The person who took me was named Sudhakanta Bhowmik. The gentleman will be around sixty years of age. Short man. Tough looking look. Even at this age, he can walk fast. The gentleman is soft-spoken. The hair of the head is pale white. He looks like a sage because he is wrapped in an ocher colour sheet.
I said, " Sir Sudhakanta, how far is your house?"
"Near," he said.
The people of the village and the town have no idea about the distance. Their "proximity" is like Delhi Hanuj's distant existence. I am walking but the path is not ending.
Agrahan month. It is a good winter in the village at this time. A thin Punjabi is on my body. Feeling very cold.
I said again "Brother, how far?"
"Near"
We came close to a river. Frightened, I said, "Do we have to cross the river or not?"
"There is no water, take off your shoes and take them in your hand."
My body burned with anger. I shouldn't have come with this guy. I took off my shoes and rolled up my pyjamas. There may be some joy in crossing the river on foot. I didn't find any joy, just the fear of falling into a deep ditch. However, the river water is quite hot.
Sir SudhaKanto said, "I gave you trouble."
Even with politeness, I should say, "No, what trouble!" I did not say that. I was unfolding my pyjamas after crossing the river, Sir Sudhakanta said, "What is your relationship with the boy?"
"Cousin."
"It's better not to get married. In the morning, explain to everyone."
"Why!"
"The boy died because of the girl. Now it is not right to get married in a hurry. It should be a while. "
"What are you saying!"
"The boy ate poison in the morning. Dhutra seeds. Dutra's are very common in this region."
"What are you saying, brother?"
" The boy's father could have agreed. The boy would have survived. Very stubborn man. His "no" means no."
"Does everyone know about boy-girl love?"
"Why don't they know? This news is not suppressed in the town. It's different in your city. Always happening. "
I feel bad. What a problem! The two of us crossed the rest of the road in silence.
It doesn't feel right to say completely silent. The gentleman was muttering to himself from time to time. Probably reading pishogue.
The gentleman's house is in the middle of the forest. One storey building. Spacious yard. Basil tree in the middle of the yard. Adjacent to the house is two huge Kameni trees. There is a well on one side. The house looks like the Hindu houses, as clean as the picture. Standing in the yard, a feeling of peace of mind came to mind. I said, "Why so quiet? No people at home? "
"No."
"Are you alone?"
"hu (yes)"
"What did you say! Living alone in such a big house! "
"There were a lot of people before. Some died. Some have gone to India. Now I live alone. You take a bath."
"No need to take a bath. If you can get some food, then so be it. "
"It will take some time, I have to get the cooking done."
"Will you cook now?"
"What do you eat if I don't cook? It won't take long. "
The gentleman brought a towel, soap and a water jug and placed them beside the well.
"Take a bath. Having travelled all day, it would be nice to take a bath. Well, the water is very good. Let me, I'm picking up water."
"You don't have to. You'd rather start cooking. Eyes are getting dark due to hunger."
"Wear this lungi. It's washed. This morning I washed it with soda. I have the disease of staying clean again, I can't stand dirt."
It is clear that the gentleman can not stand the filth. He sits in the yard to cook. In the yard, there are two clean earthen stoves. Sir SudhaKanto is sitting in front of the stove. I see dishes, bowls, pots all being washed twice or thrice.
"Sir SudhaKanto?"
" yes."
" Are you married?"
"No."
"Life long bachelor?"
"kind of"
"What do you do?"
"I do the teaching. High school math teacher. Manohardi High School. "
"Do you cook yourself?"
"Yeah, do it myself. I cook one meal a day. I eat rice at one time, and in the morning I eat chira(chira is Flattened and fried rice), fruits. "
"Why not hire a workman?"
"No need."
"The house is empty, is not stolen?"
"No. What will the thief take? I am a poor man. You take a bath. It would be nice to take a bath."
I had no intention of pouring water on my body in the cold in an unfamiliar place. But it seems that Sudhakanta Babu will not leave me without getting wet. The man is probably a patient of OCD.
continue...
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Well, water is not hot like river water, very cold. As soon as I put the water on my body, my body got comfortable. The fatigue of the day, the worries of marriage, the complications of death - all washed away. I'm starting to feel great. Moreover, the environment is quite strange. An old kind of house. An ancient well covered with algae at the far end of the sparkling courtyard. Clear moon in the sky. A sweet smell is wafting from the Kamini flower tree. A long life bachelor old man who looks like a sage has cooked. Like a scene from a novel by Bibhutibhushan.
"Sir Sudhakanta?"
"yes."
"How much longer will it take to cook?"
"It will not be late."
"Doesn't it feel bad to be alone?"
"No, it has become a habit."
"What do you do when you return home?"
"I don't do much, I just sit quietly."
"Don't you feel scared?"
Sir Sudhakanta did not answer this question.
The food arrangement is small, but I haven't eaten such a nice dish for a long time. Fry with a sour taste, the smell of Five seasoning spices. Egg curry with eggplant, in which pulses are added. I have never eaten pulses before. I did not know that such delicious food is common in the country. Mugger pulses. It smells wonderful to give ghee to the Pulses!
I said, "Sir Sudhakanta, I have never eaten such wonderful food in my life. I will remember it for a long time."
Sir SudhaKanto said, "You were hungry, that's why you like it so much. The secret of taste is hunger. Where there is no hunger, there is no taste."
I was amazed.
The man not only looks like a philosopher but also speaks like a philosopher.
Sir Sudhakanta spread the rug in the yard. After eating and drinking, I sat there with a cigarette in my hand. We can talk for a while. Sir Sudhakanta, however, does not seem to be a very talkative person. I have been with him for a long time, he did not want to know my name. He didn't even want to know what I did. I'm interested enough in this guy, but this guy doesn't seem interested in me. But I have seen in my experience, those who teach, like to talk very much. They talk for no reason.
After we sat in silence for about 15 minutes, Sir Sudhakanta surprised me and said, "You were asking me if I was afraid to stay in this house alone, wasn't I?"
I said, "Yes, that's right."
Sudhakanta said, "I am scared. I can't sleep almost at night, I stay awake. I keep the fire burning inside the house. storm-lantern keep burning. They are afraid of fire. If there is fire, it does not come near."
I said in surprise, "Who?"
He did not answer.
I said, "Are you talking about ghosts?"
"Yes"
I took a deep breath in my mind. This old man probably doesn't know where the world has gone. Man's shoes are imprinted on the back of the moon, Viking satellites have landed in the desert of Mars, Voyager 1 and 2 have flown close to the shores of Jupiter, and this math teacher is keeping the house on fire for fear of ghosts. Because ghosts are afraid of fire.
I said, "Have you ever seen them?"
"No"
"Get the sound of their feet?"
"Not even that."
"Then?"
"I can sense it."
" You can sense it?"
"Yes. When you're there, you'll understand."
"I'll see their activities, so you're saying?"
"Huh, but not theirs, only one comes."
"It's good that one comes. I thought maybe it would come with the team. They dance-sing, make noise."
continue...
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