Tu woh guriya mom si hai.
Jo dhoop seh na paaye.
"Are you sure, Sampoorna didi?" Bondita sat across Sampoorna on a mat, in her humble hut, with an unsure face. Sampoorna nodded, pulling her white cloth over her head. They were cutting out coloured papers Bondita wanted in the school, with scissors as they spoke.
"I met the men from the Anushilan Samiti. They think our village is strategically strong in its position. But what Tulsipur lacks is participation." She said rather intendedly. "Maheshdada is in charge here. He wanted me in. After all, my husband did the same. I couldn't help him in life. Maybe now." Sampoorna wiped her tears as Bondita placed her hand in hers. " I was hoping perhaps you could help us."
"Me? How?" Bondita asked.
"You have the voice we need to convince people. You can give a speech on the importance of freedom in the lives of women, and that can indirectly grow a sense of duty towards their motherland." Bondita listened to her carefully. "Neither I nor any other woman here are as good a speaker as you. You have convinced the Panchayat on several occasions. We can start with the women in school.``
"Alright, Didi. Let me talk to Barrister Babu about it." She nodded.
Aniruddha was sitting on the lawn when Bihari informed him that two men who said they were friends of Debaditya wanted to see him. He narrowed his eyes a little and nodded to let them come. He knew these two men. Well, not really, but they were part of the group of revolutionaries Debaditya worked for. He had seen them at the crematorium.
"Aniruddha babu." They folded their hands in Namoshkar, making him do the same.
"We are actually here to ask you for a favour." He nodded.
"Well, as you must be aware, after the great sacrifices of Binoy, Badal, Dinesh, and the incident of Chittagong, the revolution has found new momentum. Subhas Chandra Bose himself has been very active with the youth as well." They stopped.
"I thought Subhas Babu was with the Congress party and not with you?" Aniruddha asked. The men looked impressed.
"He supports everything that is done for the freedom of this country." One of the men spoke. "Anyway, we need more and more people actively and passively participating in the movement."
"Very well." Aniruddha nodded "What do you have in mind?"
"Our groups need more women to be part of the activities. They can help us get information easily." Aniruddha frowned at his words. "Sampoorna Boudi is helping us a lot. As you may know." He nodded. "We wanted, if possible, that Bondita… She teaches women. If she could give a public speech on how freedom is important to women."
"I thought you wanted passive spies." Aniruddha interrupted.
"Well, we do, but for that, someone has to instil a sense of duty in them. She is a very good speaker."
Aniruddha shook his head.
"I am sorry, but will it not threaten her?" Aniruddha looked worried. "They burnt the old school down after her tiff at the Panchayat. What you are asking for is open participation from the Roy Chowdhury house. " He straightened and spoke. As much as I support this, my family has a close association with the British. So, something less dangerous for her will be appreciated."
"We understand. But we came with much hope."
"I understand, too. My apologies. My priority is to keep her safe. I hope you understand." Aniruddha folded his hands as they walked away, disappointed.
Bondita was at Asha's place to take the measurements of some jewellery when she was greeted by Asha's parents, uncle, aunt and cousins.
"Please help my daughter out." Her mother spoke worriedly. "You have been there so long. She is just going to a new place." Bondita smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry at all, Kakima. Everyone is so happy and eager to welcome her. And she already knows so much. When I came here, I knew nothing. Kakababu taught me everything."
"You were just eight or nine," Ashapurna added. "I am not, Bondita."
"Start calling her Didibhai." Her mother scolded.
"Oh no. She is older than I am." Bondita looked alarmed. "So is Somnath dada."
"But you are Aniruddha Babu's wife. The eldest." Asha's aunt smiled.
"Then we should just call each other by name." Bondita smiled. "Besides, no matter how much they try, Baba and Kakababu still call me Bondita." She stopped as she remembered something.
"Oh, I have to meet the priest. There is a lot to do. Look at me." She shook her head. "I will see you at the wedding, Asha."
"But women don't come to weddings. It's a tradition. Men do." Bondita frowned at Asha's mother's words.
"That's because, in the old days, they had to travel far, far away and live there for many days." She smiled. "This is just across the village." Bondita made a mental note to ask Kakababu about it. No way was she missing out on the wedding.
Prabhavati braided Ira's hair as Somnath walked into her room. She smiled, making him sit down and started talking.
"I heard Bondita wants to study more." She said, Somnath nodded. "It's more of Dada. I don't know what ghosts take over him at times." Prabhavati's hand stopped at his words. "She is literate, isn't that enough?" He spoke with a casual shrug, "What will she do with a degree? I mean, at the end of the day, she has to be home and take care of the family, right?" He looked for support. "Like everyone?"
"So Ashapurna doesn't want to study like her?" Prabhavati asked.
"Not at all. In fact, she will stop attending school when married." He spoke ."The Roy Choudhurys don't need another daughter-in-law running reforms. No offence to Bondita and her good intentions, one is enough, don't you think?" Prabhavati nodded reluctantly.
"You know I can never say all these openly at home to anyone. Dada will start lecturing." He chuckled.
"Umm…What about Ashapurna? Is she okay with your ideas?" Prabhavati asked. "I mean if Bondita is…"
Somnath firmly dismissed the idea. "She knows very well what a marriage implies." He shrugged. "I know it's not Bondita's fault; she doesn't know that. Nobody taught her."
"Boudi." Prabhavati corrected.
"Huh?" He asked cluelessly.
"It's boudi." He nodded.
"Anyway, please don't tell anyone all this. Dada gets sentimental over Orthodox mentality more than I like." Prabhavati nodded.
Bondita walked into the mansion looking for Aniruddha and found him in the study. She had just met Sampoorna on her way back home. She walked in as he didn't look up from his work, assuming she was here with coffee. She stood there for a few seconds and spoke.
"We need to talk." He looked up with a clueless face. "About what?"
"Why did you refuse them?" She questioned. Aniruddha closed the cap of his pen and got up. He walked over to her side of the table and faced her.
"You know how dangerous it is to speak of revolting openly, right?" He asked. "Especially after the Binoy Badal Dinesh and Surja Sen incidents, the British are not showing any mercy."
"But Jamai Babu taught me we should never be afraid if we are right." She frowned. "And you know we are."
" Right and wrong are perspectives, Bondita. What is right to you is a criminal offence to the government." He reminded her.
"Oh. That way, what is right to us, being wrong to society, is justified, Barrister Babu? The discrimination, caste, creed, gender bias?" She looked disappointed.
"I didn't say that, Bondita. That's entirely different." He shook his head.
"Different how? Oppression in any form is the same. Be it against lower castes, religions, creeds, gender or a country. We should never support it." She spoke.
"I am not saying we should, but right now what's important is…" he shook his head.
"You made a decision for me, without asking me." He stopped and looked up at her disappointed face. "At the end of the day, you are also being a hypocrite. A decision for my life can't be yours. You want to be an authoritative figure. That's the opposite of equality."
"Bondita. Enough now. I was asked, so I made a decision. That has nothing to do with…"
"Or perhaps because you think I am not capable of making decisions. I am just another teen kid." He stopped at her words.
"If this is how you behave on impulse, I can't say that's wrong." He shook his head.
"I will go." She looked determined.
"You will not do anything as such." He clenched his jaw.
"Why?" She frowned. "I want to."
"Because it's not safe for you." Aniruddha reasoned. "Reform is no place for foolishness."
"That's not true. You just want me not to go against the family ties openly." She snapped.
"Is that so? Bondita? This conversation looks very dead-end to me. You have already decided what I am. What's the point?" Aniruddha looked furious. "Get out. Do what you want. Stop bothering me."
He held her by her upper arm, almost by surprise, took her across the threshold and closed the door of the study in her face.
"I am not done talking. Open the door." She knocked.
"Go away." He turned away, trying to check both his temper and his worry.
Bondita sat in the garden, fuming. How could he do that? He still thought she was an immature teenager. She tore a few leaves in frustration. Then she decided to have another try at convincing him. When she walked back home, Sadhana Debi was already looking for her. "Have you prepared all the guest rooms?" She asked. "The guests will start pouring in." She nodded.
"Let me inspect them. Leaving things on you is not safe." She frowned at the old lady's words. She was back in the bedroom in the evening to find Aniruddha packing a bag. She wanted to ask why, but didn't want to start a conversation as well.
"Bondita." It was Binoy who called her to pack for him.
"I am going to Calcutta for a day with Aniruddha. He has to meet clients, and I will invite the Bhowmik over for the wedding." He made her nod. "Pack for me. "
"Will you… Are you staying in a hotel, Baba?" She asked. Binoy shook his head.
"Saudamini insisted we stay the night at their place." She nodded.
She came back to her room to see him asleep. Or he was pretending to. She couldn't tell. She opened his suitcase, checked his belongings and slipped his towel in it.
The next morning, when they left, Aniruddha didn't even look at her, let alone speak. Bondita maintained her silence as well while serving breakfast, as well as waving goodbye. She was already preoccupied. The occasion of the speech he had refused for her was supposed to be the next day. What would she do?
She entered the kitchen to find Prabhavati sitting there with Sadhana Debi. Alerted by their presence, she sat down to chop some vegetables.
"Where did Binoy go?" Sadhana asked.
"To their business partner's place in Calcutta. The Bhowmiks."
"Ohh. He has a lovely, well-groomed girl. Saudamini." Bondita's hand stopped at the vegetables as Prabhavati eyed her. "She would have been perfect for the house." Sadhana Debi spoke. "But Aniruddha was busy doing charity work." Bondita inhaled. She took the vegetables into a pot and instructed Koeli to wash them. She walked into her old bedroom and shut the door behind her.
She sat down on the floor, trying to control her emotions. Her ears rang. Binoy said how perfect Saudamini was. Then, Sadhana Debi's taunts. Aniruddha's harsh words. Everything came back to her all at once. Bondita tried in vain to control her tears. All of a sudden, she remembered Prabhavati asking about their emotional bond. And Sadhana Debi told how husbands stray. Was she insecure? But how could she be insecure about something she didn't have? How was it possible? She felt lost.
Aniruddha was awkward at first at the idea of facing Saudamini. He was already disturbed by how things transpired with Bondita. But could he blame her? She was just acting her age and was naive about the world outside. When they reached the Bhowmik's, the warm welcome set him at ease. Mini was being her usual self, gushing about some party she attended. He listened, but not attentively.
Binoy walked in to participate in the conversation and suddenly asked Aniruddha, "Can you call home once? Dada said we need to send out some invites in Calcutta. If we can get the list. I forgot to bring it with me." Aniruddha nodded.
"Well, I have some good news and bad news." Bhowmik Babu interrupted. "The good news is that you will stay one more day. The bad news is that there is a rain prediction for tomorrow. You'd better call home and inform them not to worry and go back the day after." He suggested. Binoy agreed.
"I will inform them of that, too." Aniruddha walked into the other room and took the receiver. His hand stopped on it. The speech was the next day. He was not there. What if she…
"Hello," Bondita said in a cheerful tone. There was silence on the other end. "Hello?" She asked.
"Umm… It's me." He spoke. "Err… is Jetha Moshai…"
"He's not home. I will tell him to call back." She spoke.
"Bondita, wait." Aniruddha was a bit self-aware as Mini walked into the room.
"Just tell him there is some weather issue and we will be back the day after."
"Where will you be staying?" Her voice sounded worried.
"At Bhowmik Uncle's, of course." He said.
"Of course." He frowned at her unusual tone.
"And there is a list he gave Baba, which Baba forgot as usual."
"Don't worry about the list, I already posted those cards today." She spoke. "Have a good night." Before he could reply, she slammed the phone down.
Aniruddha stared at the receiver for a few seconds before placing it down. What was wrong with her?
Saudamini smiled. "Everything okay?"
"Yes. " He nodded. "The phone got disconnected."
"Call her again."
"What?" He asked.
"Call her again. If the conversation is incomplete, she must be waiting." Saudamini smiled.
"I… no… I said what I had to."
"How is Bondita?" She asked. "It's been months since I met her… since…" her eyes travelled to him as he looked awkward.
"She is fine. She is errm…Studying for Matriculation." He had a hint of pride in his voice.
"Her family was against educating her. Probably because they can't afford it."
"But you can. That's a good thing." Saudamini agreed.
"Mini, I want you to know it's not like what you think." He stopped at her amused glance.
"What do I think, Aniruddha?"
"I… didn't refuse you because something was going on with Bondita. I just wanted her to study, and she is a teen." He stopped at her smile.
"Why are you explaining this, Aniruddha?" She shook her head "Frankly speaking, it seems like you are explaining it to yourself." She made him frown.
"Aniruddha, it's okay if you fell in love with her."
"No. I… She is … " Saudamini walked away, making him sigh.
Bondita twisted and turned on her side of the bed.
She couldn't get the conversations out of her head. She never thought Thakuma's words would bother her, but they did. She sat up and stared into the darkness. Fear gripped her. What if this were a charity? He always said he wanted her to study. What if he sacrificed his own choices for it? She knew he was capable of going out of his way for people. She had seen him do that. Bondita wondered. She should be grateful. Instead, she accused him of controlling her life over something even she was unsure of. Was she really pissed off at him, or did she lash out her frustration at Thakuma like that? Whatever it was, Bondita felt bad.
Aniruddha was at the crossroad of the town when they heard a commotion and Police officers running around.
"Hurry up." Binoy looked alarmed. "Looks like the revolutionaries caused chaos here." Aniruddha's heart skipped a beat. They were almost zooming out of town when someone waved at their car, making it stop.
"Zamindar babu." He was one of the members of the Panchayat.
"Hop in," Binoy suggested. "What happened here?"
"The revolutionaries. They were hosting a meeting here. They were openly calling on women to join them. Such audacity. The police came to stop them. There was great chaos. The police fired. Two of them were injured." Aniruddha suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe. He knew Bondita could be stubborn. After that day's argument, he was more worried she would do the exact opposite of what he wanted. He sped up the car.
Bondita heard the car engine as she looked pale. She suddenly felt conscious of facing him. She looked around the study for a place to hide.
"Bondita?" Aniruddha had run up the stairs and entered the study. Binoy failed to understand the urgency of the situation, but he had learnt not to ask. "Bondita?" His voice trembled, scared.
"Bihari?" He shouted, prompting the man to run up to him. "Where is Bondita?"
"Malkin …She was here a while back." He looked confused, pointing at the papers.
"Go check on Sampoorna." His instruction surprised Bihari. " I heard there had been some issues with the revolution. Go." Bihari shook his head and walked away. House helpers shouldn't have opinions. If he did, he would suggest Choto Malik stay out of all that.
"Bondita?" He walked out of the study and looked into the bedroom, and then hers. Bondita peeked from behind the cupboard and gulped. Was he upset? She tiptoed out to the threshold of the study, looking for him. Aniruddha ran down the spiral stairways and stopped at her sight.
"Bondita?" She turned to find him, almost in tears, his nose red, eyes worried. He held her upper arms, inspecting her. "Are you okay?"
"I...yes…. why?" She was surprised by his hug. Aniruddha felt relieved. Like he could breathe again. He held her head gently in his arms, as Bondita still looked confused.
"What happened?" She asked, scared. Aniruddha realised her consciousness and moved back, still holding her shoulders.
"The… meeting… You didn't go?" He asked with a smile.
"You told me it's dangerous." She reminded him. Aniruddha stared at her proudly. He had misunderstood her maturity.
"Are you alright?" She asked, narrowing her eyes a little, holding his hands in hers.
" Yes. There was a firing at the meeting. So I thought… I just thought…"
"Sampoorna didi?!" She asked, alarmed.
"I sent Bihari to check on her. I don't think she was there." Aniruddha continued to stare at her, grateful that she was fine.
Bondita looked up at him. At the moment, in his smile and the grip of his hand in hers, all her worries seemed to vanish.
"I was busy all day preparing for the guests." She shrugged. "I didn't even step out. I am sorry I was rude."
"I am sorry too." He smiled. "I was so scared."
"I shouldn't have… I didn't mean all that I said yesterday." She looked into his eyes, teary.
"Neither did I." He smiled. Bondita smiled back at him with a nod.
"Do you want Kulfi?" He asked with a smile.
"Now?" She looked alarmed. "How can we go?"
"Just say yes." He shrugged.
"Yes." She smiled.
Aniruddha walked up to the study window and opened it. "After you, then?" Bondita looked a little wide-eyed.
"What if someone sees us?" She sounded scared.
"Thakuma is sleeping. It's afternoon." He smiled.
"I drive." She smiled.
Bihari came running into the study to tell Aniruddha that Sampoorna was fine. He scratched his head at the empty room and looked around the house.
"Who are you spying on, Bihari?" Trilochan asked with a frown.
"It's so strange, Boro Malik." He scratched his head again.
"What is?" Trilochan asked.
"He was here a minute ago. Now he vanished." Bihari looked confused.
"Are you on opium?" Trilochan scolded him. "What are you saying? Who vanished?"
"Choto Malik." Trilochan frowned. He inspected the house and found that Bondita was not home either. He walked out to the portico with Bihari in tow and found the car missing. A smile curved his lip. "Go and work, Bihari."
"But Malik..."
"Not a word of this to anyone." He warned.
