Cosmocrats and Stars.

By Bulbul Niyogi

Prodyut struggled hard to become a big movie star. He was ably supported by his wife Amiya and his friend Riddhiman. While on this journey, Prodyut fell in love with his heroine Monimala. Monimala was forced into acting by her husband, Atul, when he lost his wealth due to his vices. Monimala and Prodyut camouflaged their affair with their professionalism. But due to a one-night of Atul's drunken orgy ,Monimala became pregnant.Then started her conflicts and qualms. Her son Shankajeet was born and she broke off her relationship with Prodyut. Prodyut engaged himself in his film complex.Years later, he made a Hindi film with Shankajeet.The film was a hit.The media was flooded with the rumour that Shankajeet might be Prodyut's son. Prodyut and Monimala decide to call a joint press conference.The separate flashbacks of the protagonists unfold the plot.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bulbul Niyogi
• Release date: Mar 3, 2012
• ISBN: 9781466157132

Bulbul Niyogi

I have written short stories and travel articles under my name Bulbul Sur.They were published in leading newspapers in India.I am also a translator.I translate Bengali stories into English.An anthology of my translated stories is available in print entitled ,"The Lovers and Other Stories."

Book preview

Cosmocrats and Stars

By

Bulbul Niyogi.

SMASHWORDS EDITION.

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Published by

Bulbul Niyogi on Smashwords.

Cosmocrats and Stars.

Copyright 2012 Bulbul Niyogi.

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All the characters in the novel are fictitious. Any resemblance to persons living or dead, or places,events or locales is purely coincidental.

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Smashwords Edition License Notes.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only.This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people.Thank you for your support.

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Also by Bulbul Niyogi,Published at Smashwords:

Short and Long Stories.

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Cosmocrats and Stars

Chapter 1

Monimala dragged the curtain aside. The garden looked one-dimensional in the electric light.

The garden was one of her priceless possessions. It encompassed a substantial area around the house and she could spot the vibrant virescence from nearly every room.

She came out on the veranda at a leisurely pace and sat in the cane sofa. The lawn, the flowering shrubs and the mango tree had time and again served as a paregoric elixir to her wounded spirit, her temptation-prone mind and her doubtful soul.

The gong in the nearby school sounded eleven.Tomorrow would be a long day. She could indulge in a little woolgathering now.

At that moment, her mother-in-law, Gitali came out to put off the lights. She spotted Monimala and asked , What are you doing here?

Monimala said, without taking off her eyes from the garden, Just sitting.

Sitting? You’ll catch cold, she said . All those aches and pains will start again.

Monimala beseeched, "Just a little while ma."

Gitali went inside and came out again with a shawl. She wrapped the shawl around Monimala.She sat next to her and said, Now tell me what’s on your mind.

Monimala said faintly, Tomorrow’s press conference.

She pressed her knee and sighed.

Gitali asked pointing at Monimala’s knees, Is it paining too much?

Monimala said, As usual.

Gitali asked, After how many years are you meeting the press?

Monimala thought for a while .Then she said, I bump into them off and on. All those charities, fund raising…Why, I talked with them a couple of months back at the inauguration of the school for the blind.

Gitali reflected, Only for your social work. But you are a complete no-no as far as your personal life is concerned.

Monimala said, "Ma, it is getting late. You better go inside. I’ll be in a minute."

Gitali said, Yes, it’s becoming chilly. Then she stroked her hair and said affectionately, Don’t be too long. Take rest. Everything will be all right.

After Gitali had left, Monimala stretched out her legs. She looked at the tawdry, yellow bulb and puckered her brows in irritation. It jarred in the natural setting. She got up with an effort and switched it off. She sat down again and glanced at the verdurous space. Now it looked real, she thought contentedly. The flowers were amorphous and colourless in the gossamery starlight. There was no moon anywhere. The grey light cast a halo on the mango tree.

She felt as if all of a sudden, there was a strange motionlessness in the grounds. The plants seemed to be in a deep meditation.Monimala inhaled the air. Who said that the night air was miasmal and a harbinger of illness? It was redolent with the fragrance of verdure, dew and aromatic flowers. The pungent smell of mint also wafted with the indiscernible wind.Monimala let out a spontaneous sigh,Ah! She was immantled by the aloneness and the balminess.She felt cloistered and peaceful .

Then like an unpleasant chore to be done, she remembered the press conference.

When was the last time she had talked informally with a journalist? She counted on her finger; about eight years back...Prosun Manna. Of course, he was more of a friend than a scribe.

*

Prosun said over tea, I want to do a mattery feature on you.

Monimala poured tea into the delicate, floral-designed cups.Prosun watched the golden arm handling the silver kettle. Such classiness in an ordinary job captivated him.

She said as she passed the cup towards him, Sure, go ahead.

Prosun sipped the tea and said appreciatively, This is my type. He savoured it slowly, with his tongue ,as if he was relishing every drop.

Monimala only smiled in reply.Finally, after drinking the entire tea, he put down the cup on the saucer. He took a piece of cake and asked, You made it?

Monimala said, No, my mother-in-law made it. I’m not very comfortable with western dishes.

Western? It has now become an Indian food, like bread.

Whatever, she answered shortly.

He slowly enjoyed the cake and then took out his hanky to wipe his face.

Monimala called the maid, Beena.

Prosun waited till Beena had cleared the table. Then he said, I want to interview you for that article.

Monimala said firmly, Sorry. I have stopped giving interviews.

Prosun persisted, But readers want to know about you.

Monimala said with a reflective look, Strange! I have passed my prime long ago. Still people are curious about me?

Why of course!Prosun affirmed.You were the heartthrob of millions.Anything on you and Prodyut Kumar is still a viable project. You have your own mystique. Naturally, people will be curious about you!

A shadow fell on her still-beautiful countenance. She asked, What do they want to know?

How do you spend your time? Doesn’t this lovely mansion swallow you up with loneliness and boredom?

Monimala laughed and said, "How silly! When is the time to get bored? Like any other housewife, I have to look after my family. The morning passes off with the daily puja and supervision of household chores. I’m also involved with many organizations.My mother-in-law is not keeping good health. It’s only in the evenings, I’m free to potter in the garden, read books or watch TV!"

And what about your daughter?

She is in the States. My son-in-law works there.My grandson is so naughty…

She broke off, narrowed her eyes and looked at Prosun shrewdly. Then she asked, Wait a minute. Are you taking my interview?

Prosun asked, Where is my notepad? He stood up and said, You can search me for a hidden tape recorder.

Monimala said, No, I have full faith in you. We have known each other for the last twenty years. I’m sure, you won’t betray me.

Prosun hesitated and said, Still, I don’t know anything about you.

Monimala turned solemn, as if she was expecting his next utterance. She sat quietly.Prosun kept trying, About Prodyut Kumar?

Monimala felt very restless. She got up from the sofa and stood for a while to get used to the lancinating pain. Then she slowly went to her room. She searched for the pain-reliever. It was kept at the far end of the drawer. She gently massaged the balm on her knee. Then she switched on the mosquito repellent mat, put off the lights and lay down.She turned towards the garden in a biorhythmic mood and gazed at the multiflorous mango tree.

The past came back to her like the sudden zooming in of an airplane, noisy and with full force. The mango orchard in her village gambolled before her meditative eyes. On hot summer afternoons, after lunch, she would gather all her friends under the umbrageous tree and had a sort of a picnic. They brought dried twigs and lit a fire. Then they roasted small potatoes and made a savoury with salt and chili powder. For more effect, they garnished it with tender, lemon leaves.Or, they would steal tamarind from their mothers’ store-cupboards and place it on a plantain leaf. They mixed it with mustard oil, chilli powder, salt, jaggery and lemon leaves and grabbed each other’s lip-smacking preparation. The mango tree was their playground in the afternoons, on school holidays, be it winter or summer. In the evenings, her mother would tie her thick, long, flowing tresses into a bun. She thoroughly detested it but mother said, The roots of your hair will grow strong, the hair won’t rub against the surface and you won’t have split ends.

Her mother, Annapurna and her grandmother Himani had many such beauty tips.

The double-storeyed house was old but sturdy; all the rooms were around a central courtyard. The kitchens, storerooms and Himani’s room were located downstairs. The bedrooms were situated upstairs. The toilets were positioned at the far end of the compound.Himani’s younger son Sunil, had a separate establishment in the same house; Himani lived with Monimala’s father.

Once, Monimala broke her cousin sister’s doll. Sunil’s wife Chaya shouted at Annapurna; Annapurna threw a fistful of coins at Chaya and shut the door noisily at her face.

Monimala ran out of the house, weeping.Himani called after her, Nirupoma, Niru, see what I have got for you.

Then Monimala was called Nirupoma or Niru.

But Nirupoma would run to the mango garden and sit near the pond.Himani came running after her and said, Oh my! Look at my tiny darling’s anger!She would gaze at Nirupoma’s reflection in the pellucid water of the pond and say, Do you know why we call you Nirupoma?

Nirupoma sat rigidly with a lithic face.

It’s because of your unmatched beauty.

Nirupoma was a beauty even at her tender age. Her relatives would like to believe that she had inherited her complexion from her grandmother, her face from her mother and her height from her father. But the truth was, Nirupoma with her smooth marble skin; her straight nose and huge eyes, shaded with long eyelashes; her lustrous locks; her small mouth with vermilion coloured lips and her tall, willowy frame did not resemble anyone from her family. All parts of her body were harmoniously arranged which made her a stunner in a gorgeous, delightful way.Probably,the creator ,in a capricious mood sent a ray of dazzling luminosity into a poor but righteous family’s home which assumed the form of Nirupoma, The Peerless.

She was the firm favourite of the family. She would be fed first. After supper, she would either study or saunter in the corridor, till her mother had finished her work.

It was on one such night that she heard her parents’ grand plans about her.

Himani said, as she was scraping the insides of the milk vessel, Niru is growing beautiful day by day.

Nirupoma’s father Nirmal agreed happily, "Yes ma, she is a real beauty."

The kitchen was a large, rectangular room; one part was used for cooking; another side was used as a dining space.

Himani said, You have to start saving for her marriage.

Nirmal grumbled ,The shop is not running well.Nowadays, girls want fancy bangles, clips and I don’t have the capital to buy all those from Kolkata.If it hadn’t been for the land, we would have to starve.

Himani said ,Now stop! The shop is not running well for the past fifteen years. But by God’s Grace, there is no dearth of anything.

Nirmal said, while tearing a roti and dipping it in milk, "Ma, we have to get Niru married to a very wealthy man."

Himani said, Why not Chinmoy? He has a good job and ancestral property too.

No, we will educate her. When she completes her graduation, we will find a suitable match for her.

You’ll send her to college? That means she will go to town?

So what? Doctors, engineers and high-ranking officials want educated wives.

Himani silently rolled the milk dregs into balls.

Annapurna,while pouring ladle-full of milk in the brass bowls, said, But they will ask for dowry.

They won’t ask anything.Niru is so beautiful that people will come begging to us…

Let’s see,Annapurna said.

Himani kept the balls in an aluminium container and said to Annapurna, There are twenty of them.

Annapurna nodded her head.Nirmal went to the courtyard and washed his mouth.When he came back to the kitchen, Annapurna was already eating.

Himani was frail but she had the aura of a strict matriarch ,who held the entire family together; filled with sons,daughters-in-law,grandchildren; and relatives who lived at stones’ throw distances.She used the simple art of tact,commonsense,frankness and a supreme awareness of her own position.She knew if she failed to keep her brood together,she would be laughed at, by all and sundry.And why would she fail?She had a free hand in the dispensation of her duties.The men who interfered in household matters were looked down upon and called sheep and such other derogatory terms.

Himani continued with the topic, What about Mira’s son?He works in the bank.

OK,OK, it’s too early for all that.Next month is Niru’s higher secondary exam.Let her get admission in a college at least…Nirmal said impatiently.

Himani commented, But time flows like water.

A month passed after Durga puja.The town was celebrating Jagatdhatri puja,its reigning deity.Himani murmured, Cold weather has already set in.She was sunning herself in the courtyard. "Today is Jagatdhatri Mata’s immersion day. The crowd in increasing every year during the pujas.".

Annapurna said, They come from Kolkata; even as far as Asansol,Dhanbad and Ranchi.

Sunil heaved his bicycle.He said, The Maharaja of Krishnanagore started it and it is now the main festival of our town.

Nirupoma asked , "It started in Krishnanagore,Kaka (uncle)?"

Sunil said, Why yes!You didn’t know all this time?

Nirupoma complained, Nobody told me!

Sunil balanced the cycle against the wall and said, "Once,Maharaja Krishnachandra Roy went on a voyage.While he was on sea,a storm arose;his ship was wrecked and he was thrown off on the shore.Durga puja was just a few days away;he was remorseful that he would not be able to reach his home before the puja. He cried himself to sleep.Then he dreamt that the Goddess was asking him to initiate a puja on such and such date.It would be as auspicious as the Durga puja.So it was originally started at Krishnanagore and called Jagatdhatri or The Queen of the Universe.How it became the reigning deity of this place is a mystery."

Sunil’s wife Chaya shouted at her husband from upstairs, You won’t miss your 8:20 local now?Always rushing me around for his clothes,food,this and that.Now he has the time to gossip…she grumbled.

Nirmal said to all in general, Remember,the electricity will be switched off today,for the immersion.Don’t keep any work pending for the night.

The main feature of the statue of Jagatdhatri was its height and while It was carried for immersion ,It touched the overhead electric poles and caused havoc with the power.Nirupoma said to her grandmother, "Dida (grandmother), I want to watch the immersion too."

Himani said, Not you,my dear.You shouldn’t leave your house every now and then.Only your cousins can come with me.

Nirupoma said , If I cannot go,nobody will go.

They are small girls.You have grown up into a very beautiful woman.

Only excuses.Why don’t you tell the truth?You don’t like me.Her black eyes welled up with tears.

Annapurna,a quiet person,peeled vegetables.

Nirupoma kept on,Am I going or not?

Nirmal asked, Niru,what happened?Why is my Jagatdhatri looking so sad?I’ll take you.

Nirupoma was wearing a red-bordered,yellow,Bengal cotton sari.Her wavy hair was spread on her back like impenetrable clouds.She looked like the Goddess herself, divine beauty with a regal touch.

Himani said, No need to go in separate groups.We will go together.

She muttered, All that pack and those boys…God knows from where they come!She turned to the girls, All of you must be near me.

Nirmal pushed his cycle and walked with the girls.He said, "Ma,do you know our neighbourhood has become famous nowadays!"

Himani looked at her son questioningly. Nirmal continued, People say,so-and-so lives in Sonapur where a very beautiful girl lives.

Himani retorted, Enough of it.You know the saying, ‘a skilled homemaker doesn’t get a home and a great beauty doesn’t get a husband.’

Nirmal said, Oh,you and your nonsense.But he had a strange presentiment. He stopped his cycle and said to his mother, Now sit in a place where you can get a good view and look after the girls.I’ll keep the cycle in my friend’s house. Here, it’ll be stolen.

They had come to the Strand Road.It was the best part of the town.The roads were wide and the pavement was cemented.In the mild breeze ,the branches of the centuries’old banyan trees skittered like yo-yos over the water.

All the idols were being lined up at Rani Ghat,on the banks of the Ganga. Rani ghat sloped on to the river;so it was easier for the huge statues to be glissaded into the water,along its declivitous path.

The crowd was stupendous.Himani gathered the girls around her and held Nirupoma’s arm tightly. Nirupoma stood near the balustrade.Some boys were sitting on the banister and some were sitting on the bench.Seeing her,they all turned good Samaritans.They said in unison to Himani, Grandma,come and sit here.The bench was vacant in a jiffy.

Suddenly Himani said, Niru,don’t look back.

Nirupoma stared at the idols with a flinty face.Of course,what happened next was purely an aleatory occurrence.

When Himani was talking to an acquaintance,Nirupoma turned her head and shot a glance.Oh ,that’s why!

A Dodge was being parked in the narrow lane opposite the Strand.A group of grandees got down.Nirupoma recognized one of them, the local landowner,Monmotho Ghosh,who had amassed a huge fortune with his money-lending business.Now,of course,his wealth had reduced greatly. He was dressed in a spotless white dhoti and kurta, with the pleats of his dhoti tucked in his kurta pocket.He was holding a cigarette in one hand and a cigarette-tin in the other.With him,were some city slickers.All were Beau Brummells and looked standoffish and egocentric.They climbed down the steps leading to the Ganga.But one of them looked at Himani and the girls.His eyes rested on Nirupoma for a while.Then he joined his group.

Suddenly Himani said, Come on,we have to go home.

Why?The girls shouted, We have just come.

Don’t argue,she scolded them,as she walked with the girls briskly.She frequently looked back to see whether they were being followed.

Annapurna was surprised to see them.She asked, Home,so soon?

Himani shooed off the girls , Come on ,leave me.Let me take a few breaths.Annapurna,give me a glass of water.

Nirupoma hid behind a door even after her sisters had left.

Annapurna asked, "Ma,what happened?"

That shameless Monmotho Ghosh had come to see the immersion.

So what?Every year he comes with rich,influential people from Kolkata.Even Sudhir Kumar,the great actor had come last year.

Ah!Let me finish,she rebuked her. That…

Just then Nirmal came in with celerity.Though it was fall and there was a nip in the air,yet he was perspiring all over.

He shouted at his mother, Where did you vanish all of a sudden?

Annapurna said, That Monmotho had come…

Nirmal said angrily to his mother, Who told you to dash off all alone?Why didn’t you call me?

Himani replied, I couldn’t find you anywhere.

I told you to wait ,didn’t I?

One of Monmotho’s friends was staring at Niru.

Nirmal went to the earthen pot and poured himself water in a large,brass glass.He held the glass high and drank noisily.Then having cooled down a bit,he said to Himani, "Don’t worry ma,Niru is such a girl that everybody will look at her."

What gibberish are you talking?Have you forgotten Monmotho’s wild reputation?She muttered, He had kidnapped a beautiful girl from the neighbouring village…

Rubbish!You get such fanciful ideas!She must have run off with someone.He sat on the steps before the kitchen and drank water again.Some water spilled on his chest.He wiped it off and then said casually to Annapurna, Why don’t you send Niru to your brother’s place for a few days?I met him in the 2:20 local that day.He was inquring about your welfare.

I’ll think about it,Annapurna said sullenly.

As soon as he had left,Himani erupted. "May a curse befall on them!They have lost their zamindari(property of a landholder),yet they haven’t forgotten their style.Now with their ill-begotten wealth,they think our girls are for sale.We may be poor,but we have got our self-respect,"she shouted as she fanned herself vigorously.

Annapurna went on stirring the vegetables.She had known her long enough;nobody could stand against Himani’s tirade.

Then Himani’s worst fears came true.

Chapter 2

A couple of days passed after the Jagatdhatri puja.Though it was only seven in the evening,yet it looked like midnight.The roads were deserted.Annapurna was as usual sitting before the chula(earthen oven),cooking supper.Himani,while kneading dough said, "It’s so silent.Who would have thought that just two days back Ma Jagatdhatri was with us!The whole town was decked with light."

Annapurna put a piece of potato on the ladle and pressed it with her thumb for doneness.Then she said, "Yes ma,after the immersion,the whole town seems to sleep."

Then she turned to Nirupoma and observed, "Your baba(father) is late today."

Covering herself with a shawl,Nirupoma was all ears for the familiar sounds of her father’s footsteps.Himani remarked, "Those who start using woollen garments from karthick(November) become donkeys."

Nirupoma retorted, "And those who start using quilts from karthick become donkeys."

Annapurna said, "You mustn’t say such things to dida."

Himani pulled Nirupoma close to her with one hand and said, I’ll complain to my grandson-in-law.

Nirupoma burrowed in her warm bosom.

The fox had still not started howling;stray dogs barked now and then.

Suddenly there were loud knockings on the door.

Annapurna’s face lit up.Himani said happily, There he is.

Nirupoma ran and opened the door.Nirmal was standimg with two unfamiliar gentlemen.They had an urban air about them.Nirmal made them sit in the boithok-khana(sitting room).It was sparsely furnished with a bed made of cheap wood and covered with a bright coverlet;a deck-chair,two straight-backed wooden chairs and a low table.An earthen pot was on the window sill ;its narrow neck was covered with a brass tumbler.Paint peeled from the wall;there were damp patches here and there.Cracks criss-crossed the cemented floor;but the room was neat and comfortable.

Nirmal whispered to Annapurna and Himani.He gave a cloth bag to his mother.Annapurna quickly dressed up Nirupoma in a silk sari and some jewels.Himani hurriedly took out packets from the bag and arranged sandesh(sweetmeat),huge rajbhogs(sweetmeat)on brass plates.Nirupoma carried the plates and water on a tray to the gentlemen.Annapurna meanwhile put an aluminium vessel on the chula to prepare tea.

Nirupoma put down the tray on the table and touched the gentlemen’s feet and then her father’s.The patrician gentlemen asked her, What’s your name?His voice was kind and sonorous.

She replied in a thin voice, Nirupoma Mitra.

Good.Where do you study?

I have just got admission in BA.The classes haven’t started yet.

Nirmal butted in, She cooks very well too.

No need for that,the other gentleman said, there are many servants in my sister-in-law’s house.

Nirmal persisted with his daughter’s talents.He said to Nirupoma, Go and bring your harmonium.Sing a song.He turned to them and stated, She had learnt singing for two years.

The other gentleman’s face distorted into a suppressed grin.The aristocratic gentleman said, Nirupoma,you better bring tea for us.

Nirupoma was relieved to leave the room.

Annapurna was more or less ready with the tea.The gentlemen sipped the tea and put down the cups in distaste.The posh gentleman wiped his face with a spotless ,white hanky and asked Nirupoma, You made it?

Nirupoma looked scared.

The man smiled kindly and said, No,no.It’s okay.Only a bit sweet.

She asked, Shall I make another cup?Her voice sounded like the canticle of birds.

No my dear.He took out a ring from his forefinger and said, Take this.I didn’t have time to bring anything else.

Nirupoma stood undecided.Nirmal said, Niru take it.She took it and again touched the man’s feet.

He said, Okay,you can go now.

When she went back into the kitchen,her cousins were huddled close to Chaya, agog with excitement.

A placid Annapurna was rolling our rotis on the paper and Himani was roasting them glumly.

Chaya asked , How many had come?

Two.

Nirupoma said to Annapurna, "Ma,he gave me this ring."

Let me see,Chaya said excitedly.

She stared at it goggle-eyed.At that point,Nirmal came into the kitchen with Sunil.Nirmal said to Himani, "Ma,they have liked Niru."

Himani sat with a gloomy face.

They want an early marriage,Nirmal continued.

Annapurna asked, Is the boy gainfully employed?We want to see him.

Nirmal said with a wave of his hand, Oh,they have factories ,tea gardens,properties…

Sunil said, Three houses in Kolkata itself.His face was greasy with excitement.

Himani spoke at last, Too much greed is not good.

"What do you mean ma?"Sunil was taken aback.

Nirmal stared at Himani too.Annapurna said, Niru,go and change.Keep the jewels properly in the cupboard.

Nirupoma left the kitchen but she sat on one of the steps leading upstairs.Voices from the kitchen floated in.

Himani said firmly to her eldest son, I’ll be very frank.I have a bad feeling about this.

Nirmal said, Why?They are wealthy.Niru will live like a queen.I have got for her whatever I had wanted.

Queen?Himani said wincingly, Money isn’t everything.Will she be happy.And what’s the hurry?She is only eighteen.

Sunil asked Annapurna, "Boudi,(sister-in-law),you disagree too?"

Annapurna asked, Have you inquired about the boy?

Yes,have you?Himani said strongly,assured of a supporter, Something is definitely wrong with him!How can a friend of that wastrel Monmotho be a gentleman?

Nirmal said, Rich lads have one or two vices.Nothing serious.Once they get married,they turn over a new leaf.

Sunil said, Moreover,they don’t have any demands.Only,they want us to organize the marriage in Kolkata,in one of their houses.Their relatives cannot come here.Of course,they will make all arrangements.

Nirmal didn’t expect such a cold reception from the ladies at this fantastic development.He said, "Ma, you know I don’t have a stable job like Sunil.I have only the small stationery shop.Could I have dreamed of marrying my daughter to such a family without any expense at all?"

Annapurna suggested, We have to match the horoscopes.

Sunil replied, They are not very keen…

He sat next to Himani and assured her, "Don’t worry ma,I’ll make suitable enquiries."

Himani and Annapurna said nothing.Finally,Nirmal raised his voice and said, Niru will be married to this boy.That is final.I won’t let go of such a family because of your whims.He turned to Annapurna and said, They want an early marriage.Start preparations.He stormed out of the kitchen.

Nirupoma slowly climbed up the stairs.

Within a month she was married to Atul Bose,only son of the well-known industrialist,Sudhajit Bose and the famous painter,Gitali Bose.

The reception was a technicolour extravaganza.Nirupoma was adorned in a heavy Banarasi sari;loads of jewellery emblazoned her body;she was sitting upstairs,in the hall.Well-dressed men and women ,handsome and glitzy,flitted before her.Beside her,gifts collected in a huge heap.Her mother-in-law,Gitali was beautiful in a ruthless,hard-as-nails sort of way.She had high cheekbones,thin lips and a hawk-like nose.She might have been very fair at one time but now her skin looked muddy due to excessive make-up.Her eyes were large and had a tinge of sorrow lurking within them.She also looked frequently at the wall clock and there was a silken,thread-like crease on her forehead.With her upmarket style,stern demeanour and a military gait,she looked quite formidable.

She came to Nirupoma and asked,Are you hungry?

Nirupoma shook her head.

Don’t look down.Chin up.People have come to watch you.

A lady in a blue silk sari said in a rasping voice, Gitali,your daughter-in-law is very beautiful but she is primitive, rustic…She smirked at Nirupoma’s inurbanity.

Gitali replied, She will breathe the city air,mix with socialites like you and become polished.

The lady gave a wannish smile.

A heavy-set gentleman said, Where is Atul?I didn’t see him since I came here.

Gitali said quickly, Oh,he is the busiest person today.He was here just a minute ago!

She hurried to the other end of the room saying , Nirupoma,look who is here.

The gentleman and the blue-silk-sari clad lady exchanged glances.

Gitali was escorting Nirupoma’s parents and Himani towards her.Sunil,Chaya and cousins were also with them.

Himani came near and said, Niru,we are leaving now.

A startled Gitali asked, Now?At night?You can go in the morning.

Annapurna replied, No. How long can we stay in our daughter’s house?

Sunil said, Yes.We have to catch the eleven-fifteen local…

Nirupoma’s family looked out of place in the opulent,ritzy backdrop.However,Gitali kept a steady flow of conversation ;but she spoke rapidly, in a flustered manner, in a slightly strident voice.

Suddenly Sudhajit came in with quick strides.He said, "Nirmalbabu,what is this I hear?No,you can’t go now.With the small children…"Gitali looked apprehensive.

Nirmal said, "Ma is not agreeing to stay…Sudhajit at once pressed his palms and said, Oh!I can’t argue with my elders."

Himani pulled the furbelow of her sari closer on her forehead.

Annapurna asked softly, Where is our son-in-law?

Sudhajit made a u-turn.He raised an eyebrow at Gitali.

For once Gitali lost her poise but she recovered quickly.She said in a silken voice, He forgot to invite some friends;he has gone there…

Sudhajit asked, At this hour?

Gitali shrugged her thin shoulders.

Sudhajit said, Okay then.He turned to a man in dhoti and kurta and asked, Probhat,all the cars are here?

Probhat said, Except the Dodge.Atul has taken it.

Sudhajit said, The cars will drop you at Sonapur,in your home.No need to put up with the rush hour at the station.He turned to Probhat and said, Go with them.

Nirupoma’s eyes overflowed with tears.She watched the faces.Himani looked grim;Nirmal was happy;Annapurna seemed anxious;Sunil and Chaya were ecstatic.

After their leave-taking,Gitali heaved a sigh of relief.The guests were also departing in ones and twos.She came to Nirupoma and said tiredly, Come,let’s have our food.

Still Atul had not come.

Suddenly Nirupoma woke up with a start.There were noises in her room.She had slept with the lights on.As she rubbed her eyes,she saw Gitali and her sister Mitali, holding Atul from both sides.He was completely inebriated.

He looked at Nirupoma with swollen,blood-shot eyes and said to his mother, Why don’t you and daddy play with this doll mummy?Why have you brought me here?Paromita said…

Nirupoma sat hunched on the bed,her eyes wild with fright.

Mitali said, Shut up!Such a beautiful bride and for one day he cannot forget that woman!

Gitali said, "Shhh…Didi(elder sister) stop."

Mitali shouted, "Why should I stop?That