একটা ছোট কামরা । না রেলগাড়ির কামরা নয় ।এটা বড়ো মাপের একটা ঘরের অংশ ।ঘরটার মাঝে একটা দেয়াল দিয়ে বারো আনা আর চার আনা দুটি অংশে ভাগ করা । আমরা চার আনার অংশটা কে কামরা বলছি । ঘরটাকে এইভাবে ভাগ করার কারণ, বারো আনার ঘরটাকে ভাড়া দেওয়া । ভাড়া খুবই কম ।তবে ভাড়ার অর্থ মালিকের একটি আয়ের উৎস।

ঘরের মালিক লোকটার বয়স প্রায় ছাব্বিশ । রোগা রোগা হাত পা । মুখটা  শীর্ণ । পকেটে থাকা ওয়ালেটের অবস্থা আরো করুন । চার আনার কামরার সিলিংএর কিছুটা চোকলা উঠে গেছে । ঘরের কোনের বেসিনের পাইপ এ  কিছু সমস্যা আছে । জল পড়ছে টপ-টপ করে । শব্দও হচ্ছে ।

লোকটা পাঁচ তারা হোটেলে বেহালা বাজায় । ছ’ বছরের হতাশা ওর মুখে জুটিয়েছে লম্বাটে সিগেরেট । আর যৌবন পরিণত হয়েছে সিগেরেটের ছাই তে । ক্যালেন্ডারের ক্রুশবিদ্ধ যীশুর মতো সেও আটকে পড়েছে । রোজ রোজ হোটেলে সস্তা হিন্দি সুর বাজাতে বাজাতে হাঁফিয়ে গেছে  ও । এ যেন এক চক্রব্যূহ , সাজানো হয়েছে  তাকে ঘিরে । স্বপ্নের কাছে পরাজয় অবশ্য তার গা-সওয়া হয়ে গেছে । গা-সওয়া হয়ে গেছে  এই আলো-আঁধারি নির্বাসন ।

To read more interesting Bengali articles, click

লোকটা ঘরে বসে কিছু একটা পড়ছে । অবশ্য কাছে থেকে লক্ষ্য করলে দেখা যাবে যে ওই  ‘কিছু ‘ টা উল্টো করে ধরা আর চোখের দৃষ্টি শূণ্য । অর্থাৎ আমাদের শিল্পী মশাই কিছু ভাবছেন ।

কাগজের ঠান্ডা বিজ্ঞাপন শিল্প-সত্ত্বায় উষ্ণতা এনেছে। বিজ্ঞাপনটা একটা প্রতিযোগিতার ।  লোকটা তড়াক করে লাফিয়ে উঠেছিল বিজ্ঞাপনটা দেখে । এতে একটা সংগীত -প্রতিষ্ঠান একটা বেহালা বাজানোর প্রতিযোগিতার প্রচার করেছে । এতে যেকোনো ব্যাক্তি প্রতিষ্ঠানের নিজস্ব রেকর্ডিং ষ্টুডিওতে নিজের সৃষ্টি করা বেহালার সুরের রেকর্ডিং করতে পারবে । তাও নাম মাত্র মূল্যে। পরে সেই রেকর্ডিং করা কপি জমা দেওয়া যাবে সেই প্রতিষ্ঠানে ।

বেহালা থেকে বিমর্ষতার সুর ধ্বনিত হয় । কিছু দিনের মধ্যেই সে রেকর্ডিং স্টুডিওর সঙ্গে যোগাযোগ করলো । আরো কিছু দিনের মধ্যেই সুরের প্রাথমিক পর্যায় তৈরী হয়ে গেলো । এরপর কিছু এডিট ও ফিল্টার  করে সে তার বেহালার সুরের কপি জমা দিয়ে দেয় প্রতিষ্ঠানটিতে ।

আস্তে আস্তে ফলপ্রকাশের দিন চলে আসে। শিল্পী মশাই মনে মনে বেশ উত্তেজিত। এই কয়েকদিনে তার শারীরিক ও মানসিক  অবস্থার বেশ পরিবর্তন এসেছে ।পাঁচতারা হোটেলে বাজনা বাজাতে যায়নি সে প্রায় দু সপ্তাহ । সিগেরেট খাওয়ায় নিয়ন্ত্রণ আনতে হয়েছে । গলায় খুব যন্ত্রনা আর ঘড়ঘড়ে কাশি , তার কণ্ঠরোধ করছে ।

জীবনে প্রথমবার ট্যাক্সি ডেকে শিল্পী মশাই চললেন সংগীত প্রতিষ্ঠানে । অডিটোরিয়ামে বেশ কিছুক্ষন বিভিন্ন বক্তার বক্তৃতার পর, ফলাফল ঘোষণা শুরু হয় । বক্তৃতা শোনার মতো অবস্থা তার ছিলোনা । চোখ ঘোলাটে হয়ে আসছিলো । গলায় অসম্ভব জ্বালা করছিলো । ফলাফল ঘোষণার সময় প্রথমেই নিজের নাম শুনে কোনো মতে মঞ্চে ওঠে । প্রতিষ্ঠানের সম্পাদক তার হাতে পদকটা তুলে দেওয়ার প্রায় সঙ্গে সঙ্গেই ধড়াস করে মঞ্চে পড়ে  যায় ।  একটু হুড়োহুড়ি । একটু হইচই। তখন শিল্পী মশাই এর চোখে জল । কিন্তু মুখে হাসি । কিছুক্ষনের মধ্যেই ডাক্তার আসেন । হাতে পালস পান না ।  আর হ্যাঁ, চার আনার ছোটো কামরার বেসিনের পাইপ থেকে জল পড়ার টপ-টপ  শব্দ আর কোনো দিনও পাওয়া যায় নি ।

About Sarasij Basu Mallick

Sarasij comes from Sheakhala, a small town in the Hooghly district. He is a Mathematics geek studying at Serampore College.
Books have always fascinated him from his early childhood and they drive him to ‘think’ differently. In his words, “Yes any form of art requires thinking. But, while writing, I have to realize that thinking is not the key to good stories. Good stories go much beyond writing – It needs to explore culture – politics – history and much more! I try to encapsulate some of my thought through my writings. And, I have an irrefragable idea that one day my pen will help me to explore myself.”

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this post are the personal views of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of www.kolkatafusion.wordpress.com. Any omissions or errors are the author’s and KolkataFusion does not assume any liability or responsibility for them.

The post চার আনার কামরা appeared first on KolkataFusion.

By introducing your kids to the hobby of reading, you will be opening a new vista about the world around them. The habit of reading can nurture them into better persons. They may not be world leaders, but they’ll undoubtedly bring positive changes in the lives of the people they’ll meet in their lifetimes.

Our friends and family members keep asking us about which books to buy for their children, which books to read aloud, or how to introduce books to them. So, in this article, we will be recommending a few books with which your kids can start their reading journeys. Some of them had been our favourites, too, when we were children!

Recommended English Story Books

Age Group 3 to 6 years

Bedtime Stories by Little Pearl Books

Each book has a short story written in bold alphabets and expressive illustrations, making it easier for early readers. Stories like The Hare and The Tortoise, The Horse and The Lion, The hen that laid the golden eggs have been read by us when we were kids and they still grab the interests of the little one.

Buy the books

Read it yourself with Ladybird

The Read It Yourself books are divided into different levels. You can pick the level depending on your child’s ability to read. The series includes traditional tales like The Goldilocks and the Three Bears, popular characters like Peppa Pig, modern stories like Jon’s Football Team, and non-fiction stories like Astronauts. The beautifully illustrated books and written by language learning experts, keeping in mind the structured language progression to help children develop their cognitive skills.

Buy Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3 books.

Pepper Series Set 1 (Set of 6 Books)

Written in simple language with boldfaced letters and expressive illustrations, these books are good to introduce your child to some good manners. Like Pepper, the chubby bubbly puppy solves his daily challenges, your child also sees the world around him/her in these books.

But the book online.

Board Books by Paragon Books

With these books, you can open a new world of imagination to your new readers and develop their reading interest. The sturdy pages of the story for kids in English make it a perfect introductory segment for your little ones who can handle them as they want. And their expressive illustrations can grab their attention from the moment they set their eyes on the books. 

See their collection and pick the books of your choice.

The Giant of Jum by Elli Woollard

The Giant Jum by Elli Woollard and award-winning illustrator Benji Davies is an incredibly rhymed text with a clever twist. His images add loads of fun and children enjoy hunting for the not-so-hidden animals in them. The book with the kids as the multiracial crew also comes with a strong message.

Buy the book.

A Treasury to Read with Mummy

With this book in your hand, neither you nor your kid will ever run short of stories. This explicitly illustrated treasure of 80 stories is perfect for reading together. It contains stories that have been passed through generations and still have the power to seize the kids’ attention.

Buy A Treasury to Read with Mummy or A Treasury to Read with Grandma and fill your little one’s childhood with beautiful stories.

Wondering how to develop the habit of reading in your child, read Let’s encourage our kids to read

Age Group 6 to 10 years

Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tales

Fairy Tales take us to the world of fantasy and what would be better if the same fairy tales talk about humanity and harmony? Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales talk about the common human beings with their virtues and vices. The stories are so beautifully written that they would go a long way in inculcating good values in your children.

Buy the book.

Suggested read: The book about the world of wild animals.

Matilda by Roald Dahl

In his unique storytelling style, Roald Dahl conveys to the elder kids the possibility this world holds for them – they just need to try. It’s a delightful story about a little girl, Matilda, who learns to read, all by herself and by the time she’s in school, she finishes off all the kids’ books. But, alas! None recognises her talent until she meets her class teacher. Kids above six years old start developing their opinions and they can perfectly relate to this school-going child.

Buy the book online.

The Magic Drum and other favourite stories by Sudha Murthy

Sudha Murthy is one of the best Indian writer who writes simple story for kids in English. The sparkling collection of stories by her breathes lives into the characters. And even a seven-year-old can sense the humour in them. With a subtle, hidden message and easy-to-understand language, this book can conveniently fit into your child’s library.

Buy the book.

Great Stories For Children by Ruskin Bond

Iconic children’s author and classic novelist Ruskin Bond write about the petite beauties of life. His stories instill faith in humanity and are very soothing in the fast-paced world. Introduce your kids to his stories from childhood and encourage them to find joy in things they see around them. His intricate writing will transcend you to the mountains and build your kids’ initial connection with nature.

Buy the book online.

The Puffin Keeper by Michael Morpurgo

An ideal book to introduce to the school-goers to introduce them to the power of friendship. Through Benji’s top-notch illustrations and Michael Morpurgo’s words’ kids will learn life-long lessons and understand the meaning of consequences. It’s a book that’ll enchant readers of all ages.

Buy the book. 

As we have already mentioned, the world of books is vast and it opens a new horizon for the kids, we hope you and your child enjoy reading the above-mentioned books.

We have stated some of the best stories for kids in English and in our next article, we’ll share the story for kids in Bengali.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a small commission if you purchase products via our website. Your purchases support us in bringing you informative and fun-filled articles.

The post Recommended storybooks for kids in English (3- 10 years) appeared first on KolkataFusion.

It was around 1:30 pm; the son is usually back from his playground latest by 1:10 pm. But, for a change, he wasn’t. In fact, his granny’s radar was unable to find him in the play area for nearly 30 minutes then. However, stuck with work and brimming with over-confidence with their parenting style, the mother has been shrugging off his disappearance.

The granny suddenly yelled at the poor grandfather, engrossed with his mobile, “The child is untraceable for such a long time; how can you be so nonchalant?” The mother thought to herself and smiled, “For such a long time… it was just half an hour.” She realized it was the traditional style of parenting in India that evoked that action in her mother. And she also knew the scoff was more aimed at the parents than the grandpa. So, she reluctantly requested her hubby to go downstairs for the child hunt. Ten more minutes passed by, the child was still missing; grandpa and father both were cluelessly hunting for him.

The ladies finally took charge of the situation – the mother, too, shoved off her contemporary Indian parenting style, and became a Bengali mother and started making calls (Facebook call, as she didn’t have any phone numbers), and the granny went downstairs to howl out the child’s name from the park, hoping he would hear her. The overtly reluctant father of a son came up and said, “I have my office, need to log in. After all, He can’t move out of society. So, stop panicking! And if you have to panic, go downstairs.”

So… the mother went downstairs. By then, her fear had started taking weird shapes – what if the child has landed in a kid less house, what if some pervert man or woman has lured him! What if… what if…. mind started playing its game! It was around 2:10 pm. 

In the meantime, the other mothers, whom the mommy had called, had started freaking out, too. And they helped more than they could. More calls were made, security and facility guys were involved, security cameras started getting monitored, and time was ticking by. Still, they couldn’t find the child anywhere – not even at the known friends’ houses.

After a frantic hunt of nearly an hour, the four adults were still clueless and were on the verge of losing their manners when one of the mothers called and gave the direction of the hero of the story!

As the protagonist’s mother was on the way, a small kid came running up to escort her. In those few seconds of a walk, her anger and fear created a lump of laughter in her throat. But she held her gravity up and walked with a hung face. She saw the kid sitting in the lobby on a high stool, shaking his feet.

While the others took charge of him, the mother thought of dropping his friend at his home, to which he confidently responded, “Aunty, I know my way up. I go to play all alone.” The mother smiled and said, “Yes! Darling, you do! But, when you perform such silly, unknowingly innocent activities, as your friend did today, we parents tend to freak out. So please allow me to at least stand in the lobby until you reach your home.” The little kid looked up and gave the nod of acknowledgment.

On the other side… When the grandparents asked the protagonist to say sorry to the security guys and the other well-wishers, he burst out crying. While granny was scolding him with overwhelmed warmth, the mother reached and denied speaking to him. The men were relieved – more because the ladies of the house were relieved. As they walked back home, the elders thanked everyone. And the more they thanked, the more the kid sobbed. However, they finally reached home.

Holding the crying child’s hand, the mother dragged her to a room, closed the door, and looked at him with frowning eyes. As a habitual style of Parenting in India, she had been planning to scold and talk to him. But now, as she sat in front of her 6-years-old, an unknown curiosity fought up a smirk on her lips. While she controlled her feelings (trying to understand them), the child kept looking at her, with teary eyes. Eventually, she burst out laughing and called his son close to him.

The kid was furious as if he was hunting his absconding mother and finally on finding the old lady he was crying, and the oldy was enjoying.

The post What Happens When The Child Goes Missing? appeared first on KolkataFusion.

Continued From…

“Hey! Thank you. But, I….” Ankita faltered, “I don’t need it.”

His smile was infectious, and thrusting the pack in her hand, he said, “Feel at home. I will get your tea in a jiffy.” He left.

Like the hundred other ladies, enchanted by his presence, she took the pack and lit a cig. She hadn’t even taken her second drag, when he reappeared with two cups of tea, and beaming, he said “This is for the enchanting lady, and this is obviously for the poor me who couldn’t focus on anything else from the moment he laid his eyes on her.”

Ankita was not used to such praises and specifically from men as young and handsome as the one standing in front of him. There was something in the air, was it the intensity of the discussion going on the stage, or the fresh smell of the tea, or the nostalgic smell of the Madagascar Periwinkle, she didn’t know. But she shamelessly fixed her gaze on the man in front of her.

For Hemanta, it was a known look, but for the first time in his adulthood, he felt attracted to a simple yet alluring lady. He could have kept staring at her if the mild cough wouldn’t have broken the spell between them.

“Are you leaving, Madam?” intruded a gruff voice.

Awoken from a spell, they both looked at the source of the voice. And Ankita’s expression changed. Did Hemanta see tears in her eyes? Or was he hallucinating? Or did he see the spark that he was expecting?

“Excuse me! Am asking, are you leaving early?” The gruff voice continued, “I thought after the breath-taking speech, you will wait till the end.”

She mumbled, “I better thought to leave.”

“Without thanking the organizers or meeting any one of them,” spattered the gruff voice.

Something changed in Ankita, she clogged and with the immense power that she felt within her, she could have choked the man standing in front of her to death. The eyes which were mellowed with shyness and expectation throughout the morning were suddenly ablaze, and she scorned, “My friend is there, and after all, she was the main speaker of the day. I was just accompanying her. By the by, who are you?”

Extending his hands towards her, he nonchalantly continued, “Hi! I am Aniket.”

As if some script was being played in front of the eyes of Hemanta. His eyes travelled from the man to the lady and he searched for any trace of familiarity which was so evidently missing in their words yet was lurking in their looks.

Ankita slowly took his hands, and it might have been ages, before which Hemanta disturbed the awkward silence, “Dada! Why is it always like this?”

Aniket lovingly looked at Hemanta and asked, “What, Hemanta?”

“Why do ladies give you this passionate look even at this age, when I so crave for it?” he laughed.

Suddenly Ankita took back her hand with a jolt and murmured something. But, immediately regaining herself, she continued, “Can you please excuse us, Mr. Aniket? We were in the middle of a discussion before you interrupted.”

Aniket was caught off-guard, and after all the incidents that have been taking today, he was in no mood of foul play. So, turning towards Hemanta, he softly uttered, “Can you please excuse us, Hemanta?”

“No! Why will he?” Ankita defended raising her voice this time.

“If you so like his company, you can meet him for tea anywhere and anytime afterward. But, today, I am the primary host, and I need to speak on something urgent,” Aniket replied, calm and composed.

“Unlike you, I don’t go about meeting anyone I come across,” holding back her tears, Ankita continued, “…you have a fascination towards tea/coffee-meets and get swayed by any artistic or intelligent or beautiful lady your path crosses by.”

Like an actress, she regained her composure and smiled, “I think I am done here…should have known the tea stall near the exit was nothing but a trap.”

Uttering her last few words, she stomped off, and the sole audience to the play, Hemanta, stood, stoically looking at the two revered actors.

How long they stood there, they don’t know. Together they watched the lady climbing downstairs, boarding a cherry-red Octavia and zooming out in front of their eyes.

Hemanta would have stood there, still trying to comprehend the scene that took place right in front of his eyes, but to break the uncomfortable silence, he asked, “Dada! Do you have a fag? She took mine!” 

Continued…

The post The Rendezvous appeared first on KolkataFusion.

-Guest Post

পাঁচু পাড়ার চায়ের দোকানে কাজ করে । বয়স বেশি নয় । মেরে কেটে ওই বারো কি তেরো ।পাঁচুর মা নেই । বাপ মাতাল । এমনি তে পাঁচুর বাবা তিনকড়ি লোক মন্দ নয় । তবে পেটে দুপাত্তর পড়লেই ব্যাস । তখন তাকে দেখে (থুড়ি রোখে) কে ? পড়াশোনায় নেহাৎ মন্দ ছিলোনা পাঁচু । পাঁচুর মা গত হলেন । বই গেল খাটের তলায় । তারপর গেল বিক্রি হয়ে । মা থাকলে ঠিক বলতেন “ওরে,সরস্বতী কে বিক্রি করে দিলি?” আর কি, মায়ের মুখ এখন আর ঠিক মনেই পরেনা । সব স্মৃতি ঝাপসা । পাঁচুর হাতে এখন চায়ের কেটলি ।

মা স্বপ্ন দেখেছিলেন ছেলে বড়ো হবে। বাবা মা কে নিয়ে ভাঙ্গা বাড়ি থেকে নিয়ে উঠবে রাজপ্রাসাদে । স্বপ্নই থেকে গেলো । বাবাকে নিয়ে খুব একটা অভিযোগ নেই পাঁচুর মনে । অভিযোগ থেকেই বা কি হবে । বাবা তো আর নেশা ছাড়বে না । তিনকড়ির যা অবস্থা তাতে সে কতদিন বাঁচবে , তা নিয়ে বেশ সন্দেহ আছে ।এই পরিবারের অবস্থাটা বোঝানোর জন্য আমি এসব লিখছি ।পাঁচু কিন্তু এসব কথা বেশি ভাবে না । ও লক্ষ্য করেছে এসব ভাবার অনেক হ্যাপা । বুকের ভেতর থেকে কেটলির ধোঁয়ার মতো কি একটা মুখ দিয়ে বেরিয়ে আসে । দোকানের মালিক জগাই এইরকম হলে বলে “অত দিগ্ঘোসাস ফেলিসনে বাপু । “এতে আবার পাঁচু লজ্জা পেয়ে, জিভ কেটে, কাপ-প্লেট ধুতে শুরু করে দেয় ।

ছোট দোকান হলেও , জগাই এর দোকান কিন্তু বেশ ভালোই চলে । জগাই লোকটাও খারাপ নয় ।দুবার পরপর কাচের গ্লাস ভেঙ্গে ফেলার পর ,মাত্র একটা কানমলা দিয়েছিলো ।  রোজ সকালে মর্নিং ওয়াক করার পর  অনেকে আসেন দোকানে । সামনের বেঞ্চিতে বসে চা দিতে বলেন । চা জগাই নিজের হাতেই তৈরি করে । পরিবেশনটা করে পাঁচু । বাবুরা চা এর সঙ্গে ওমলেট দিতে বলেন মাঝেমাঝে । বাবুদের সঙ্গে তার চেনাশোনা হয়ে গেছে । ওই যে , ডানদিকের কোনে যে বাবু ফোনে কি দেখছেন,ওই বাবুটা পুজোর সময় তাকে  কুড়ি টাকা দিয়েছিলো । ওর খুব ভালো লাগে ওই বাবুকে । কথাগুলো বেশ । পাড়ার লোকেরা বলাবলি করে ওই বাবু নাকি অনেক পড়াশোনা করেছেন । মাদ্রাজ না চেন্নাই বলে কি একটা জায়গা থেকে , বাবু পড়াশোনা করে ফিরেছেন কিছুদিন আগে । পাঁচু বুঝতে পারেনা মাদ্রাজ আর চেন্নাই কি দুটো আলাদা জায়গা ? এখন শহরে যান গলায় কালো দড়ি ঝুলিয়ে । সাদা জামা । কালো প্যান্ট । গাড়ি আছে বাবুর । পাঁচুও মনেমনে ভেবেছে মাঝেমাঝে , “আমারও যদি এমন গাড়ি থাকতো । অমন বাবুর মতো সেজেগুজে আপিস যেতে পারতুম কি মজাটাই না হতো ।” আবার পাঁচুর মুখ দিয়ে কেটলির ধোঁয়ার মতো কি একটা বেরিয়ে আসে । একটু ঘুম ঘুম পায় ।

পুজোর পর একটু ঠান্ডা পড়েছে।উত্তর দিক থেকে একটু একটু করে হাওয়া দিচ্ছে । আজ শনিবার । পাড়ার মাঠে ফুটবল খেলা হবে । পাঁচু খেলে না । ও অনেক কম বয়েসে বেশি বড়ো হয়ে গেছে ।চায়ের দোকানে যাওয়ার আগে খেলার মাঠের সামনে পাঁচু দাঁড়িয়েছিল ।ও পাড়ার সন্তু জিজ্ঞেস করলো “কি রে খেলবি নাকি?”পাঁচু বলে “না গো দোকানে যেতে হবে । ” সন্তু কিছু না বলে এগিয়ে যায় । ঐতো আপিস-বাবু ও এসেছেন ।দাঁড়িয়ে আছেন মাঠের সামনে ।বাবু এগিয়ে এলেন । “কিরে দোকানে যাচ্ছিস নাকি?”-বাবু জিজ্ঞেস করেন । পাঁচু কিছু না বলে ওপর নিচে মাথা নাড়ে । “হুম একবার আমার বাড়িতে আসতে পারিস ? কাল তো রবিবার ।দশটা নাগাদ আসিস । জগাইদা কে বলিস ছুটি দিয়ে দেবে ঘন্টাখানেকের জন্য ।” পাঁচু কিছু না বলে ঘাড় নেড়ে চলে যায় । জগাই বোধহয় জানতো পুরো ব্যাপারটা । পাঁচু  ছুটির কথা বলতেই , জগাই রাজি হয়ে যায় ।

দশটার বেশ কিছুক্ষন আগেই বাবুর বাড়ি চলে যায় পাঁচু । বাবু কে দেখে যতটা গম্ভীর মনে হয়,সে ততটা গম্ভীর নয় । বেশ হাসিখুশি লোক । বাড়িতে গিয়েই কাচের প্লেটে কিছু মিষ্টি ইত্যাদি এলো। বাবুর বাড়িতে মা আছেন । তিনিই এসব পরিবেশন করলেন । পাঁচু যখন মিষ্টি খাচ্ছে , তখন বাবু জিজ্ঞেস করলেন “তুই পড়াশোনা কতদুর করেছিস?”পাঁচু উত্তর দেয় “ওই কেলাস ফাইভ পর্যন্ত পড়েছি ।” পাঁচু মিষ্টি খেতে থাকে। বাবু বললেন “জগাই দা বলছিলো তুই দেড় বছর মতো ওর দোকানে কাজ করছিস । তোর পড়াশোনা করতে ইচ্ছে করে না ?”পাঁচু বলতে থাকে “ওতে তো বহুত খরচা গো বাবু  । এইজন্যই তো পড়াটা ছাড়লাম । “বাবু বলে “পড়ার খরচের চিন্তা করিস না । আমাদের কোম্পানির একটা ফান্ড আছে এর জন্য ।আর সরকারি কিছু ব্যবস্থা তো করাই যায়। “তাছাড়া আমি , জগাইদা আছি তোর পাশে । তুই বল পড়তে ইচ্ছুক কিনা?”

কিছুদিন পর থেকেই পাঁচুর নতুন বই কেনা হয়। স্কুল যাওয়ার ইউনিফর্ম আসে । পাঁচ বছর পর পাঁচু চেন্নাই যায় ,পড়াশোনা করতে । বাবুর কোম্পানির ফান্ড আর মাসে মাসে স্কলারশিপের টাকা ব্যায়ভার অনেকটা বহন করে । এর আরো পাঁচ বছর পর ফিরে আসে পাঁচু । নিজের পুরোনো পাড়াকে আর চেনা যাচ্ছে না । অনেক পরিবর্তন এসেছে ।বহুতল বাড়ি উঠেছে অনেক ।মাথা উঁচু করে আকাশটাকে ভালো করে দেখাও যায় না । গিয়ে বাবাকে প্রণাম করেই সোজা চলে আসে বাবুর বাড়িতে । বাবু মানুষটা একই রকম আছেন । পাঁচুকে একবার দেখে একগাল হেসে,বাবু বললেন, “কিরে নিজেকে এবার বাবু বাবু লাগছে?” পাঁচু মাথা নিচু করে থাকে । মিটিমিটি হাসছে সে ।

পাঁচু আর তার বাবু বাড়ি থেকে বেরিয়ে এলো  ।পাঁচু বললো “চলুন বাবু , একটু চায়ের দোকান থেকে ঘুরে আসি । ” পাঁচু সেখানে গিয়ে দেখে চায়ের দোকানটা আর নেই । পাশাপাশি গড়ে উঠেছে অনেকগুলো বহুতল বাড়ি । আর চায়ের দোকানটার জায়গায় একটা ক্যাফেটেরিয়া । না,ক্যাফেটেরিয়ার মালিক অন্য কেউ, জগাই নয় । বাবু হঠাৎ একটা দীর্ঘশ্বাস ছেড়ে বলতে শুরু করেন “আমি ছোটবেলায় তোর মতোই জগাইদার দোকানে কাজ করতাম ।সেখানে এক বাবুর সঙ্গে জগাইদা আমার আলাপ করিয়ে দেন । বাকি ইতিহাস অনেকটা তোরই মতো । মাসখানেক আগে কিছু জবরদখলকারী জগাইদাকে মারধোর করে । জগাইদার তো ফ্যামিলি বলে কিছু নেই । পাশের বাড়িতে কিছুদিনের জন্য বেড়াতে যাচ্ছি বলে সেই যে গেলো ,আর ফিরে আসে নি । অনেক খোঁজ নিয়েও কিছু করা যায়নি । “

পাঁচুর কিছু বলার ছিল না । সে চুপ করে দাঁড়িয়েছিল । হঠাৎ পাঁচুর মুখ দিয়ে কেটলির ধোঁয়ার মতো কি একটা বেরিয়ে আসে। ক্যাফেটেরিয়ার ডানদিকের ময়লা ফেলার জায়গায় হলুদ হয়ে আসা ভাঙা চায়ের ভাঁড়গুলো যেন বলে ওঠে “অত দিগ্ঘোসাস ফেলিসনে বাপু । “

এই দুই বাবু ছাড়া পাড়ার সকলেই আনন্দের সঙ্গে তাকিয়ে থাকে ঝাঁ-চকচকে আলো ঝলমলে  ক্যাফেটেরিয়ার দিকে ।

About Sarasij Basu Mallick

Sarasij comes from Sheakhala, a small town in the Hooghly district. He is a Mathematics geek studying at Serampore College.
Books have always fascinated him from his early childhood and they drive him to ‘think’ differently. In his words, “Yes any form of art requires thinking. But, while writing, I have to realize that thinking is not the key to good stories. Good stories go much beyond writing – It needs to explore culture – politics – history and much more! I try to encapsulate some of my thought through my writings. And, I have an irrefragable idea that one day my pen will help me to explore myself.”

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this post are the personal views of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of www.kolkatafusion.wordpress.com. Any omissions or errors are the author’s and KolkataFusion does not assume any liability or responsibility for them.

The post ক্যাফেটেরিয়া appeared first on KolkataFusion.

While she stood at the door, thoughts started filling her mind! It began infiltrating her present with the moments of togetherness, the moments when her carefree lover Harish used to make comments on her ‘ugly-beauty’. 

Harish – Her life! Unlike her, he was ‘Std. X fail’ and had not taken any initiative of studying since the day their school teacher had caught them red-handed playing some nasty games in the garden. Riha was a shameless girl, and in spite of all the insults, she had neither stopped loving her childhood romance nor had she stopped going to school. Coming from suburbs, she was one of the rarest species, who had completed studying Std. XII and was working as a nurse at a Government hospital.

On the other hand, her dear man used to drive an auto. Riha’s shift timings were mostly at the wee hours, and that was also their time for romance. They used to meet an hour before her shift and again spend an hour together post her duty hours. She mostly preferred the night shifts as foreplay in the auto was their best sport and the wee hours suited it.

Harish – The fatherless child. He had lost his father at a nascent stage, and his mother was his world. Renu used to work as a cook in a ‘dhaba’ near the EM Bypass, and it seemed nothing else mattered to her except her son. No, his father was not dead, but he had left them for some other lady and lived in the suburb nearby. He used to hit his mother often so the day he left them, they were more relieved than grief-stricken and moreover it wasn’t anything new happening in their ‘chawl.’ Harish and Renu shared a lovely bond, and fortunately for Riha, Renu had accepted her as her prospective daughter-in-law, without any hassle. They often used to go out together, and she was a regular guest at their house. Why were they not married yet? Even Riha didn’t know; might be because of the whimsical dreams of Harish. Riha smiled thinking about them…’his dreams’..

Harish – The dreaming boy! He had big plans. He had started earning at an early age, driving an auto for daily commuters, but he had dreams to be a chauffeur of a Hummer. He loved cars and shared an incredible friendship with the cars. He used to say that he had already taken the first step towards his dream as he already owned an auto when he had asked for Riha’s hands in marriage, from her parents. When he was not driving the auto or spending time with Riha or his other friends, he worked in a garage and was even considered as the best mechanic there. Thanks to his scope of work, Riha had got the chance to ride an i10 one day and a Swift Desire the other day; just yesterday they had to take the Swift Desire to the owner’s house, post repairing for delivery. During these deliveries, Harish used to take her with him, and just a few blocks away from the house he used to drop her near some tea stall. Riha used to wait there for Harish and then they used to walk back home, chatting, talking about the past, and planning for the future. Others might think it to be impossible, but in one occasion, they had even walked all the way from Jadavpur to Chingrighata! When she was with Harish, time flew. Even after ten years, they never seemed to grow bored of each other.

Memories… memories… memories..They knew no bounds and had no end!

Her thoughts were suddenly disrupted by a loud sound from somewhere, and she jolted back to the present. She had to hold the door for balancing herself as the jolt was quite a harsh one. Where was Harish? Had he not gone to purchase gifts for his friend’s marriage? She was at the hospital when she heard about the accident because of which the slum dwellers had set five buses on fire. She was waiting for him to come and was cursing him for being late when she had heard about the two guys being hit by a bus post breaking the signal.

As she was trying hard to bind the threads of her thoughts, she saw four men entering from the main door of the hut with a mass wrapped in a white sheet. The man leading them, shouted something like,” Mashi, we have killed those scoundrels!” Even before she could fathom what was happening, she thought she saw a smirk on Renu’s lips, and with tear laden eyes, she looked up at Riya to only utter those few words, before turning toward the dead body of Harish,

“Go away, girl; you have no place in this house anymore.”

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