Protidaan: Chapter Thirteen

I will be forever grateful to Bibha for walking into my room in the morning. She looked stressed and sleepless and wanted to speak with me. I shook my head, murmuring, “Not now,” as I hid my head in some papers, trying to appear busy. Bibha refused to leave.

“It is about Lata.” She finally said. I looked up at her, quite irked.

“Oh, did she send you here to advocate for her?” I taunted Bibha. She shook her head.

“I don’t want people to misunderstand her because of me.” Her words made me frown.

“Because of you?” I asked. “What do you mean?”

“I can’t tell you. Lata will. Hear her out.” Her eyes travelled to the door where she stood, behind the curtain. I inhaled.

“Bibha, if this is one of your tricks to…”

“It is not, shotti bolchi Dada. Hear it from her. It is not what you think.” She didn’t wait for me to protest as she ran away, and Lata stood at the threshold. I looked back at my papers. She was still at the threshold, as I eyed her.

“Will you need a mic to explain things to me from there?” I scolded, prompting her to come inside the room.

“You said you didn’t want to see me.” She complained softly, her voice choking in her tears.

“It is too late for that, isn’t it?” I shrugged without sparing her a glance. She stood there for a while. “Will you speak up?” I said again. The suspense was killing me. A part of me wanted details. Details of who this person was, how they met and what made Lata like him. Another part of me wanted to distance myself from all of this and concentrate on how it might affect her future.

She looked intimidated and unsure. She eyed the doorway twice before whispering that the letter was not hers. I wasn’t sure what she meant. Did she think all of us were fools? It was found in her notebook by Kakima. The obvious question was who it belonged to.

“Didi.” She murmured almost in a whisper.

“WHAT?” I stood up from my chair as she stepped back, a little intimidated.

“First, promise me you won’t scold her.” Lata looked up, teary-eyed. I frowned, disturbed. She was facing everyone’s wrath quietly for Bibha? It made no sense. Why would she do that? Who did Bibha correspond with? She narrated the tale of the teacher to me in sugar-coated words, making him sound almost perfect. I immediately wondered what she left out, or perhaps she was repeating the exact words Bibha taught her. Now I was disappointed in both of them. I walked away, leaving her still in tears in the middle of my room. I needed to think.

I was about to take a walk to clear my head that day when I saw Lata’s Kaka in Thamma’s presence.

“Her Kakima tells me we should look for a groom.” I stopped at his words and eyed Thamma’s unreadable face.

“She is studying now.” Thamma shook her head, raising her brows. I walked towards them.

“Yes, but such things spread rumours and…” Kaka stopped at my sight and was about to get up to greet me when I stopped him.

“That is no solution,” I said, making Thamma look up at me with a frown. “I will talk to her and make sure she learns a lesson. Such things won’t be repeated. I take the responsibility for it.” I spoke as Thamma frowned some more.

“But, do you know who it was for?” Kaka asked, a little disturbed. I shook my head. He left soon after. Thamma stopped me as soon as he was gone.

“Do you know something?” She asked suspiciously. “What Lata had done...”

Was to save your honour… I wish I could tell her that. Instead, I reassured her that it wasn’t Lata’s. It was her friend’s. That wasn’t Lata’s handwriting. Thamma nodded, partially convinced. She told me to scold her about the bad company. I couldn’t tell her further, so I walked away.

That evening, I summoned Bibha to the library when everyone was done with dinner. I rebuked her for being an emotional fool, for believing everything a man said, and reminded her that our status and class are very different from his. For the first time in my life, I saw her protest. She said he loved and honoured her and would go to any lengths for her. I slapped her. I had never raised my hand to her before. She was always the most pampered in the house. Her sudden rebellious streak scared me. I was responsible for looking after them. What would I tell Dada if he ever came to know of this? And Thamma? She would be so angry. Bibha stood there for a moment, not able to comprehend what had happened, and then she retorted at me that I didn’t care for her. Only Lata understood her. I tried to check my voice and reason with her. The love she read of in books didn’t feed hungry stomachs nor give what one needed to survive. Before she knew it would fly straight out of the window. She smiled the most sarcastic smile I have ever seen.

“What do you know of love?” She had asked. I was quiet. Not because she was right. But because I wasn’t answerable to her. Yes, perhaps I was no fool in love like her. And my love has its limits. But for the three years that I knew and the many more before, when I never realised, I had felt the feeling she was now familiar with. She shook her head, teary-eyed, and walked away as I tried in vain to stop her. I knew she wouldn’t listen to me.

I was in a way relieved to know that the letter wasn’t Lata’s. But Bibha? Was she naive enough to believe that they could have a potential future just because they liked each other? By midnight, lost in my thoughts, I was sure of it. This man was after our family inheritance. He didn’t love Bibha. He just persuaded her to believe him. Naive as she was, she was easy prey to his plans. If only Bibha could meet someone worthy of her and see for herself that she deserved better. I stopped pacing. I needed to snap her out of this. It needed to be done before she left for Calcutta for college.

Lata walked into my room the next morning, putting the Panjabi down on the bed while I combed my wet hair in the mirror. She stood there, prompting me to eye her through the reflection as she cleared her throat.

“What is it now?” I turned to face her.

“I… sewed your button back.” She said, looking away. I sighed. I remembered giving her the Panjabi. She sewed back all of Ananta and my missing buttons, as Bibha never bothered, and Thamma’s hands trembled nowadays.

“Umm… about the… letter…” She stopped as I glared at her.

“What now? You two have done enough already.” I rebuked.

“Meet him once.” Her words came almost sounding like a statement, not a plea. My brows shot up.

“You only tell me not to judge people before knowing them, Deb Da. If Didi likes him…” I had made her stop. I didn’t want to be part of this. I didn’t want to hear anything further on this topic, ever again. I made it clear to her, and she shook her head, a little disappointed. I reminded her that instead of supporting Bibha’s stupidity, she should have been wise enough to talk her out of it or perhaps let me know. She was quiet and looked away. Unlike Bibha, she didn’t respond. Instead, she kept saying I should meet a person before rejecting them. I ended up scolding her. That prompted her to walk away from my room.

I met the man the next week, in secrecy, in the forest, just as Lata wanted me to.

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, ...

My Everything

Kunwar Pratap stormed into the Mahal at Gogunda amidst uncertainty and chaos. Happy faces of the chieftains and soldiers welcomed him as Rawat Chundawat, and some other chieftains stopped the ongoing Raj Tilak. A visibly scared Kunwar Jagmal looked clueless at a visibly angry Kunwar Pratap. Rani Dheerbai Bhatiyani hadn't expected Kunwar Pratap to show up, that too, despite her conveying to him his father's last wish of crowning Kunwar Jagmal. Twenty-one days after Udai Singh's death, she was finally close to a dream she had dared to dream since Jagmal was born. He was not informed about the Raj Tilak as per Dheerbai's instructions. She eyed Rawat Ji. He must have assembled the chiefs to this revolt against her son, against the dead king. No one except them knew where Kunwar Pratap was staying. It was for the safety of his family. " What are you doing, Chotima?" A disappointed voice was directed at her. She could stoop down so low? For the first time, an anger...

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...

Purnota: Chapter Twenty One

The morning after the Chief Minister of the state attended the reception party, Binoy wrapped the newspaper that had just arrived at their threshold, eyeing the picture of him and Trilochon with the chief minister smiling proudly, made a mental note of framing it for his office in Siliguri and stepped out to see the car waiting for him in the entrance to take him to the station. He glanced over his shoulder at the house, still asleep and watched Bihari put his luggage in the back seat. Bihari had been with the Roy Chowdhury House since he was a teenager. He eyed Binoy as he lit his pipe and straightened his jacket when Bihari approached him. “Boro Saheb, should I inform Kotta Moshai once?” Binoy eyed Bihari with a disapproving glance. “If I wanted to tell him, I would have done so myself, Bihari. Where is the driver?” He checked his watch. Bihari sighed as he ran to check on the driver. Bondita stopped on the gravelled path leading from the entrance to the main gate as she watched...

Purnota: Chapter Twenty Two

The winter morning was pleasant, especially when the sunshine hit the dewy grass on the lawn, and Bihari set down the porcelain cups for Trilochon and Kalindi to start their day. Kalindi had just taken up some orders to knit sweaters and mittens for some of the neighbourhood kids as she wrapped the thick brown shawl tightly around herself, on the chilly morning as she sat down on the lawn chair with her needles, pin and colourful balls of wool, as she knit a pair of mittens while waiting for Trilochon to join her. Bondita hurried out of their place and stopped at the sight of her sitting alone, unsurely. “Do you need something?” Kalindi raised her eyes briefly from the wool and asked as she shook her head. “I was hoping to talk to Jyatha Moshai…” She shivered a little as Kalindi scolded her to find a sweater first. She rushed indoors as Kalindi spotted Trilochon in a thermal t-shirt, a pair of pants and a shawl walking towards her with the cane in hand. He stopped as he watched her kni...

Purnota: Chapter Twenty

Trilochon’s only desire for Som’s wedding was for it to be so grand that the entire Chandannagar remembered it for the longest time. He had also invited the leaders of the opposition, ministers and even the CM, and if rumours were to be believed, he would accept the invitation. That meant trying to impress him for a ticket to the next Lok Sabha elections. He knew the only way to do so was also to showcase Som as a prodigy. Their family name was enough to earn votes for the party in the area. “Perhaps you could tell him about Somnath Babu’s involvement in some of the projects here. Like the slum area where water was flooding the pathways…” Poritosh had suggested. “But it was done by…” Bapi Da had stopped as Trilochon shook his head, “How does it matter who did it? What matters is that we say Som did it.” They agreed. “Jyatha Moshai.” Bondita walked into his room, not expecting the elderly men from the Party office to be there. “ Bolo, Maa. ” “The Gaye Holud is here.” She smiled. “How a...

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...

Purnota: Chapter Twenty Three

“So the question is, do the slum dwellers get their dues to relocate, or do they protest on the road, grabbing media attention? If one of them mentions the sewage project where all this started, we can’t guarantee not dragging certain names then. It will be beyond our control.” Bondita breathed in as she eyed everyone at the table. The conference hall of ARC & Associates had an oval table with a whiteboard, projector and podium and sitting around the table were a stenographer, Bondita’s secondary attorney, Debashish Ghosal, the contractor and his attorney Biswas, the representative of the NGO with the Union leader of the slum, Trilochon, Somnath and Aniruddha. The people of the NGO appreciated her strategy with a nod. Ghoshal looked perplexed as his lawyer whispered something in his ear. Somnath did not look up from the table as Aniruddha passed a note to Trilochon in writing. “Now the decision is yours.” Bondita continued. “We are keen on out-of-court settlement if our basic ...

Purnota: Chapter Nineteen

“Wake up, wake up!” Bondita smiled, amused at Aniruddha and Batuk sleeping on his bed, hugging each other like children. She removed the curtains, and the room was flooded in daylight. “Urgh.” Batuk stirred as Aniruddha sat up. “What is wrong with you?” Batuk threw the pillow Bondita caught before it hit the floor. Her wet hair shone in the sunlight, with droplets of water lingering on its tips as she adjusted her well-pleated orange saree with a blue border and opened the window. A gust of cold breeze blew in from the Ganges, prompting Batuk to pull his blanket over his face. “Let me sleep, Daini !” He murmured. “Is it not enough that you all gave away my room to guests?” Aniruddha was stretching and yawning as Bondita chuckled, amused, pulling her wet hair to the side of her shoulder. “Why are you dressed up?” Aniruddha asked, suppressing a yawn. “Oh, you should be, too. Jyatha Moshai said We are going to Kalighat.” She raised her brows, amused. “Oh shit,” Aniruddha murmured, hitting...

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