb. The dhoti and kurta worn by Babu were given to him by his mother-in-law. Today again he was dressed like this after the wedding day. All the women were wearing Jamdani sarees. It was a white saree with a four-finger red border on both sides and its loose end was also red.
A small pit had formed on the road in front of the shop of the opposite side and water was flowing from it. Perhaps the underground water pipe there had burst. At this time, it was 9.30 in the morning and the movement of people on the road was gradually increasing. Everyone came down and stood in the lane waiting for the Tumtum. Babu noticed that everyone was passing through the middle of the road instead of crossing the pit in one step. Due to this they were obstructing the traffic on both sides of the road. Once Madhavi had jokingly told Babu that the DNA of the people of Bengal is slightly different, today Babu understood its meaning. There were nine people in total. Babu, Madhavi, Riya, Nandita and Saheb sat in one Tumtum and the rest sat in the other.
When the convoy was passing through the road, Nandita said to Madhavi, ‘See that black dog, she is Tumtum's aunt. When his mother passed away, I brought him home when he was six days old. He was brought up as per the doctor's advice. We left him outside two-three times but every time he came back. Now he has become a part of our family. His aunt is very naughty. She frequently changes her boyfriend.' she finished her statement by winking.
They came out of the city, crossed the highway and headed towards the Bangladesh border. Crossing rough roads and fields, they reached the place from where the mango orchard begins. Madhavi notices that a lot has changed. People have started cutting trees and building houses in their place. While on the way they saw the remains of the original old temple which was smaller. The idol here has been kept in the new temple. They reached the temple at around 10.15. This temple was very big. There were three big peaks on that temple. A platform of 9x9x3 feet was built in front of it for the sacrifice. Puja was going on in the temple. There was a small crowd of people.
As soon as Babu's father-in-law got down from Tumtum, he started looking for someone. When someone from the crowd waved towards them, they all started walking in that direction. Babu saw that the man had a small goat in his hand which he had brought for sacrifice at the request of his in-laws. Along with this, two other goats were also brought for sacrifice by other families. Babu felt a little strange. Although he was a non-vegetarian, he had never seen a goat being sacrificed. He wanted to move away from there but Madhavi held his hand tightly. The person standing nearby started playing the dhak (a huge membranophone instrument) loudly.
After some time, a man came out of the temple carrying the Khadga of Goddess Kali. Meanwhile, two people present on the stage pulled the hind leg of a big goat and trapped its neck in a V-shaped hook. When the goat found his death waiting in front of him, he started screaming. People were calm, this was an everyday thing for them. But it was not like that for Babu. He could not see the last struggle of the goat; he started seeing himself on the altar instead of the goat. Some people started taking photos with cameras. The man picked up the Khadga and brought it down with great force; The goat's head got separated from the body and fountains of blood gushed out from the neck. Babu released his hand from Madhavi and moved away from the crowd and sat on a chair kept at a distance. He felt a twist in his stomach. It was fortunate that he had not eaten anything with others since morning, otherwise everything would have come out in the form of vomit. One man went inside the temple carrying the severed head of the goat and another threw the torso less body of the goat down from the platform. Similarly, the remaining two goats were also sacrificed. The ground on which the torso less bodies of the three goats were lying became soaked with blood. Four stray dogs roaming nearby licked and cleaned the blood lying on the ground.
He started looking at the people standing in the queue to go inside the temple. Next to it there was another queue where offerings of Goddess Kali were being distributed. From there he folded his hands and saluted the goddess. The thought came to his mind that everyone was going inside the temple but he left the queue and came. Perhaps Goddess Kali does not want me to see her. The owner of the goat put that headless body in a sack, now they will take it home, cook and eat it. A beautiful girl wearing Jamdani saree came out of the temple. She looked around and then walked straight towards the chairs. The eyes of the people standing around Babu were fixed on her because she was amazingly beautiful. She came straight to Babu and sat beside him, holding a plate of offering in her hand. There were some flowers in that plate and a sweet box containing laddus. Her body smelled very nice. Everyone's envious eyes turned towards him.
Without wasting even a moment, she picks up a laddu from the box and says to him, 'Brother, take the offering.'
After giving the offering, she got up and left. He sees her leaving and thinks there were other people there but why did she choose me? He keeps looking at the laddu he is holding in his hand; It was made of pure ghee. He had a younger sister but she died at the age of three. Had she been alive today, she would have been equally beautiful. As soon as this thought came to his mind, his throat choked. He thinks that on this pretext the goddess appeared before him. Remembering the thoughts that had come to his mind regarding Goddess Kali just a few moments ago, he felt ashamed.
Then Madhavi reached there with her family and said to him, 'Open your mouth.'
She put a piece of barfi in his mouth.
He also opened his fist and showed her the laddu, she tasted a little and said, 'Wow, who gave it?'
He pointed towards the temple.
One day when Babu was sitting in the balcony in the morning, he saw that a small pandal was made on the roof of the house opposite. There were chairs and tables on one side and food was being prepared on the other side. The entrance to their street was decorated with balloons. They started playing some old English songs and new Bengali songs as well as old Hindi film songs of Kishore Kumar on the speaker. This went on for about three hours. People in Mumbai mostly used to listen to new Hindi film songs on loudspeakers. He became happy after listening to all the songs and started humming. He noticed that not only he but also some other members of the house had started humming. Madhavi said that there is a baby naming ceremony in that house and they have invited all of us for lunch. I don't even know how 15 days passed like this.
Seeing Madhavi's picture on the wall, he was remembering what happened four years ago. Next month was the first anniversary of her death. He still can't believe that she has left him forever. She had gone on a picnic in Lonavala with college students. While trying to save some girls from drowning in the river, she herself drowned. During this time, she had saved the lives of four girls. Her body was found two days later. He did not believe it because she was a good swimmer. Later, he was given a good amount as compensation by the college. Students also contributed in this.
His father's name is Abir Chakraborty. He is 58 years old. His nose was beautiful and his face was attractive. The hair on his head was completely white which enhanced his personality. He had an export-import business. His mother's name is Tanisha Chakraborty. His age is 55 years. She was fair and shapely. She had beautiful cat-like eyes. If she had a daughter today, she would definitely be four steps ahead of her mother. They were living in a 4 BHK house in a respectable area of ??Mumbai. It had been seven years since they bought this house. They had bought this house to settle down their son. Before that they lived in a small house. They had spent a lot of money in decorating this house. They had also bought a four-wheeler. When Babu's parents saw Madhavi at a Durga Puja festival, they decided to make her their daughter-in-law. Babu liked her at first sight. They were deeply saddened by her sudden death because they saw in her a glimpse of their beloved daughter. Someone's eyes caught sight of their happiness.
Eventually Babu decided that since she was no more, all her family jewels should be returned to them. She had kept all the jewellery in the bank locker. Some of which were gifted by her parents, some were given as inheritance by Babu's parents and some he bought for her. His parents also agreed with his idea. Next morning he reached the nearest branch of State Bank of India. After reaching the locker room, he opened the locker which was in the name of both of them. He was opening the locker for the first time. He saw that there was a closed envelope with his name written on it. When he opened it, he was surprised. It contained a life insurance policy worth Rs 10 lakh and a letter. The letter was written by Madhavi. When he started reading the letter, the secret of her death started unravelling. While reading, drops of sweat gathered on his forehead. He changed his mind and returned home empty handed. After reading that letter his parents became angry at him.
They decide to celebrate Madhavi's first death anniversary well. They sent invitations to her family, friends and colleagues. For this they booked a small hall. The total number of guests was around 100. Her family members reached Mumbai a day before. Babu's parents were surprised to see Riya. Looking at her, they clearly felt that Madhavi was standing in front of them. Now she started looking more gorgeous than before. According to her family members, she was previously in a live-in relationship with someone. Who died in an accident. With whom she has a son named Ishaan.
That day a big picture of Madhavi was placed on the stage. Homa and puja were performed in front of it. After that there was lunch. Both the family members were in their traditional attire. Looking at the guests, it seemed that her group was good and they loved her very much. Everyone's eyebrows were raised after seeing Riya. Everything happened as per their wish. Babu saw that Riya was no longer the same as before. Then she was carefree, now she has become mature and confident.
Next morning everyone except Madhavi's parents and Riya went to their home. The same day at night, Riya had to catch a British Airways flight to London. Babu's mother was watching Riya carefully for two days. It was impossible to know what was in her mind by looking at her face. Every single thing written by Madhavi in ??the letter was revolving in her mind. She had written that only Babu resides in Riya's eyes and breath. Her love is as deep as it is wide. She has kept that moment safe in her heart. She will spend her entire life in anonymity with his lineage but will not utter a single word. Riya's London flight was at midnight so she thought it best to leave home at 8 pm.
As soon as Riya crossed the threshold of the house, Babu's mother said, 'Riya, where are you leaving your house and going?'
She replied, 'I will come again when I get time.'
But Babu's mother held Riya's right hand and asked, 'You swear on your child, is Babu the father of your child?'
Her parents were shocked to hear this but she did not respond. She wanted to get out of here quickly.
She said, 'Madhavi has told us everything, now I want to know the truth from you.'
Hearing this, her father became angry and shouted, 'Riya, tell us what is the truth.'
She cried and sat on the sofa in the drawing room in front of Madhavi's picture. The secret which she had kept in her heart for four years, slowly started getting revealed. When Babu's relationship came for Madhavi, she became crazy about him. She wanted to marry him but it was not possible. Because Madhavi had said yes to the relationship. For this reason, she did not come to their wedding. In two years, the madness of her one-sided love crossed limits. She started dreaming about him day and night. She wanted to see him closely, touch him and spend time with him. She got this opportunity when Madhavi was about to visit her parents' house for the first time after marriage. She jumped with joy and came from London to her parents' house.
She had once said at that time, 'If I had been here, I would have been next to your Babu instead of you.'
But no one took it seriously and considered it a joke. She had bought two identical maxis, one of which was for Riya. When she fell asleep while talking in Riya's room, she wore the same maxi and reached Babu's room. She had to surprise Babu. But she could not succeed because he was sleeping at that time. So, she slept with her back towards him for some time. Babu thought it was Madhavi and then what was not supposed to happen happened. Riya could not control herself and got carried away. Riya realized her mistake. She kept crying in the room the whole night. She believed that only she knew this and no one else. When she got a chance to go to the Bhagirathi River with Babu, she cherished every moment she spent with him in her heart. After that, she enjoyed whatever opportunity she got to be around him.
A few months after arriving in London she realized she was pregnant. She did not want to lose that happy moment spent with him. She decided to become a mother. On this pretext, if not Babu, his lineage will remain with her for the rest of her life. Then she created the story of a live-in relationship for the world, no one had any doubt. Two years passed smoothly.
Once she was treating an Indian woman in London, a classmate of Madhavi who had suffered two miscarriages. She treated her properly and she gave birth to a healthy son. At that time, she had seen Riya's son in the hospital with the maid. She took its photo and emailed it to Madhavi along with her story. She went crazy after seeing the photo because Babu's part was clearly visible on the child's face. She had full faith in Babu. There was no fault in his love. She remembered the moment when Riya had come to visit Bhagirathi River with Babu and was talking to her while avoiding glances. That's when she became suspicious of her. But she never thought that things would escalate to this extent.
When she gathered information about Riya from her friends, she came to know that her story was false. When she threatened Riya with DNA test, she revealed the truth. She thought that if she opened her mouth, both the families would be defamed and Babu would become a scapegoat. She thought it better to remain silent. She was convinced that only time would solve the problem. She wrote a letter in the name of Babu with complete details and kept it in the bank locker.
Riya was living there as a single mother. Now her son was about to turn three years old in a few months. Everyone was surprised to hear her words. There was complete silence in the room. Nobody had anything to say. Babu got up from there and went out of the flat. Coming down, he sat on a concrete chair in the circular garden in the middle of the housing society. There small children were playing, some youngsters were walking and some old people were sitting. Looking at the tall buildings nearby, he feels that he has become a dwarf in his own eyes. Shame on me, I slept with his sister, thought she was my wife. Despite knowing my wife so closely, how did I make a mistake at that time? He kept thinking in this confusion and came to the conclusion that two sisters love him very much, their way of expressing their love is different. Despite all this, both the sisters did not let even a scratch come on his character. Madhavi suggested the solution to the problem by sacrificing her life and Riya herself found the solution to the problem. The worlds of both were different. Madhavi, I made a mistake knowingly or unknowingly, now what is the solution to all this? What do you want from me?
He started seeing a mother and her young son. They were busy having fun. Then this song sung by Lata Mangeshkar came to his ears, which an old man sitting nearby was listening to on the radio – Gujra Hua Zamana Aata Nahi Dubaara Hafiz Khuda Tumhara. His throat got choked as soon as he heard this song. Then the aarti started with the sound of bells in the nearby Radha-Krishna temple. Along with other people, he also stood up to go there. When he looked back, Riya was standing there, perhaps she was standing there for a long time. Because she makes up a story but doesn't know its ending. She considered herself responsible for her sister's death. She could not understand how to talk to Babu. He moves towards her and takes her right hand in his left hand and walks towards the temple. She walks with him like an obedient child. Her patience breaks and tears start flowing from her eyes. Eventually Madhavi gave her the position she wanted. Everyone in the temple was singing ‘Govind Bolo Hari Gopal Bolo’ with the sound of bells and mridangam. As soon as they reached there, both of them got engrossed in that tune. But a corner of his heart remained silent forever.
