Aniruddha finished reading the book he had carried with him in the dim light of the bulb in his room and decided to pack it away. He was leaving in a few days and wanted to make sure he left nothing behind. The construction work on the school had started, and the Panchayat wanted to give him a thankful farewell he humbly refused. The spotlight should be on Trilochon to help with his next election campaign. Aniruddha did not want to associate himself with the party or the job. He contemplated going back home and telling his father that he had decided to pursue a career in India instead of his initial plan of going back to London. He had been giving it a thought for quite some time, and the day he said it out loud to Bondita, he knew in his subconscious mind he had already decided on it. The more he saw the village, the more sure he was that he was needed by his countrymen. Dadu put faith in him that he could be part of something bigger than himself and his career, and he intended to keep that faith. He had found a meaningful purpose in his life. He knew both Baba and Jyatha had no place in their logic for his sentiment. He needed to be strong and stubborn in his reasoning to convince them about finding his career and identity away from their business and politics on his own.
He thought he must have heard wrong when he heard a small whisper as though someone was calling his name from below the window. The window was closed as per the instructions of Dadu because of the fear of snakes and mosquitoes coming from the orchards.. But who could be calling his name from the orchards at midnight? “Aniruddha Babu?” Another time, a faint voice was heard. Aniruddha had been warned by the villagers not to reply to such callings, especially after the evening, because they believed the Babas and Ojhas would come across homes and imitate known voices and call out as “Nishir Dak”. Aniruddha did not believe in the nonsense, but today, he was not sure any more. He took out his three-cell torch from his bag and opened the window slightly to shine it directly down below his window, hoping to get to the source of the sound. The light flashed on Bondita’s face, making her wince her eyes and cover them with her hands as she stood her ground.
“Bondita? What are you doing here?” He asked with a frown. “You scared me.”
“Aniruddha Babu, you said if I am ever in trouble, I can ask you for help. Did you mean it?” She looked up at the shining light of the torch, unable to see beyond it, as she asked. Aniruddha turned the torch off and narrowed his brows at her words. “What happened?”
“Come out,” Bondita whispered. “I will tell you.”
Bondita had cycled home only to find the Pradhan and some other men of the Panchayat there, talking to her Kaka in the courtyard of their humble hut. She hid behind a stack of hay, listening as they told her Kaka that she was becoming uncontrollable with her bad influence on others and that it all needed to stop. When Kaka said that stopping her education abruptly would make the teacher report him to the police, Pradhan Jethu suggested marrying her off, like all the others her age were, and lie that Thamma and she had moved elsewhere if anyone outside the village asked, especially those city people who came by. As for Thamma, who was equally guilty about raising her that way, Pradhan Jethu would look for an old age home under some state scheme to send her away before she influenced Kaka’s daughters. Bondita could not believe her ears when both Kaka and Thamma agreed to their proposal. Pradhan Jethu made sure they did because he gave an alternative option of selling her off to a man he knew in the city to get rid of her and letting Thamma work in other people’s homes as domestic help to pay off her sins and live. He instilled the fear of his daughters never being able to marry because of Bondita’s bad name in Kaka’s heart. At least a marriage would be more honourable for Bondita than that. Thamma shed a tear or two on her white saree as Kaka lamented that this was all her doing. Bondita could stand there no longer and ran to the pond side in tears. When she composed herself enough to come back home, Thamma broke the news to her, hoping she would protest and resist. Instead, Bondita calmly asked her what she wanted to do. Thamma lamented that they had nobody to help them, nobody to turn to, other than Kaka. She wished someone were there to save them from this impending danger to her dreams and growth. It was then that Bondita remembered Aniruddha’s words.
“Help me sneak out tonight, Thamma.” Her words made the woman gasp.
“Don’t even think of escaping, Bondita. The world is a bad place, and you are too naive and young.” Thamma looked at her face in awe. Bondita seemed to have grown beyond her age almost overnight. She realised it now.
“I will not escape Thamma, but I might know someone who would help us.” Her words made Thamma’s brows shoot up. “Who might that be, child?”
“The Babu who came from the city, he is from the Roy Chowdhury house.”
The name brought back unpleasant memories for Kalindi Debi.
“Trust me, child, privileged men of the upper class don’t think of promises beyond just words. He must have said so to you in jest and did not mean it…”
“But he is the only hope we have. Please Thamma… let me try…” Kalindi sighed at her grandchild, knowing how stubborn she was.
“I know you would not listen to me. But if he refuses, you will not beg.”
“I promise.” Bondita pinched the nape of her neck innocently.
“And if he takes the help of his uncle, you will refuse.” Bondita frowned at Thamma’s words.
“Why?”
“No questions, I am telling you…” Bondita found it better to agree with her if that meant it was her only way to approach Aniruddha.
While she narrated her ordeals to him, Aniruddha’s mind raced. It had more questions than answers. Was it wise to make enemies out of an entire village? Was it wise not to inform Jethu about it? Why did her Thamma resent him so much? What could he do to help her with his limited resources? There was no way he could talk his way out of this with the Panchayat. He looked grim as he glanced at the innocent, intelligent, hopeful eyes staring back at him. Aniruddha decided at that moment that he would figure out the answers later, first, he needed to reassure her that he was a man of his word. He would not let anyone come between her and her dreams or harm her in any way. He had promised.
“We will leave tomorrow, in the darkest hour of the night. Pack very lightly and wait for me by the tree where we first met.”
“Thamma will come along with me. I cannot leave her behind, Babu. They will beat her to death if they see that I have escaped.” Aniruddha nodded. “But be very careful. Nobody must get an inkling of this. For your safety and mine.”
“I understand, Babu, but where will you take us?” Bondita sounded worried. “I don’t want you to be in trouble for us, but I am helpless…” Aniruddha watched her wipe away tears secretly as he inhaled.
“Don’t worry about that. It's your life at stake here. Do you trust me?” he asked as she nodded. Of course, she did; she would not have been there if she had not. “Then keep faith,” Aniruddha reassured her, although he had no idea what he would do, and he had less than twenty-four hours to figure that out for himself.
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