1. Soma and sulata:
Soma became my shadow. Wherever I went she was sure to go (other than office) even when I visited Jhumamasi’s home she stayed there with me in place of going to her mother’s home. Even if she did, she used to return before my returning from office.
It seemed mystery was second name of Rajpur. Things started to disappear and come back on their own. I still remember the day when I first became aware of this disappearing and returning act. A bunch of letters arrived from my family, I was reading one of them when Sulata called me and I got busy with her.
I returned after half an hour and saw that the letters have vanished, I searched every where but could not locate them.
When I returned from office next day they were back, they were at a place where I always searched first… under my pillow.
That again convinced me someone is over curious about my personal life.. the only person who could smuggle those letters out was Soma. But to whom? Both Sharma and Jain family were hundred percent Marwaris.. though they knew Hindi well but none knew B of bengali.
My suspicion again reverted back to Ritumasi, it was not impossible for Soma to call them up and tell them that a bunch of mails have arrived for me, someone might have been waiting outside to fetch those mails. They might have been done it before without being caught.
As it happens, when an innocent person is forced to suspect, he or she starts to suspect every one.
I always had a feeling about Sulata that she was Bengali, and Abhishek though he claimed he was a Marwari born and brought up upto his college in Sawai Madhopur, looked like a typical bengali guy.
I still distinctly remember how I asked Rik if Sulata was bengali when I first saw her from the roof top, she was in the courtyard below doing something.
A deep suspicion started to form that they were living there with some other intention.
The thing which fuelled my suspicion most were the weird things Sulata used to say quite often.
Things which were often outrageous to my small town taste. She used to glorify the lifestyle and happiness of a friend of hers who became a mistress of a rich old man. I never had the taste of asking her if that man had another wife or not.
Or she used to do things which I have only seen sex workers doing on silver screen. The same gestures of body or eyes, which are trademark of these women.
I used to feel quite uneasy with these behaviours, even though I had deep sympathy for sex workers but I would have never loved it if someone thought her as one. So I one day blurted out some thing about these gestures and some offensive words about sex workers.
I saw the colour of her face changing. Though she recovered it instantly but for a second she lost her composure.
That one incident started a journey of nightmare for me I believe. Wise people say that if you call Jesus Christ evil he will forgive you, but if you call devil evil he will leave no stone unturned to destroy you, such is the fury of a guilty soul.
The harmless stalkers all of a sudden became menacing. Not only menacing they became filthy. Filthy as only human-beings can be. It appeared as if I have all of a sudden woken up from sleep and have discovered that I have been transported to the land of demons.
My sunny’s brake started to work haywire, it was not hidden inside the body, it was open and it started to fail magically. The vehicles out on the street started to get attracted toward me magically. And the drivers seemed to quite amused by the whole incident, the funniest part was they were either driven by extremely low class people or had well dressed women as passengers.
During the next few months I spent there I realized what hell looks like. How its dwellers are.
Then it dawned on me, I still remember that night, I was sitting upstairs when Sulata came with a plate of halwa. “I have made it specially for you.” She said.
She went downstairs and I took a spoonful and gave the remaining to Soma. She gobbled it up happily.
An hour or so later Sulata asked me if I can come downstairs and give her company for an hour. “Abhishek is not here, some of his colleagues want to download some thing from the computer, and I don’t want to stay alone with them.”
I felt a little uneasy, why I don’t know. I told Soma to call me half an hour later on any pretext and went downstairs. Yes, I am one of those who can’t refuse a request and suffer.
I settled down in Sulata’s bedroom, Sonu was sleeping peacefully in the bed. I was feeling a little drowsy Sulata asked me to lie down and take a nap. I refused. I did not felt very comfortable with the idea.
“What will you do if someone snaps some obscene pictures of you and blackmails you or traps you in flesh trade?” she suddenly asked me.
I told her what would have I done, “If someone ever tries to blackmail me I will ask him to publish it in the newspaper or make a leaflet of it. And if someone plays some funny game with my core principles, I will leave no stone unturned to destroy him or her. No power in this earth will be able to save him or her from me.” Most probably my cold tone convinced her.
“But you know, if you make someone’s daughter suffer, someone will torture your daughter too.” She said.
Why I don’t know I suddenly remembered an incident, I have taken up swimming in a local club, Soma of-course used to accompany me. She used to sit outside while I went to change in a dilapidated changing room. Was Sulata trying to blackmail me?
One day she told me that some men were lurking there while she was sitting there alone, I was not alarmed because there were staffs of that club always roaming around. One raised voice will bring half a dozen of them there. But I knew she was a chicken so I asked her to wait on the steps while I changed inside. There was nothing to fear because the room was pitch dark, so any mischief from Soma would have shot blue sky.
“Didi I think someone was taking our photographs.” She said one day. A few days later I stopped going there because the temperature has dipped.
Sulata’s words all of a sudden brought that memory back to me and whatever sleep was creeping in my eyes disappeared because I had a deep suspicion that she sometimes followed me out in the street.
She always wore a helmet while stalking but one day, most probably, her hair gave her away. She had a gorgeous head of hair, more than knee length, and extremely voluptuous.
On Sundays I used to go to a nearby hill and sit there with soma, watch the other hills and the surroundings. Rajpur was quite an interesting place with lots of ruins, hills and peacocks.
On my way home I saw a woman traveling right in front of me and suddenly I had a feeling that it was Sulata, just because of body structure and hair. I tried to follow the vehicle but it was a bike and gathered speed, then it took a turn and went another way. When I returned home Sulata was sitting on the porch.
Next Sunday I took that road and voila!!! It was a dirt road to my home. Which was quite a big short cut too.
So on that night I stayed up like an owl, Abhishek’s friends left after midnight and I went upstairs with full determination to give Soma a piece of mind for not calling me.
I locked the door and went to her bed. She was sleeping like a corpse, actually I thought she was dead. I was so scared that I pushed her but she did not even made a sound only rolled away as far as my shove sent her. I finally placed my palm under her nose to confirm myself that she was alive.
That day I became confident that if I had eaten that halwa that might have been my doom.
Though I could not put my fingers on it but I guessed whatever was happening there Keshav uncle and Jhumamasi were part of it, and as they know every thing about my life, these things are also going on with their consent.
There were so many reasons to suspect them. Keshav uncle loved to play Mr. God and often boasted that he knew all about me, even though he lived miles away.
Then, if the people of blue star knew what movie I watched last night then how could he not know….
Jhumamasi has told me that none of her staffs knew Bengali but atleast half a dozen of them has claimed to me that they have been in west Bengal for quite long span of time, especially those who sat near me.
Why did a marwari girl like Soma born and brought up in rajpur insisted on listening Bengali songs? Watching Bengali movies? Laughed at Bengali jokes?
Before those instances I used to think that over protective Keshav uncle keeps an eye on me, and was quite grateful for that. But after those harassments started I became suspicious of something else.. it was not a caring eye, it was the eye of a sentry. Most probably they have massed up that wealth by some heinous means and Jhumamasi acts as their agent to West Bengal. With that fear inside me I knew one thing, I had to get away from that place. But how? If I gave the least hint that I have guessed their secret they wont let me out of Rajpur, forget about crossing those hundreds of miles alone in train.. any thing can happen in Indian Railway.
From the next night I started to do three things, keeping a canister of petrol in my room, and locking the door from inside and keeping the key under my pillow.
Then a plan popped up in my mind, I informed Shruti that some thing is wrong there, and someone was trying to kill me, I deliberately withheld the truth from her. I did not wanted to say a word before I reached safe shelters.
This time, knowing who were the masterminds I falsely blamed Ritumasi and her sons, saying they have appointed goons after me. I told her to inform the cops if I don’t make it there on the date I say. I told her that I will tell her after I make my reservations.
The very next day I went to Ritumasi and told her that one of my friends is getting married and if I don’t visit her she will come here and kill me.
I got the permission to go.
My reservations were on 2nd January next month, after twenty days. I told them I will be back on 15th.
A few days before I was about to start I saw a guy in Blue Star, he was standing near the girls and it seemed to me he was over eager to be visible to me. So I noted him quite clearly.
At home, Sulata grilled me to no end, but I told her the same story and I hinted her that most probably I wont be back because Ritumasi’s sons are trying to kill me.
She was quite sad.. till that time I mistook her as a good girl trapped in bad net, that misconception was to disappear forever after I met her again.. five years later, with another husband, daughter and family.. she was a Bengali woman then, and very rich. I could not recognize her initially but after a while I did, with the help of her photograph which I had at home. Even though she has chopped off her hair to shoulder length.
With the day of my leaving Rajpur approaching my vigilance became more and more bold.
I did not had a phone connection, I had to go out to make calls to Shruti and another of her friends back at my hometown. The moment I used to reach the phone booth, a few persons used to reach there and wait, standing as close to the booth as possible. That might have been a coincident or not but I preferred playing safe. Every time I called anyone of those two I requested them to inform police if I don’t make it back on said date.
The people of Blue Star started to play a funny game with me, a game which continued for quite a long time after my return from Rajpur. And they really scared me with this game, later when I remembered an incident the fear was dispersed.
The game was: they used to pretend as if they have seen my clone at places where I of course was not at that time. Suddenly I had a panic that they have procured a look-alike of me and they may never let me escape from Rajpur .. what if they imprison me and send my look alike there.
It was my first experience of a whole office lying to scare a person, a person who has never done them any harm. So they sure got me in that game.
Later when I returned to my hometown, Shruti’s friend Chaitali and some of her friends tried to play the same game with me. They said that they have seen me in my hometown when I was in Rajpur. They gave me quite a vivid description.
Well, they might have tricked me if I had not remembered, suddenly, that Keshav uncle had seen “jewel thief” thirteen or fourteen time.
I was so happy when I remembered that incident, only I know and God knows. A stone was removed from my heart.
Those of you who have not seen this legendary movie by dev anand, the gist of its story is he was tricked by a group of criminals that there is a look-alike of him. He was absolutely convinced so were the audience.
Now back to Rajpur. There is only one incident left to say, my horrible experience of 31st night. I will never forget that night.
Mr. Jain was Mr. Amicable as I have said, and my family culture did not permitted free mixing with men, so I always kept a distance from Abhishek and Mr. Jain. I mainly mixed with Mr. Jain’s kids and Sulata.
It was 31st evening, I was in no mood to go downstairs but Rik came upstairs and begged me to go and join them. They loved to play loud music and dance. As they both were tiny children, one five or six years old the other ten or eleven years it was fun to watch them dancing. So they often displayed their dancing skills to me. And this time too he begged until I gave in and went downstairs.
Mr. Jain appeared from his rooms after a while and I could feel he was drunk. He headed straight for me, and started to stroke my shoulders and back. I got up and left the place instantly.
Soma insisted that she will watch the New Year Eve program and I went to sleep in my room. I was lying there almost sleeping when I heard a loud banging at the door.
It was Mr. Jain, fully drunk. Soma asked him what was the matter and he told her to open the door.
I noted with absolute horror that Soma was about to obey him but saw the door is locked.
“Uncle the door is locked.” She said.
“Find the key and open the door.” Was the reply from outside.
“The key is not here, I cant see it.” She said. Well, she could not have seen it because it was under my pillow. But if I had not locked the door she would have opened it to that inebriated man.
Sometimes our instincts save us from unsavoury incidents. The next morning when I went out Jain family was not there. They both have left for their respective jobs and the kids went to school.
When I left for Kolkata next morning even then they were not there. The children bade me goodbye. Sulata cried like she is bidding her own sister goodbye, hearing some snide remarks from Abhishek. I would have guessed about her mask then but I did not.
The train journey to kolkata:
It was decided that I will go to kolkata and Shruti’s uncle, maternal uncle will pick me up from Howrah station. Then I will decide if I will stay with them or return to ancestral home.
So I started for Howrah from Rajpur on 2nd. Sulata, Abhishek, Jhumamasi and Keshav uncle came to bid me goodbye on the station.
I settled on my seat in the three tier compartment. There was a couple on the opposite seat, an elderly person and his wife. A few minutes after the train started to roll a young boy came to them. He had quite a striking face, dark complexioned, handsome and wore a pair of spec. soon another young guy joined him and I was almost certain that this one was the guy I have seen in Bluestar, the man who was over eager to show himself to me. He was even wearing the same tee shirt, a light yellow coloured tee shirt, which was to become quite familiar to me in the coming months.
I noted that whenever I left my seat or went down from the train to buy something or fetch water etc those two used to follow me. Like a pair of watchdogs.
I reached Kolkata early in the morning after spending a semi sleepless night in train. Shruti’s uncle was waiting for me when the train rolled in.
I reached home. Shruti’s uncle asked me what was the matter, why were all those calls made by Shruti to inform police etc. etc. I tried to tell him the matter but he told me to not say single word against Keshav uncle or Jhumamasi because his mother hated to hear a single word against them.
A few minutes later I went out to fetch a glass of water and saw them in an extremely jovial mood, as if they were celebrating my doom.
I was standing on the window in the evening when I saw a car in the road outside, it was honking its horn in the empty street and it was of the same make as the cars which used to stalk me in Rajpur. A chill went down my already panicked body.
It took me a few more years to guess that whatever they did they needed women who were completely willing to work for them. And for those who kicked them on their face and left them they had these dirty tricks in their hat, to terrorize them in such a cunning way that every one else will think that they are paranoid.
My journey has just began and I was acting just as they wanted me to act, hyper panicked.
Next morning I went to offer puja at Dakshineshwar, I felt absolutely filthy after spending that year with them. We have finished the puja and were coming out when a taxi stopped right in front of me and the duo of the train stepped out of it.
They either did not noticed me or pretended that they did not but I did and watched them keenly to confirm.
I remembered that I have told Sulata that I will go to Dakshineshwar the very next morning I reach Kolkata.
Shruti’s uncle was quite rich. He worked in a shipping company and made quite lot of money. He had two homes in kolkata and one in Darjeeling. All three made by himself. So naturally he had a battalion of maids. A woman and her three daughters worked for him at that time.
I was sitting in the drawing room listlessly and the daughters of the maid were talking with me. Suddenly one of them narrated a story to me, I was quite uneasy because the same story has been narrated to me by Chaitali’s sister Mitali. It was a personal incident, so it was quite a surprise that exactly same thing can happen to two different persons and they both react to it using the very same words. I decided then and there that I will return to my ancestral home.
That evening one of my cousin sisters came to see me and asked me to return to my ancestral home and I decided to do that, without waiting for Shruti to come. I did not want to spend another night there.
Somehow I was piecing together the mystery behind soma’s Bengali knowledge and Shruti’s uncle’s immense wealth.
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