Baba,
Ektu aage I was flipping through the old snaps. Of you and Ma.
Choto belaar kotha mone pore gelo.
Aaaj khub brishti porche. Khub. Jhom jhomiye, akaash kaalo kore. Khub baaj o pore ekhaane.
Baaj porle. Megh daakle, amaar khub mojaa laage. Chotto belaar sriti hoi-hoi kore pheere ashe. Choto belay amra jokhon groom er chuuti teh Daadu r okhaane jetaam, tokhon khub brishti petaam majhe majhe. Mamabari ta shotti kintu ekta veritable chiriya-khana chilo. Humans as well as non-humans. Daadu r ekta posha kochhop chilo mone ache ? Naam abaar chilo Biirpuruush. Tini uthon-moy daapie beraten. Ami kheltaam onar shaathe. R Ma checha-toh .. “Babai !! Oke ghetto na !! Uuuff .. r kotodin bolbo .. r bhalo laage na. Baba ashuk porshu, ami jodi na bolechi, dekho” … Mone ache, tumi ashaar shathe-shathei shuru hoto complain … Jaaihok, ami toh kotha shuntaami na … Kochhop take khochataam … ekta loma paat-kathi diye .. Tarpore Dadu ekdin amake bollo je kochhop jodi ekbaar pa kaamre dhore, taale naaki chaare na .. Jotokkhon na megh dakche. Tarpor theke ami r oitaar tri-shimanaay jetaam na joddin na brishti hoto.
Ekhon megh daakle, baaj porle, amaar choto bela abaar phiire ashe. Keno jano ? Kuurchi ta boddo bhiituu … Baaj porlei amaar kole jhaapiye ashe .. Bhoy e. Ami prothome bhabtaam nekamo. Taar pore dekhlaam shotti shotti bhoy paaay. Ekdom kuukre thaake. chokh buuje. Amio kortaam eirom. Tomar koler modhhe much guuje pore thaktaam, mone ache ?
Boyosh je hochhe bujhte paari aajkaal. Bhalo laage ek ek shomoy. Feel mellow(er). Chaar-khana daari shada hoyeche. Bhaloi laage.
Ebaar ekta chotto Shameek / Kuurchi laage. It would be swell to watch the kid grow up. Jano, aajkaal bhalo laage bhabte. Ekta labradaor thakbe. Naam hobe Chomchom. Laffiye jhaapiye beraabe. With equal gusto our kid would also gambol along with the dog. Ektuuow bhoy paabe na, borong Chomchom ke ottyachaar kore maarbe. Ami chupchap sofa teh boshe boi porbo. Ekta chokh odeike thakbe, jate kamre na dey kukur ta (oboshho, amaar chele hole, oi beta kukur take kamrabe) … Kuurchi komore achol pechiye ranna-ghor e ranna korbe. Haathe, mane nokh e holud – tel lege thakbe; chicken ta marrinet korte diyeche just, taai. Ghor moy luuchi r gondho berobe, shaathe alu-r torkaari – breakfast (chicken ta lunch e hobe, Sunday toh). R majhe majhe eshe boka diye jaabe …. Amakei naturally
Ei je, “rambling” chaalu hoye geche. Ami bodhoy r paltalaam na.
Amra ekhaane bhalo achi. Khub. Tomar mone ache Baba, biyer din shokaale jokhon “biddi” korchile tumi, tokhon ami paashe boshechilaam. Amake tuumi hotaath bolle “Babai, you have been a good man. Now try and be a good husband. Priorities need to change.”
Ami jaani na whether I have been able to be a good husband. It’s too early a time to comment. But the best part is that I am not having to “try”. It’s coming naturally. The whole day I count the hours till the time I can go back and spend a quiet evening with Kuurchi. That itself is so fulfilling. And I must commend her compatibility. Ei bhaabe nijer baba ma r kach theke uprooted hoye, settling down in a city which is totally unknown to her without any known human being – calls for a lot of courage.
Amader bedroom e complex er adho-aalo ashe. Janala diye. Kuurchi ghumoy amar buuke matha diye. O khub taratari shue pore. Ami toh nocturnal. Amar ghum ashte deri hoy. Light nibiye diye, aadh showa hoye, baalish e helaan diye, amar buuke rakha Kuurchi r mathaay hath bolaate bolaate, oi aadho-alo r ondhokaar e choto-belaar kotha bhabi.
Ekta odbhuut bhalo laagaaay buuk ta bhore othe. Kaauke bojhate pari na. Tokhoni koshto ta hoy. Ami beshi kichu chaai na jibon theke. Just a little peace, which has been alluding me for long. Ekhon peyechi “peace”.
Muthooy kore rekhechi dhore.
Anguul er phaak diye golte debo na.
Kichhhuutei na.
Pronaam Nio,
Babai
PS : @ KG - I tried. And now I realise I should not even have tried. Nowhere near your piece.
not fair...that last PS bit. The idea was to evoke more pictures out of that one picture in the reader's mind, and this piece does a fine job. It doesn't just do it, it brings back fuzzy memories out too, and makes one smile at how one takes solace in such simple pleasures and little nothings.
ReplyDeleteSome sentences induce a sepia tone in one's mind :)
Achcha bolun to moshai, you bangalis take an odbhut pleasure in naming your children and in this case the poor lab, absolutely 'quirky' names, tai na? Chom-chom? Pantua na kano?
aar ta chara, tomaar character sketch in my mind is some what like this- a typical bangali adhunik crossover film er hero. All that this hero wants is Prem, premika, door deshe ekti basha, onek bhalo basha, ekti kukoor, and unlimited dreams that you'll dream lookng into the setting sun in the horizon.
Your Kuurchi sounds very likeable and the romantic sort. :)
Theek?
@ KG :
ReplyDeleteSepia tone indeed. Isn't it just lovely to sit back and think of childhood ? "Of in the stilly night / Ere Slumber's chain has bound me / Fond memory brings the light of other days around me / The smiles, the tears of biyhood years / The words of love then spoken ... "
About names - (a) The simple reason behind Chomchom is that Kuurchi likes Chomchom more than Pantua. So there :-) (b) Infact "Kuurchi" is also not her name. Her name is Raka. I call her Kuurchi, the name having been picked up from the novel "Madhukori" (it was my Bible at one point in time) by Buddhodeb Guha (c) Amra 'adhunik' Bangali toh, tai r shei 'Pocha', 'Tepi', 'Buuri', 'Gautom' naam dii na .. amra di Tunir / Trina / Titir / Turjo / Titaash. R baarir naam rakhi 'Tapobon'.
Character Sketch - More or less mile geche :-). Add to it the fact that the Hero sketches (rather, 'tries to sketch') as well in his free time (rare though it can be).
Kuurchi - Yes, she is a die hard romantic. Kaane iPod laagiye "Khuda Jaane" shonaar shomoy ekdin dekhi mitimiti haschilo. Jiggesh koraate, bole kina "Ami tomake kolpona korchilaam .. shada ekta shirt r amar kine dewa faded blue jeans ta pore, khaali paaye ekta ya boro pathorer opore daariye tumi, haath du dike chorano .. charidike blue water, camera angle neeche theke ... r tumi gaaicho amar jonno." I was so exasperated that I did not know how to react.
heyii i think this was brilliant..absolutely loved it :)
ReplyDeletetitaash? hahahaha. I am assumiing you've read my 'Two names'?
ReplyDeletesorry...i had written this short a long while back. the name Titash brought it back : http://www.butkintuparantu.com/2009/03/two-names.html
ReplyDelete