Abandonment

In the first full moon of Falgun, the wind of new spring is blowing with the smell of amramukul. Through the dense canopy of an old litchi tree on the banks of the pond, a sleepless, restless papyrus song enters a sleepless bedroom in Mukhujed's house. Hemanta is sometimes fidgeting, pulling a bunch of his wife's hair out of her bangs and wrapping it around her fingers, sometimes banging bangs on her hair, sometimes pulling a garland of flowers from her head and throwing it on her face. In order to awaken the quiet flowering tree in the evening, the wind is moving from side to side and from side to side, a little bit of that feeling of autumn.

But in front of Kusum, in the infinite moonlit flood, he is sitting still with his eyes submerged. Her husband's agitation is touching her and she is going back. Finally, Hemant shook Kusum's hands anxiously and said, "Kusum, where are you?" You have gone so far as to be able to see a glimpse through a huge telescope. I want you to come a little closer today. See what a wonderful night it is. ”

Kusum turned her face away from the zero and placed it on her husband's face and said, "I know a mantra that can be shattered by lying on this moonlit night, this spring, all at this moment."

Hemant said, “If you know, there is no point in pronouncing it. On the contrary, I am willing to listen to any mantra that is known to come three or four Sundays in a week or to last till five-thirty in the afternoon. ” He tried to pull Kusum a little more. Kusum said without holding him in her arms, "I want to say to you today what I thought I would say to you when I died. Today it seems that no matter how much you punish me, I can bear it. ”

Hemanta was trying to make a joke by reciting verses from Joydev about punishment. At that moment, it was heard that the chattering sound of an angry shoemaker was approaching. Hemant's father Harihar Mukherjee's familiar footsteps. Hemanta became very busy.

He came to Harihar's door and said in an angry roar, "Hemanta, get your wife out of the house now."

Hemant looked at his wife's face; The wife was not surprised at all, she just hid her face between the two hands and tried to destroy you with all her strength and desire. In the south wind Papia's voice began to enter the room, no one heard. The world is so infinitely beautiful, but it is so easily broken.

The second chapter

Hemanta came back from outside and asked his wife, "What is the truth?"

The wife said, "True."

"Why haven't you said so long."

"I have tried to say it many times, but I have not been able to say it. I am a great sinner. ”

"But tell me everything today."

Kusum said everything in a serious and firm voice - as if he was walking slowly in the fire, no one could understand how much he was burning. After hearing all, Hemant got up.

Kusum realized that the husband who had left would never get her back. Some did not seem surprised; As if this incident also appeared as easily as other daily incidents, such a dry numbness has been transmitted in the mind. Only, the world and love seemed completely false and empty. Even a very dull, hard, sad smile, reminiscent of all of Hemant's past love, left a scar on one side of his mind, like a sharp, sharp knife. I think he thought that the love that seems so much, so much caress, so much darkness - whose sesame separation is so tragic, whose momentary reunion is so intense, which seems to be infinite, whose end cannot be imagined even in rebirth - this is love! Depends on this! As soon as the society was hit a little, infinite love was crushed and became a handful of dust! Hemanta used to say in a trembling voice to his ear, "Great night!" That night is not over yet; Yet that papaya is calling, the wind in the south is shaking the mosquitoes, and the moonlight is melting at one end of the windowed couch like a sleepy beauty. Everything is false. "Love is a liar, a liar, more than me."

The third chapter

The next morning, insomniac Hemanta, like a madman, went to Parishankar Ghoshal's house and appeared. Parishankar asked, "What, Bapu, what news."

Hemanta, trembling like a blazing fire, said, "You have ruined our nation, you have ruined it - you will have to suffer its punishment." His voice was muffled as he spoke.

Parishankar smiled slightly and said, “And, you have saved my nation, you have saved my society, you have put your hand on my back! You take great care of me, great love! ”

Hemanta wanted to burn Parishankar to ashes in Brahmateja at that moment, but in that energy he started burning himself, Parishankar sat down in a healthy healing way.

Hemant said in a broken voice, "What did I do to you."

Parishankar said, "I ask, I have no children except my only daughter. What crime did my daughter commit to your father?" You were young then, you may not know - just listen carefully. Don't be busy, Bapu, there are many jokes in it.

"You were a child when my son-in-law Navakanta stole my daughter's jewelery and ran away. Five years later, when he returned to the country as a barrister, there was a commotion in the neighborhood. I think you may remember something. Or you may not know, you were studying in a school in Calcutta then. Your father became the leader of the village and said, ‘If he intends to send his daughter to her husband's house, he will not be able to take her home.’ I held him by the hand and said, ‘Grandpa, forgive me for this journey. I am making atonement for the boy by feeding him dung, you take him away. 'Your father did not agree to anything, nor could I leave my only daughter. Leaving caste, leaving the country, I came to Calcutta and made my home. Even after coming here, the danger did not end. When I arranged for my nephew's wedding, your father broke up the marriage, provoking the bridesmaids. I promised that if I did not take revenge, I would not be the son of a Brahmin. - This time you understand a little bit - but be patient - be happy to hear the whole thing - there is a little juice in it.

“When you were in college, Bipradas Chaturjee's house was next to your house. The poor thing is dead now. An orphaned Kayasthakanya, a child widow named Kusum, lived in the house of Chatuzjemahasaya. The girl was very beautiful - she was a little anxious to keep her out of the sight of the old Brahmin college boys. But, cheating on an old man is not hard for a girl. The girl often climbed on the roof to dry clothes and I don't think you would have memorized the reading if you hadn't climbed on the roof. You know if you could talk to each other from the roof, but seeing the girl's expression, the old man also became suspicious. Because his work was seen to be a gradual mistake and like the ascetic Gauri day by day he began to give up eating and sleeping. One evening he could not hold back his tears in front of the old man.

"Finally, the old man discovered that there were occasional silent encounters between you on the roof - even if you had earned college, you would have been sitting in the corner of the roof with a book in the shade of a Chilean house at noon; Suddenly you were so excited about solitary study. When Bipradas came to me for advice, I said, 'Uncle, you have been thinking of going to Kashi for a long time - leave the girl with me and go on pilgrimage, I am taking care of her.'

“Bipradas went to the shrine. I kept the girl at Sripati Chaturjee's house and called her the father of the girl. You know what happened after that. I was very happy to tell you all the details. It's like a story. I want to write a book and print it all. My writing does not come. I hear my nephew write a little bit - I have the mind to write with him. But, it is better to write in it, because I do not know the conclusion of the story well. ”

Hemant Parishankar's last words, without paying much attention, said, "Kusum did not object to this marriage?"

Parishankar said, “It is very difficult to understand whether there was an objection or not. You know, Bapu, the mind of a girl-when you say 'no', you have to understand 'yes'. At first, when I came to the new house for a few days and didn't see you, I went crazy. You see, where did you find it? It would often be a mistake for you to go to college with a book in hand - and come to Sripati's house to look for something; It didn't feel right to find a way to the Presidency College, because, through the windows of the gentleman's house, there were only insects and the hearts of insane young men. I was very sad to see and hear. I saw that your reading was being disrupted and the girl's condition was critical.

"One day I called Kusum and said, 'Boy, I'm an old man, I don't need to be ashamed - I know what you pray for in your heart. The boy has also become a joe to the ground. I want you to get together. 'As soon as she heard this, Kusum burst into tears and ran away. In this way, sometimes in the evening, I went to Sripati's house, called Kusum, read your words, and gradually broke his shame. Finally, after a series of discussions every day, I explained to him that I could not see the way without marriage. There is no other way to reconcile. Kusum said, how will it be. I said, ‘I’ll call you the daughter of a nobleman.’ After much arguing, she asked to know your opinion on the matter. I said, the boy is going to get mad at him, why should he talk about all these noises again. Once the work is done safely, there will be happiness in all directions. In particular, when there is no possibility of this being revealed, why make the poor person unhappy like forever.

"I did not understand what Kusum understood. Sometimes he cries, sometimes he is silent. Finally, when I said, "But it doesn't work," he became restless again. In such a situation, I send you a marriage proposal through Sripati. I saw that you did not hesitate to agree. Then the marriage was all right.

"Shortly before the wedding, Kusum was so distraught that I could no longer seduce her. He holds my hands and feet; Saying, ‘It doesn’t work, Jathamshay.’ I said, ‘What a defeat. Everything is settled, what can I say now. 'Kusum said,' You make the state, I have died suddenly - send me somewhere from here. 'I said,' Then what will be the condition of the boy. He has ascended to heaven to fulfill his long-awaited hope, and today I will suddenly send him the news of your death! You will have to send the news of his death the next day, and the news of your death will come to me that evening. Am I sitting in this old age to kill my wife and kill Brahma? '

"After that, the happy marriage was consummated. I was relieved of one of my duties and survived. You know what happened after that. ”

Hemant said, "You did what we had to do, why did you reveal the word again."

Parishankar said, “I saw that your little sister's marriage was settled. Then I thought to myself, I have killed a Brahmin, but he is just out of duty. If another Brahmin dies, it is my duty to prevent it. So I wrote to them and said that there was evidence that Hemanta had married the daughter of Shudra. ”

Hemanta said with great patience, "What will be the condition of this girl whom I will abandon?" Will you shelter it? ”

Parishankar said, "I have done what I have done, now it is not my job to take care of the next abandoned wife. - Oh, bring a glass of coconut water with ice for Hemant Babu, and drink it."

Hemant left without waiting for this cool hospitality.

Chapter Four

Krishnapare Panchami. Dark night The birds are not calling. The litchi tree on the edge of the pond is covered with dark spots on the black film. Only the south wind is blowing blindly in this darkness, as if it had found him at night. And the stars in the sky, with their watchful eyes, are eager to penetrate the darkness and discover a secret.

There is no lamp in the bedroom. Hemant is sitting on the bed near the window and looking at the darkness ahead. Kusum is lying on the ground with her hands wrapped around her legs and her face on her feet. Time is like a stagnant sea. It is as if the destiny painter has painted a perpetual picture on Anantanishithini - a cataclysm all around, a judge in the middle and a criminal at his feet.

There was the sound of slippers again. Harihar came to the door and said, “It's been a long time, I can't give any more time. Get the girl out of the house. ”

As soon as Kusum heard this voice, he wiped away the sadha of eternal life for a moment, pressed Hemant's two legs with double emotion, kissed her feet, took the dust of her feet and let go of her feet.

Hemant got up and said to his father, "I will not leave my wife."

Harihar roared and said, "Jaat khoaibi?"

Hemant said, "I don't believe in caste."

"But get away with it."