Muh-Mangi

- আসুন আসুন, বসুন

- থ্যাঙ্কস, আমিই  কিছুক্ষন আগে আপনাকে ফোন করেছিলাম।
- হ্যা, হ্যা বলুন মাডাম, আপনাকে কিভাবে হেল্প করতে পারি? এখানে ফুল- টাইম, পার্ট-টাইম সব ধরনের লোক পাবেন। রাতে পেশেন্ট দেখার  আয়া , বাচ্চা দেখার লোক, খাওয়া- পরা লোক, রান্নার লোক- সব রকম পাবেন।
- না, না ওসব সব ই  আছে।
- ও! তাহলে?
- না মানে ইয়ে, আর কি- কথা শুনবার লোক চাই!
- হ্যা, হ্যা মাডাম সে তো নিশ্চয় কথা শুনবে।
-  না মানে তা বলছি না ; মানে আমি কথা বলার লোক চাই।  ওনাকে শুধু  শুনতে হবে। আমার আসলে অনেক কথা থাকে জানেন যা সঠিক সময় মত আমি বলতে পারিনা যাকে বলার; কত খারাপ লাগা জমে হিমালয় বানিয়ে ফেলছে বাঁ  দিকটায় , কত প্রতিক্রিয়া হয়ত সময় মত ব্যক্ত হয়নি, শক্ত ড্যালা  পাকিয়েছে ধীরে ধীরে সময় এর সাথে; সেটিই  বড় হতে হতে যেদিন গলার কাছ টায় এসে ঠেকে- সে এক বিশাল ঝড় বৃষ্টির দিন। আমার ওনাকে ঠিক সেই বিশেষ দিন গুলোয় চাই। জাস্ট একটু জড়িয়ে ধরে, পিঠে মাথায় আলতো  হাত বুলিয়ে বলবেন- "কেদো  না। আমি তো আছি। পাশেই। শুনছি। " ব্যাস শুধু  এটুকুই  কাজ এন্ড আই  উইল  বি অল  সর্টেড !!
- ও-ও-ও অ-আচ্ছা !
- পাবো?
- আসলে এরকম আগে তো কখনো ঠিক.....মানে টাকা পায়সা টা ঠিক কিভাবে হিসাব হবে....ইয়ে মানে মায়নার কথা কি বলব?
- মায়না? - 'মুহ মাঙ্গি'!!

One Scorching Day

She stands sun-kissed with her suitcase on road. She glanced back at the house again. The shirt and the saree clipped side-by-side on balcony still dancing together through the air.

PC: Google

Yet Another Love Story

Finally he arrived at the town. He crossed the road, took a taxi and as he just started, the grey morning becomes bright. More blue and more sunny. Now, that’s the charm of love you see! Yes, today is the day he will meet her- after a long, long one year. He comes for a short vacation almost always at this time.  Days would just whiz by, he thought as he sits tight and firm on the taxi seat, looking here and there. Happiness peeped out behind the gooseberry tree and waved at him.  He waved back. “She said, come in green”, he thought and smile crossed his face. Smile crossed my face too. The clean shaved,  smart and bright ‘he’ is wearing a green kurta today for her. A green, very unique- say like the colour of a new leaf. Refreshing and eye-soothing.  Love and longing oozing out from his eyes as he more approaches towards the city.

She woke up from her bed. Put off the fan. The typical clatter of the fan, whirling in ‘point –one’ speed gave her company throughout last night. The sleepless night when she counted each second to see the day break. To see him. ” He must have arrived”- the first thing came to her mind as she opens her eyes. She hurried to get ready, excitement tucked to her leap.  She opened the cupboard, ruffled through the sarees grey, ash and brown and pulled out the red saree. No, not red, it’s orange.  Mmmm nah, not even orange it’s reddish. It’s actually a strange colour- a mélange of orange and red may be. "I want to see you in red"-he said before coming. And yes before closing the cupboard she pulled out all the sarees she raffled through- the grey, ash, brown and throwed them in the laundry box; putting on a mischievous smile on her face. She is looking divine in that not-so-red-not-so-orange saree.  The drop dead gorgeous checked herself for the last time in the mirror and hurried off. Butterfly danced in her stomach as she shut the door of the yellow vehicle.

Are you now wondering who am I? I am just a mere office goer , stuck in a traffic jam in a red light. I have seen him there on the opposite side of my road. Signal turned green and I went off.  I again got stuck a few minutes later in another red light and I caught a glimpse of her. I know both of them dearly. Both are my favourite and close; just like a nostalgic childhood tune.

In the afternoon while coming back from office, I again caught them. Now they met. They hugged each other. Red got over green and the green got over red and they became one. They kissed each other, long , deep and passionate.  Strangely, one invisible cuckoo played the love tune relentlessly as if somebody has given him a duty. “Perfect love birds, I am so happy for you, happy that you finally met. Stay in love, stay young, stay green”- I whispered to myself.

A passer by young boy came towards me and said- “ Didi I am waiting for the full moon to come. I will spread colours red, green, yellow, pink, violet and blue. When will it come?”

‘He’- we call him by the name ‘Spring’ and a pet name ‘Bawshonto’ and ‘She’- we call her ‘Kolkata’ affectionately. 

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.

Exemplar

2 AM at night. I got out of bed for wash room, sweat-soaked. Remember those 90's summer nights when "load-shedding” after or at the time of dinner was compulsion and if the current used to come back before we go to bed, the "yayy" scream used to be unfailingly louder than it was to be for India's victory over Pakistan! I got out of my room dozily. A vague hint of light from the drawing room called for vigilance.  Eyes half opened, I could see a shadow on the wall- a stooping silhouette. Blood ran cold, I took some time to fathom and muster the courage to step forward.

Baba- completing my biology practical drawings (homework) in the faint light of the lantern. I went to sleep at eleven that night when he was not even back home from office. I didn’t know when he returned, when he had dinner; what I knew for sure was that I need to follow the way he is. Doused in sweat, he was relentless with his drawing. He couldn’t see me. I silently gleaned ‘commitment’, 'diligence', 'care' that he scattered all over the room and reposited them safely in my pocket and came out of the room.

Yes, Baba, my father, the first man of my life is the one who flashes in my mind when you ask about my role model. Platitude? Yes it is but true. Some things never get clichéd and even if they, they are just nice to be so.

Baba used to do a special puja on my exam days and used to give me ‘thakur-er phool’ (flower that he offered to the God) every time and the same special puja used to happen when our sweeper’s son, phoolwali’s( the one who sells flower) son, fish-wala’s daughter used to give exams and the same ‘thakur-er phool’ used to reach to them before they enter the examination hall!  And when the result-day would come, I had seen the same tension in his face that he had on my result day. I have never seen such a bleeding heart all through my life of 30years and now you know the reason enough of he being my superstar! Again I gathered the meaning of ‘Love’, ‘altruism’ and ‘open mind-ness’ that were heaped here and there around him. Safely pocketed.

 The man who doesn’t yet know the meaning of complain, the one who himself would define the word’ Endurance’, the one who is always ready to tailor himself for other’s need is ‘the man of steel’ of my life who for sure would be stealing your heart away even in the first meet and would leave you still in awe.

One day, I brought out all the things I gathered in my pocket in a desire to acquire all of them together; I stitched them altogether. I stitched Love with commitment and diligence with endurance and care with selflessness and when done; voila!! it tooks an image which looks like BABA!! I realised I can’t acquire all those he has, I can only learn and still learning, every moment. Take a bow, Baba!!

I am writing about #MyRoleModel as a part of the activity by Gillette India in association with BlogAdda.com.

The Letter

I often muse on the fact that a house never gets lifeless and very surprisingly,when humans leave it one by one;the greeny creatures creep in.I don’t know the names of the herbs my house now got surrounded by, but their roots are deep in.I feel peace to see the house,still breathing.

What would be the name of the mall you will make out of this house?See,I am here,sitting on your childhood study-chair.Did you notice it?Do you remember?How I longed to see, how you look like being a ‘man’!I am so happy today.Sometimes life can’t give you what death can.

Love-Baba

P.S.- Written for www.100wordstory.org for a 100 word story contest where this above picture was the prompt given for the story.

Glass

মুহুর্মুহু শঙ্খ আর উলুধ্বনি, লোকজন এর হৈচৈ ,রজনীগন্ধার গন্ধ  আর তার মধ্যেই শোলার মুকুট টা পরেই শেষবারের মত সে নিজেকে দেখে নিচ্ছে ছোট্ট গ্লাস -মিরর  এ। চন্দন, টিপ সব পারফেক্ট।
হঠাত  বিকট আওয়াজে সম্বিত ফিরলো পিয়ালীর। বিয়ের বেনারসী টা  হাথে নিয়ে কতক্ষণ যে কেটে গেছে  খেয়ালই নেই।  সামনে খোলা সুইট্কাসে, খালি ওই শাড়ী টাই  ঢোকানো  বাকি  ছিল।
পিয়ালী আওয়াজ টা পেয়ে দৌড়ে  গেল লিভিং রুমে। নতুন কেনা ক্রিস্টাল ফ্লাওয়ার ভাস টা মাটিতে পড়ে টুকরো টুকরো। পনেরো তলার উপরে থাকার এই এক সমস্যা; বারান্দার স্লাইডিং ডোর টা  খুলে  দিলে এত হাওয়া - পর্দার ঝাপটায় পরে গেছে হয়তো। সব ছেড়ে ভাঙ্গা কাঁচ গুলো পরিষ্কার করতে বসলো পিয়ালী এখন। বেশি সময় নেই হাথে। ফ্লাইট দুপুর ৩টে।
কাঁচ গুলো কুড়াতে কুড়াতে হঠাতই চোখ পড়ল বসার ঘরের বল-উনিটের উপর। নিজের কেয়েকটা ভীষণ পছন্দের বই সে দেখতে পাচ্ছে কাঁচের বাইরে থেকে। নিজের হাথের কাজ সেরে দেরী না করে বইগুলো বার করে নিল পিয়ালী। কোনরকমে চেপে চুপে সেগুলো ঢোকালো সুইট্কাসে।
স্নান সারা হয়ে গেছে। এবার খেতে বসবে। মাইক্রোওয়েভ প্রুফ কাঁচের বাটিতে খাবার গরম করতে ঢুকিয়ে পিয়ালী রিম ঝিম দের খাওয়াতে গেল- শেষবারের মত।
রিম ঝিম- সোফার ডান পাশের সাইড টেবিল এ কাঁচের জার এ রাখা দুটো গ্লাস ফিস। দু ' বছর আগে একটা অনিভের্সারীতে পিয়ালী রা বাড়িতে নিয়ে এসেছিল ওদের। ওদের খেতে দিয়ে কিছুক্ষণ দ্নারিয়ে রইলো জার তার সামনে। দেখছে ওদের অপলকে।  আর হয়ত কোনদিনই দেখতে পাবেনা ওদের। গলার কাছে কান্না এসে জমতেই নিজেকে ধমক লাগলো সে -বারবার নিজেকে বুঝিয়েছে যে আর কাঁদবেনা।
মাইক্রোওয়েভ সংকেত দিচ্ছে খাবার গরম হয়ে গেছে। এক গ্লাস জল নিয়ে খেতে বসেছে ও। কোনরকমে জল দিয়ে খাবারটা গিলল; চোখে ঘড়িতে-১২.৩০ বেজে গেছে। এবার বেরোনো দরকার।
সুইট্কাসে হাথে নিয়ে রেডি পিয়ালী। শেষবারের মত ঘুরে ঘুরে দেখছে বাড়িটাকে। ঘর,ঘরের পর্দা, বিছানা, ফার্নিচার, ফুলদানি, ক্রিস্টাল শো পিস্ , দেওয়ালে ঝোলানো তার ই বানানো গ্লাস পেইন্টিং, তাদের বসাল গালস-ফ্রামেদ বিয়ের ছবিটা- সব কিছুই ভিসন ভাবে তার নিজের, কাছের। তিল তিল করে এই দু'বছরে স্বপ্নের বাড়ি গড়েছিল পিয়ালী।
কোনো শাসনই মানছে এখন র চোখের জল।
১.১৫। হ্যান্ড ব্যাগ তা থেকে নিজের চাবিটা বের রেখে দিল কাঁচের সেন্টার টেবিল এর উপর।
দরজাটা আলতো করে টেনে বন্ধ করলো পিয়ালী বাইরে থেকে; আর তার সাথে সাথে নিঃসব্দেই ভেনেগে গেল তার স্বপ্নের কাঁচের বাড়ি।

    

Small Wonders

"Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn't know you left open."-- I have a very weird habit of always search and read quotes about almost everything there could be. I found this one same way. 

Case 1

It was morning flight from Kolkata to Delhi. I usually have acute morning sickness and thus am sick to death of morning flights. Only 2hours of sleep and then the screeching sound of the alarm clock saying its 4 minutes past 4AM. This less-sleeping-business usually brings in migraine pain, followed by nauseated feeling all the time. I locked the door and stepped out of my flat premises.Believe me, it was the murkiest morning I have ever seen. I was taking brisk steps towards Gariahat More to get the cab. Waiting and looking for the cab here and there my eyes caught a story lying on the footpath. A small boy,may be 6-7years old covering her mother with a crummy saree ( saree used as blanket).The babyish hand took out another one to make sure his mother is warm enough!! The elder sister(not more than 8years) on the other hand is sitting near her mother and putting "Jolpotti" (cold water soaked cloth) on the forehead.

With the hard lump in my throat, I caught the cab, leaned over the cushioned seat and closed my eyes......Isn't my headache a bit lesser?? Isn't the breeze gushing over my face and hairs a bit more fresh?? And no......I am no more nauseatic...

Thus begins my Diwali -trip to Delhi.... :-)

Case 2

Flight was at 7:10 AM. I was done with my security check and was sitting on the sofa in front of Gate No.1. Something in between happened which was getting me very down. To shove off the blue mood, I thought to resort on 'Hemlock' music and thus searching for my earphone in my purse and suddenly "kotobar tor aayna bhenge chure, ghure takai....." from behind and then a male voice-" hello, hya ma, bolo..." I looked back and couldn't stopped myself giving out a smile.He smiled back.
"Here is a final call for Flight No:0673 going to Delhi" I pulled myself off from the sofa and to my awe, I realised I was smiling till then...relentlessly. 

Thus I was happy and don't remember exactly why I was not few minutes back.

Case 3

The Delhi Airport. Period.

Case 4

This time nobody is waiting outside to pick me up to home. I will be travelling all alone in a not-so-safe-for-ladies city. But I had hundred of butterflies in my stomach by this "all-alone-ness" both because I was nervous and excited. Sometimes, it feels so good to be alone, no??
As I came out of Airport and was giving cynical look here and there-" Madamji, kaha jana hai aapko?" A boy in his early 20s came in front of me.
I said-"Rohini, Sector-15"
I sat inside the car falteringly.
D- " Sector -15 mein kaha?"
Me- "Sachdeva School ke pass" (with an expression 'I am Queen of Delhi and I know every corner of the city')
D-"School jana hain?Mujhe to school pata nehin"
Me-"Koi baat nehin, mujhe to Ghar jana hain"
He laughed.
Me-"Yeh kaunsa jagah hain bhaiya?"
D-"Airport"
Me-"Wo to thik hain, lekin koi naam to hoga is jagah ka, jaise humare udhar, DumDum mein hain Airport"
D-"DumDum, ye kaisa naam hai?"(laughing)
Me-" Kyun, achcha nehin hain kya, has kyun rahe hain?...achcha abhi kaha aye?"
D-"Delhi Cantonment Area"
Me-"Ye kya South Delhi hain?"
D-"Nehin, South-West"
Me-"Tab to Rohini zyaada dur nehin hain, Rohini to West mein hain maine suna hain,aap bas south se niklo, West pahuch jayenge"
He laughed.Me too.
D-"Aap office ke kaam mein aayi hain?"
Me-"Nehin saasuural(double stress) aayi hun" (expression-Proud face)
D- "Madhuban chowk se jaun, raasta kaunsa lena hain?"
Me-"Na na Pitampura se jaana Wajirpur hoke" (no idea where these places are these are the two names I remembered,just a show off,you know)
Me-"Areey idhar to mela laga hua hai, kaunsa jagah hain?"
D-"Hmm, Diwali Mela"
Me-"Haan haan, pata hai har saalhi to lagta hain" (expression-I-know-all")
D-"Yeh Raja Garden hain"
Me-"Haan, Rajouri Garden bhi bolta hain, kaafi bar aa chuki hu idhar to" (trust me I was tehre just once for one day due to some office work and the only thing which I knew about the place was the name 'Rajouri Garden')
I finally reached Sachedeva and took a right turn and reached home.Way to home from airport was never ever so exciting as this and the city Delhi never been felt soo known and own before...
Me-"Bas, yehi pe rok do"
He came down and opened the door for me."Thank You, Bhaiya" I said. I took out 20 Rs. note from my purse.."Yeh aap rakkho".. He stepped back a little-"Nehin ji, baas...thank you"!!! He took his seat again and drove away..............
I kept on standing at the same place till I can take the last glimpse of the cab.
I crossed the road and walked towards home, persistent smile again on face.... Pure happiness!!!

Case 5
A lonesome morning. I was upset for some reason. I went to bathroom for a bath and switched on the geyser lackadaisically. The red light goes off in a minute and signaled the water is hot now. I reached out to put off the geyser and something caught my eye.....on the switchboard. I had a jolt. Few minutes of awstruckness!!! I found a big round maroon bindi sticked on the switched board. How would you feel in a forlorn morning, almost 1600km away from your home if u find "ma-er tip" remaining just the same way she had put it there randomly almost 5yrs back when she last came to this house??? I touched it once as if I have got her there as person.
Eyes burning, I opened the tap to its fullest as if that’s the only way to stop me from burst-out- loud!!............
I never knew tears can also be euphoric!!!!!......

Case 6

Flight from Delhi to Kolkata got delayed by 3 hours. Tired and exhausted I came out of Airport and the same old, known typical smell of my city (whichgives fthe samefeeling as 'ma-er gondho'-mother's smell) and happiness prevails all around! and then the 'dhaaker awaj' for the kalipujo bhashan...gloom has just no place in my life anymore!!

Case 7


I took the volvo bus from Airport to Gariahat and stretched myself in a window seat. I was bugged up with the nagging earphone which always has to get entwined in the most complex form.

After almost 5mins I finally got to switch on the radio and voila!!!!!!!!!!..... "Tor barir pothe juktir shoinyo"!!!!!! 

I started afresh from exactly where I left my city!!!!!............. :-)
The trip to Delhi comes to an end- Happy And Content!!!