Classes

Tere Kismat teri haaton

Se hi likhi jayegi.

Bondita walked into the study in the early hours of dawn to find Aniruddha ready in his casual shirt and trousers. He did look like a teacher as he was setting up a blackboard across the couch with a pen in his mouth. Standing at the threshold with her pencil and copy in hand, Bondita's wet hair fell over the side of her bottle green cotton saree as she cleared her throat, prompting him to look up at her. He removed the pen from his mouth and directed her with a hand gesture towards the couch.

"Did you go to the pond again?" He asked with his back to her, writing something down on the blackboard. She bit her lips.

"I thought you were sleeping." She was quick to defend. "I didn't want to disturb you."

"You can use the washroom without disturbing me. Now you are making excuses to go to the pond. Is it because you meet your friends there?" His voice was unusually different and stern. She looked up at his serious face.

"No. Barrister Babu. I swear. I just thought…"

"You are not going there under any circumstances, you understand?" He spoke sternly, pointing his finger again. Bondita nodded.

"Those men are creeps." He spoke under his breath.

"Should we start?" Bondita opened her copy and looked up at him. He nodded.

"So in the English Language'' "A" is the first letter. Like we spell AA" he spoke as she copied.

"Then there is 'B' like 'Boh' in our language." She looked up.

"Then "C" for…"

"It's like our language only jumbled up?" Her words made him smile.

"No, Bondita. It's a different language altogether. Not jumbled up." He looked amused. "We will do the first five letters today. Okay?"

She nodded.

"Tell me, do you know any English words?" He asked. She nodded. "I know some."

"Okay." He walked around the room. "Tell me a word with 'aa' ?"

"Almirah." She pointed.

"Apple?" He said.

"Ashtray." She said as he raised his brows. "I heard it from your father." She was quick to add.

"Amazing!" He smiled.

"Aniruddha?" She pointed her finger at him in excitement, and her smile faded as he looked taken aback. "I am sorry. I am so sorry."

"No. No. You are right. That starts with A." He agreed.

"Do you know the meaning of your name?" She asked, closing her copy as he looked up from the book.

"Pardon?" He asked.

"Your name. The meaning. Bondita means someone who can't be bound. It also means to be worshipped." She said smartly.

"I don't know the meaning of my name. Neither do I want to. Here is your homework." He stopped at her disapproving glance.

"Why do you not want to know?" She asked. "You should always ask what you don't know. There is no shame in not knowing. It is shameful if you are blissfully unaware."

Aniruddha closed the book and stared at her, frustrated.

"Okay, fine. Tell me. Tell me what Aniruddha means."

"It means someone who can't be stopped. Free willed."

"And where did you learn that?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Kaka." She giggled.

"Now, should we study?" He opened the book again.

"Yes, Sikhshak Babu." She agreed. He shook his head.

It was when Bondita was stacking her books that Saudamini walked in looking for Aniruddha. She was a bit disappointed that he wasn't alone, and it clearly showed on her face as Aniruddha observed.

"Pari Didi! Subho Sokal. Let me get you some tea." Bondita ran off leaving Aniruddha alone with Saudamini in the study. Right outside the door, he could hear her instruct Koeli to prepare extra breakfast for Pari didi. He inhaled remembering Somnath's words.

"What brings you here so early in the morning, Mini?" He asked, erasing the board.

"Binoy Uncle didn't tell you?" She asked, surprised.

"Tell me what?" He inquired.

"I enrolled us in the Annual Ball at Calcutta. It is a couple-entry event where the Viceroy comes. It's only for the elite of the elites. Baba got us passes." She stood up. "Now all I need is for you to teach me how to dance a ball." She sounded excited. Aniruddha turned to face her. "Me?" He asked unsurely.

"Yes, you. Binoy Uncle told me you learnt it in Kingston." Saudamini smiled. Aniruddha looked away as Bondita brought in tea and cookies.

"C'mon, Aniruddha, it will be a fun party." Saudamini smiled.

"What's a party?" Bondita asked, staring at Saudamini's excited face.

"It's where men and women…" Saudamini started to explain.

"It's not something kids should know." Anirudha interrupted.

"Who is a kid?" Bondita looked disappointed.

"You are." He crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows.

"No, I am not." She retorted.

"Aniruddha, she is fifteen. Aren't you?" Saudamini asked as Bondita nodded. "Besides, I was only going to tell her about Ball dancing."

"Ball dancing?" Bondita asked. "What's that, Pari Didi?"

"It's a type of dance." Bondita looked excited at that.

"Do people dance with Balls?" Aniruddha looked amused at her words. "Like in a circus?"

"No Bondita," Aniruddha spoke up. "The Ballroom is an oval-shaped room meant for a particular type of dancing," he explained.

"Will you dance?" She asked excitedly. "Can I see?"

"Sure. You can watch us practice." Saudamini smiled. Aniruddha looked at the ladies helplessly.

"Okay, I can manage some time in the afternoon." He said. "But I don't guarantee I will go. I can teach you."

"Can I learn too?" Bondita asked, amazed. "I never tried dancing."

"No, Bondita." Saudamini shook her head. "It's very difficult to learn, but you can watch us. It is about teamwork, catching each other's rhythm and understanding."

"I can watch and learn." She looked eager.

"I need to go." Aniruddha walked away.

"Did you ask for me?" Trilochan looked up from work to find Bondita standing there.

"Yes. I saw Saudamini leave. Do you know why she was here?"

"To learn dancing." Trilochan frowned at her words. "What? Who teaches dancing at my house? Ram Ram Ram Ram!"

"Oho." Bondita tapped her forehead with her palm. "None. She and Barrister Babu are going to a party."

"Party?" He looked irked.

"Yes, they said it's dancing for grown-ups." Bondita smiled.

" What is happening in this house?" Trilochan shook his head.

"I said I want to learn too." Trilochan stopped at her words.

"What did they say?" He asked eagerly.

"He said I am a kid." Bondita made a disappointed face.

"Insist on him. You can argue." Trilochan made her look up. "Has it ever happened that you wanted to learn something and someone could say no?"

Trilochan smiled. There was no way Aniruddha would teach her if he said so. He was stubborn. Trilochan was aware of it. But instigating Bondita helped. She would follow them around while they practised.

Bondita's eyes lit up. She would learn something new.

Purnota: Chapter Eleven

Bondita opened her window to find Thamma and Jyatha Moshai missing from the lawn. The chairs were empty. Was she sleeping till late? She checked the clock and shook her head. Taking the towel, she hurried towards the bathroom, countering Kalindi on the way. She was reading the newspaper with her rimless reading glasses on. “Umm… why are you here? Where is Jyatha Moshai?” Kalindi raised her eyes briefly and sighed without putting the paper away. Her lack of response puzzled Bondita as she made her way to take a bath. When she came out in a pair of jeans and a shirt, rolling her sleeves up, Kalindi observed her keenly. “Will you be going somewhere?” She enquired. Bondita nodded. “Ah, yes, the District Office, some of my paperwork for the Bar Membership needs to be signed by a Gazetted Officer. Jyatha Moshai knows someone…” “Don’t go by their house… he is in a bad mood.” Kalindi placed some Chirer Polao in front of her and spoke as Bondita rubbed her wet hair with a frown. “Why?” “Oh...

Purnota: Chapter Thirteen

Aniruddha eyed Trilochon, sitting at the desk in his room, attending to some paperwork. His reading glasses were on his nose, and he appeared engrossed in a financial document. He stood at the threshold, a bit unsure and glanced over his shoulder at Somnath, Batuk and Bondita. She gestured at him to go on. Aniruddha cleared his throat. That prompted Trilochon to look away from his document at his nephew. “Jethu, if you are busy, I can come back…” He suggested unsurely. “Come in and close the door.” Trilochon glanced over Aniruddha’s shoulder at the others who walked away hurriedly. Aniruddha closed the door, and Bondita tiptoed to place her ears on it. Batuk and Somnath stood at a distance. “So you met her?” Trilochon spoke while cleaning his glasses. Aniruddha nodded. Somnath had introduced them to Ashalata. Bondita, Batuk, and he had met them in a Dhaba off the highway. Although Bondita did most of the talking, initiating a friendly gesture to put the nervous Ashalata at ease, he had...

Purnota: Chapter Twelve

Bondita woke up to the alarm clock ringing as she struggled to get her hand out of the quilt wrapped around her. She sat inside the mosquito net, rubbing her eyes and staring at the clock, trying to remember why she had set the alarm at 3.45 AM. Then her eyes shone in delight. It was Mahalaya. She remembered that during her days in Dehra, she had educated her roommate on the tradition of starting pujo with the voice of Birendra Krishna Bhadra echoing through the air. She was uninterested, and Bondita had borrowed her headphones to hear the program and deeply missed home. She remembered that as a child, while her father was still alive, he would gently wake her up, and take her on his lap to the huge Banyan tree near the Panchayat where people gathered near the Pradhan’s radio, putting flower garlands and lamps around it and folding their hands as they heard Mahishashur Mardini killing the Asura. When she arrived in Kolkata to get her law degree, she thought things would be different. B...

Purnota: Chapter Sixteen

It had been a month since Bondita had started working in the firm. With Somnath’s wedding date being set for winter, many things were keeping Trilochon and Kalindi busy as they took charge of the smooth running of things leading up to the wedding. They needed to shop for everyone, buy gifts and choose jewellery and sarees for the bride. Despite his attempts, Trilochon found Binoy reluctant to participate in his son’s wedding arrangements. Somnath took him and Kalindi to places they wanted to go, especially Kolkata for shopping, and Trilochon made arrangements to make sure that the first wedding of the generation was grand enough. Bondita tried to help as much as she could as she noticed Aniruddha being oddly aloof from the entire thing. She assumed it was due to Trilochon’s reactions to his lack of interest in marriage. Trilochon kept pestering her to enquire into his reasons while she kept stalling him with excuses. Bondita also failed to know more about Kalindi and Trilochon’s past, ...

Dreams and Wishes

At dawn, the Bhil women took the girls to the Kalika Mata Temple and the Jal Kund. Dressed in white, a nervous Heer followed everything Ajabde knew and did, trying to explain the significance of the rituals to her. They prayed to Lord Ganesh. Kunwar Shakti and Kunwar Pratap were staying at Punja Ji's place, as they were not supposed to see the brides before the wedding. Ajabde was dressed in her mother's lehenga, a mang tika Jaivanta Bai gave her as a family heirloom and the simple nosering Pratap had gifted. They made their hair into a simple bun with wildflowers before putting on their dupatta. Heer was dressed in traditional Bhil jewellery of silver and beads that the women had gifted her. They made her wear a red and white saree draped as a lehenga and a red chunri with it. She looked like a pretty, colourful Bhil bride. Kunwar Shakti was a nervous groom dressed in a traditional bhil dhoti, kurta and cap. The bhil shawl hung from a side, making the white attire colourf...

You Deserve More

Ajabdeh woke up with the song of birds as she felt something warm on her hand. Her eyes went wide. Her hand was on the pillow in between them, between his hands, clasped as he slept. She thought of removing it slowly, but he was holding on to it so tightly. Ajabdeh's heart beat faster and faster. What do I do now? How do I not wake him? What if... why is my hand in his? She was utterly confused. " Am I...In love?" Pratap was staring at the sleeping figure on the bed as he stared back at the rain. Then he frowned as he noticed that she shivered. He closed the windows of the room to make it cosy, then sat on his side of the bed. A lamp flickered on her side like always, and he stared at her sleeping figure as he put his blanket over her as well. She shifted a little in her sleep to make herself cosy again. Her payals and bangles made a rhythmic sound, breaking the silence of the room. Her hand was out of her blanket and on the pillow in between. He tried to slowly put it ...

Purnota: Chapter Fifteen

A week was all it took for Bondita to get used to work and the new routine. She would wake up early and hurry through her chores, helping Kalindi prepare a tiffin of either Chirer Polao or bread jam and then proceeding to the Roy Chowdhury house. She would arrange the day’s paperwork before Aniruddha arrived at the study room. Occasionally, she would hear him call out to Koeli for breakfast and pack her things, knowing he was almost ready to leave. He would walk into the chamber, check his list, and they would go to work. She would follow him from courtroom to courtroom. She would be sitting in the audience and learning. She would follow him to conferences and client meetings and take notes. They would discuss complicated cases. She would share the tiffin she brought from home. He would at first take a reluctant bite, then eat more than her. She often gave him her share of food discreetly. They usually stayed back after everyone was gone and ordered food for dinner. Some days, he woul...

Confrontation

Maine kahan tha saath rahunga Banunga main tera saaya Par tere saath kuch kadam bhi Main nahi chal paya Bondita got out of bed and left the room before Aniruddha woke up. She went about her chores and decided to ignore his presence until she found herself a logical explanation for her impulsive behaviour, good enough for him to forgive her mistake. She made breakfast and told the cook to note down who preferred what for when she would leave. She waited in the kitchen long enough for the breakfast to be served by the house help and eaten. His routine was fixed. He would go to the study room and leave for work in half an hour. Then, she wouldn’t have to put up with this hide-and-seek till late afternoon or evening. But things rarely go as planned in life. “Bondita? Bouma!” Trilochan’s call made her shake her head. She pulled the ghomta above her head and walked out to the dining area. Eyes met briefly as she looked away and spoke to Trilochan as if dismissing his presence altogether....

Towards You

The Afghans, after Sher Shah Suri's untimely demise, were at loggerheads for power. Their troops near Mewar were now led by Mehmood Shah. They secretly captured territories in the forests and waited to attack Mewari camps when the time was right. Rawat Chundawat and his spies had confirmed the news, and Udai Singh sent a warning to Mehmood Shah to withdraw his troops from Mewar in vain. Now that it was out in the open, it was time they declared war. Mehmood Shah had limited resources in Mewar. His internal rebellion against his commander did not help his cause. His spies clearly suggested that in no way could he win, especially with Kunwar Pratap leading his troops. He was having second thoughts about the war. It was then that one of his aides suggested a perfect plan. Maharani Jaivanta Bai had decided to go to the Mahakaleshwar Temple near the outskirts of Chittorgarh, in the forestlands of Bhilwara. They had travelled a long way and across the Gambhiri river that meandered during...

Purnota: Chapter Seventeen

Bondita opened the curtains of her room at The Park to find the view of Stephen Court and the street below going towards the Maidan. She eyed the double bed and placed her things on one side while lying down on the empty side. The soft bed made her yawn as she sat up, staring at the clock. She needed to change for a quick dinner. They had an early matter at the High Court, and the client’s car was supposed to pick them up around 9 AM. As she changed into a full-sleeve black top and jeans, removed her earrings and adjusted her smudged Kajal, she heard a knock on her door. She opened it to find Aniruddha standing in a pair of jeans and a grey polo-necked T-shirt, his hair brushed back, as he cleaned his thin-rimmed glasses with the edge of his T-shirt. “Are you ready for dinner?” He asked, putting the glasses back on. As she nodded, she grabbed her handbag. They walked into The Bridge, and Bondita was a little conscious of her environment. Many foreign guests, businessmen and even s...

RAABTA

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