Barrister Babu

“What is this? How many times have I forbidden you, Devaditya?” Barrister Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, the Choto Malik of Tulsipur, said, feeling somewhat awkward as the Khajanchi's son Devaditya’s hand stopped on the briefcase at his stare. Aniruddha was now twenty-eight or twenty-nine, and though he was against the grandeur of the zamindars, his nobility and good nature reflected his pedigree. But like other privileged Bengalis, he did not support the Britishers. He was not hesitant to protest against any wrongs if need be.
"I...I mean, you hired me, Malik, so..." Devaditya had to stop at Aniruddha's glare. He knew this look well. He has seen with his own eyes what terrible things could happen when the Choto Zamindar Babu got angry.
“You are my childhood friend, Devaditya. You may work here, but that doesn't mean you will open my car door when I come home. You are my colleague, my childhood friend, no matter what anyone says, I respect you, don't you know that?"
"I know Aniruddha Babu, but..." Devaditya hesitated. The gardener, the doorman, and the servants were around; all of them were his neighbours. How could he suddenly consider himself equal to the Zamindar Babu?
"No ifs and buts. You know your Bouthan well, she will be very angry if she sees her Jamai Babu open the car door like that again." Aniruddha said with half a smile, picking up his foreign-made coat and gown, "Then you have to pacify her anger." Devaditya smiles faintly. Aniruddha climbed the stairs and went towards the inner courtyard of the Zamindar house.

To tell the truth, Devaditya never saw any of the anger, disappointment, happiness, or sorrow of this Bouthan whom Aniruddha talked about. On the day he saw Bondita closely, she had nothing in common with the fiery girl Sampurna often talked about. She was an almost lifeless, sleepy little bride whose husband, about sixty years her senior but rich, died of a heart attack on the day of the wedding. Perhaps God thought of the girl's welfare when he wrote that in her fate, but humans were cruel and stupid. How could they let the girl live? That too, one without a father or a husband, coming from such a poor family?

Devaditya never imagined he would remember the biggest day of his life like that. Who knew that on the day of his and Sampoorna's wedding, the recently returned Barrister Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, who was a guest and the groom's man, was going to bring a storm into his life in that way? Standing in front of the people of Debipur village, he wanted to save an eight-year-old child from the evil of Sati. He didn't know the price he would have to pay for it. When he promised to stay by her side in darkness more than in light, and would not back down to bring light to her life, the revolutionary mind of the clueless young rebel did not know that its cost was the vermilion on Bondita’s hairline. And was there no other way to save the innocent life of little Bondita? If there were, would Aniruddha not have chosen that path? How could he forget all the promises he made to his childhood friend Soudamini to bring down such an apocalypse on the lives of everyone around him? Even today, Devaditya's heart trembled when he thought about it. Most people would not do what Aniruddha did. But he was not the man to stop only at saving her. Bondita was taught to grow up with educated, independent thoughts by her Baristra Babu. He sent her to school by teaching her everything from the alphabet to compound interest, all by himself. Devaditya understood that people misunderstood his selfless friend. He was not insane, not a revolutionary, just a flesh-and-blood man, whose sense of humanity was more intact than theirs.

Aniruddha habitually entered the bedroom and saw his ironed Panjabi in one corner of the bed, the towel, shaving kit and perfume arranged right where he liked them. Just as he took out his purse unmindfully and placed it on the table, he heard the familiar sound of anklets in the hallway. It was approaching the room from the Verandah. Aniruddha was a little surprised. She was not supposed to be home. She had been waiting for that day for a long time, but what happened? Inquisitively, he looked up at the threshold to see Bondita appear, smiling with a glass of Sharbat in her hand.

"What happened? Didn't you go to Didi’s place?" asked Aniruddha, his tone somewhat doubtful. Bondita placed the glass down, wiping her hands in her Anchol and said, "I'm dressed like this because I went there; otherwise, when have you seen me dress so gaudily at home?"

"You can do that if you want to. Jethamoshai will be happy." Aniruddha avoided his wife's gaze, finished his Sharbat in one gulp and smiled.

"Are you taunting me in the middle of the afternoon?"

"Bah, Re, is there a proper time for taunts?" Bondita did not smile, took the glass from Aniruddha's hand and said, "Food is ready, Shoshur Moshai is waiting for you, come to the dining hall." She was about to turn and leave when Aniruddha suddenly blocked her path and said with utmost seriousness, "Tell me exactly, Bondita, what happened there that made you leave?"

"What would possibly happen there, Baristra Babu?" Bondita shook her head. "And would you not know if something did happen?"

"So, are you sick?" Aniruddha casually placed his hand on her forehead. Bondita did not shy away. She smiled, amused at his concern and said, “I learnt today that I have more wisdom than you. Understood? Now go to the bathroom, or shall I go and tell Jyathamoshai?”

"Now, who's snickering?" Aniruddha said anxiously. "I know you're smarter than me."

"You know?" Bondita raised her eyebrows in surprise and smiled, "Why didn't you say that until now?"

"Because you will become vain." Aniruddha shook his head, "Go and give me food, I am hungry."

"Oma, I was going, but you stopped me." Bondita was surprised at her husband's amused face, shook her head and walked away towards the kitchen.

Aniruddha began to take out some important papers from his pocket one by one and kept them on the table. Another thought ran through his mind. What was it that Bondita did not say? Suddenly, his eyes fell on a folded envelope. He had forgotten to read Soudamini's letter in the middle of his busy day.

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...

Sibling's Day

Shakti always had a very strict sibling equation with Pratap. Though they were only two years apart, the siblings had very different tastes and preferences. For Shakti, Pratap's disciplined and well-planned life looked like he was missing out on a lot of things. He sometimes didn't even approve of how impulsive Pratap was when he was emotional. Shakti, on the other hand, prioritised experiences over plans. He never found a need to feel deeply for anything the way Pratap did, and over the years, mostly in Pratap's absence from the family, he had managed to find a way with his parents. But he didn't really have any other elder sibling figure. All his cousins' sisters were close to him and younger. But with Ajabdeh, he had developed this very strong connection over the past few weeks. As a child, Shakti's playmate in the house used to be Sajja, while his father worked, his mother ran NGOs, and Pratap was always found with his head in a book. Ajabdeh was up for an...

His Wife

" Where is the Kesar, Rama? And the Kalash?" Ajabdeh looked visibly displeased at the ladies who ran around. " They are at the fort gates, and nothing is ready yet!" She exclaimed. She was clad in a red lehenga and the jewellery she had inherited as the first Kunwarani of the crown prince. Little Amar ran down the hallway towards his mother. " Maasa Maasa... who is coming with Daajiraj?" His innocent question made her heart sink. " Bhanwar Ji." Sajja Bai called out to him. " Come here, I will tell you." Amar rushed to his Majhli Dadisa., " Ajabdeh." She turned at Jaivanta Bai's call. "They are here." " M... My Aarti thali..." Ajabde looked lost like never before. Jaivanta Bai held her stone-cold hands, making her stop. She patted her head and gave her a hug. The hug gave her the comfort she was looking for as her racing heart calmed down. Jaivanta Bai left her alone with her thaal. " Maa sa!" ...

AAYA TERE DAR PAR DEEWANA

Pratap was outside the gates of Meera Girls College in Udaipur by the next afternoon, unsure of whether to go in and ask for her. He spotted a few girls walking out, and one of them kept staring at him suspiciously before approaching him. He stood in his spot, still awkward as she asked, “Aren’t you that ASI guy that Roshni met?” “I… what?” Pratap narrowed his eyes “I am sorry, I don’t remember you.” “I am Mahek.” The girl waved her hand and smiled, “I was with her at Chawand.” “Oh, I see.” Pratap sighed. “I found some information that might help her …err… project.” He stopped at Mahek’s suspicious frown. “So I thought…” “You came all the way here to give her some information about her project?” Pratap cursed himself inwardly. Indeed, that sounded lame when she repeated it. “Why didn’t you call her?” “I…” He cleared his throat “I lost her number, so… I was hoping that she would be interested in an on-field internship…” “Oh, wait, I will give you her number. But she isn’t here, and I do...

Purnota: Chapter Forty Four

Aniruddha tapped his black loafers on the Italian marble floor of the entrance as he eyed his watch. It was almost half past five. He checked himself in the full-size mirror beside the coat hanger, looking fresh as he shaved and bathed, set his hair, chose a white summer blazer over his black shirt and trousers and abandoned the idea of a tie. He cleaned his glasses with the handkerchief, contemplating whether he should knock at Asha’s door, telling Bondita to hurry. He wondered what the women were doing there for such a long time. He could hear them giggling and gossiping as he walked past the room. He wondered what huge deal a party was that a woman needed another to help her dress up. He took out his phone and wondered if he should call her downstairs instead to avoid the awkwardness of knocking on the door. It was then that Aniruddha heard footsteps on the stairs and looked up in a reflex. He would give her a piece of his mind for wasting precious moments, especially when they...

Purnota: Chapter Forty Three

Trilochon and Kalindi were having tea in the morning in their living room when Binoy walked downstairs in his Pajama Panjabi, pipe in hand and found them. Watching him unusually in his home attire, Trilochon frowned. “Are you sick? I thought you had already left.” Binoy sat down on the single chaise chair beside the couch as Kalindi poured some tea for him. “ I told you, Dada, I am here to retire.” He said, putting his pipe in his pocket. “Today, Som is going alone. We will see how that goes.” Their conversation was interrupted by Asha coming into the house in a white and red saree, with a red sindoor Teep on her forehead. She had a basket with her, and Koeli was accompanying her as she offered them the sweets she had taken as Prasad. “Since it’s his first day at the new position, we went to the temple together.” Asha narrated to Kalindi. “He left for work from there.” “Do you not have school today?” Kalindi enquired as Asha shook her head. She smiled, eyeing Trilochon, who narra...

Purnota: Chapter Forty Five

Aniruddha stared at the clock on his chamber wall for the third time and verified its working condition by checking it with his watch. He had asked Bondita to come to his chambers at six. It was almost six-ten and there was no sign of her. The peon he had sent to call her in had also left. He wondered if she had gone home earlier than usual. But then would she not have informed him? He eyed the partnership deed he had prepared to be signed, going through the terms one last time before he decided to go downstairs and see where she was for himself. As soon as Aniruddha got up, taking the coat from behind his chair to go, gathering the paperwork of the deed, a knock resonated on the door as he straightened his glasses and found his most professional voice to ask her to come in. Bondita looked a little breathless as though she had run up the stairs and apologised in a hurry, “Sorry, sorry… Meghna had some issues with her computer.” “There is a tech guy for that.” He narrowed his brows slig...

The Adventure of PI Ved: The Case in London

There is something funny about the phrase “as dead as a doornail.” Why? Because I am dead and I don’t look like a nail of any sort. I lie on my living room carpet, hands stretched out, the knife stuck to my back...such a backstabber. I hated them all my life! And what is the purpose of killing me? It is not like I would have lived much longer, I was eighty-five, for God’s sake! I lay here, the blood turning thick as I stared at the painting on the wall. It is such a hideous painting. I bought it for so much money, I was duped. I am waiting for the morning when my caregiver arrives to discover me on the floor. But I feel they are still around, looking for something. Searching every room. It is around 7 AM that she rings the bell. She bangs the door. She yells out, “Mr Smith!” Oh no, she is going back. Come back here, you fool! The criminal must still be upstairs. I hear them come down the wooden staircase and exit from the back door. Now the useless caregiver lady is back. Oh, she ...

Embracing Truths

Rana Udai Singh had sent his Senapati Kunwar Partap back to Chittorgarh because Dungarpur had summoned them to the battlefield. How did a friendly visit culminate in a war? Rumours spread faster than wildfires in Mewar. Rana Udai Singh was attending a Mehfil where he liked one of the King’s best dancers. He wanted to take her back to Chittorgarh, and the king, who took pride in art, refused to part with his best dancer. Udai Singh, at the height of intoxication, abused the king, insulted his dynasty and almost forced the dancer girl to follow him, leading to an altercation. What he expected now was for Kunwar Partap to lead an army to Dungarpur, wage a war and force the king to apologise. Kunwar Partap was appalled by what he heard from the soldier. Could the Rana not understand that he could not make any more enemies? He asked his troops to prepare to leave and informed Raoji. Ajbante Kanwar ran down the corridor to her chambers as fast as she could. She did not care if anyone saw her...

Purnota: Epilogue

“Hello?” Saudamini’s voice was heard on the other end of the telephone as Aniruddha breathed in. “Mini, this is Aniruddha.” “Oh, Ani, how are you? How is Bondita?” Her voice changed from doubtful to excited. Aniruddha was standing by the couch in the living room with a phone book on the coffee table and a sheet of paper with a guest list in his hand. The mention of Bondita made him involuntarily eye the visible corridor to the dining area, where he could hear her voice, instructing Koeli. Ever since the marriage, she seemed to have taken up the job of ordering everyone around the house like a true landlord, and even he was not spared from her occasional orders. That is exactly how he had landed on the couch with a phone book. “Umm… she is good. Everyone’s good. I’m calling because…” “Oh, do tell her I truly apologise for not attending the wedding. I know she was disappointed with me and thought it was some payback for her not attending mine.” An amused smile formed on Aniruddha’s lips ...

RAABTA

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