Dhaninjoy

Dhananjoy was all of 13 years when he came to work for us at our maternal grandparents’ house in Kolkata. Gosaba, a village at the border of Sunderban was his home I was told by my grandmother. I had never heard the name of the place before and somehow on hearing Gosaba the picture of a ‘go-shaap’ a huge lizard (Bengal Monitor) came to my mind. I had seen one at the zoo and found it quite scary.

I was younger to Dhananjoy by only a year, but looked little beside him. I was thin, wiry and fair while he was burly, had cropped hair and dark complexion. I felt intimated by him partly because he looked bigger and stronger and perhaps the name of his village had struck fear in my mind at the outset. I had come down to stay with my grandparents with my mother as my sister was due to be born in a few months.

Dhananjoy’s parents were extremely poor, as were the majority of the people belonging to his village and the job of a domestic help at Kolkata was considered prized. It meant that Dhananjoy was now independent and his parents could now concentrate in rearing his five other siblings. One less mouth to feed meant some respite to the family.

Dhananjoy was assigned the job of cleaning utensils, washing clothes and running errands for the house. Both my grandparents were working and hence left home in the morning. During the afternoons he was left with little work and used to come and sit by my side. Soon he became my playmate and we would run up and down the house playing hide and seek or some other game. At that time it was my firm belief that every child born has to study and go thru the grind of learning lessons and going to school. I was really taken aback when I found that the subtleties of the three Rs were beyond his grasp. I immediately took it upon myself to teach him a few things. It gave me a sense of being superior to him and negated the physical inferiority that I had been feeling so far.

Dhananjoy looked most vulnerable during these study sessions and I rebuked him at his mistakes and ordered him to complete his homework in the same manner in which I was taken to task by my teachers and parents for my studies. Internally I felt a pride at my superiority and thanked my teachers mentally for giving me this edge. Once the study sessions were over we got back to our games. I had noticed that from the time we had started these sessions, Dhananjoy was much more reverential about my achievements in games and even purposefully lost to me on a few occasions. I enjoyed this preference and much later realised that this was a purposeful move so that I would go easy on him during his studies.

Around three months had passed and by this time and my little sister had arrived in this world. My grandmother had taken leave from her office and was attending to my mother. An ayah had been appointed to look after the baby and now most of the washing and cleaning was being done by her. This left more time to us as everyone was engaged in attending to the child. Dhananjoy was now more confident and had learnt to write his name in English. He felt elated at this achievement and I considered myself to be a worthy teacher. Making him write in Bengali was my next target and even at the expense of neglecting my own studies I concentrated on trying to make Dhananjoy literate.

Winter set in and days flew by. Soon we were getting ready for Saraswati Puja (prayer ceremony), the Hindu custom of soliciting blessings from the goddess of education – Mother Sarswati. Students of all ages are supposed to seek mother’s benediction so that they come out with flying colours in their exams. The stress was more on crossing an exam hurdle than acquiring knowledge. “Namaskar karo bhalo kore ma Saraswati ke. Balo jeno parikhkha jeno bhalo haye”; (Pray to Mother Saraswati with folded hands and seek her blessing for your examination), was the favoured dictum from elders. We decide to hold the puja (prayer ceremony) on the roof of our house and Dhanajoy was thrilled when he came to know that he would have to play an important part in conducting the puja (prayer ceremony).

I went around the house collecting money for buying an idol of Saraswati mata (mother) and also for the flowers, fruits and sweets that we intended to offer to the goddess. Dhananjoy put together a few bricks to create a platform and then put a few more on three sides to make a place for the idol to be placed. He managed to find some coloured paper with which he covered the bricks. I was impressed by his ingenious idea and complimented him on his work. He looked elated at my kind words and announced that he would go and get the rest of the items for the puja (prayer ceremony). We borrowed the agarbatti (incense stick) stand from my grandmother along with a few incense sticks and a few small plates on which to place the fruits and sweets.

The day of the celebration dawned and Dhananjoy had put on a fresh shirt, one of the two he owned. He had washed and ironed it the day before. All things that we thought necessary for the puja (prayer ceremony) was there. I had purchased the sweets myself and had paid Dhananjoy to get the other things. The sweet was a special sandesh (dry bengali sweet) that both of us liked. I laid them out on a steel plate and put it before the idol. The fruits were washed, cut and placed in another plate. We were ready. I had convinced my grandmother to read out the mantras of the puja (prayer ceremony) and she was getting ready after taking her bath. I left Dhananjoy on the roof and went to invite the other members of the house to come up. My uncle, aunt and a cousin sister agreed to come upstairs.

I returned to the roof and took a place just in the front of the idol. I could not see Dhananjoy and called out his name. He came running wiping his face. I was annoyed and asked him to sit down. By this time everyone else along with my grandmother had come. All of us settled into individual asans (prayer mats) made of patched cloth and shut our eyes as the mantras were read out. Dhananjoy sat at the back causing me to be irked. Soon the puja (prayer ceremony) was over. It was time for distribution of prasad (fruits and sweets offered during prayer). I asked everyone to go inside and sit as I prepared to distribute the sweets and fruits to them.

As I pulled the plate of sweets towards me I was astounded to see that the number of sandesh (dry bengali sweet) had dwindled. Someone had removed it from the plate. Two things happened to me at once. I was outraged about the fact that someone had the audacity to remove the sweets from the plate before the puja (prayer ceremony) was over and an overbearing rage on Dhananjoy, my prime and only suspect who could have done this. I kept my cool with an effort and distributed the prasad (fruits and sweets offered during prayer), dividing the sandesh (dry bengali sweet) into two, so that everyone got a piece.

Once over with it, I went to look for Dhananjoy who was nowhere to be seen. I found him at the back of the house sitting quietly. The moment I set my eyes upon him I was overwhelmed with anger and punched him in his face. He looked stunned but did not try to resist. He started to say something and I threw a few punches on his chest and stomach with all my might. I screamed at him asking him why he had stolen the sandesh (dry bengali sweet) before the puja (prayer ceremony). He did not react nor did he say anything. I asked him to leave immediately, though I was no one to tell him so but I was not in my senses. I felt outraged and cheated. Dhananjoy stood his ground, hanging his head not trying to defend himself at all. After shouting at him for a while I felt drained. I walked away to another part of the house and sat down and wept. I was careful so that no one saw me cry. Slowly I went and sat by my sister. My mother sensed that there was something wrong and asked me what the matter was. I avoided her question and eyes. 

The ayah came into the room and as a matter-of-factly began talking to my mother “Didi you know, Dhananjoy has become so dedicated about his studies that he has been fasting since yesterday. Poor chap he can never bear hunger and today morning I was felt that he was having great difficulty in keeping his fast. When khoka (meaning me) was not there I went up to the roof and found him holding the sandesh (dry bengali sweet) plate and looking longingly at it. I felt extreme pity for him so I picked up two sandesh (dry bengali sweet) and asked him to eat it. He did not want it and asked me to keep it and go away. Just then we heard people coming upstairs and the sandesh (dry bengali sweet) fell on the ground. Dhananjoy looked aghast and quickly placed the plate and carried away the two sweets as he could not place them back after picking them up from the ground. He warned me that what I had done was not good”. The ayah looked pleadingly at my mom and said “Tell me didi did I do something wrong? All I wanted to do was feed a hungry boy.” I was stunned and felt dizzy. I ran as fast as I could to find Dhananjoy. He was nowhere to be seen. I rushed to my grandmother and asked her where I could find him. My grandmother looked at me enquiringly and said “Did he not tell you before leaving? He told me that he was leaving for his village for a few days as someone from his family had suddenly fallen ill.” I kept quiet and stood motionless for a while. I knew he would never come back.          

Bride’s Home Coming

Biswanath Banerjee was up earlier than usual in the morning. He was flushed with excitement, outwardly though he was the epitome of composure. He did not wish to let his wife Sucheta understand what was going on inside his mind. Sucheta too lay awake in her bed much before the time Biswanath babu woke up and left his bed. She had mixed feelings, confused and happy at the same time. Their only daughter Kinnori, or Kinu as her parents called her affectionately was coming home after one year.

Kinnori had completed her Master’s degree in Engineering and was now employed with a software company in Bangalore. Her probation period had just ended and she had managed to get a two-week break to visit her parents. This was not a routine visit though; the Banerjee couple was not only looking forward to a visit from Kinnori but was eagerly waiting to see her groom too. Kinnori had informed them all of sudden that she had found her life partner and together they were coming to seek her parent’s blessings. The formal ceremony of marriage had never appealed to Kinnori and she did not want that her parents should go in for any elaborate arrangement.

Both husband and wife had been intrigued by the fact that Kinnori had refused to divulge any details about her partner. Sucheta had wondered aloud if the boy was from a different community or religion. However disconcerted, she might have felt inside, she put up a brave front and declared “whoever Kinu chooses is fine with me. It is she who has to stay with him so if they are happy I don’t have a problem”. Biswanath babu had not responded to Sucheta’s comments. He had been tight lipped from the time he received the mail and then a call from Kinu “Baba we are coming on Saturday by the morning flight and will reach home by 11 AM. You and ma need not come to receive us, we will get home by ourselves and please don’t worry”.

Biswanath babu was a man of strong personality. He had retired from his government job two years back and led a disciplined life. He looked young for his 62 years. His wife was eight years his junior. From the time she had come to this house thirty-two years ago, Sucheta had played the role of a dutiful housewife, accompanying Biswanath Babu to different cities during his official posting tenures. Kinnori was born six years after their marriage, as Sucheta had needed treatment before she could conceive. Kinnori had been brought up with a lot of care and had the best of education and her father had managed to instill in her a sense of purpose and determination. Hard work and an open and perceptive mind had made her achieve greatness in her academic field. Her parents never made her feel inhibited by the fact that she was a girl. At 5 feet 8 inches Kinnori stood tall and her confident demeanor helped her to be treated at par with men in both her academic field and professional one.

Biswanath Babu had a cup of tea before he bathed and sat down for his morning Puja. Years of staying together had taught Sucheta that her husband hated to be disturbed during his Puja. She waited for him to complete his Puja before asking him “Did Kinu tell you what are jamai’s favorite dishes? Does he love to have sweets? You should have spoken to her in detail. How am I to know whether he is a vegetarian or a non-vegetarian? I don’t even know his name.” Her husband looked up from the newspaper while sipping his second cup of tea, which Sucheta had brought him. He frowned at first and then his expression softened. He looked at Sucheta and in and said “Don’t worry Kinu is a very understanding and practical girl. If there was something about jamai’s food habits which she felt we should know, she would have told us. When she didn't say anything we will assume that he will have whatever we offer him”. Sucheta kept quiet and then started to get up from the chair “I think I should fry some luchis for breakfast and then plan for lunch”. Biswanath babu motioned her to remain seated and after a few seconds spoke up “You know Sucheta, when Kinu was young, she had once told me that she would never get married as she thought that all men other than her father were boring” he smiled as he recalled and narrated the incident. Sucheta knew about the incident, but looked at her husband curiously as she was not used to the softer side in him and she had thought that the incident was long lost on him.

The bell rang and suddenly both husband and wife looked up towards the door. For a fleeting second they thought that their daughter and jamai had arrived. It was the domestic help who had come early today so that she could help Sucheta take care of all that was to be done before their daughter arrived with her husband. “Boudi, how does your jamai look? Is he tall and handsome?” She looked amazed when she came to know that her masters were not aware of how their jamai looked. Actually Kinnori had specifically written in her mail that she did not want to disclose anything, not even the name of her partner before they arrived. Her parents knew that once Kinu had decided not to disclose, she would never change her mind. They had assumed that the boy was either from a different community or a religion and since they were high caste Brahmins perhaps Kinu had felt perturbed to shock them in advance. It was not that they would be disturbed to accept Kinu’s choice but it would be the first time that someone in the Banerjee household had done something that violated their conventional line of thinking; they were, however sure that they would get over it after the identity of the boy was disclosed initially.

The household activity started in the right earnest. The domestic help went about in getting Kinu didmoni’s room in order. The room had a double bed and all the furniture that was required for the duration of the couple’s stay. Dusting, sweeping the floor, tidying and fresh flowers in the flower vase was all that was required to be done. Sucheta got working in the kitchen while Biswanath babu readied himself to go to the market. Whatever he might have told Sucheta to assuage her tension, he had decided to play it safe while marketing. He would buy paneer as well as mutton. Kinu loved to eat mutton curry and just in case the boy was a vegetarian, he would not have to go hungry.

By the time Biswanath Babu had returned from the market it was quarter to ten on the clock. Kinu must have landed at Dum Dum by this time he thought excitedly and picked up his cell phone. “Hello Kinu ma, has the plane landed?” He realized this was not a very smart question to ask as passengers on board an aircraft are allowed to switch on only after the plane had landed, but father’s affection preceded his smartness at the moment. “Yes, baba, we are fine and are on our way home, hope you and ma are alright”. Biswanath babu’s eyes were moist and he did not know what to say “It is ok Kinu ma, we are waiting for both of you” is what he managed to say. He sat down heavily on the sofa in the drawing room and sat motionless for a few moments. Slowly he got up and made his way to the chest of drawers where all photo albums were kept. He picked out two albums which were filled exclusively with Kinu’s photographs and leafed through them looking up each one carefully and trying to recall the exact moment at which the photo had been clicked.

It was ten minutes past 11 and Biswanath Babu paced anxiously on his first floor verandah. Once in a while he tried to make out if any taxi was making its way towards his house. It was another ten minutes before he saw a taxi approaching his building. He quickly moved down the staircase and walked towards the taxi even as it came to a halt in front of him. Sucheta and the maid also ran towards the entrance with a thali full of articles and sweets necessary to receive the groom into the house for the first time.

Biswanath babu stopped in his tracks as he saw Kinu emerging from the taxi. He had expected that his beloved daughter would at least wear a traditional sari while coming to her parental home after marriage. Kinu was dressed in jeans and a white shirt and looked smart as usual, but there was more to come. A little lady in bridal makeup and wearing a red sari was sitting inside the taxi. There must be some mistake he thought. He could not comprehend what was happening, Sucheta looked blank and the maid looked ready to faint.

“Baba, ma, I know both of you will be upset, but let me introduce my partner Mrinmoyee. She is also a Bengali Brahmin and we work for the same organization and like each other very much. We have decided that this is the best thing for both of us and so have gone ahead and tied the knot” said Kinu in her usual confident no-nonsense manner. Biswanath Babu and Sucheta looked as if lightening had struck them. The maid managed a hoarse whisper “A girl has married a girl” and fainted.

Bengali Words used and their meaning

Babu:              Used at the end of a name to show respect

Jamai:             Son-in-law

Boudi:             Sister-in-law

Didimoni:        Elder sister

Luchi:              A deep-fried flatbread made of wheat flour

Paneer:            Curd cheese

Thali:               Utensil

A Birthday Gift

Mr. Sen glanced towards the wall, the hands of the clock indicated that it was three in the afternoon. He would have to leave office right away for his appointment with the doctor. He looked up at his assistant Sayantini, sitting in front of him, and conveyed his intention of leaving early.

“Please finish the pending work before you leave Ms. Paul”, he added, looking at Sayantini, as he rose from his chair and prepared to leave.

Mr Sen’s words made Sayantini look up and for a moment or so she looked distant but then nodded politely and left the room. Mr. Sen had a reputation of being a kind and understanding boss and he did not fail to notice that his assistant had become absent minded.

Sayantini had always been a star performer and the different departments of the organization vied to have her services. Mr. Sen had fought quite doggedly to retain her in this section. Lately certain personal issues had mentally disturbed Sayantini to quite an extent and he was well aware of that. He had tried to be as helpful as possible in his own way but deep inside he knew that no amount of sympathy was enough to make her feel better.

Mr. Sen packed his Tiffin-box and umbrella into his smart looking leather bag and made his way out of the office. “See you all tomorrow” he said as he made his way out of the office through the hall where all the members of the staff had their cubicle.

The figures on the paper made little sense to her at the moment. Her mind had been wandering and trying to push back the thoughts did not help. They had firmly taken root in her mind and attempts to smother them did not help. Sayantini, looked at her watch, it was three-thirty, just then her colleagues Gayatri and Bhabna walked up to her desk.

“Sayantini Di, what are you doing? Still working? It is your birthday and you should be on your way home, your family must be waiting to cut the cake” chuckled Gayatri.

“Nah, say that her hubby dear will be waiting for her with open arms” said Bhabna mischievously with a twinkle in her eyes. Sayantini smiled.

Yes she had to leave early but before that she needed to complete the job at hand. It would take another hour to finish it off and after that she was free to go, Mr. Sen would have let her off if she had told him but she had chosen not to. Sayantani was not in the mood to discuss her birthday plan with her boss.

Her two sons Totan and Santu would be dancing in excitement and waiting to cut the cake on their mother’s birthday. She made her way to the washroom. Washed her face and looked up into the mirror. At 39 she looked good she felt, taking into consideration the mental state she was in. Sayantini was not a classical beauty in fact she was short and had a dark complexion but had the most beautiful pair of eyes in the world. Friends and colleagues adored her for the person she was. Her helpful nature made her touch people’s heart, inspite of all her problems she never forgot to wish people on their birthdays and anniversary and was a wonderful host to people who visited her home. She brushed her hair and adjusted her dupatta. The rust color new dress which she wore looked gorgeous on her. After finishing the job at hand she was ready to leave.

Her colleagues gathered around her as she collected her belongings and the small gifts they had given her on her birthday. Another round of wishing and joking followed before she finally left. Making her way to the nearest suburban train station Sayantini sunk back into her melancholic mood once again. Totan her elder son was a sweet child but was enormously hyperactive. He was always upto something which was dangerous and disturbing. He was an average student and had to be regularly cajoled, threatened or spanked to get through his regular studies and exams. It was not Totan though who disturbed her more. It was Santu, her three year ten month old younger son who was born with Downs’ Syndrome and had been the source of a lot of distress. After he was born Sayantini came to know about the pitfalls of a child having Downs’ Syndrome. Slow learning process, being prone to illness and a constant need to attend to him was taking a toll on her. She had become irritable and having to manage her home, aged in-laws, her office and two kids was becoming too much of a stress for her.

In two months time Santu would turn four years and yet he was yet to speak and this had been the biggest disappointment she was facing right now. Speech therapy sessions and visits to doctors had yet not given her the joy of hearing her son speak. Not being able to speak meant he would not get into a proper school. A drop of tear moved down her cheek as she settled into a seat in the train taking her homeward. Totan would turn eleven soon and his constant defiance of her efforts to discipline him made her lose her cool often. Nowadays he had taken to taking Santu inside a room and locking the door with a plea that he would play with his younger brother. Given Totan’s temperament his grandparents were apprehensive that he might hurt Santu while playing one of his dangerous games. When queried, Totan never came up with a proper answer as to what he had been doing with his brother inside the room. Sayantini’s husband was busy with his business and found little time to spend with them.

Sayantini let out a sigh. She felt cornered and over burdened by the situation. The train moved into her home platform and she brightened up at the thought of being able to spend time with her children on her birthday. She disembarked from the train and made her way through the lanes of Birati.

She approached the gate and was surprised to see that no one was the gate. It was usual to find them near the gate if they knew mom was coming home early and Sayantini had expected Totan to be jumping around in excitement with Santu in tow. The door was open and this too was unusual, as she moved inside she peeked into her mother-in-law’s room and found her sleeping while her father-in-law sat on an easy chair with his eyes closed, obviously resting. She still could find her sons and called out for Totan. Bappa, her husband was also not at home and a sudden fear gripped her that something terrible must have happened to Santu. She swiftly moved on to the first floor and just as she approached the door of the room, Totan came out smiling. Sayantini felt disappointed and irritated.

Totan must have been playing with Santu as he usually did and had perhaps forgotten that it was his mom’s birthday, she thought. “What have you been up to? Where is Santu?” she asked somewhat sternly. Totan just shrugged his shoulders and said “Oh, we were just getting your birth-day gift ready”.

Curiosity took over Sayantini as she walked behind Totan, quickening her steps. “What is that?” she asked, trying to think of what it could be possible and why he had involved Santu in his activity. A strange sense of apprehension tinged in her mind. “I think you should change your clothes and wash before you can have your gift” said Totan matter-of-factly as he walked down the stairs like an adult. Sayantini glanced inside the room and saw Santu sitting quietly on the sofa and her eyes searched for a hidden packet or something which she could make out to be her gift. She found none. 

Reluctantly she walked back to her room as she knew pressing Totan any further would not yield any result. He could be very adamant if he chose to be so. She went to the washroom, changed her clothes and drank a glass of water and tried to remain as calm as possible. Totan suddenly appeared in front of their bedroom and said “it is time to have your gift, please come upstairs” and turned around to walk up the stairs. Sayantini followed her son like a dutiful mother. On reaching the room, Totan turned to his mother and said, “Every year I give you something on your birthday and this year Santu will give you something, I just helped him”. Sayantini found the statement enigmatic but could hardly hold back her intense curiosity and moved straight ahead into the room. “Please sit down on the floor” ordered Totan.

Sayantini followed what he said mesmerized by the way things were going. Totan looked up and Santu and nodded smiling an impish smile. Santu moved up slowly and walked towards his mother and suddenly threw his arms around her and said in clear words “Happy birthday ma, I and dada love you so much”. Tears rolled down Sayantini’s cheeks she pulled both his sons close to her and wept the happiest tears of her life. Totan had all along helping Santu with his speech and had planned the perfect gift for his mother.