On Different Roads (A Short Story)

A little girl aged eleven is walking with her family. She is thin and looks two or three years younger. She is tired of walking a long distance and carrying her bag. But she has to do it. She feels sorry that her father carried her couple of times already on his shoulders. A girl of her age doesn’t usually ride on father’s back. But this is a different time. She has heard them saying ‘Hirik’ has begun. That’s why people are walking, actually running for their lives. She is told that this is something very bad, something life-threatening. Everyone knows this is a different time, a time of great sorrow and misery. Her father Ananda knows her limit. He is a strong man of mid-forties’. He is a famous carpenter of his village and surrounding ones, known for his creation of a 60 feet long racing boat. He is also known for his humble nature and interest in learning. He is illiterate, but he is ensuring that his daughter gets an education. Right now, though she is feeling exhausted, she doesn’t stop. Ananda asks, “Urmila, are you tired ma? She answers, “Na bah”.

Urmila loves her father very much. She has an elder sister. She is in her in-law’s house. Their parents have lost five sons. They died as a child. Famines are like invisible demons. Urmila has memories of one of her brothers. The last one. She is now thinking of him. She used to keep him in her lap most of the time. His skin was fair like Kartika, the son of Mythical Goddess Parvati. She loves to see Kartika in Mandirs. She misses his brother greatly, his little dead body was photographed by her eyes, and it stayed the same in her memory ever since.

“What do you have in your bag?” A girl running towards her asks. It’s Mina. Urmila’s closest bandhobi. She hugs Mina and answers, “My dresses and some other things.” Then she pauses. Sadness appears on her face. “I thought, I would never see you again.” Tears break out from her eyes. Mina holds her tight by her hands. They talk and walk. Urmila wants to know if she has seen Vagoban da who loves her dearly. She wants to know how her Shushil da and her talking-bird Shalik are doing. She wonders what happened to headmaster Poran Dadu, Meera Mashi, and Kalachan Gayen. Mina’s answer breaks her heart more. “Don’t worry Urmila. Ma says, everything will be alright and we will return soon.” “Ma!” Urmila whispers. Then suddenly she turns back to her father and runs towards him. She is looking for her mother.

Ananda also confirms that she hasn’t seen her for a while too. Urmila starts to cry loudly. What will happen if she losses her mother? Tens of thousands of people are walking on this road with them. They are going through muddy village roads. They are using isles of barren paddy fields. ‘Aush dhan’ is collected early this season. People have made ‘chira’ out of rice. This remains their main food on the way. A hundred mile is a long distance. One hour passes by. Ananda becomes worried. Last time he saw her, she was in front of this group of hundred people. He takes Urmila on his back again saying, “Your mother is waiting ahead ma. You need not cry.”

He was right. Aynamoti, Urmila’s mother is waiting under a banyan tree. Here, the ground is high. So she can see quite a distance, the path she has walked past. She is crying. Some familiar figure ensures that her daughter Urmila and her Bah is coming towards her. After a while, Urmila finds her mother. She finds happiness and love.

*** *** ***
“How long do we need to go from here?” Ramen Babu asks. He is on a trip to visit Mirersorai waterfall. His wife and three sons and one daughter-in-law are with him. They left Dhaka last night and reached here this morning. The guide tells them that they have to walk and hike half a mile from here.

They are walking through a fresh-water canal; it’s downstream of the fall named ‘Khoiachora Jharna’. They have been walking for hours, but they are enjoying this. This path is made of sedimentary soil and rock. It’s not like what they have in their village, which is fertile mud; silt and clay. They can feel the difference by their feet even though all have snickers on. Walking can be a risky business. In the morning, it rained for two hours. So, it’s slippery here, muddy there. And, there are some deep holes and patches into the canal. The elder son, Jyoty is helping his wife Rosmi. Because holding a long stick in one hand might not be enough to balance the body. This path needs hands. He also advises his brothers to help their Ma and Baba.

They pause for a while and take pictures. Some drink water and take cookies. They praise the scenic beauty of this place. Their snickers and lower part of their dresses are all wet. But they do not seem to bother. They start again. “Ma, walk slowly,” Hira shouts. “Who would believe she has diabetes and had gone through two major operations?” He thinks. “Go, get her.” As the elder tells him, Hira runs toward her mother. He grabs her hand. “Come to this way ma. You see, this path isn’t easy. You may slip. And I’m not going to hold you on my back.” Hira smiles. His mother joins. “I’m OK. I can do this.” She says. The confidence of her mother amazes him. He rethinks a journey that he made with her. On that moonlit night, they walked for eight kilometers through country roads.

Now they hear the powerful sound of the waterfall from here. It’s near. To reach there they go through the toughest part of their journey. By helping each other they make it quite easily. Their mother is the one who reaches there first. Everyone is happy, though their facial expressions are different. Hundreds of people have gathered. Most are young and energetic. Marry making is all around. But their scream couldn’t defeat the melody of the fall.

There is a well below the waterfall. It is already crowded. Boy and girls are taking a bath and trying to swim. Hira and their guide stay with their backpacks. The well is not deadly deep. Hira is capturing the moments, still images and videos. Suddenly he sees a glimpse of his mother. She was swimming. “Who tries to swim wearing Sari?” He asks himself and thinks, “Wait. She told me her parents didn’t allow her to learn swimming fearing they might lose her too, like her brothers.”

Hira takes the smartphone away from her eyes and sees what she is doing. He had never seen something like this before. He shouts her mother’s name, “Urmila!.” His father slaps on his back. Hira gets the reason and utters, “What? It’s indecent to address baba by name. But, this is OK for me. Stop slapping me and See what she is doing.”

 

14 may 2018