Bheed mein ab dhundu chehra tera
“ You have to understand and accept the reality, Jetha Moshai.” Aniruddha checked his voice over the phone call. “Tulsipur is not safe.”
“Oh, and you are going to tell me that?” Trilochan Roy Chowdhury rebuked. “The one that doesn’t stay home?”
“Jetha Moshai now is not the time to think emotionally.” Aniruddha shook his head, trying to be calm.
“This is my home, these are my subjects, Barrister Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury. Your British Government has done enough damage already.” Trilochan rebuked “They said our Bengal will become another country, after all the hard work, sweat and blood we shed, this is what we get.”
“The protests against that at Dhaka and Calcutta were quite effective.” Aniruddha interrupted “But…”
“But they will divide our nation anyway. A bunch of power-hungry leaders can’t decide where our homes are.”
“Jetha Moshai I understand your sentiment and I am assured that Tulsipur will fall in India but the riots and protests are worrisome. I am not telling you to come to Calcutta permanently. I just want the family to be safe. You can go back once this…”
“And leave the subjects alone to face it?” Trilochan seemed crossed at the mere suggestion of it. “What will they think of us? Where will they go? Are they, not our families?” Aniruddha sighed. The sound of protest on the streets of Calcutta almost made the call fade as Bondita ran to quickly shut the windows tight.
“You can’t risk everyone’s life like this.” Aniruddha’s words made her turn as she ran to take the receiver from him.
“But I…”
“Kakababu,” Bondita spoke almost in a gasp.
“Bouma… Bondita, make him understand… I can’t leave Tulsipur when they need me. You know all of them personally, right? Binoy wants to be with me too. The Gram Panchayat at Amritakhand reassured me that …”
“I understand what you are saying Kakababu. But... “ Bondita breathed in trying to shoo away the bad thoughts. “At least send Som Dada, Asha and the children here. We also need to know everyone is safe.” Silence from the other side made Bondita frown. “Kakababu?”
“Alright, they will be off, first thing in the morning. But I tell you, Tulsipur is safe.” Trilochan Roy Chowdhury disconnected the call.
Bondita and Aniruddha exchanged a silent stare at each other and looked around the apartment.
“I will go buy some mattresses and pillows early in the morning. It gets agitated towards the day.” Aniruddha spoke as Bondita nodded.
“I suggest you stay with Patralekha for a few days, and not go to court. Government buildings are a target of protest now.”
“Then it is unsafe for you too.” Bondita tried not to sound scared. Aniruddha nodded, “I will try to go as little as possible.”
“Maa, Maa.” Patralekha came running as they tried to shake the gloom of worry off their faces. “Are they all coming here?” She asked excitedly.
“Not Dadai.” Bondita shook her head
.
She took Patralekha inside to clean out her bookshelf to make space for the boys when her eyes fell on a map book Aniruddha had brought her. They used to spot the place on it. Bondita opened the map of what was now “British India.” Her hand traced through the map of Bengal. A point on the map was dotted Tulsipur by Aniruddha with a pen. Her hand stopped as her heart skipped a beat. Dangerously close to the village, a border would soon be drawn and the other side would not be the same anymore. Bondita’s eyes filled up. She suddenly remembered the people from Rangpur who came to Tulsipur to sell them sarees, and the artisans from Dhubri who came to sell clay pots in the Dinajpur Hath Bazaar. She had been there a few times with Trilochan and was mesmerised by the craftsmanship. Suddenly all these people were strangers. Bondita’s vision blurred. As Patralekha continued to paint a picture on the bed, she wiped away her tears quickly. A sudden noise startled her, they could smell fire. Yet another day, another house, street, shop or place was being burnt. Was this the way they wanted freedom?
Somnath was not willing to leave. Not with Binoy and Trilochan staying back in Tulsipur.
“I will keep Khoka’s maa and the boys there and come back home.” He said as Ashapurna’s heart skipped a beat. Her own parents had left the village long back to go to a relative’s place at Rampurhat.
“You will not do any such thing.” Trilochan shook his head “My people are here. Aniruddha needs you there.”
“But…” Somnath was feeble with his protest as Trilochan was not ready to listen. As they left the house early at dawn. Ashapurna prayed hard at the Thakur Dalan for everyone’s safety.
With tears in her eyes, Ashapurna picked up Poritosh and took Ashutosh’s hand in hers as she looked back at the house, as the car drove them to the station.
“Munshi.” Trilochan was walking in the garden when the man came and bowed. “Are the Lethel men with canes ready?” Munshi nodded. “And the watchmen Binoy hired, with guns?” Munshi nodded again. “I need them on the two ways leading to the village.” Munshi looked surprised. When the men came, he had assumed they were here for the safety of the house. Bihari Babu came running as he spoke.
“Malik, the subjects are here to see you.” Trilochan picked up his cane and walked up to the front porch.
“Malik, you didn’t leave us, we are so relieved.” The farmers were almost in tears. “We have no place to go and we are scared. But we promise you our loyalty, Malik. We will give our lives to save you if needed.” Trilochan nodded.
“Listen very carefully, keep your eyes and ears open. If you receive any news of any agitation anywhere around Tulsipur, come to me, at any hour of the day. Understood?” The men nodded. Trilochan walked inside and took out a cane from the displayed weaponry in the hallway. Binoy stopped and frowned.
“Dada? What are you thinking?” He asked.
“Binoy, I am not a fool as the children think I am. I know we are not safe.” He took the sword out of the cane that was actually the case. “I just don’t want to shed the blood of our own. But if we are attacked, I am also royal blood, I won’t spare them.” He sighed. Binoy shook his head. If he was to give an opinion they would have been in Calcutta too, but as much as he disagreed he loved his brother a tad bit more than he ever loved his children. He couldn’t leave Trilochan to fate.
“I know the apartment is too small for you to adjust to Dada.” Bondita held out a cup of tea for Somnath as her words surprised him.
“No Boudi, we will manage. It is a matter of two or three months. I sincerely hope that by September we can go home.” He glanced at Ashapurna as the room suddenly fell silent. Bondita looked up at the clock and shrugged “Barrister Babu will be home by lunch, come, Asha, let’s get the lunch ready and feed the children.”
Every time Aniruddha came home, a different sense of relief rushed through Bondita’s veins.
“It is now getting out of hand.” Aniruddha wiped his forehead as he walked into the apartment. “Religious places are being burnt down.”
“Mandirs?” Somnath looked agitated.
“And Masjids.” Aniruddha looked up. I saw a few men being beaten to a pulp on the road and nobody coming to help. They were common men like us. I felt like a coward, running from there.” He hid his face in his hands as he sat down. Somnath looked up as Bondita placed her hand reassuringly on Aniruddha’s shoulder, as she breathed in. Ashapurna went to be with the children as Bondita sat down facing him.
“I know you wanted to protest, but now is not the time. We need to think of our children, as selfish as it may sound.” Her words made him look up. He nodded, half-heartedly.
In the darkest hour of the night, Trilochan was woken up by agitated voices and someone banging on the door of his bedroom. In a reflex, he reached for the cane with the hidden sword as he jumped out of bed and looked beneath his window. In the darkness, Mashals were burning, and a crowd stood at the porch. The villagers. The knock grew louder as he opened the door to find a rather pale Binoy at the door.
“There was a … masjid destroyed at Margram and now a temple is burning,” Binoy spoke almost in disbelief. “News from Rangpur across the river is that temples were burnt and many people jumped into the river to save themselves and got washed away.” Binoy looked pale and was sweating.
“What about the residents of Margram?” Binoy shook his head at Trilochan’s words. “I am not sure.”
“This is dangerously close to home.” He took his glasses and walked out to meet the villagers. Everyone looked worried. They were armed, with anything they could literally find for defence, cutters, axes, knives from the kitchen, everything.
“I think…” Trilochan spoke, clearing his throat “Bring your women and children here.” Binoy looked at his brother in disbelief. “Bihari, set up the empty rooms and the roof for now, for them to stay in. Staying in the village is not safe for them. Let the men vigil the village.” The tense look refused to leave his face. The villagers looked grateful. “Binoy, don’t tell the children anything,” he warned his brother.
“The phone lines are dead.” Binoy picked up the receiver and shrugged.
“I hope they are fine.” Trilochan frowned.
“People have already started moving,” Somnath spoke as Ashapurna and Bondita stared down at the streets from the apartment. “I saw so many destitute on the road, some begging.”
“People must be coming to Tulsipur looking for shelter too,” Bondita spoke as Ashapurna nodded. “Where will they be put up?” She looked helpless. “We should have been there.”
“I wanted to stay back, but…” Somnath stopped as Aniruddha shook his head. “That is not safe, and it worries me.”
“The telephone lines are also interrupted,” Somnath added.
“I never thought that the day we waited for would come to this.” Ashapurna shook her head.
“Boro Malik, the people who want to pass through the village claim that they have walked on foot all the way from Dhubri and some even took boats from as far as Sirajganj. Should we believe them?” One of the elderly men asked.
“The Panchayat is saying the police informed them of this. People might come looking for shelter.” Another spoke.
“There are several women and children, with clothes and bundles. They look like they haven’t eaten anything in days.”
“But we are scared to trust them, Malik.”
The buzz of the crowd was stopped by the sound of a police car that stopped at the gates of the mansion.
“That’s that Angrez officer again.” Someone spoke angrily.
“They divided us and now are here to see Tamasha.”
“Stay calm.” Trilochan ordered, “Let me see why he is here.”
Officer Greenwood walked up to the portico a little intimidated by the gathered crowd.
“I needed to speak to Mr Roy Chowdhury.” Trilochan nodded but didn’t move an inch or welcome him inside. The man sighed.
“We need your permission to use your grounds to temporarily set up some of the refugees.” The man spoke as the villagers looked at each other.”They will eventually be sent to refugee camps set up by the government but until then…” He looked up as Trilochan smiled slightly amused.
“You decide for people where they stay and leave and put them in camps like parasites and call them refugees in their own lands? Do you know who the refugees are? You. And your sarkar. Who has come here on our land.” Binoy placed a hand on Trilochan’s shoulder making him stop. “Don’t do this now Dada, we need them and they need us. The villagers will get agitated.” Trilochan sighed. “Fine, but you or your people won't hover around my premises, my villagers will take care of them, not you.” The man readily agreed and left to bring the refugees in.
“ Independence will be declared at midnight and this will all be over.” Someone spoke, hopefully.
“Not so soon, people are losing lives and homes, how can it be over?” Munshi shook his head.
"Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom.” The radio across the country echoed the voice of Jawaharlal Nehru as all the British flags hoisted above the government buildings were replaced by Tricolours. The voice on the radio speech was occasionally interrupted by sounds of firecrackers and cheering crowds on the streets of Calcutta. Nobody would say it was past midnight when the celebrations continued. Bondita hugged a sleeping Patralekha as she looked up at the sky and sighed. There was still no news of Tulsipur and the riots were still occurring at several places. She had waited for this moment all her life, ever since she knew the cost of it, yet she was not happy. She was scared, sad and even perhaps angry. Bondita eyed the boys, sleeping beside Patralekha as she walked out to the sitting area. Ashapurna stood at the window watching the fireworks and crowd on the street waving the tricolour as Bondita went to stand beside her in relative silence.
“Please don’t stop me anymore Dada, I want to go home and see if things are alright.” Somnath shook his head. Ashapurna looked visibly scared at his thought as she turned to observe the brothers. Aniruddha walked up to turn the radio off.
“We all want to go home, Som, trust me, we do.” Aniruddha reassured him, “But we need to be safe first. Keep our children safe first.”
Somnath shook his head. “Asha and the boys can be safe here, I want to go home.” Bondita sat down on the mattress facing them as she spoke “We will go back as soon as things settle down a bit, Dada.”
“What if it never settles down, Boudi?” Som shook his head “It has been two months without any news from home.” He got up and walked to the window “God knows what is happening there.”
The grounds of Tulsipur were overcrowded and even tents didn’t seem enough to put up all the people. Most of them were wailing about their lost families, children without parents, women without husbands, and old men who had been left behind in fear by families. Sobbing, wailing, pleading with the villagers to take them back, hoping they would find someone they knew. Trilochan Roy Chowdhury stood on the roof of the house, his eyes fixed on the tricolour that was flying in the middle of the camp. Durga Pujo was approaching, and he had some tough choices to make.
“Dada, I think we should send Bihari to get news from Calcutta,” Binoy spoke as Trilochan nodded without turning to see his brother approaching. “After all, we need to know they are fine.”
“I don’t want Bihari to be at risk, can’t we send letters?” He asked. Binoy shook his head “The postal service is overflowing. It will take days and months to…” He stopped. “Dada, do you mind if I say something?”
“We are in a free country now, Binoy.” Trilochan spoke, “Tell what you please. Even if it doesn’t please others.”
“Dada, is it safe to keep so many unknown people around the house? I mean there are valuables and… we don’t know where they come from.” He stopped as Trilochan shook his head “They don’t seek valuables Binoy, have you missed the wails that won't let me sleep all night? They seek their people, they have lost homes.” Binoy nodded silently. He couldn’t be practical about Trilochan’s emotions.
“I was thinking, this time, we omit the Durga pujo.” Binoy looked taken aback at his words.
“Dada?”
“I realised how privileged and lucky we are, Binoy, to have the house, the family and everything. Those people could have been us.” He turned to his brother, his eyes shining as Binoy hugged him.
“So I decided” Trilochan patted his brother gently, “We will do a ghot pujo, and we will donate the rest of the money to buy supplies for the refugees.”
“That is a very good idea, Dada. I think Aniruddha will be most pleased by this.” Binoy nodded.
“Didibhai?” Ashapurna was up on the roof in search of Bondita who was drying clothes. “Have you seen your Dada?”
“No.” Bondita shook her head “I assumed he went out to get something when I woke up, why?” Bondita frowned.
“Bondita? Bondita?” Aniruddha’s voice of urgency made them run back downstairs before Ashapurna could speak.
Aniruddha was reluctant as he glanced at Ashapurna and Bondita snatched the piece of paper he held and read from it.
“Dada, I tried, and none of you understood my worries. So I am going to Tulsipur, to check in on Baba and Jetha Moshai. I will be back to get Asha and the children home soon. Don’t worry about me.” Aniruddha shook his head.
“I don’t know where he gets his impulsiveness from.”
“It runs in the family.” Bondita snapped as she turned to Ashapurna “Don’t worry, he is fine. And by the next few days, the telephone line will be restored too, we will get to contact home.” She reassured a pale Ashapurna.
Trilochan walked out of the house in a plain white cotton Panjabi and dhuti with a brown border and walked towards the camps. One of the villagers helping out at the camp stopped him.
“Malik, you don’t need to see them.” He appeared disturbed. Trilochan shook his head “I need to.”
He walked by the first set of camp tents. There were a few elderly people and children. An old woman sat, with her hand on her head, her clothes tattered, as she sobbed. Trilochan knelt down beside her, startling her.
“It is okay, Maa, I am from that house.” he pointed “Where are you from?”
“I am from Kumri, baba.” She sobbed. “I don’t know where my family is.” She lamented “I had four sons, three unmarried daughters, and grandchildren.” her sobs turned to wails “I have been looking for them. What if they took my daughters?” The horror of the thought was evident in her eyes.
“They are fine, we will find them.” Trilochan tried to sound convincing. “How did you escape?”
“They burnt down our house, our … house… my… my elder brother was in it. He couldn’t walk… they burned him alive.” The woman sobbed inconsolably as suddenly a child, about six or seven, with dishevelled hair and torn clothes came out of the camp tent and sat beside her holding her.
“Why are you crying again, Thakuma?” She spoke. Trilochan looked at the child.
“She is your granddaughter?” he asked as the woman shook her head. “She lost her family too.”
“They were on the other boat, it toppled mid-river.” The child spoke in a very emotionless tone. “I have nobody left.” Trilochan suddenly felt sick. He got up and wiped his forehead as he looked around. So many people. So many stories. He spotted Koeli giving clothes to one of the women as he called on her.
“Make sure all of them get clothes.” He said, “Buy some if you have to, ask me for money.” Koeli nodded.
“Are you alright, Boro Malik?” She sounded worried. He nodded as he walked back home in a hurry.
“Trilochan?” He frowned as a woman’s voice called him out from the camp side. He turned to see a woman, he could hardly recognize, tanned, dirty, in the tattered clothes of a widow, her salt and pepper hair messy and eyes sad. “It is me, Kalindi. Don’t you remember me?” Trilochan Roy Chowdhury froze.
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