A Town by the River is a fictional tale that revolves around Anirban, the protagonist, his college days, his first love and brief flirtation with left-wing politics considered fashionable in those days and his childhood. The first few chapters of the book dwell at length on the prevalent political situation when political parties were tremendously hostile to one another. Vendettas by way of slaying were a common sight. Several young lives were lost in such turbulent political situations. Stringing together a variety of events and characters in a narrative canvas, the book focuses on the time and life in a small town, where the townsfolk, especially the kids, always welcomed carefree excitements from otherwise subdued life, be it in the form of festivities, football matches or simple outings. The strength of the book lies in its descriptive details of the milieu, the people and more importantly, the charming river. Earthy smell and myriad of colours and the river that lazily went past the town held a special attraction for the young and old. Notwithstanding the undertone of caste and religion, the townsfolk cherished human relationships that transcended the religious divide. Its poignant style of narration would appeal to a wide readership beyond the geographical boundaries.
A Town by the River
By Jayanta RayAuthorHouse
Copyright © 2009 Jayanta Ray
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4490-5415-1Contents
Prologue...................................................1Last journey...............................................26The silent river...........................................40The rendezvous.............................................47Rahim Chacha - the soul mate...............................64Community service..........................................69Mohidul - the comrade-in-arms..............................80Vacation diary.............................................108The bridge on the river....................................115Cucumber slices and the game of soccer.....................124Bijon Sir - the private tutor..............................136Montu-da, the ace marksman.................................147A stroll in a mango orchard................................155Death in the family........................................174
Chapter One
Last journey The Sun receive thine eye, the Wind thy spirit; go, as thy merit is, to earth or heaven. Go, if it be thy lot, unto the waters; go, make thine home in plants with all thy members. -The Hymns of the Rig Veda, Ralph T. H. Griffith (Book X Hymn XVI, 3)
Anirban had his gaze fixed on the funeral pyre of Baba. The flames were at the mercy of the gusty wind blowing from the northern side.
Baba had gone to Calcutta during the weekend to visit his sister and the family, where he suffered a fatal stroke. Since they didn't have a telephone at home, Ani's uncle contacted the shop owner down below their flat to inform the family.
"Anirban, come down fast! Your uncle from Calcutta on the line," the shop owner yelled. He immediately rushed down to receive the call. Uncle gave him the bad news and asked them to come over to Calcutta immediately. After hearing about it, Ma steeled herself to prepare for the journey and perform the last rites. She locked the house and informed the neighbour of Baba's sudden death. Soon they were on the way to the station to catch the earliest train.
During the journey, she neither cried nor talked; she just sat like a statue. It was her way of grieving for her husband of several years. Upon reaching her sister-in-law's place, Ma burst into a wail over Baba's dead body.
Uncle, his son and a few others including a local priest accompanied the body to the crematorium, where Ani had to perform the last rites. After taking a mandatory bath in the dirty water and change of clothes at the crematorium Ghat, he made a quick decision to go back home immediately. He was not cut out to observe mourning rituals.
"Pisemasai, I intend going back home tomorrow. Maybe Ma could come back after a few days and obsequies could be performed at home. I'm sorry! You had to face a lot of trouble all of a sudden."
"Ani, you don't have to be sorry! Birth and death can never be predicted. Life is full of uncertainties." He answered rather philosophically.
Upon return he told Ma of his plan to go back home.
Stunned by the turn of events, she didn't offer any resistance to Ani's plan.
"OK! You go home! What about your food?"
"You don't worry about that. Our friendly neighbour would surely take care of it." Perhaps, having understood the reason, Ma didn't object to his going back home alone and gave him some money for the journey and other expenses.
"No problem! Let him go back tomorrow. We'd all go together to your place after 3-4 days to perform Dada's obsequies." Uncle nodded in approval.
Next day, he took the 9 o'clock train bound for Baharampur. Being a passenger train, it stopped at every station. The compartment was getting crowded with more and more people boarding. Once the seats were full, people sat on the floor that made movement inside the compartment very difficult. Ani, however, remained rooted to the window seat he had occupied in the beginning. Looking through the open window was difficult at times because of air-borne dust particles.
The ticket collector in his trademark black coat made a perfunctory check of tickets from bona fide passengers, and collected reduced fare in cash from ticket-less travellers without issuing any tickets.
Vendors hawking various products like hair oil, plastic combs, chocolates, ball pens etc. made a raucous noise. Trying to be oblivious to the cacophony around, Ani indulged in his favourite avocation of cloud watching. He fixed his gaze on a mass of snow-white cloud against the backdrop of a brilliant blue sky; then carved various figures with an imaginary chisel. As the train gained speed, these masterpieces too got lost in the distant horizon. It was passing by a paddy field, already harvested, by the side of a school building. The kids were playing around during the break in an open ground near the railway track. Ani silently prayed that they didn't come on to the track.
In a pensive mood, he tried to assess the quandary he was in. For namesake, he was a graduate. But his degree couldn't yet remove his unemployed status. He had attended a few interviews. Timid as a lamb, he would submit himself to those boogers, euphemistically called interviewers.
More often than not, they would ask questions that had no bearing on the job he was seeking. He could never fathom why it was important to know the height of the tallest building on earth or who designed the Eiffel Tower. Nothing on the subjects he studied in his graduation programme was ever discussed. Nevertheless, a few of his friends could get jobs, thanks to their connections.
Rise in unemployment brought happiness to the political party scouts who were always on the lookout for young people to go to the villages to work with peasants to usher in the dream revolution. They were certain that with unemployment on the rise, more and more jobless youth would join the ranks.
Ani was also concerned about another situation back home. A couple of weeks ago, on a rather dusky afternoon he had a friendly chat with one Mr. Adhikari in a tea- stall on the riverbank road. Adhikari, a hardy person with a closely cropped haircut, introduced himself as a businessman dealing in garments. Being an extremely affable person he could easily establish a rapport with Ani.
"Are you a student?"
"I've just completed graduation and am looking for a job."
"Getting a decent job for an educated youth like you must be difficult these days!" Adhikari remarked with a hint of sympathy.
"Yes, that is true! It is the reference that matters. Not the qualifications!"
After such banal talk, the tea-stall chat eventually petered into a political one. Adhikari lamented that due to intense police surveillance, the underground party leaders were lying low and avoiding contact with the cadres who are out in the open, and opined that it would affect the morale of the party cadre.
"It isn't quite true. Underground comrades regularly meet the party followers in safe houses here. In fact, I had had the chance to meet an underground leader in one such safe house." Since Ani was hobnobbing with the party, he contradicted Adhikari in his youthful exuberance.
"That's good news! After all, meeting senior comrades in person motivates the cadre to keep their spirit high. Otherwise the party would simply disintegrate." He went on further, "Don't take me...
