Aparichita, Bangla Chhoto Golpo, Golpomala, Rabindranath Tagore ( Part - 4 )

 

অপরিচিতা

Aparichita

রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর

Bengali Short Story - Aprichita ( Rabindranath Tagore ) Part - 4

I was surprised. That amazingly sweet voice and the melody of that song - 'There's room'. Without a moment's delay, I took my mother and got into the car. There was almost no time to pack. There is no disabled person like me in the world. It was that girl who took our bedding from the hands of the coolies to the fast moving car. One of my photographs was left lying at the camera station - I didn't take it. I don't know what to write after that. I have a picture of unbroken bliss in my mind—where do I begin, where do I end? He does not want to sit and plan sentence after sentence. Now I saw that tune. He still thought it was a tune. I looked at my mother's face; I saw that there was no twinkle in his eyes. The age of the girl will be sixteen or seventeen, but youth has not burdened her body and mind. Its speed is easy, its luster is pure, its purity of beauty is wonderful, there is no inaccuracy anywhere in it.

 I see, it is impossible for me to say anything in detail. In fact, I can't tell exactly what color clothes he was wearing. It is very true that there was nothing in Bhusha's dress that was particularly noticeable without it. He is higher than all around him—standing on the simple stem like the white rose of the rosary, he has transcended the tree from which it has blossomed. There were two or three little girls with him, and he had no end of laughter and talk with them. I had a book in my hand and was listening to it. All that was heard was the talk of boys with boys. His specialty was that there was no age difference between him - he grew younger with the younger ones with ease and joy. Along with a book of boys' stories with some pictures - the girls grabbed him to tell a special story of his.

They must have heard this story twenty five times. I understand why girls are so interested. All words become gold in the golden stick of Sudhakantha. The girl's whole body and mind are full of life. So when the girls listen to the story in his mouth, they listen to him, not the story; The fountain of life fell upon their hearts. His manifested soul enlivened all the sun rays of my day; I thought that the nature that surrounded me with its sky was the world-wide expansion of that young woman's unwearied life.-On reaching the next station, she called the caterer, bought a handful of chana-muth, and began to eat without hesitation, joking with the girls like a boy.

Why could I not quite so easily take this chana from the smiling girl with the mesh that my nature casts? Why didn't I admit my greed by raising my hand? Mother was torn between likes and dislikes. I'm a man in the car, but he has no qualms about it, especially eating like a glutton, he just didn't like it; But he was not delusional even by calling them naughty. He thought that this girl is old but not educated. Mother suddenly cannot talk to anyone. His habit is to stay away from people. He wanted to know this girl very much, but could not overcome the usual obstacles. At that time the car stopped at a big station. A group of followers of that general-saheb are trying to get up from this station. There is no room in the car. They repeatedly passed in front of our car and turned around. My mother was scared and I was not at peace.

Shortly before leaving the car, a native railway employee hung two tickets with names written near the two benches of the car and told me, "These two benches of this car have already been reserved by two gentlemen, you will have to go to another car." I quickly got busy and stood up. “No, we will not leave the car,” the girl said in Hindi. The man stopped and said, "There is no way but to leave." But seeing no sign of the girl's motion, he went down and sent for the English station-master. He came over and said to me, “I'm sorry, but—” After hearing that, I started to leave the call by saying 'Kuli Kuli'. The girl got up and with fire in her eyes said, "No, you can't go, just sit as you are." So he stood near the door and told the station-master in English, "Reserving this car in advance is a lie." Balia opened the ticket and threw it on the platform.

Meanwhile, the uniformed gentleman, including the orderly, came and stood near the door. In the car he first motioned to Ardali to move his furniture. After that, after looking into the girl's face, listening to her words, seeing her feelings, he touched the station-master a little and took her behind, I don't know what happened. It was seen that although the time of leaving the car had passed, another car was added, but the train left. The girl took her team and started eating handfuls of rice again, and I shyly raised my face outside the window and started to see the beauty of nature. The car stopped at Kanpur. The girl was ready to pack her things - a Hindustani servant rushed to the station and started to take them down.

Mother could no longer stay. He asked, "What is your name, mother?"

The girl said, “My name is Kalyani.”

Both mother and I were shocked to hear this.

“Your father—”

"He is the doctor here, his name is Shambhunath Sen."

After that everyone went down.

Conclusion

Disobeying my uncle's prohibition, following my mother's orders, I have come to Kanpur after that. Kalyani's father and Kalyani are met. Hands folded, head bowed; Shambhunathbabu's heart melted. Kalyani says, “I will not marry.”

“Why?” I asked.

"Mother-commandment," he said.

what a disaster Is there any interest in this?

After that I understood that there is a motherland. After that marriage break-up, Kalyani has taken a vow to educate girls.

But I could not give up hope. That tune that still rings in my heart — like a flute from some other side — Came from outside my world — Called outside all worlds. And, in the darkness of the night, 'There is a place' that came to my ears, that was the song of my eternal life. I was twenty-three then, now twenty-seven. I haven't given up hope yet, but I have given up hope. Mother could not leave me as a son. Do you think I expect marriage? No, never.

I remember only that one night hoping for the sweet melody of an unknown voice — there is room. Of course there is. Otherwise, where will I stand? So year after year goes by — here I am. I see, I hear that voice, when I get an opportunity I do something - and my mind says, this is the place I have found. Oh stranger, your acquaintance has not ended, will not end; But luck is good for me, this is where I got the place.