I first met the truth-seeker Byomkesh Boxer in the year 1331.
I have just finished my university exams. There was no special tension in the money, At the interest of the money that Pitrudev had left in the bank, the cost of my single life would have gone quite politely in the mess of Calcutta. So I decided that what I really needed to do was learn how to do it right. In the excitement of his early youth, it seemed that by worshiping Bagdevi alone, he would soon bring about an epoch in Bengali literature. During this time, the child of a Bengali has a lot of good dreams, although it is not too late to break that dream.
But keep talking. I will tell you now how I got acquainted with Byomkesh.
Many of those who are closely acquainted with the city of Calcutta may not be aware that there is a countryside in the center of the city, On one side are the settlements of the miserable Bhatia-Marwari community, on the other side are the open slums and on the third side are the cross-eyed yellow Chinese colonies. The ‘B’-island that has been created in the middle of this Tribeni confluence, once seen in the hustle and bustle of the day, does not seem to have any extraordinary or unusual feature. But just after dusk, a strange change began to take place in this village. At eight o'clock all the shops were closed and the neighborhood was completely quiet; Only a couple of beedi shops are open in the distance. At that time, most of the people who start moving in this area move silently like shadows, And if an ignorant passer-by suddenly comes to this path, he too should hastily cross its territory.
The book will grow in detail if I write down in detail how I came to this neighborhood and became a resident of a mess. Suffice it to say that there was no doubt in my mind when I saw the neighborhood during the day And I got a very large airy room on the second floor of the mess very cheaply and got it without spending a word. Later, when I came to know that two or three dead bodies were found lying on the road in this neighborhood in a damaged condition and for various reasons, at least once a week, But then he has such affection for the house, he has no inclination to move to a new house again. Especially in the evenings when I was busy with my studies, There was no occasion to leave the house; So there was never a risk of personal danger.
There were five rooms on the top floor of our house, each with a gentleman. They are all employed and elderly; He used to go home on Saturdays and return to his office on Mondays. They have been living in this mess for a long time. Recently, after retiring from work and moving home, I occupied his empty house. After dusk, there was a chat of cards or dice - at that time the voices and excitement of the inhabitants of the mess were somewhat exuberant. Ashwini Babu was a seasoned player, his constant rival was Ghanshyam Babu. Ghanshyambabu used to shout when he got lost. Then at exactly nine o'clock Bamin Tagore would come and announce that the meal was ready; Then again they got up quietly and finished their meal in the house where they used to lie down. Messi was spending his days in such conflict; I also came and accepted this peaceful life without any dispute.The landlord used to take the houses on the ground floor of the house. He is a homeopath doctor named Anukulbabu. Pretty simple talkative guy. Apparently he did not get married because there was no wife or family at home. He would take care of the mess of the mess and the well-being of the tenants. He did all the work in such a manner that no one was allowed to complain in any direction, and at the beginning of the month he could be assured of everything by giving him twenty-five rupees for rent and food.
The doctor was quite popular among the poor community of the neighborhood. In the morning and in the afternoon there was a crowd of patients in his sitting room. He used to sit at home and distribute medicine at a low price. Bor did not go to the patient's house, Even if he went, he would not take a visit. For this reason, all the neighbors and neighbors respected him very much. I too fell in love with him in a short time. By ten o'clock everyone else in the mess would go to the office, and the two of us would stay at home. Bathing was done almost simultaneously, then the afternoon was spent talking about the newspaper, Although the doctor was a very innocent good man, he could speak very nicely. At the age of forty, he did not have a university degree, But sitting at home, he had acquired so much knowledge that it would have been surprising to hear him speak. When he expressed surprise, he would say in embarrassment - “There is no more work, I just sit at home and read books. All my collections are from books. ”
After spending two months in this house, one day at about ten o'clock, I was sitting in the doctor's room, flipping through his newspaper. Ashwinibabu Pan went to the office in Chibai; Then Ghanshyambabu came out, took a medicine for the toothache from the doctor and went to the office. The other two were released one by one. The house was empty for the whole day.
The doctor still had a couple of patients with them, and after taking the medicine and leaving one by one, he raised the spectacles to his forehead and asked:“Is there no news in the paper?
"A search of our neighborhood took place tomorrow morning."
The doctor laughed and said - "It is a matter of routine. Where is it? ”
"Nearby - at number thirty-six. In the house of a man called Sheikh Abdul Gafur. ”
The doctor said, "Hey, the man I know, often comes to me for medicine."Why have you searched, written something? ”
“Cocaine. Don't read this! ” I led 'Dainik Kalketu' to him.
The doctor put the pair of spectacles down on his nose again and began to read.
"Police raided the house of a leather trader named Sheikh Abdul Gafur on 36th Street in the area yesterday. But no illegal goods were found. Police estimate that there is a cocaine warehouse somewhere in the area, from where cocaine is supplied everywhere. A group of cunning criminals have been running this illegal business for a long time by throwing dust in the eyes of the police. Unfortunately, many investigations have not been able to determine who is the leader of these criminals and where their secret treasures are. ”
The doctor thought for a while and said - "That's right. I also suspect that there is a large cocaine hangout somewhere nearby. Once or twice I got his hint, - you know, different people come to me to take medicine. And no matter what, the cocaine addict can never hide from the doctor. - But that Abdul Gafoor man doesn't seem to be my cocaine addict. Rather, I can emphasize that he is a seasoned opium eater. He himself does not hide it. ”
I asked - "Well, Anukulbabu, what is the reason for so many murders in this neighborhood?"
The doctor said - "He has a very simple calculation. Those who are secretly running a big business by breaking the law are always caught in fear. So if by chance someone finds out their secret, there is no other way but to kill him. Think about it, if I were in the cocaine business and you accidentally found out, would it be safer for me to let you live? If you leak the word to the police, I will know that such a big business will be ruined immediately. Millions of rupees worth of goods will be confiscated. Can I be that? ” He laughed.
I said - "I see you have practiced the psychology of criminals a lot!"
“Yes. I have a tendency to do so! ” He got up and stood up.
At that moment a man came and entered. I think he will be twenty-three or twenty-four years old, he looks like an educated gentleman. The color of the skin is pale, the face is very well-formed, there is an impression of intelligence on the face and eyes. But it seems to have been in trouble recently; Because, there is no care for the dress, the hair is disheveled, the shirt is dirty, even the shoes are rough due to lack of ink. An anxious expression on his face. He turned to Anukulbabu from my side and asked - "I hear this is a mess-space is empty?"
We both looked at him in amazement, Anukulbabu shook his head and said - “No. What are you doing? ”
Exhausted, the man sat down on the patient's bench and said, But in this miserable city, there is not even a mess to be emptied - it is full to the brim. ”
In a sympathetic voice, Anukulbabu said- “It is very difficult to get a place in the mess-house in the middle of the season. What is the name of the mosquito? ”
“Atul Chandra Mitra. Until I came to Kolkata, I was wandering around looking for a job. The money I brought from selling pots and pans in the country is almost gone and there are twenty-five or thirty left. But how long will it take for him to play in the hotel twice? So I'm looking for a gentleman's mess - not for long, but for a month - For these few days, I don't need anything more than two vegetables a day and a little space. "
Anukulbabu said - "I am very sorry Atulbabu, but all my rooms here are full."
Atul let out a sigh and said - "But tell me another way - come out again. Let's see if I can get a little space in the Oriya chat. - Nothing else, I'm afraid, sleeping at night may steal the money. - Can you drink a glass of water? ”
The doctor went to fetch water. Seeing the helpless condition of the man, I felt great pity. I hesitated a bit and said - "My room is quite big - it will not be a problem if there are two of them. If you don't mind - "
Atul jumped up and said - "Objection? What do you mean by mosquitoes?I will get heaven. ” He quickly took out some notes and money from the tank and said - “How much do you have to pay? Wouldn't it be better to take the money in advance? To me again - "
Seeing his interest, I laughed and said, "Stay, I'll pay later. There's nothing to hurry." The doctor came back with water. I told him - "He is in crisis so stay in my house for now - I will not be in any trouble."
Atul said in a grateful voice - "He has shown me great mercy! But I won't bother for long -In the meantime, if we can find a place elsewhere, we will go up there. ” He put the glass down after drinking.
The doctor turned to me a little surprised and said - "In your room? That's enough. When you don't agree, What do I say then? You will also benefit - the rent will be shared - "
I quickly said, "Not for him. He's in danger."
The doctor laughed and said - "He is. - Then you bring your belongings Gay, Atulbabu. Stay here for now. ”
“Yes. Little things - a bed and a Cambyses bag. I left it with a hotel doorman - I'm bringing it now. "
I said - "Yes - take a bath here."
"Then it's better." - Atul came out looking gratefully at my drink. When he left, we remained silent for a while. Anukulbabu absentmindedly began to clean the glasses.
I asked - "What do you think, Doctor?"
The doctor was shocked and said - "Nothing. The endangered should be sheltered, you have done well. But do you know - there is a saying in the scriptures - Let's hope there is no commotion. " He got up.
Awesome