Wealthwise

You run for me here and there,
Your search for me is loud and clear,
Money, money, money- you cry
Come to me, in vain I try
To turn you round and look a me,,
Quietly waiting for you to see
I am within and not without
Come my dear, find me out
The thieves can never reach me here.
Open your doors- the world may share!
And yet your riches will only grow
Your wealth rues for you to know
You and me are but the same
Find me out, it is game

Surrender

I have surrendered all my burden to you ,
Why then I falter and fear !
Why my heart quivers ,
Offering my prayer .

Bless me with your fearless touch ;
Cleansing my soul of colour ,
Lead me unto your Blissful Light ,
Surpassing mundane dolour .

I know of no religion but you ,
Your work is the one thing I do ,
Guide me when I am wrong
In all my deeds and song .

Even if stricken by you
I offer you my pain ,
I give unto you all that I gain
My artful master, now can you say adieu ?

Not for you

It is true my heart pined for you;
It is true I wanted you,
In the eastern sky glazed the sun
I craved for our souls to be but one.
The sun in the middle came like a ball of fire
I longed for you with burning desire,
I look at the sun setting in the West
The sky is pink and blue.
And I still think of you.
Turning your love to the next girl waiting
Burning my bed; her in mind
Sense of glory lasting for ever
Dazzled your eyes blind.
The girls have left their youth
So has your desire.
The nest you left is too big for you
You may come and retire.
Your place is now only at a corner
Compassion to blanket you
Love and desire are still shining high
But !They are not for you.

A Candle for you

Like a cuckoo in the spring

I try to sing your song.

The songs come back to me

Crying – we don’t belong.

Grace me oh! My Lord

With your boundless love

Take me in your heart

Help me rise above.

Breaking all my shackles

Breaking all my pride.

Let me sing your song

Soft and silently

As a candle light

The Broken Mandoline

My heart and soul

Was lying forlorn

In a dark corner of the stately palace

A broken mandolin behind doors

After an eternity it seems,

Who is knocking softly on the door?

Who has picked me up and playing gently on my strings?

Robbed of all my riches

Forsaken by all

I was lying hopeless and torn

Pray tell me Oh graceful God

Were you waiting for this day?

To fill me with your Love to the core

Bless me heart and soul ?

Parrot

A Parrot

When I talk of you

They say , a parrot !

How would they know,

Like the southern breeze

You have sent your message

Filling me to the core

With your divine melody.

I try to fathom

Known from the unknown

I try to put my words to your tune

And they laugh , a parrot !

Desperate , I try to bind your melody with

Music , orchestra, lyrics!

But they remain out of reach-

The fragrance, sweetness,

the heart wrenching pain

That was there when you hummed!

Throwing caution to the winds

I put my voice to your song!

Even from inside some cried

A parrot!

My last offering

The Lotus

The day you came to me a begging

I was drowned by joy and grief

I’d fill your bowl to the brim I vowed

But no pauper; you turned out to be a royal thief

Every thing that was mine you robbed

And yet I glowed like a bride in ecstasy

Holding the Salver on your own

When you called me out from your throne

I was still at choosing flowers

The best for you to adorn

The gales came rushing in

And oh my beloved king

They left barren, all my trees .

Please take me, whispered my heart

I am waiting for Him from the start

Bemused I looked in

And there oh my king

Bloomed a single lotus

My last offering!

Amigo Amigo

Amigo- Amigo

My friend, my dear mate!

You help me take a step or two,

With you I share a few words,

Right out of my soul

At times when the world appears to be a mist,

When there is no one around

I think of you, and oh my friend,

You come to me right away!

Putting your serene touch on my heavy heart.

A divine melody, you are out of this world.

I cannot get at you in a crowd

Nor even when I am all alone.

But , you always know the day

I am down with deep sorrow.

Deeper despair still;

And you touch me with your song

Soft and tenderly;

They take away the dark shadows clouding my heart,

And flood me with light and happiness.

My amigo!On the dark wintry nights,

You bring with you my sunny days,

And then you go.

Awakening the love and desire;

For the unknown, unheard of,

For you my ever elusive friend

The Scholar

The Scholar

I am a wise man, a philosopher I am !
I don’t care a damn for you,
I give a fig for them.
The world is full of fools ,
I’ll prove beyond doubt
Negation is the buzzword, positive is out.
Why run after illusions !
While nothing is going to stay.
Nothing you should care for.
To no one you should pray.
I am here to guide you all,
To your ultimate goal .
There is only nothingness,
Or nothing at all!
I have read a lot of books,
Treaded the scholarly path
Contemplation years later
Traveling on the rut –
I know for certain and
So you should too -
Nothings remains sans your wisdom
Nothing but Conscious you!
I can answer all you ask for,
Dispel all your doubts.
Consciousness is the only count,
On which I am bowled out !!

The Making of Pinky

Pinky still remembers with a shudder her encounter with the strange tutor. Last year just after the Pujas her Kaku (uncle)and kakima (aunt) came over to their place as a ritual to pay respect to Dadi. At least that was what Pinky thought in the beginning. Pinky’s kaku was a very jovial man. A little on the flabby side though, but still he looked so smart. The best thing Pinky loved about her kaku were his eyes, they were so kind and reassuring. As always kaku asked her about her studies. He even did a spell check on her, in which Pinky failed miserably. ‘Quality’ , according to Pinky spells as Kwality , Balloon was Baloon and monkey was monky . Kaku and kakima were flabbergasted.

“What school is she going to Masima, her spelling is horrible !” Kaku exclaimed .
“My daughter is much younger, still she can spell Hippopotamus with a bang “– declared Kakima with apparent pride .

Pinky was also quite fond of her Kakima. She was so beautiful and laughed so much. Pinky found it very infectious. That day Kakima was wearing a beautiful red saree. Pinky felt like touching her wax like hands .

“No no, this can’t go on. We must do something about it. Pinky is becoming much too spoilt here. Please, you must give your consent Masima, it is only for Pinky’s sake. We are going to take her to Kolkata, admit her to a good school and make a good smart girl out of her. Next year when we come here to visit you with Pinky, you will see the difference yourself.” Kaku said.

Pinky looked at Kaku, Kakima and Dadi, in that precise order and what she saw made her heart sink.

At night pinky cried and cried and her pillow was soaked with her tears. Bhulo licked her tears and whined .

“Oh Bhulo, who will look after you, who will give you milk, who will pick the ticks from your coat.” Pinky whispered . How awful these elders are. Nobody asked Pinky, what she wanted. She does not want to go to Kolkata. Well, she would like to go there, but not for ever. This is her home. She wants to stay with Dadi, with Bhulo, with Bablu. Pinky seemingly became thinner overnight .

At Kolkata, however Pinky was quite happy. Kaku , Kakima and their only child, little Bulan lived in an apartment house near Gariahat, quite a posh area, compared to the suburbs where Pinky lived so far. The housing complex was huge, with swimming pool, play ground and rose garden and a gymnasium. Their flat was also so big and oh so beautifully furnished, with a giant TV set in the lounge and small TV in Bulan’s room where Pinky and Bulan watched the Cartoon network. And her cousin Bulan was a lovely kid. So cuddly , Pinky hugged her whenever she feel homesick.

Kakima did not let Pinky put oil on her hair- it made the pillow covers dirty and ‘with so much oil on your head you look like a village girl’ proclaimed her aunt. But Pinky had a problem. With a head full of more than abundant , coarse and curly hair pinky could not comb her hair on her own. A teary eyed Pinky remembered Monima oiling, combing and making thick plaits with her hair and proudly flaunting her before dadi, ‘see what beautiful hair she has got’. Kakima also laughed at her frocks. “Oh Pinky , what are these? You call them frocks ! they look like bags to me, so long and so awkward, so shabby.” Kakima bought beautiful dresses for her like her cousin Bulan. Though happy to get new frocks and skirts, inside Pinky felt sorry for dadi and monima. Poor people, they don’t know how to dress but they love Pinky and Pinky would choose her discarded frocks and their buyers any day than her benevolent Kakima and these new dresses.

Pinky still remembered the first convent school she visited with her uncle. It was a very renowned school at Kolkata and Bulan studied here. Their car stopped at the huge gate which was kept open as it was the time for students to report in the morning. Pinky was awed to see the huge compound inside, the main building standing in the middle, a two storied yellow building huge and inviting, surrounded by green grass covered playfield, where a few gardeners were at work, it seemed to Pinky. At the left side of the main entrance there was a small brick room, where stood the school darwan in uniform and Pinky noticed he had a very benevolent expression. From the gate to the building there ran a path of red bricks and soil and Pinky crossed it with her uncle with a trembling heart. She wanted to be a part of the school, it was a love at first sight. The written test started at 10.30 sharp. When she got her paper, Pinky felt like crying. How could she even dream of being admitted to such schools; she did not know anything; she was so utterly inferior, so ignorant, so inadequate.


Kaku visited a few more schools with Pinky but came back crestfallen. None of these renowned schools would admit her. She was very weak in English and Maths; not at all upto their standards.


But Kaku would not take defeat without a fight. He appointed a tutor for Pinky at home. Both Pinky and Bulan became his pupils. Their tutor would come dot at six in the evening and would stay upto 8 in the night. Kakima would send snacks and tea at about 7 in the evening. At that time Pinky and Bulan would get a break. Their tutor, Mr Duttagupta, was a stern man, a short and stocky fellow with a square jaw, a blunt nose, a bushy mustache and two marble like cold eyes. Pinky never saw him smile. Pinky started dreading the study time. Pinky realized after a few days that their tutor had a problem with his speech. He would come and straightaway give some lessons for them to solve. And he would bend over their exercise books correcting homework. The first day after kaku introduced them to their new tutor and left the room, Mr Duttagupta looked at them for a longtime, cleared his throat and then began his sermon “Girls, to day we st… st….sta…….rt with aa..aa…aaour lesson….” Pinky was praying to God “Please God don’t make me laugh.” And she tried to think of all her worries but could not suppress a squeak which dangerously sounded like a laugh. Bulan looked at her and put her small palm before her lips to cover the huge grin that spread from ear to ear. That was Pinky’s undoing. Bulan was a student of first standard. She was good in all subjects and was an instant hit with their tutor. Poor Pinky, she was weak in almost all subjects. She could do simple sums, adding and subtracting with single digits only and that too with difficulty. Their tutor started preparing Pinky for the second standard. according to his opinion 'the girl was too big' to be taught the sessons of first standard and that with her 'advanced age' she should be able to pick up the lessons meant for standard two students. Poor girl, she was not even familiar with the lessons of first standard, not to speak of second. So each day after the tea break, Pinky would be found standing with her hands on her ears.

Pinky felt so ashamed of her inadequacy. But apart from being ashamed and feeling low, she could do nothing to improve matters. Being a child she kept forgetting that she was a failure and acted , played, screamed and howled as any other child would and thereby fuelling her uncle’s anger to no end.

These days, Kaku seemed exasperated with Pinky and her inability to learn. He seemed to overlook Pinky’s past education record, that so long she was being educated in a school where English was taught only from Class –VI, where teachers were being selected on their political colours and not for their merit and where overall teaching standard was below par. He forgot, in his eagerness to prove his point to Pinky’s maternal guardians, that unless you teach a kid the alphabets you cant expect her to spell words, if you do not teach her the basics of counting you can never hope to teach her how to do multiplications , and in his anger, started scolding her and keeping her in locked rooms, to ensure that she becomes more attentive to her studies. Much though was his concern for his orphaned niece, he failed to realize that all his frenzied efforts were having an absolutely negative effect on the kid. Poor Pinky yearned fervently for her Monima and Dadi, Babloo and Bhulo and freedom. Almost six months has passed and there has been precious little progress in Pinky’s English and Mathematics.

Unknown to Pinky and her uncle, her Kakima (aunt) had been observing the whole process of ‘making of Pinky’ with a sympathetic mind and felt her plight with a mother’s soul. She wrote a letter to Pinky’s Monima explaining the situation and asking her to come and take Pinky back. Pinky was perching on the second floor balcony when she spotted Monima and Babloo coming out of the yellow taxi . Pinky was down even before Monima reached for the calling bell . Pinky’s uncle was secretly relieved that she was being taken back but Bulan was heart broken. She loved her cousin and would not let her go. Pinky consoled her and promised to come back for the pujas before Bulan let her go.


Back home Pinky was a changed girl. She studied and studied. She would wake up early in the morning when every body was asleep and do her home work. Monima took extra care and worked hard with Pinky . At school also when her class teacher found Pinky to be so eager about her studies, she took extra care and taught her even after school was over. Gradually Pinky overcame her weakness in English language and mathematics more because of her own will and desire to learn than for any other reason and in their annual examination Pinky came out Second in merit. With the result sheet in her hand Pinky tiptoed into the drawing room and picked up the phone and dialed her uncle’s number. Her uncle picked up the phone and Pinky said in a very small voice, “Kaku I have come second in my school. Are you still angry with me?”. In a contrite voice her uncle said “No child, I am proud of you.”

In tune with infinity

In tune with infinity

My heart yearns for you;

But silence greets me

Far and near.

In my heart of hearts I know

Surrender!And you will be there.

I know not where from I became;

Nor where I shall end.

Let the darkness of ignorance melt

Let knowledge dawn on me,

And let it be felt

Small as my life may be

It comes and flows into infinity.

The Voice

The Voice

I halted at my journey’s end

A sudden pull , a sudden jerk

I looked back with a heavy heart

To my past that was coming dark;

The happy days I spent,

The love that I shared

The things that made me laugh

The tears for those I cared

Pictures floated before my eyes

Of the world I knew so well

My heart is breaking to pieces

It is time to say farewell.

My love for the days I knew

Called me silently

A voice beckoned over their shadows

I am your destiny

I closed my eyes to shut the sight

Writings on the western sky

Crimson still my eternal bed

Burning in my mind’s eye

The day you’re born oh lonely maiden

I was chosen your partner to be

Birth is where you spend your day

But the night is left to me

I am your journey’s end

A bond you can’t break free.

Your Ways

Your Ways





I cherish the golden moment
You tugged at my heartstring
With your divine melodies


Lifting my soul to the skies
Like a fool I tried to join in
Only to break the spell
Broken hearted and forsaken
I stand and muse
For what fault of mine!
Oh God!What fault of mine!
I felt you by my side
In a room full of people
You came to meIn the dark lonely night
Bursting with prideI misjudged my might.
Victorious, I tried to sing
Alas my pride has broken the string.
You were here!Now you are gone,
I know, though, I am not alone.
You are there in the air I breathe
Your songs , my Love , the flowers sing
You are gone, but not forever
Heartless you’re not
And you do care
To show me how the different ways
All reach you
In the coming days
I’ll find them out one by one
Thank you, Love,
I am not undone!

A Page from my Diary

The Bird

The Bird on her golden perch, strained her neck and bent her head

To look around and down,

You should never try to fly, her master said.

The master had a little son, who opened the tiny chain

Tie me oh boy lest I fall cried the bird but in vain

The boy was but only a kid; he could not undo what he did

And he left the bird unchained.

A howling wind came rushing in

Rocking the golden stand

Loosing her grip, the bird fell down

Frightened and out of her mind.

The wings on her back trembled and shuddered

But what for, the bird never knew,

She dared to look up and there she saw

Her kith and kin in the blue

Flying and diving and soaring in the sky

Like kites without thread

She picked up her wings to join her folks

On the sky over her head

The master came running with chain in hand

Waving to his pet in the sky

She is not looking back, she is not looking down

To the chains she bade goodbye

Me and my dear soul

Me and my dear Soul

With deep resonant voice the ocean beckons me
Time and again I jump into its savage arms
The sun jumping out of the waterbed rises up the sky
Thousand waves revolving all round we make love
And I come ashore exhausted and breathlessly happy!
Then I jump again and again in the blue-green water,
Sand and salty water, the sea and me
Oh my! What a place to be!!
The sun crawls back in to the waters
Stars peeping out of the night sky
I sit down below chin on my knees.
Darkness all around, but the stars above
Fiercely growling the mighty waves keep
Bouncing back impatiently on the shore
But I have closed my doors
Shutting out the roaring ocean
I plunge deeper inside
Some one is calling
Come, be one with me
I am here waiting for you
For ever and ever
Oh what a lovely voice, such serenity
I lose myself into the one and only,
So near and so close
Oh my! What a place to be
My dear soul and me!!

My Window in the East

My Window in the East

My small window in the East

I keep it open, day in day out-

Wondering at the flood gate of light

Washing away the dark corners in my room.

I keep this window open,

hoping for only a gentle touch,

Vibes from your world - if you send.

My window in the East

I do not shut

I stand and wait and stare out at the stormy night

Soaked to the bone and

Waiting for you

Are you coming!

Doubt! I never do .

Do you know my address!

My small window in the East.

A tribute to the eternal poet

The poet

My eternal poet!

How I wish I could write your name in my book

I marvel that my secret wish was known to you

And you wrote all the verses for me.

All day long I hummed those songs

Oh my master player,

Behold, you have turned me into your Veena

Full of your own melodies

You grinned when I took up my brush

To paint you with my colors.

And oh eternal playboy,

you have drenched me

With all your hues

The grand night approaching,

I was busyPreparing my offerings,

My heart beating fast

My aching heart’s desire was not hidden from you

Oh my eternal lover!

Gently you put all my fears to rest

Embracing me with your all pervading love.

PINKY AND THE GULMOHOR TREE

PINKY AND THE GULMOHOR TREE


Before you enter Tukai’s house you would find a huge krishnachura tree, branches full of velvety lush green leaves, washed clean by a rains last night.. Pinky was so fond of this tree.- her favourite tree. She could touch the branches from their roof and pluck flowers, playing with the petals and long stems .The tree, though belonged to Tukai, but was more fond of Pinky it seemed and that was why it I spread its branches with leaves and flowers towards their roof only. Pinky searched for the flowers to pluck but could not find any near at hand and was coming down the stairs when she found them talking together , agitated and gesticulating. They mean, dadi, monima and mimiaunti (Monima’s younger sister ) Monima was speaking in a high pitched voice- this must be the work of that naughty old bham ( old Mole ) ….a bunch of bananas, all finished ! Dadi looked to all with a vacant look – just think of it! So, this was the problem. There was a satyanarayan puja scheduled for today. Being very pious, dadi kept fruits to be offered to the deity at a corner of the room only last night and this morning they are all gone- all twelve of them. Dadi was squatting on the floor, eyebrows raised almost touching the hairline , eyes round and lips making perfect round O. Mimi, who had come to spend her vacation seconded monima vehemently. Yes masima (aunty), it must be the handiwork of a bad old Bham. I have heard they use their hands when they eat. Pinky couldn’t restrain herself any more and could not conceal her doubt of the absurdity of their suggestion –“but how can Tukai’s jethu (uncle) have twelve bananas at a time and how could even he do that without any of us spotting him?” There was an unusual silence in the room broken first by Dadi ‘Pinky will you stop talking nonsense and confuse me further. What ! where does Tukai’s jethu come in the picture . Pinky came forward and tried to say: You know nothing Dadi, Tukai’s Jethu is a Bham, ask Mimiaunty?” Pinky who has never seen a Mole, the small burrowing mammal , and was not even aware of its existence, thought it is some kind of a name for his friend’s dark and fat uncle. The fact is Mimi, a bubbly young maiden, was in the habit of calling people by funny names, like she had named the fat and round milkman Ramu as ‘Hontka” , the extra smart news paper vender vendor as “Sharukh” and for some reason not known to Pinky she named Tukai’s uncle, a sturdy and very dark bald man ,who was most often seen standing on this side of their first floor veranda inspecting the activities of this young lady , ‘Old Bham’. Pinky often wandered why should she call Uncle old, for he did not seem that much old to Pinky and she was yet to ask anybody as to what ‘Bham’ stood for. Coming back to the present we saw that Mimiaunty did not let Pinky finish and her voice was drowned by a torrent of denial from Mimiaunty. See how she lies. Stop making up stories Pinky and go play with Bablu and Bhulo. Don’t comment about things you don’t understand . You have no business butting in where elders are discussing serious matter. Monima gave a stern and suspicious look to mimiaunty and would have crossed further but her attention was diverted by what her sister was saying now : ‘I am telling you masima the bham would come in the dead of night and no body would know. They walk very silently and they can climb pipe and tree alike. This huge tree that you have grown before your building makes an easy access to your house for such animals and for that matter for thieves also. You must cut that tree down. ‘No, please don’t’ Pinky screamed. You can’t do that. Dadi said solemnly ‘I see, you have a point there Mimi. We must do something about it.’ Monima did’nt said anything but laid Pinky away from the room tactfully. Next morning Pinky was still in bed and dreamt that she had gone to the Circus with Bablu , Mimiaunty, Monima and Mama . There was a small girl in a short pink frock who was walking on a rope high up. Suddenly the rope became a branch of a tree with beautiful red flowers and the branch broke and started falling down together with the girl and people down below cried out …..help her, help her.. the tree is falling…, the noise continued and became louder. Pinky opened her eyes and heard a lot of people talking together outside her room, in the veranda. Pinky quickly got out of her bed and rushed out. There she saw, Dadi, Monima and Mimiaunty having an agitated conversation with Tukai’s uncle, who was standing on their side of the veranda. Uncle was visibly angry and almost violet with anger. ‘It is not…..good…I mean… not proper..er…er .. at all fair that you should cut that tree without my…er..er…our consent. You should have known …don’t you know….that the tree is mine..er…..er….was planted by us only.’ He was so angry, he had to grope for the right word and took a long time to finish each sentence. ‘If it is your tree, you should keep its branches to your side only Montu. If your tree disturbs us we have every right to cut it’…. Dadi was so happy with her logic. But Masima, it is a tree, I can’t very well ask it to draw back its branches from spreading in that direction. You are being absolutely illogical. Uncle almost jumped like a baboon. You are being illogical. You don’t know what logic is- Dadi A kya.. kaun giraya lakri… kaun hai upar….(what is this.. who has fell the tree, who is up there) the local constable Ramdin was strolling by, while a small branch of the tree fell on his head. Ramdin stopped and looked up and saw two legs hanging from a solid branch covered with thick green leaves and flowers. The legs belonged to Kesto, the community sweeper, who was trying his best to hide every other part of his body from the constable down below by the foliage. Kaun hai, moo to dikha…chal.. niche aaa (who is there, show me your face, come to the police station) Kesto, peeped from behind the flowers and leaves and said in a small voice ..nehi, nehi, mai nehi, oo hai upar varanda me (no, no it is not me, there she is up on the varanda) kya, mai burbak hoon. Mai dekh raha hoo,tum upar baitha, haath me kulhar our bol raha hai mai nehi. Abhi utar, chal thaneme. (what, am I a fool. I can see you sitting up there with an axe in hand and you say, it is not me. Come down , come to the police station) Ramdin stamped his feet and the fat baton on the ground. Atlast dadi relented and said ‘Ramdin, let him go. I asked Kesto to cut the branches.’ “Lekin kiu, maiji, aap jante ho na, per girana kanunjan gunha hai” (“But why lady, you should know it is a criminal offence to fell trees without permission”) But it is only some branches and not the whole tree, constable. “oo bhi gunha hai!” That too is an offence. Ramdin was not convinced. But what can I do ? the big black bham comes by that branch to our house and create nuisance. Today it came and ate all the fruits kept for Narayanpuja. Now that bit of information shook Ramdin to the core, being a thoroughly religious individual himself. He looked up at Tukai’s uncle and said ‘ yeh to thik baat naahi aache. Aapne bham cheriyechen keno. U bham pujar fal kheye liyeche. Ee to thik baat naahi aache. (this is not right. Why did you let loose the Mole. It has eaten fruits kept for worship. This is not right) Tukai’s Uncle jumped twelve inches from the ground and ground his teethe. “What nonsense. Is bham (Mole) a thing to be kept as a pet? It is not my fault that a bham should climb the tree to their house.” Ramdin’s face became crimson with rage “ to up hume nonsense kaha? Up chaliye thaneme. Ek to upne bham cheriyechen –upar se gaali dichhen.” (So you have called me nonsence. Come to the Police Station. You have let loose the mole and over and above you are calling me names.” Things were turning bad to worse and inquisitive people were enjoying every bit of it from windows and veranda of other building as also on the lane down below . Mama who returned from his tour the night before, went down and called Ramdin aside. After a few notes exchanged hands further unpleasantness was averted. After that incident for a few weeks there was cold war between the two families excepting Tukai and Pinky, who were secretly immensely happy and relieved that a catastrophe could be avoided for the time being and tree was very much there with bright red flowers and green leaves and as a taken of appreciation of their support it showered a few petals and flowers on them, to show its love and affection for the two little loving souls.

Your Mirror

Your Mirror

Our first encounter! But I don’t’ know.

Though I smelt you in my mother’s womb from the word ‘go’

Admonished by father I cried, a naughty child

You were in my papa’s voice, in his stern stride

My girlhood friends and mates –

I loved them all with burning desire ,

With my body and soul

The thread in your hand

You smiled all through

But even till then, I have never known you

Until the day my first born was lying in my arms

A tiny little angel – my bundle of joy

So pure and gentle, my tears ran out

Inside I was laughing

Yo are here no doubt

The innocence, the purity

The love that it draws

Picture of divinity

Your mirror shows

Moni-Maa

Pinky had carefully drawn big squares for playing ekka-dokka when Tukai came and peeped over her shoulders. ‘Oh my! What big squares! Are you sure we can jump over them’ Tukai was clearly skeptical of her own jumping powers. ‘Why not , look here how I jump. It is so easy’ So saying a buoyant Pinky started jumping over the marks. Tukai took a step forward eagerly ‘let me try. But it is so hot out here. I am feeling queer……. thirsty….Pinky will you….’ tukai stopped talking and started tumbling down slowly like a Pack of cards . A strange sound started coming from Tukai’s open mouth- aanha…aanha…. Pinky looked awestricken at Tukai’s half closed eyes and began the fastest run in her life . Pinky knew what it was. It must be tetanus. She was sure. Only two days back, Pinky and Tukai were climbing the guava tree when Tukai fell from the lowest branch and scratched her arm. Pinky insisted that she should tell her mother and get an injection but Tukai would not listen. She was such a coward, so afraid of the needle. Though in her heart of hearts Pinky admitted that if it was Pinky, she herself would not have divulged the news for fear of the needle. But outside she put on a brave façade and urged Tukai to come along and get a proper medical attention. Tukai begged and begged of Pinky not to disclose the incident and a reluctant Pinky had to give in . Now see what happened. Dadi and Monima were in Dadi’s room . Dadi was busy reading the newspaper with her spectacles balanced precariously on the tip of her nose and Monima was busy knitting a pullover for Bablu. The ceiling fan was moving in full speed. It was mid April and quite hot outside. But the room was cool and comfortable. Bablu and Bhulo were no where to be seen and were most probably playing with ball in the garden. It was quite evident from Dadi’s countenance that the news that she was reading was quite pleasant. There was an overall atmosphere of congeniality in the room when it was rudely shaken by a sudden and violent intrusion in the form of a shrieking and disheveled Pinky who came panting and pale like a sheet of paper, ‘dadi, dadi, monima, monima, a disaster…a disaster . Come soon’ Dadi took a little time to comprehend and looked up from her newspaper with resignation written large on her face but did not show much alarm. But Monima acted so strange. The ball of wool and the half finished sweater fell from her hand ’ What is it Pinky ? Is it Bablu? What happened to my Babulu.. Where is my Bablu?” Pinky took a deep breath and a step backward. No no, it is not Bablu Monima, but Tukai. She has fallen down and is not talking. A somewhat relieved Monima and now an anxious dadi trouped behind a pensive Pinky to the spot, which was way up on the roof. Pinky sensed a stabbing pain deep in side. How panicked Monima looked and how strangely she cried ‘My Bablu..’ Pinky’s little soul some how realized that because Bablu was her own son, she was so upset. Would she have been that much perturbed if it was Pinky and would she have cried saying ‘My Pinky’ ? Pinky doubted it very much. Tukai was taken downstairs to Pinky’s room. But Doctor uncle said it was nothing serious but too much heat and a heavy dinner the night before that she had had at the wedding ceremony of her relative had a combined effect on her. A little rest and a few glasses of water with salt and sugar would be enough to make her fit and running. Pinky was sitting by her side when Rangakakima, Tukai’s mother, came rushing in. Rangakakima loved Pinky and showered her with hugs and kisses whenever Pinky visited their house. She was Pinky’s favourite as she had a mole on her chin just like Pinky’s mother had. Though Pinky did not remember her mother but she has seen the mole in her picture in the silver photo frame that is kept beside dadi’s bed But today Rangakakima came like a storm and did not even look once at Pinky. She bent over Tukai, and murmured in a broken voice ‘Tukai, my dear little girl. Are you ok?’ To Pinky it seemed as if a frog was crocking through her voice. And Tukai ! She also did not even think of Pinky. Did not care how much Pinky was worried for her and went home timidly with Rangakakima. And she claimed she was Pinky’s best friend. Pinky felt so much let down, neglected, and utterly forsaken. For some unknown reason Pinky felt like crying. Bablu stood by her side and tugged softly at her hand. Pinky brushed him rudely and said ‘ don’t you dare come to me.’ Monima now turned to Pinky…. ” How many times have I told you not to go to the open in this blazing sun. But no, you would not listen” ‘Ok, I am a bad girl. I do whatever I wish. I don’t care about what anybody says. I WILL go in the blazing sun and I WOULD be sitting under it the whole day long. I DON’T CARE ABOUT WHAT YOU SAY“ cried Pinky at the top of her voice. A dumbfounded dadi looked at her and exclaimed “Oh God ! What ever is the matter ? Why are you so upset? Calm down child. Come down.” “Why then she always picks on me?” Pinky cried defiantly? Monima was furious – Maa, I have told you, that you are spoiling her to no end. See how insolent she has become. She will be naughty and over and above she would answer back. How dare is she. Pinky I am warning you. Be very careful in future. If ever I catch you on the wrong foot again you will be sorry that you crossed my path”. And she gave a good spank on her back. See how unjust monima is, Pinky talked to herself silently. She would love Bablu more and on top of that she would strike me.. The whole day Pinky avoided Bablu like a plague. For some unknown reason she could not tolerate the sight of Bablu. She did not talk to anybody at all and kept to herself. No body was aware of the turmoil inside her little soul, how hurt she was and how angry at the world as a whole for the injustice of it. Little Bablu avoided her and kept at a distance. That night Pinky went to sleep crying and feeling angry and desolate. Next morning Pinky felt odd and flushed and very uneasy. She went back to her bed shivering from a very high fever. She found a towel lying on the floor, covered herself with it and went into a drowsy sleep. Not finding Pinky in the breakfast table, Monima went in search and the sight of the little orphan lying alone in that fashion pierced her heart like a sharp dagger. To say Monima and Dadi were flustered would be to grossly understate. Both the elders were so upset and cursed themselves so mercilessly that doctor uncle had to intervene and console them like two children. The whole day Monima never left Pinky’s side. Gave her medicine, took her temperature, stroked her tenderly. Next day Pinky was feeling much better. After two days the fever was gone but she was not allowed to leave the bed. Monima still fussed and refused to leave her side. Around noon, after giving Pinky a hot body sponge and washing her head with cold water, and after feeding her piping hot chicken stew with bread, monima was reading out a story while Pinky and Bablu and even Bhulo listened with rapt attention when Ramala-aunti, Monima’s friend and next door neighbor entered the room. ‘Seema (it was Monima’s name) I have got two tickets for matinee show of the new movie now showing at Menoka. Get ready fast. The show starts at 2.30 sharp’. But Monima showed no interest ‘please excuse me this time, I can’t go’. ‘ But why not? It is a real good movie. I have gone through the review in today’s paper’ coaxed Romala. ‘Please Romala, can’t you see Pinky is not well. How can I go to a movie, leaving her alone . No, no, I am not coming’ Monima was very definite in her assertion. Romala aunty was not at all happy ‘really Seema, you are making too much of a fuss. She is not that ill and Masima(meaning Pinky’s dadi) will be at home. Won’t she?” “May be, but I am not feeling like going to a movie and that is final.” Pinky’s pillow became wet with the flow of warm and salty tear drops that flew right from the bottom of her six and half year old heart. Bablu exclaimed “ma, ma, didi is crying.” Monima got worried ‘ oh dear. You are not feeling well ? See for yourself, if you don’t listen to elders, you suffer. Come on, dear girl, don’t cry’ ‘If I listened to you , I wouldn’t have known naa? Pinky whispered through her sobs. What would you have not known, child ? Monima was at a loss. Little Pinky felt shy and she put her head in her aunty’s soft and warm bosom and whispered ‘That you are a Jewel , my Moni MAA’ (jewel-mother)

Monkey Business

Pinky was jumping around the room almost like a baby monkey without a tail. Whoop, whoop, Whoop and thud, thud, thud, jumping from the divan on the floor and again up on the chair. Bhulo was sitting on the floor , watching her move with watchful and keen eyes, wagging his tail and was about to follow suit when “Oh stop it, Pinky; you are getting on my nerves. This is not a jungle but my study and you are disturbing my concentration”- grumbled Mama. “Don’t be such a spoilsport Mama!” Pinky complained with a pout; “you know I am the great monkey in our school’s drama in the Annual prize distribution programme.” “Don’t make me laugh, why in the drama, you are the little monkey in home also, you need not practice so much, you need no rehearsal. And now get lost, don’t make me angry.” “And you are the wicked devil,” muttered Pinky under her breath but she had no option but to run outside on the courtyard with Bhulo on her toe and start rehearsing, this time on real grass and on real trees. December has gone past. This is early January, a beautiful and cool Sunday morning The morning sun was blazing high and Pinky felt like being embraced by a warm and soft blanket. This year Pinky has managed to get a small role in their school’s drama. She is doing the ‘little pet monkey of the poor queen’ . In the beginning though Pinky objected – “give me the little princess’s role instead. I want to wear beautiful dresses”. “Look here Pinky anybody can do the role of a King, or queen or a princess as we are all humans. But just imagine imitating a monkey! It really needs strong acting prowess. We know only you can do justice to this role”. So Pinky had to oblige. She could not very well let them down. Pinky..eee…eee, some one was calling. Bhulo pricked his ears and ran towards the gate. Pinky looked over her shoulder, but could not find anyone. Pinky tiptoed towards the gate. There she was, waiting with a finger on her lips. “What is it Tukai ?” Pinky enquired in a studied whisper. “Come along, a circus party has come; they have camped near the railway overbridge.” “Look at those girls Pinky. They will walk on ropes wearing shiny dresses. I have seen their pictures on the posters” – Tukai was all excited. “Where are the cages for the monkeys, I must see how they behave, like how they laugh, how they cry, how even they eat bananas.” “Oh no Pinky not again. Stop being a monkey for a while, will you?” “I see, you are not my best friend! You should help me to be a perfect monkey” – a glum Pinky complained. Suddenly Bhulo emitted a mild bark as if to warn the girls . “Hey you girls, what are you doing there?”- A very fat and ominous looking fellow came out of one of the tents. He had a green and white checkered pajama and a crimson t-shirt on him. “Come inside I will show you my cages full of animals.” Pinky , Tukai and Bhulo were half way across the meadow before he could even finish his sentence. “We are very lucky to have escaped unharmed you know Tukai, Mama said these people kidnap kids and put them in their cages. That is why they are called ‘kidnappers’. They capture the kids and then put them to sleep and mesmerize them into animals and let them perform the shows. Didn’t you hear he said ‘come I will throw you in my cage’ ?” “But I thought he said I will show you the cages”- Tukai intervened doubtfully. “You don’t know anything. They will call you on false pretext and then …ok… if you don’t believe you can go back on your own.” Pinky was visibly hurt that Tukai questioned her knowledge on kidnappers. None of the girls narrated the incident to their respective elders though. On the big day Pinky was up and about in the wee hours and ready before dawn. The school gates though were opened only after 10 in the morning and the dress rehearsal started at about 12 noon. Everything was going smooth as ice cream. All the dresses, like that of the Queen and King, their Kings men were very good but the mask and the costume for the good little monkey was superb. Everybody was highly impressed. “Pinky, really, you look like a monkey out of the jungle book, such a beautiful tail” and Pinky was as happy as could be. They were served a lovely lunch full of fried potatoes and sweets and Pinky was so hungry she cleaned her plate like new. Purnima madam, their games teacher saw her empty plate and put two extra sweets on it- “I am giving you sweets in advance for looking so much like a monkey only and after the play is over, if you do your part well, I will give you a chocolate,” she patted pinky on her head. The show started at 5.30 and progressed without much hitch. Pinky had six scenes to her credit. In the first scene, the monkey was seen sitting beside a animal-trader and having a banana and the king bought it from the trader. Pinky was so natural in her hunched position and the way she ate the banana that the audience, mainly her classmates and family clapped hugely. Next she was seen sitting beside the sleeping queen, who was banished from the palace and lived alone in a mud hut. Pinky was supposed to sit for a while and quietly go out of the room in search of the palace and the king but Pinky thought that she would act a little more natural and started to pick lice from the sleeping queens hair as she had seen monkeys do. Leena a student of class VII, who was the sad queen in the play was not expecting any such move and jumped up in a most un-queenly manner with a hand on her head and exclaimed “what mischief are you at?” But the audience could not guess that it was an extra and the things passed of with only a stern look from their teacher. In her next few appearances Pinky was very cautious and acted as she was told. In the last scene, the monkey was to come on stage and the king (played by Rumpa, a Class X student ) would present him with a pearl necklace. Pinky was supposed to wait on back sage but she thought, there being two more scenes to be enacted before her scene was due, she could safely go out and have one or two toffees that she spotted in the teachers common room, which by then was thankfully left vacant, the teachers being busy watching the drama either as audience or managing the girls on stage. After a successful mission, Pinky was coming up on the stage, a very happy and content soul hopping two steps at a time, when her tail got tangled in a hook in the bottom stair. She frantically tried to free herself. All this while, unnoticed by everybody, a lone monkey escaping from the circus party was sitting on the top of the false ceiling made over the king’s throne and watching the proceeding down below with a keen animal interest. He had a very strong impulse to jump on to the stage and snatch the bananas but held himself back as he was suspicious of Pinky in the guise of a monkey. Years of training told him that he should beware of this creature but as Pinky was no where to be seen and the king howled “Oh monkey come and take your reward” for a couple of times, obviously to cover up the time gap, the monkey jumped down on to the stage and stood up before the king. Every body was a little puzzled. “Hey have you changed your costume?” Kabita a student of class V, standing beside the king and waiving a huge hand fan, muttered under her breath. The monkey made a face and said ‘cheeek, keeech, , cheek, keech’. “Don’t overact “(this was in a whisper and then in a loud voice) , “come here and take your reward”- the king extended his hand but the monkey was not interested in the necklace . He was hungry and he eyed the plate full of sweets and fruits placed before the king and showed him his teeth. “Oh naughty monkey, “ Rumpa invented a new dialogue line “take your reward or else..” Making a violent face, only to scare off the humans on the stage the monkey made a dash for the fruits. Realization dawned on people on the stage a little late and Pandemonium broke loose. The girls in their colourful, costumes screamed and scurried for cover. “It is a real monkey, it will bite us” “where is Pinky- has she turned into a monkey” and some one thoughtfully pulled the curtains down. In the audience Tukai almost fainted. Pinky was right ! The fat man has turned Pinky into a real monkey. And she jumped out of her seat and ran to the headmistress. Mrs Banani Haldar, a small, plump and fair woman having a very amicable disposition have just started taking a late Tiffin when Tukai rushed into her room panting and flushed ‘Big Aunty, Big Aunty , come, come Pinky has turned into a real monkey. It is not my fault. It is the fat man at the Circus”. Mrs Haldar looked on at Tukai uncomprehendingly, her eyes round and mouth wide open , full of sweets, which she forgot to swallow. The news that Pinky had turned into a real monkey, was puzzling enough to be digested, to be added with the vehement denial that Tukai was in no way responsible for the transformation, which she obviously could not be even if the transformation was real, which in itself was a matter of great disbelief and a further incoherent allusion to some strange fat man in a circus made her brain stop functioning for a while. Mrs Haldar was a very level headed woman, quite capable of dealing with the incongruities of little souls, but Tukai’s submission was too complicated and too sudden even for her consumption. Bahadur, the school caretaker, in the meantime, came and led the monkey away from the stage after tempting him with the bananas. Pinky was still toiling hard to free herself from the tangle. She did not want to spoil her costume. But when bits of conversation on stage and the screams reached Pinky’s ears she tugged at her tail mercilessly which came midway off into her hand. At last Pinky entered the stage. Oblivious of the commotion around, she stretched out her hand and said “Oh Rumpadi, I am a here, my tail got shucked, now you can give me my reward” In the excitement she forgot her lines somewhat. “Now you can give me my reward” - Rumpa mimicked “where were you . can’t you see the curtains are down?” All the girls pounced on Pinky. ““See what you have done, you have spoiled the whole show, it was going so smoothly, every body was clapping and only for you…” “But what can I do, my tail got stuck naa.?” Pinky whimpered in a nasal voice! “So what! You could have come without a tail or for that matter without costume also. Your antics are so much like a monkey nobody would have missed the tail. And any way, why were you not on backstage? You were supposed to wait outside for your scene? You stupid girl!” “We should have known better than to take you in our play and that too as a monkey. See what happened. Your friend came in search of you and spoiled everything. Next time you come a begging for a role in the play, we know you will, and then we will see.” Struck with the disaster, the girls, as girls of their age would be, unconsciously linked Pinky’s absence with the misadventure of the monkey and were being unreasonably harsh and critical of Pinky. Their games teacher came to Pinky’s rescue, ‘ girls, you should not blame poor little Pinky, you know. It is not her fault that a monkey should escape from the circus party and target your play. And it is only an accident that her tail got stuck.” And the teacher even actually gave the tearful (which the senior girls were sure was faked) and naughty Pinky a pat on the back and a chocolate as a consolation. The seniors looked on helpless and angry. They knew their teacher was right but still they had a feeling that Pinky was some how responsible for the mishap. Pinky, her hand held firmly by the teacher, looked back at the girls and gave them a perfect one sided grin which had a very uncanny similarity to that of the monkey in the jungle book.

The Yellow shirt

The Yellow Shirt


It was mid august, the air hot and humid, the sky cloudy and so was the heart of Rubina. Rubina family, comprising of mother, Ranu De, father Ramani De and brother Ranjan had moved in to their new home at Garia in extreme south Calcutta. Rubina had been born and brought up at Dumdum cantonment, extreme north of the city and had a host of friends and friendly neighbours the thought of whom made her heart heavy and depressed. Mr De and his family stayed so long at a rented house at North Calcutta where buildings were separated by so narrow margins that you could almost touch one another from the different roofs and Rubina, used to such narrow lanes and by lanes found herself lost and lonely. She now had a whole room and an attached balcony to herself and sitting on the balcony she was lazily observing the people down below when her attention was drawn to a yellow shirt and the young man in it, in precisely that order. The young man who held her attention was in his mid twenties and the owner of an attractive tanned complexion, a latest haircut, medium height and athletic physic. She could not see his face and felt curious until he looked up at her with a. pair of intense eyes almost angry and those were the only features that she was aware of when she looked into those eyes. Rubina heard some one shout at her ‘Does Ranjan leave here?” and she was conscious of another young man beside the yellow shirt. The companion repeated his question and Rubina came back to her senses, “Yes, yes, please wait” and she went to look for her brother.

Rubina was seventeen and had just finished her school. Rubina had an extremely sweet disposition, so much so that her looks more often than not reflected that sweetness. Otherwise she had almost plain features, her eyes though were big and black with naturally thick black lashes, a small but sharp nose and a soft and round chin. She was not fair , neither was she dark and she was quite tall by Bengali standards. Basically Rubina was conservative and shy by nature and so long she did not have any boy friend. This chance meeting with the young man in yellow shirt bowled her out completely. Gone was the state of melancholy – the days of boredom, her heart suddenly started singing songs, her eyes became mysteriously shiny, her skin glowed and she danced around the house, looking at herself in mirrors and blushing for no apparent reasons. That night she had a strange dream; she saw a man waving at her. It was a rose garden full of yellow roses .A beautiful melody was in the air. She thought roses should emit good smell and not good music and she put her hand out to pick one, when the rose garden turned into a huge yellow shirt . Rubina looked at the man who had a yellow shirt on but she could not make out his face, so she started walking towards him but her legs wont carry her, they felt so heavy and she tried and tried and to her despair saw the man turn and vanish -she came out of her sleep crying.

Bikash was a graduate engineer working with a business house situated near Park Street area where he spotted Rubina waiting for Metro on her way back from Loretto college. Bikash was attracted by her innocent looks and a devastating figure , which mother nature had generously endowed with youth. Her slim stature had well shaped full breasts and a round and slightly heavy hip, which gave an impression to the onlooker as if she was a delicate creeper with blossoms, which were heavy on it which reminded him of Kalidas’s Shakuntala. Bikash considered himself good looking and attractive to the other sex and was disappointed to find that the girl never looked at him. Rubina by nature was sober and dignified ,did not look at people when out in the streets. Bikash made a habit of taking the same train every day and after he got tired of catching her eyes, he made enquiries and found out that she had a brother who was a fellow student. That is how he made friends with him and visited their house. Rubina was blissfully unaware of the chain of events and saw him for the first time.

Nearly a year and a half have passed. Bikash would come dutifully everyday and spend sometime with Ranjan, helping him with his studies and showing no apparent desire to befriend Rubina, which most of Ranjan’s friends were in the habit of and which impressed him immensely. But Bikash would invariably choose the day and time when Rubina was at home and thus their eyes met, and many unspoken words were communicated without the knowledge of the unsuspecting elders.


Bikash could read the interest in her eyes and played for time but never spoke to her. He would come and chat with Ranjan making enough room in his heart as he was quite an eligible bachelor and ultimately approached him for the hand of his sister. By that time Ranjan was quite taken up with his senior and was also highly impressed with his sobriety and on his part he apprised his parents of the situation. That evening Rubina came back from her evening classes and heard them discussing about her marriage and immediately flared up.

“Why do you want to give me away in marriage so soon, am I a burden on you?” She cried. Her parents and brother were moved and refrained from speaking anything more about the proposal as they were not aware of her feelings for Bikash and Rubina in her turn was in the dark about the would-be-husband and never dreamt that it could be Bikash they were talking about. When Bikash heard that he had been rejected, his male ego was hurt so much that he married the very first girl that his mother chose for him and that too at quite a young age for today’s standard


For sometime now Bikash’s regular visits had stopped suddenly. An anxious Rubina waited at the specific time on her balcony, only to return to her room broken hearted. There was no Bikash in sight.

‘Dada one of your friends came while you were not home.” Rubina was dying with curiosity to know his name

Who was it?

Well I don’t know his name but I saw him the other day in a yellow shirt. Ranjan was thoughtful for a while and then exclaimed- oh Bikash? But he is supposed to be in Delhi now, he has got a job there. You must have been mistaken., Rubina.

So his name was Bikash?. Bikash …Rubina murmured to herself, her heart pounding with unknown fear and a hitherto unknown feeling . Her tender soul felt so hurt, he is gone, he is not in Kolkata and she did not know: why, why ,why , how could he.

Ranjan looked at his sister for a while then asked – do you like Bikash?

Rubina blushed – I hardly know him dada.

Yes , yes, ofcourse, my mistake. Ranjan attributed her blushed countenance to natural shyness, but still he remained thoughtful.


After sometime Ranjan again came to Rubina’s room. Rubina looked at her brother questioningly with wide innocent eyes. Rubina- funny that you said you saw Bikash. Did you know Bikash asked for your hand in marriage! Nothing could have been a greater news for her but for the tense that Ranjan used in breaking the news. He asked for my hand? “‘ Yes , remember , you got so upset when we were talking about your marriage’- it was him and after you declined he acted very queer for days and I thought may be there was something between you and you had ditched him. For Bikash said something about girls should not be trusted . And I was all the more surprised at his sudden marriage. I was thinking of asking you about you.

Alas ..If only Ranjan knew what blows he was aiming at his darling sister.

Rubina, when she heard about the marriage was shocked and broken hearted. How could he, she thought, as if he could not gauge from her looks how taken up she was with him. Her young heart bled and she cried so much on her pillow that in the morning her mother was shocked to see her swollen eyes. Days rolled into nights and months into years, and after two more years a very eligible match was found for Rubina, a very good scholar and a professor, though ten years her senior Mridul Sen was a jovial soul, well liked and popular among friends and students alike. Rubina did not say no, as there was no young attractive man in yellow shirt waiting for her with open arms. In her heart of hearts she still pined for his love that was now reserved for somebody else. As a loving heart sees no reason, she craved for her unfulfilled romance and quite unreasonably harbored anti feeling for the unfortunate husband .

Mridul with his inherent affectionate nature treated his young wife with sensitivity and care and attributed her aloof and somewhat curt behaviour to immaturity and side effects of being separated from loved ones at the tender age of nineteen.

On the third day after their marriage, as was their custom, Mridul came to Rubina’s house and by chance Bikash chose the very day for visiting Ranjan with his wife. Ranjan’s wife Sheela was a simple soul, pretty and plump.

Ranjan introduced the four among themselves and jokingly said that Mridul could get his sisters hand only because she refused Bikash. Before Mridul could react, Bikash said in a haste, thank God she refused or else how could I get a gem of a wife like Sheela! hee, hee, hee….the young man giggled to hide his embarrassment . Rubina looked at him in stunned disbelief. Such an effeminate voice! Is this the man she wanted to get married to, a man with a voice like a woman, giggles like a girl, no wonder he chose bright yellow of a shirt to show off the whiteness of his skin- such a dandy. Here Rubina was a little too harsh on him for it was the yellow shirt that made her notice the man in it and never before had she thought the colour too loud or effeminate .Really it is God’s grace that she escaped by a hair’s breath, otherwise she would have to be tied down to this man with a woman’s voice the whole life, she shuddered at the thought. Mridul was watching his wife closely and asked anxiously ‘ darling are you ok?”

For the first time since their marriage Rubina looked at her husband with gratitude and with love and marveled at the baritone, so reassuring and ofcourse so masculine- and said smiling, no dear it is nothing , I was only thinking of a yellow shirt.

For my soul mate

I saw you standing far, far away,

With your arms folded as you do.

A gust of wind came my way,

Bringing in your scent.

I took a step or two,

Fear lurching in my heart.

Suddenly I looked back

And it was the moon.

I ran as fast as I could

And was in your arms

holding me tight.

My eyes could not see you smile.

For, for my eyes it was a knight.

The river flew from my eyes

Dropping into your soul.

I saw the waves coming our way

Fury and passion blended in two.

My heart was laughing and crying for I knew

At last it was you and only you.

Maya

MAYA

A battered maid was just about to change Karuna’s Life.


It was a late afternoon in September, Durga Puja was round the corner and I had just woken from a siesta. I felt too lazy to get up and make tea for myself, so I waited for Maya – our maid. She was a kindly soul, very faithful and docile, but frail and almost bird-like. She’d come every morning and evening, with her curly black hair tied in a knot near her neck. I wondered what she was up to today and why she hadn’t yet come, was it Ramu ? Just the thought of the ruffian repulsed me. He had made Maya’s life miserable. He left Maya for another woman a year ago, but he still made demands on her. A dark, stocky fellow, Ramu had meanness pouring out of his beady little eyes.

Just as I was beginning to think of making that cup of tea myself, the phone rang. I answered,

“Yes?”

“Do you know Maya Mondol?” A gruff voice asked from the other end.
“Yes, she’s our maid. Why? Who is this ?” I asked. There was no answer, but just a clattering and then Maya’s voice came feebly from the receiver, “Boudi, please help me. Ramu has beaten me very badly. I am at the Jadavpur police station.”

“How? What happened?” I asked, shocked and yet with a familiar feeling of anger against Ramu.

“I was returning from the milk depot and Ramu met me on the street. He asked for money, but when I refused to give him, he started beating me up. The people around stopped him and brought us here. Oh Boudi, I don’t know what to do ?”

“Wait there, I am coming,” I replied.
“Who was that? What happened? And where are you going?” demanded Suren, my husband.

“It was Maya, she’s at the police station, Ramu beat her up badly. I am going to get her,” I replied quickly, as I got my handbag.

“Are you mad, Karuna? You are going to the police station, that too for Maya?!”

“But Suren, she need help!”
“You are going nowhere, and that’s final,” declared Suren in a tone that said there was going to be no further discussion.

I made two cups of tea. I looked at Suren, sipping his tea noisily and enjoying himself, his sharp features silhouetted against the evening sky. The desire to drink my cup suddenly vanished.



Two days later, Maya returned to work. Her left eye was swollen and had turned an ill shade of blue-black. Her left side of jaw was also swollen. I felt so guilty; it was like I had let myself down. Ramu was still in Police custody and Maya dreaded his release. I consoled her and assured that I won’t let Ramu harm her in any way, that I will take care of her and keep her with us. That day, we talked at length and Maya cried a lot. The next morning, we were getting ready to leave for work, when suddenly there was a loud knock on the door and someone shouted outside. It was Ramu – angry and all set to fight,
“Where is my wife? I have come to take her home.”

I felt Maya crouching behind me, “ I am not your wife any more, you have a new wife now, you brute, I am staying with Boudi,” Maya cried in a shrill voice.

“Come with me Maya, I say! Durga is with child again. Who will cook and look after the other matters? Demanded Ramu furiously.

“Get out of my house this moment or I will call the police. Maya is not going with you,” I said firmly.

“Karuna, let Maya go.” It was Suren. When I didn’t, he came and forcefully shoved me out of the way and pushed Maya towards Ramu.

With a leer and a triumphant grin, Ramu grabbed Maya’s arm. Maya looked at me with an appeal in her eyes, which turned into despair soon. I looked at the tears that reflected the pain, hurt and helplessness that engulfed Maya and the pain in them made my heart ache.

That night, Suren made advances, perhaps to make amends but I felt repulsed.

“Still angry?” he asked trying to cajole and then added, “Forget it darling. Who is Maya, any way? Is she dearer to you than your husband?”

“Please, Suren, I don’t feel like it,” I tried to push him away, but it was futile.
The next day, I left a note for Suren:
“Maya is not dearer to me, Suren. But my self esteem is. You lack basic courtesy and sensitivity – the two things I value most. I am under no illusion that you hold me in any higher esteem than you do Maya.

I am not leaving you because of yesterday, last night, or for Maya. I have been contemplating this move for a long time. I am well aware that there are thousands of Mayas in this part of the world, including me, and I know that I do not have the power to change their fate but at least I can try to change a few. Take care.

Karuna.

Me....

Waiting

You came to me in my sleep
I know !
My eyes closed, I didn’t see you though
But my soul was touched aglow
You left so silently
I looked here and there
But for the penchant and burning passion
You have left nothing behind
That’d remind me that you were so near
With you my sleep is gone
Wide eyed I stand and wait
Hoping you would return some day
To keep another date
My room is bound by fences
Full of thorn and dust
Is that why you keep away dear
Remove them I must!
I will turn my yard a garden
Clean it with my hands
Making a garland with the choicest flowers
I would wait for you to the end
The thorns may prick and blood may flow
But I wont feel the pain
With Flowers I would stand and wait
For you to come again
The crimson sky with vermilion would bid adieu to the sun
I would stand and wait

A Date With Madam Verse

A date with Madam Verse!

Will you be my mate?
Will you share with me
My melancholy tunes
Of the lonely afternoons
Like the barren meadow?
Would you hold them in you?
Let me get lost into your innocent eyes for a while
Please come running into my bosom
Don’t get scared of me
Don’t say I am a fool
Ride with me to the clouds,
down the ocean
Or in the greens,
Please don’t run away,
Trust me, be my fate
Come let us blow away the void
Journeying into the empyrean
Breaking free of chains
Will you be my love today ,
will you be my mate?