RATHA YATRA

 

When I was in class VI I, being totally unaware, experienced a new lesson from  one of my friends. I was the first time in my life that I realised something strange with him.The incident was the day on which the festival Rath yatra was celebrated.I could very easily remember the day just because of the fact that it was my first outing with a friend and I had to beg the permission to my father for going to that visit as I,on that particular days never went to the Rath Fair without holding my father's fingers ever.I was  a little bit excited and felt something adventure in ourselves compared to no less than any detective heroes like Byomkesh & Ajit or Sherlock & Watson of their famous respective adventure stories.We both knew when the chariot would be pulled along the main road of the market.There would be a massive crowd giving company the Goddess Subhadra and her two elder brothers, Balram and Jagannath on their way to Sbhadra's Baper Bari as much as I knew from my Mother. And one more thing I had just forgot to mention  was that it was the open place just beside our house regarded as the Baper Bari of this respected Goddess & Gods,so in a way I was fortunate enough to see the Rath temple over eight days after leaving bed in the morning each day and then while washing mouth made a quick visit to count the iron wheels whether they were in the right order.

 But the question that was always in my mind was that-   " Why so much people to give company them!" Creating troubles for almost all the shopkeepers at that short market place and for the visitors as well in the same way! Subhadra is not after all a child who may have lost the one way road to follow which I used to do twice a day and if that is so then what is the use of her two elder brothers Balram and jagannath sitting both sides of her all the way! I felt disgusted when I with my father had to stand still for more than one hour at any narrow small  jalebi stall or any toy shop or any other shops selling sweets ,papads,ghugni ect. while the chariot would haveṣ been pulled out by the countless visitors with the chains tied to the Rath vehicle.The slogan was.. ” Jay baba Jagannath!” ,and I did not find out why was this preference for the god Jagannath as there were two figures more in the vehicle pulled out? and it might create quarrel in the Goddess or gods themselves I was quite sure for that! Sometimes the excitement of the devotees went on to an extent that if some one happened to be run over by the chariot no one was there being ready to pay attention to that guy at that moment! So many of them had witnessed to that brutal experience too! 

By the way I was to visit the fair with my friend then.at 4 O’clock we started walking towards the market place. Our first priority was to visit a jalebi stall and the next visit was at a fast food centre just beside the main road on which the chariot was to be pulled after some time.I was little interested in all that was going to happen next and my interest  was rather in the “ CHAW” we ordered to the shopkeeper who was cooking for us.My friend also did not elicit any sign of interest in pulling chariot rather he time to time kept pinging me on saying “ taratari kheyenis kintu ekhuni rath chole asle r khaoa hobe na bujhli? I said “ok I will try”. But when we were served the dishes I noticed that it was never possible for me to have the dish in short order as it was too hot!

It was only when we just began to eat CHAW we heard  the enchanting slogan “ jay baba jagannath”.The shopkeeper  was busy with other customers and took hardly any heed of us .My friend  being stand,I noticed ,was about to finish the half of the plate given to him. I couldn’t understand how  could a boy have so fast,taking a mouthful of CHAW,and almost devouring them in at once! I felt it unnecessary for a moment rather I was relishing the plateful of CHAW,I was given, as much as possible, sitting on a bench.When I was just able to finish half of the plate I noticed my friend was gazing at me without blinking his eye lids and chewing very slowly, eating almost nothing though on his plate there was still two or three spoonfuls of CHAW left.I did not quite understand what was actually going to happen with him as well as me too.When we had made eye contact he was furious-faced in his appearance.I still had half of the dish and I could hear continuously the chanting slogan ‘ Jay baba Jagannath!’, getting louder in every moment.The more it was approaching near  the greater was its enchanting slogan leaving us almost deaf for a while.Added to it there were beating of drums and the instruments like ghanta with shanka and the mixed sound effect of them was so loud that one could feel them at the core of one’s heart.I was left a complete deaf too amid the demonic  sound celebration.Suddenly I felt on my back an extra beating with a pain but when I turned around , found my friend vanished into the moving crowd, a wave of people gesturing with the drum beats and ghanta. I got confused for a moment as I would be unable to give any excuses to the shopkeeper of my disappeared friend and without thinking anything I myself started running  towards my house. I did not know why I continue to run but it was only when I saw him standing beside the road near our locality my feet stopped at once.Now my brain began to respond in itself.I could see my friend , I went to him and asked him, “Why did you leave hurriedly without paying your bill like a thief ?”. He answered “you fool ! do you think I am going to pay him off? I never ! that was my trick to cheat him!HA..HA.”  I replied “I am going to pay off the bill. And you too should!”. “ You are a coward! You got afraid...HAHAHA...!!! “ he said. “Neither I am a coward nor am I a fool and nor a thief like you.I am going to the shopkeeper. I will give him my payment and tell him your name too if he asked me about your disappearance.I must tell him your father’s name and the address if it is necessary.” I said.

I started walking towards the market and after reaching there once more I found the shopkeeper still busy with other customers.I kept thinking what I should say to him. By the way, I gave him the payment and when he just asked me “ where did you go ? and where is your friend who came with you?.” “ I have lost him in the crowd passing by  at that moment.I tried to find him but he was nowhere .I would like to pay off the cost of his dish too.”I said and paid off the bill but knew that I told a lie.and I had just turned around to come back and saw my friend was there to give the payment to the shopkeeper .”your friend just paid off the bill so you needn’t. “ He had already seen me and there was once again another eye contact between us but this time I was smiling and he was smiling too...!

The two Thieves

 It had been only a week since I arrived in Bhaindar. This is one of the suburban areas of the city, Mumbai. As if my fate, to play something different now, was to be sealed for some particular period of time in that dense forest of concrete. For a boy growing up in the thorough lap of greeneries, this atmosphere was such that there was nothing common in that city to identify his childhood with. A feeling of depression was overpowering my soul, leaving me deeply nostalgic over my rural life leaving just a few days back. I was convinced that life would be so colorful as soon as I would arrive in Mumbai and that too without the nearness of my parents. How idiotic that was! Yes, there were colors and black & white were those. Neither did there be any way to guess when a new day starts with a New Sun with its sunshine nor was there any greetings for a new Moon with its moonlight accompanying the stars in the evening. When I would talk to my MaaBaba over the phone I never let my voice slip and did not want to yield to crying and tears. You know what, there was a trick I just always wanted to play when it comes to the matter of hiding my emotions while talking over the phone to my faraway parents and dear ones as well. While talking to my parents I always tried to talk louder than the required tone so that, my voice, if gets shuttered by chance, my emotions are not likely to get exposed to them and I was habituated to it well by time. Yes, I couldn't help disclosing my weaknesses and it happened once when I was talking to my grandfather who was scolding me over the phone and I was just torn down to the core of my heart. At times, it just came to my mind that I should leave all these boring stuff and go home right now! At the weekend, usually on Sundays, I used to dial a number of a STD Booth in our locality where my parents would wait eagerly at a shop at the given time to get my voice. I, while hearing their voice, felt the same smell of wet mud I used to walk on while returning back home from school in my village. I kept trying to imagine as if at the end of our play when the setting sun was about to leave, I would be returning back along the narrow path of my village towards my house. I saw other boys who were older than me but facing the same situation I had been doing there. I found a lad in a shop next to ours. He, as being more experienced, knew all the roads and their directions in the area and gave me good guidance whenever it was required. We soon became friends with each other. It was on a Sunday that we visited a nearby khadi, a narrow channel happened to get distracted from the sea and make its way towards the outskirts of the suburb. This was only after visiting that place that I just felt a bit relaxed after one week of my arrival there. This place later on became one of my cherished sites in Mumbai. Each Sunday morning I used to go to play cricket and for the rest of my business days I liked to go running to keep myself physically fit. By the way, we both spent a while sitting there. A soothing breeze was continuing and we saw small foamy waves breaking upon the shore, children playing with balloons, some of them making castles, people from various communities having their good times. The charming sea sight with the sun dipping into the sea I will never forget. Every ripple of the sea, as if, was making itself known with the last ray of the setting sun. The khadi was partially surrounded by some visible hills and some islands. Across the khadi there was a bridge stretching the Railway tracks towards the last station, Nalasupara. We just did not want to leave the place we sat on but were compelled to start walking for the workshops. It was too late and both of us got afraid of scolding in the workshops of our respective Maliks. We took a shortcut and this was a lonely ,straight, narrow lane coming to its end where it gets the access to the main road towards Our workshops .It seemed that now this lonely path got overlooked by all the passerbys who used to take this for granted when to save time and distance necessarily. We were soul goers at that moment and I noticed my mate looking backwards frequently and making me aware of walking as fast as possible. I was totally ignorant of what was going on as the path was too dark to see ahead. Suddenly I felt my hand grab and a whispering coming in my ears..." samne keu aachhe sabdhan!". I asked, " Who?" We stopped and he replied, " Mone hoy dujon police". It was only after hearing these words I felt my heart beating because if we were asked about our doings and present living we would be exposed as child labours. We were not allowed to roam freely as if it was a sort of 'Chor police khela'. I saw two men were busy urinating beside the path ahead and we had to go forward past them behind. We could not turn backwards because we had already been visible to them. We couldn't but go forward as if we were trapped by them. We were just about to leave them behind and a hiss came from there. " Yea chore rouk rouk," One of them asked us. We stopped and stood stand still. Meanwhile one of them came close to us and started checking us one by one in a rubbish way. Having found nothing in both of my pockets the constable got angry and then holding both of my arms shouted at me and asked me with a shudder " kaha gaya tha re motherc**d?" I felt as if my throat got locked and I couldn't say anything but I tried to answer them with a sigh, "khadi pe ghum ne gayatha Sahab." My tears was about to roll down my cheeks when he gave me a rough push at my chest. I just in a way managed to stay on my feet. "Chal nikal yeaha se, nikal.. bahenc**d!" As of now I did not notice where my friend was and what actually was also going on with him. He also had to face the same rubbish inhumane interrogation as I went through. But at last we were left free to go when they found it meaningless to find money in our pockets as we didn't have money either. After we both walked a while I looked at my friend smiling. He looked at me and said, " you acted well, otherwise they were not supposed to leave us soon." I said, "Acted?" " Yes, you cried as I did " he replied. I kept thinking whether my friend was really acting... "

 

A SINISTER DREAM ( A ghost)