রিফাৎ আরার ছোটগল্প: অপরাজিত

 

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রিফাৎ আরা রচনাসমগ্র

গল্পগ্রন্থ - বোধন ।। মীরা প্রকাশন, ঢাকা, ২০০৯

গল্প - অপরাজিত

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স্কুলের গেটটার কাছাকাছি আসতেই সৌগতর বুকটা উথাল পাথাল করে উঠলো। ঐ তো গেটের একপাশে বাদাম গাছটা। কতদিন এ গাছের গোলছায়ার নিচে বসে সে এবং তার বন্ধুরা গল্প করেছে। টিফিন পিরিয়ডে টিফিন খেয়েছে। সৌগত এ বছর এসএসসি পরীক্ষা দেবে। আজ স্কুলে ওদের ফেয়ার ওয়েল। কতদিন থেকে এ দিনটির প্রতীক্ষা করেছে। কত স্বপ্ন দেখেছে। ক্লাসের সেরা ছাত্র এবং স্কুলের ভাল ছাত্র হিসেবে সুপরিচিত সৌগতর উপর দায়িত্ব পড়বে বিদায়ীদের পক্ষ থেকে কিছু বলার। কী বলবে মনে মনে তারও অনেক মহড়া দিয়েছে। কৃতজ্ঞতা জানাবে তার শিক্ষক শিক্ষিকাদের যাঁদের শ্রমে দানে জ্ঞানে সৌগতরা ধন্য হয়েছে পুণ্য হয়েছে। দোয়া চাইবে সবার কাছে যেন তাদের ভবিষ্যৎ কর্মের মধ্য দিয়ে তারা এ স্কুলের সুনাম সারাদেশে ছড়িয়ে দিতে পারে। অথচ আজ এমন লাগছে কেন? স্কুলের প্রাঙ্গনে পা রাখার সাথে সাথে বুকের ভেতর কান্না যেন হু হু করে উঠছে। কিছুতেই বাঁধ মানতে চাইছে না। দুরন্ত আবেগকে সংহত করে সৌগত তার বন্ধুদের পাশে বসে পড়ল। 

          অনুষ্ঠান শুরু হয়ে গেছে। নবম ও দশম শ্রেণীর একদল ছাত্র ওদেরকে ফুল আর বই দিয়ে বরণ করলো। এবার মানপত্র পাঠ হচ্ছে। সৌগত শুনতে পেল মাইকে তার নাম ঘোষণা করা হচ্ছে বিদায়ী ছাত্রদের পক্ষ থেকে বক্তব্য রাখার জন্য। নিজেকে সংযত করে মঞ্চে উঠল সে। তারপরও দু’চোখে কেবলই পানি এসে যাচ্ছে। কান্নাভেজা কন্ঠে সবার পক্ষ থেকে ভুলত্রু টির জন্য ক্ষমা আর ভবিষ্যতের জন্য দোয়া চেয়ে কোন রকমে জায়গায় এসে বসল সৌগত। এবার প্রধান শিক্ষকের ভাষণ। খুব উৎকর্ণ হলো সৌগত। প্রধান শিক্ষক প্রথমেই তাদের ভবিষ্যৎ সাফল্যের জন্য দোয়া করলেন। এবার বলছেন দেশের পরিস্থিতির কথা, “এক মহা ক্রান্তিকালের মধ্য দিয়ে আমরা পরিক্রমণ করে চলেছি। মিথ্যা, দুর্নীতি, অসদাচরণ সমাজকে গ্রাস করেছে। আমরা ক্রমশঃ তলিয়ে যাচ্ছি হতাশার অতল গহ্বরে। তবু আমি আশা করবো, রাতের অন্ধকারে যেমন নতুন সূর্যোদয় হয়, তেমনি দেশ ও জাতির সমস্ত গ্লানি আর হতাশাকে দূর করতে তোমরা সত্য ও ন্যায়ের পথ ধরে এগিয়ে যাবে”।

          খুক খুক করে কে যেন হাসল পেছনে। সৌগত পেছনে তাকাল। ওর সঙ্গে চোখাচোখি হতেই ছেলেটা সৌগতকে বলল, “শুনছিস বুড়োর আদর্শের কচকচানি! এবার বন্ধ করতে বললে হয়। সাংস্কৃতিক অনুষ্ঠান কখন শুরু হবে? এলাম গান শুনতে, আর ব্যাটার উপদেশ শুনতে শুনতে কান ঝালাপালা”। সৌগতর চোখ দু’টো ঘৃণায় কুচকে এল। মুখ ফিরিয়ে নিল সে। এই ছেলেটা অঙ্কে ফেল করেছিল। তার বাবা-মাকে নিয়ে এসে সে এই কয়েকদিন আগে হেডস্যারের হাতে পায়ে ধরে মুচলেকা দিয়ে তবে পরীক্ষা দেবার জন্য নির্বাচিত হয়েছে। মনটা খারাপ হয়ে গেল। পাশ থেকে খোঁচা দিল অরূপ, “এই সৌগত। এত মন খারাপ করে আছিস কেন? বিদায়তো আমরাও নিচ্ছি। তুই সবসময়ই যেন কেমন। সবকিছুতে বেশি বেশি সিরিয়াস”। সত্যিই তাই, সৌগত সবকিছুতে ছোটবেলা থেকে সিরিয়াস। যেদিন থেকে মা তাকে হাত ধরে পড়তে শিখিয়েছে সেদিন থেকে সৌগত পড়াশোনাকে ধ্যান জ্ঞান করেছে। ক্লাসে ফার্স্ট হয়েছে। স্কুলে শিক্ষকরা তাকে সবচেয়ে বেশি স্নেহ করেন। কারণ সৌগত কখনো মিথ্যে বলে না, কারো সঙ্গে ঝগড়া, মারামারি কোনকিছুতে নেই। সবাই আশা করছে এবার এসএসসিতে সৌগত খুব ভাল রেজাল্ট করবে। বোর্ডে পজিশান থাকবে। সৌগতর অনেক স্বপ্ন।           অনুষ্ঠান প্রায় শেষ। একদল ছাত্র সমবেত কন্ঠে গাইছে - “জয় হোক সত্যের জয় হোক, সাম্যের জয় হোক ...”। কী অপূর্ব সুন্দর কথাগুলো। সৌগত নিজের মনে গুনগুন করলো¾ জয় হোক, জয় হোক।

          বাড়ি ফিরেই মনটা খারাপ হয়ে গেল সৌগতর। আজ মা থাকলে এই বই, ফুল আর অভিনন্দন পত্র দেখে কত খুশিই না হতো। কপালে চুমু খেয়ে বলত¾ এত বড় হয়ে গেছে আমার সৌগত! মায়ের কথা মনে হতে বুকটা টন্ টন্‌ করে ওঠে। বালিশে মুখ গুঁজে ফুঁপিয়ে কেঁদে ওঠে সে¾ মা, মাগো তুমি কোথায়? তুমি কি জানো আর দু’দিন পরে তোমার সৌগতর এসএসসি পরীক্ষা। তুমি বলতে,  আমি অনেক বড় হবো। মানুষের ভালোর জন্য অনেক কাজ করবো। বলতে¾ সৌগত, আমাদের দেশটা বড় গরিব, মানুষগুলো আরো। এদের ভালো করার জন্য তোকে খুব বড় বিজ্ঞানী হতে হবে। বলতে¾ এমন ফলন আবিষ্কার করবি যাতে এ দেশের খেতে না পাওয়া মানুষগুলোর ক্ষুধার কষ্ট দূর হয়। মা, আমি তো মাত্র একটা ধাপ শেষ করতে যাচ্ছি। তার আগেই কেন তুমি চলে গেলে মা?

          সৌগতর মনে পড়ল, গতবছর হঠাৎ করে মা অসুস্থ হয়ে পড়লে কোন ডাক্তারই রোগ ধরতে পারছিল না। বাবা ডাক্তারদের বোর্ড বসিয়েছিল। অনেক পরীক্ষা নিরীক্ষার পর ডাক্তাররা বলেছিল, মায়ের ক্যান্সার হয়েছে। মা বুঝতে পেরেছিল আয়ু আর বেশিদিন নেই। সৌগতকে একদম কাছছাড়া করতে চাইত না মা। মায়ের সুন্দর মুখটা শুকিয়ে দিনে দিনে এমন হাড্ডিসার হয়েছিল যে সৌগত তাকাতে পারত না। তবু মা তাকে পাশে ডেকে কত গল্প বলত। নিজের ছোটবেলার গল্প, বাবা-মায়ের কথা, স্কুল-কলেজ জীবনের কত কথা। মাঝে মাঝে বলতো¾ আমি মরে গেলেও তোর মধ্য দিয়ে বেঁচে থাকবো। তুই অনেক বড় হবি। তখন সবাই বলবে¾ সৌগত কার ছেলে। আমি কি এমনি এমনি তোর নাম রেখেছি!

          পিঠে হাতের স্পর্শ পেয়ে বুঝতে পারল বাবা অফিস থেকে ফিরেছেন। বালিশে মুখ গুঁজে স্থির হয়ে রইল সে। এখন বাবা তার চোখ দেখে বুঝতে পারবেন সৌগত কাঁদছিল। বাবার আরো কষ্ট হবে। মায়ের মৃত্যুর পর সৌগতকে বুকে করে আগলে রেখেছেন। যেন কিছুতেই তাকে দুঃখ পেতে দেবেন না। তবু মায়ের জন্য কষ্ট না হয়ে যায় না। কারণে অকারণে কেবলই বাষ্প জমে ওঠে।        

          ¾ ওঠো, খাবে চল।

          বাবা ডাকলেন। বাবার সঙ্গে খেতে বসে পাশে টিপয়ের উপর রাখা খবরের কাগজটার দিকে চোখ পড়ল সৌগতর। প্রথম পৃষ্ঠাতেই বেশ বড় বড় করে লিখেছে, “বেসরকারি স্কুলের শিক্ষক ধর্মঘট”। অভিভাবকরা সরকারের কাছে আবেদন করেছে শিক্ষকদের দাবী দাওয়া মেনে নিতে। অনেকদিন  থেকেই শিক্ষকরা ধর্মঘট করছেন। সৌগতর মনে প্রশ্ন দেখা দিল, তাহলে কি শিক্ষকদের দাবী অযৌক্তিক? আর যদি যৌক্তিক হয় তাহলে সরকার কেন মানবে না?

          এ জটিলতা এখনও সৌগত বুঝতে পারে না। তবু তার ক্ষুদ্র বুদ্ধি দিয়ে বুঝেছে, এদেশে শিক্ষকরা ভাল নেই। পড়াশোনা থেকে জেনেছে আসলে কোনদিনই ভাল ছিল না। অথচ বড়রা সবসময় বলে, শিক্ষকরাও বলেন¾ শিক্ষাই জাতির মেরুদন্ড। কিন্তু এখন আমাদের কী হবে? শিক্ষকরা ধর্মঘট চালিয়ে গেলে পরীক্ষায় নিশ্চয় বিশৃঙ্খলা হবে। এমনিতেই পরীক্ষায় দুর্নীতি বাংলাদেশে ডাল-ভাত হয়ে গেছে। আবার হেডস্যারের কথাগুলো কানে বাজল সৌগতর¾ “সকল অন্যায় আর অসত্যকে পদাঘাত করে তোমরা এগিয়ে যাবে”।

          মায়ের কথা মনে হলো। অসুখে শুয়ে শুয়ে মা গল্প করছিল তার এইচএসসি পরীক্ষার কথা। দেশ তখন মাত্র স্বাধীন হয়েছে। মা ’৭১ সালের পরীক্ষার্থী ছিল। কিন্তু মুক্তিযুদ্ধের বছর পরীক্ষা নেয়া হলেও বেশির ভাগ ছাত্রছাত্রী পরীক্ষা দেয়নি। মা বলেছিল¾ “বুঝেছিস, তখন এমন অবস্থা যে পাকসেনাদের ভয়ে বাবা-মায়েরা পারলে আমাদেরকে ইব্রাহিমের মত মাটির নিচে লুকিয়ে রাখে। স্বাধীনতার পর সে কী অবস্থা। সবাই স্বাধীনতাকে তুচ্ছ করে ফেলল। স্বাধীনতা হয়ে দাঁড়াল পরীক্ষায় নকল করার স্বাধীনতা, স্বেচ্ছাচারের স্বাধীনতা। সবাই পরীক্ষার হলে বই-খাতা খুলে লিখছে। ছাত্ররা শিক্ষকদের হুমকি দিচ্ছে, নকল ধরলে জান শেষ। শেষে এমন দাঁড়ালো, যারা লেখাপড়া প্রায় ভুলে গিয়েছে, যারা জীবনে কোনদিন মাধ্যমিক স্তরের বই ছুঁয়ে দেখেনি তারাও পরীক্ষা দিতে বসে গেল। চারিদিকে কী একটা হতাশ অবস্থা। তারপর বুঝলি সৌগত, পাশতো করলাম, কিন্তু দাম নেই। সবাই বলে বাহাত্তুরে পাশ”।

          কিন্তু সৌগত জানে এই বাহাত্তুরে পাশকে মিথ্যে করার জন্য মা আরো পড়াশোনা করেছিল, পাশ করেছিল। পড়তে খুব ভালবাসত মা।

          ¾  আমি একটু কাজে যাচ্ছি-

          বাবার কথায় সম্বিত ফিরে পেল সৌগত। আজ সকাল থেকেই তাকে ভাবনায় পেয়েছে। কত কী যে মনে আসছে। বাবা কাছে এসে মাথায় হাত বুলিয়ে দিলেন, “শোন, এখন আর বেশি পড়াশোনার দরকার নেই। রিভিশান দাও। বিশ্রাম কর। শরীর যেন ভাল থাকে। পরীক্ষার সময় শরীর ভাল থাকাটাই সব”।

          বাবা বাইরে যেতে ছাদে উঠে এল সৌগত। চারদিকে বিকেল নেমে এসেছে। কিন্তু এত সুন্দর বিকেল, নরম রোদ কোন কিছুই আজ তার বিষন্নতা দূর করতে পারছে না। তবু কিছুক্ষণ ছাদে পায়চারি করল সে। টবের গাছগুলোকে নেড়ে চেড়ে দেখল। দূরের অস্তাচলের দিকে চেয়ে থাকল কিছুক্ষণ।

          পড়ার টেবিলে বসতেই সৌগতর মনে হলো কেউ যেন তার পাশের জানালায় টোকা দিচ্ছে।

          ¾ কে? সন্দিগ্ধ গলায় প্রশ্ন করল সৌগত।

          ¾ আমি অরূপ, দরজাটা খোল।

          সৌগত অবাক হয়ে গেল। কাল বাদে পরশু পরীক্ষা। আজ সন্ধ্যায় অরূপ কেন? সৌগত দরজাটা খুলতেই এক লাফে ঘরে চলে এল অরূপ। চারদিকে কেমন সন্দেহের চোখে দেখে ফিসফিসিয়ে জিজ্ঞেস করল,

          ¾ তোর বাবা কোথায়?

          ¾ বাইরে।

          ¾ বাসায় আর কেউ নেই?

          ¾ রাবেয়ার মা। রান্নাঘরে কাজ করছে।

          ¾ তাহলে দরজা বন্ধ করে দে।

          সৌগত লক্ষ্য করল অরূপ যেন খুব উত্তেজিত।

          ¾ কী ব্যাপার? কেন এসেছিস?

          ¾ আস্তে। দেয়ালেরও কান আছে।

          ফিসফিসিয়ে বলল অরূপ। সৌগত অনুভব করল, অরূপের উত্তেজনা যেন তার মধ্যেও সংক্রামিত হচ্ছে।

          ¾ প্রশ্ন পেয়েছি!

          ¾ কী!

          ¾ প্রশ্ন। এসএসসি’র বোর্ডের প্রশ্ন আউট হয়েছে।

          সৌগতর পা থেকে মাথা পর্যন্ত ঝিম ঝিম করে উঠল।

          ¾ কী বলছিস?

          ¾ হ্যাঁ, ঠিক বলছি। এসএসসি’র প্রশ্ন। আমার চাচাত ভাই অনেক টাকা দিয়ে কিনে এনেছে।

          ¾ আমার কাছে কেন এসেছিস?

          কন্ঠস্বরে রাগ সৌগতর।

          ¾ তুই ফার্স্টবয়। ভাবলাম প্রশ্নটা পেলে তোর জন্য আরো ভালো হবে। আমিও তোর সাথে ডিসকাস করে উত্তরগুলো আরো ভালো করে বুঝে নেব। তোরও ভাল হবে, আমারও।

          তাই তো। এই কথাটি এতক্ষণ সৌগতর মাথায় আসেনি।

          ¾ কিন্তু টাকা দিতে হবে সৌগত। আমার ভাই অনেক টাকা দিয়ে কিনেছে। আমি ওকে বলেছি, কোন চিন্তা নেই। তুই আর আমি ফিফ্‌টি ফিফ্‌টি দেব। চাই কি অন্যদের কাছে বিক্রি করে কিছু পয়সাও পাবো। পরীক্ষার পর তাহলে বেশ মজা হবে।

          সৌগতর ভেতরে তোলপাড় চলছে। এসএসসি পরীক্ষার প্রশ্ন! নির্দিষ্ট প্রশ্নগুলো ভাল করে পড়লে রেজাল্ট নিশ্চিত ভাল হবে। কিন্তু মা, হেডস্যার¾ হেডস্যারের কথাগুলো কানে বাজছে। মা! মা যেন কানের কাছে বলছেন¾ “সৌগত, ছুঁবি না। কক্ষনো হাতে নিবি না। পাপ¾ সব শেষ হয়ে যাবে, তোর স্বপ্ন, আমার কল্পনা, সৌগত, সৌগত¾”। সৌগতর মনে হলো সে যেন গভীর অরণ্যে পথ হারিয়ে ফেলেছে আর মা তাকে কেঁদে কেঁদে খুঁজে ফিরছে। এক মুহূর্তে নিজেকে দৃঢ় করলো সৌগত।

          ¾ অরূপ, চলে যা তুই।

          ¾ সৌগত!

          ¾ আর এক মুহূর্ত নয়। আমি এসবে নেই। তুই হেড স্যারের কথা ভুলে গেছিস?

          অবাক হয়ে সৌগতর দিকে কিছুক্ষণ চেয়ে থাকে অরূপ। সৌগতর চোখে যেন আগুন জ্বলছে। নিজেকে খুব ছোট মনে হল অরূপের। অরূপও ভালো ছাত্র। ভাল প্রস্তুতি নিয়েছে। কিন্তু সে কেন সৌগতর মত হল না! কেন সে ভাবতে গেল এতেই বেশি লাভ!

          ¾ আমাকে মাফ করে দে ভাই। কেন যে মিথ্যের পেছনে ছুটতে গেলাম। আসলে প্রশ্ন পেয়ে আমি সত্য-মিথ্যা ন্যায়-অন্যায় সব কিছু ভুলে গেছি।

          ¾ তাহলে এক্ষুনি বাড়ি যা। ওগুলো পুড়িয়ে ফেল। তারপর পড়তে বস। আর প্রতিজ্ঞা করবি ¾ আর কক্ষনো এমন কাজ করবি না। এ অন্যায় অরূপ।

          অরূপ চলে যেতেই দরজাটা বন্ধ করে দিয়ে পড়ার টেবিলে বসল সৌগত। মনের ভিতর যেন স্বর্গীয় আনন্দ। সে আনন্দ ছড়িয়ে পড়ছে শিরায় শিরায়। এই প্রথম সৌগত অনুভব করল তার সারাদিনের বিষন্নতাটা কেটে গেছে।

¾ ‘আমি অন্যায়কে পরাজিত করেছি মা’ - সৌগতর দু’চোখে আনন্দের বন্যা। মনের ভিতর গুন গুন করছে সেই সুর¾ জয় হোক, সত্যের জয় হোক।

_________________

R. K. Narayan's 'The Grandmother's Tale'

There are many Indian authors in English literature. Several of their books sell hundreds of thousands of copies within weeks of publication. However, the one who seems the most distinctive among them is R.K. Narayan. I can't say I've read a lot of literature, let alone English literature. How could I, when I need to flip through an English-to-Bengali dictionary several times just to get through a single page! Even so, somehow, I’ve managed to read some of R.K. Narayan’s books.

R. K. Narayan

From October 10, 1906, to May 13, 2001—a nearly 95-year-long life—R.K. Narayan lived an extraordinary journey. His full name is very long - Rashipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Narayanaswami. He was born in Madras, the son of a headmaster. However, his childhood was spent with his maternal grandmother, Parvati.

In 1930, at the age of 24, he wrote his first novel, Swami and Friends. It was in this book that he created the fictional town of Malgudi, which would go on to become the central setting for all his subsequent novels. His final book, Grandmother's Tale, was published in 1993. Spanning from 1930 to 1993, his literary career lasted an impressive 63 years.

Interestingly, no publisher was willing to publish his first book initially. The manuscript, sent to a friend in England to convince publishers, faced multiple rejections. Frustrated, Narayan once asked his friend to tie the manuscript to a stone and throw it into the Thames River. Fortunately, that didn't happen. Eventually, Swami and Friends was published, marking the beginning of a prolific career that saw the publication of numerous novels and short stories.

It is said that R.K. Narayan's name was proposed several times for the Nobel Prize in Literature. However, the list of Nobel Prize nominations published up to 1970 does not include his name. While he never received the Nobel Prize, his works once enjoyed immense popularity among readers.

One of the defining characteristics of his stories and novels is that love and romance are never the central themes. Toward the end of his life, he wrote about the grandmother with whom he spent his childhood—this became the subject of his very last story. Today, I’ll share that story with you.

(a) First Story: The Grandmother's Tale

In this story, R.K. Narayan narrates some incidents from the lives of his grandmother's parents, as told by his grandmother. This is the same grandmother with whom Narayan spent his childhood. When Narayan was just three years old, he began living with his grandmother in Madras, as his mother was busy in Bangalore with his younger siblings.

His grandmother's mother was named Bala. Bala was married at the age of eight to Viswanath, who was thirteen at the time. According to the customs of that era, the bride would remain at her parents’ home until she reached adulthood. During this time, Bala and Viswanath barely got to know each other. Viswanath would sometimes try to secretly meet Bala but couldn’t make much of an impression.

One day, without informing anyone, Viswanath suddenly disappeared. No one could find him anywhere. Rumours began to spread in the village, and people started saying that Bala had become a widow.

Years passed, and Bala grew into a young woman. The rumours in the village intensified. Finally, one day, Bala decided to set out on her own to search for her husband. She travelled far and wide, spending years on the road. Eventually, her journey led her to Pune, where she finally found Viswanath.

By then, Viswanath had established himself as a successful diamond merchant in Pune. He was also married to a woman named Surma. Despite these circumstances, Bala used various means to persuade Viswanath to return to their village with her.

Nearly fifteen years after his disappearance, Viswanath returned to the village with Bala. However, upon their arrival, they discovered that even their ancestral home had been lost.

A new chapter began for Viswanath and Bala. In another city, they started a new business and gradually rebuilt their lives. Over time, they had a family—two daughters and a son. (One of the daughters would later become the grandmother of the author.)

Their son became a doctor and lived independently, achieving considerable success. He married into a wealthy family, and Bala passed away peacefully after witnessing her son's prosperity. However, after her death, Viswanath was left alone with no one to care for him. Eventually, his son took him to live in his own home.

Initially, the son tried to make his father happy by handing him some money from his earnings. This made Viswanath very pleased, and he would proudly call his daughter-in-law to give her the money with his own hands, feeling a sense of importance.

However, as time went on, things began to change. The son's responsibilities and workload grew, and the arrangement shifted—now the son's earnings went directly to his wife. This deeply hurt Viswanath, making him feel unwanted and unnecessary.

One day, without informing anyone, Viswanath quietly left his son's home and returned to their ancestral village.

In the village, 75-year-old Viswanath shocked everyone by marrying the young daughter of a servant. In his mind, this was a way of teaching his son and daughter-in-law a lesson. However, his satisfaction was short-lived.

Viswanath’s new wife and her mother soon began pressuring him to transfer all his assets to their names. But Viswanath refused to sign any such documents. Frustrated, his mother-in-law secretly obtained poison from a village healer and mixed it into his food. Viswanath was poisoned, and his death was announced as natural. The mother-in-law even sent word to Viswanath’s son, claiming that he had passed away peacefully.

And with this, the grandmother's story comes to an end. A simple, familiar tale, yet it feels profoundly real because it is drawn straight from life itself.

(b) Second Story: The Guru

This is the story of Gurumurthy, a selfish and miserly man. From a young age, he struggled his way into securing a job as a revenue officer (tahsildar). He considered taking bribes to be his moral duty and performed this duty with unwavering dedication.

Gurumurthy had two daughters, and his primary concern was how to marry them off without incurring any expenses. Using flowery words and false promises, he managed to get them married but never fulfilled any of the promises afterward. Instead, he preached lofty ideals about opposing dowries. When it came time to see his elder daughter off at the station, he shed many tears but slyly made her pay for his return ticket.

In the name of cutting costs, Gurumurthy gradually stopped serving tea, coffee, and even sugar at home. However, his life took a sharp turn when he lost his job due to corruption charges. With no source of income, he lamented not having a son whose earnings he could live off. To remedy this, he adopted his brother's son, hoping to secure a caretaker for his old age.

This decision annoyed Gurumurthy’s wife so much that she left to live with their daughters. Gurumurthy felt relieved at her departure. Soon after, the adopted son, fed up with Gurumurthy’s ways, returned to his biological parents, which delighted Gurumurthy even more.

However, one day, Gurumurthy discovered that all his property would legally go to the adopted son after his death. This revelation upset him greatly. The thought of someone else enjoying the fruits of his hard-earned wealth was unbearable to him. Determined to thwart this outcome, Gurumurthy devised a peculiar plan—he resolved never to let anyone know about his death.

Once again, this story feels like a reflection of familiar characters from real life. It is satire in its purest form, highlighting human folly, selfishness, and the absurdity of misplaced priorities with humour and irony.

(c) Third Story: Salt and Dust

Swami and Beena were a married couple, childless but genuinely kind-hearted. Beena was highly educated, holding a degree in English, while Swami was not as well-versed in academics. This created a unique dynamic where Swami both feared and respected Beena, while also deeply loving her.

Beena, however, was utterly clueless about household chores, including cooking. Apart from reading and writing, she could not manage anything else. As a result, Swami took care of everything—from cooking to clerical tasks at home.

Beena harboured a dream of becoming a writer and began working on a novel. After writing a portion, she would read it aloud to Swami.

The protagonist of her novel was a dentist who fell in love with one of his patients—a woman with no teeth. The dentist became enamoured with the sight of her gaping mouth.

Swami, with his strong sense of practicality, couldn’t hold back and commented, “That’s impossible. Why would a dentist fall in love with someone who has no teeth?”

Beena was furious at this remark. “What if I had no teeth? Wouldn’t you love me then? Is your love only about teeth?” she sobbed dramatically. Swami consoled her patiently, calming her down.

Despite her far-fetched imagination, Swami supported Beena wholeheartedly. He helped her refine her story, contributing suggestions to make it more grounded. Finally, Beena completed her novel.

When the time came to publish it, a particular scene describing the wedding feast of the protagonists caught the attention of a publisher. Swami had expanded this section, adding elaborate details of the dishes and their recipes to make it realistic.

The publisher agreed to publish Beena’s work—not as a novel, but as a cookbook, omitting the story entirely. Unexpectedly, the cookbook became a massive success, and Beena gained fame as “Chef Beena,” a celebrated cookbook author.

This delightful story humorously illustrates the unpredictability of success and the quirks of ambition, blending irony and affection in equal measure.

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Bangla Version of this Article: আর কে নারায়ণ-এর 'দিদিমার গল্প এবং অন্যান্য'

© Pradip Deb

Chetan Bhagat's Thriller '400 Days'

 

Among the Indian authors who have gained popularity by writing novels in English, Chetan Bhagat is one of the most notable. In fact, calling him just "one of the most notable" would be an understatement, as all of his novels have been highly popular with readers. The primary metric for judging how well a book is liked by its readers is the number of copies sold. Each of Chetan Bhagat's books sells over a million copies. That’s just for the original English editions. In addition, his books have been translated—both legally and illegally—into several other languages. Legal translations are those authorized by the author and/or the original publisher, while illegal translations are made without their knowledge or consent.

Chetan Bhagat

Why do so many people enjoy Chetan Bhagat's writing? What is the literary value of his work? These questions are not easy to answer because evaluating the quality of stories and novels is subjective. Different people have different reasons for liking a piece of writing. Even the works of Nobel Prize-winning authors are not guaranteed to appeal to everyone.

Each of R.K. Narayan's novels is timeless, but they are not as popular in the same way. Chetan Bhagat, on the other hand, understands very well how to achieve mass appeal. His writing style, the way he describes events, and his dialogues often make readers feel like they are reading a movie, not a book. He promotes his books much like movie advertisements, creating hype before their release.

All of Chetan Bhagat's books have been or are being adapted into films. He himself writes screenplays for movies. Although the famous Aamir Khan-starring movie Three Idiots was based on his first book, Five Point Someone, Chetan Bhagat did not receive due recognition for it. Since then, he has been more cautious and remains directly involved in the screenplay-writing process.

The target audience of his novels is the English-speaking young upper-middle-class and upper-class readers. His stories, narratives, and dialogues often revolve around modern romance, sexuality, and the everyday challenges faced by young Indians.

Chetan Bhagat’s latest three books are direct thrillers. The Girl in Room 105, One Arranged Murder, and 400 Days all fall under the thriller genre. In these books, Keshav and Saurabh, two amateur detectives and close friends, unravel complex mysteries. The stories progress through Keshav’s narration.

The plot of 400 Days revolves around the abduction of a twelve-year-old girl. Alia and Manish’s daughter Siya disappears at night from their secure family home. She had been sleeping in the same room as her younger sister Suhana and some cousins. However, by morning, Siya was gone, and no one knew where she was. Only five-year-old Suhana claimed that someone came during the night, showed a knife, and took Siya away. Being so young and half-asleep, Suhana couldn’t explain what she saw properly. Alia and Manish are extremely wealthy businesspeople with no shortage of resources or influence, yet the police and professional investigators failed to solve the case. It was assumed that Siya had been killed. While everyone else gave up, Siya’s mother Alia did not. Determined to find her daughter, Alia sought help from Keshav and Saurabh—primarily from Keshav, who also brought Saurabh into the case.

Chetan Bhagat’s style of detective fiction differs slightly from conventional approaches. The narrative includes detailed accounts of Alia and Manish’s love story, and eventually, Keshav and Alia also fall in love. Their romance isn’t the conservative, traditional Indian type; rather, it’s a bold, European-style relationship where physical intimacy takes precedence, often preceding emotional connection. There’s no hesitation about physical relationships in Bhagat’s characters, whether it’s the seventeen-year-old middle-class Alia from Five Point Someone or the thirty-year-old homemaker Alia in 400 Days.

That said, some conventional elements of detective fiction remain intact. Nobody is beyond suspicion, and in the end, the least suspected person turns out to be the culprit. However, the Indian police are portrayed as so incompetent that one wonders how they solve real-life problems at all.

The biggest strength of Chetan Bhagat’s writing is its ability to captivate readers. Beyond that, there doesn’t seem to be any groundbreaking reason for its appeal. 400 Days isn’t particularly unique, nor does the mystery stand out as extraordinary. However, Bhagat’s language is excellent—there’s no unnecessary verbosity, and his sense of humour is remarkable.

If one judges the story itself, it raises the question: has there been a decline in good detective fiction?

17/5/2022

___________

© Pradip Deb

Ranjana Srivastava’s “Dying for a Chat”

 

Dr. Ranjana Srivastava, a renowned cancer specialist from Australia, has pursued her education in India, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia. She earned her medical degree with first-class honors from Monash University. In 2004, she received a Fulbright Scholarship to study at the University of Chicago. Upon her return, she joined Melbourne's public hospital system. She is a cancer specialist.

Dr Ranjana Srivastava

Ranjana Srivastava's book Dying for a Chat: The Communication Breakdown Between Doctors and Patients reveals many unknown and insightful aspects of the healthcare system.

When a person grows old, the efforts to keep them alive often create a false sense of assurance in the beginning. Eventually, this leads to a sense of despair. By 2050, the average life expectancy in Australia is projected to increase to 92 years for men and 95 years for women. In this way, a significant portion of Australia's population will become elderly and unwell. The prevalence of diabetes will increase by 200%, and the number of dementia patients will rise at a similar rate. Stomach-related illnesses will grow by 50%, and cancer cases will surge by 75%. The mortality rate from bowel cancer will double. Over a longer lifespan, individuals will suffer from a significantly greater number of illnesses.

Since family bonds in this country are very loose, and people are increasingly isolated, the elderly will hardly have anyone by their side—apart from doctors and nurses.

Even now, there are numerous complaints about Australia's healthcare system. Patients' families are raising concerns about nursing waitlists, food quality, and medical care—especially when the patient does not recover. Yet, Australia's healthcare system remains one of the most advanced in the world.

Here, there are excellent arrangements to take care of everything from birth to death. The rates of infant and maternal mortality are among the lowest in the world. There is a robust vaccination system for children, and medicines are readily available when needed.

However, the problem arises when the elderly require integrated healthcare, as it is often difficult to access everything in one place.

What does it mean to follow best practices?

Many doctors are compelled to prescribe antibiotics unnecessarily due to pressure from patients. Many patients set their own ideal blood pressure levels based on their preferences. "I'm not experiencing any discomfort, so 120/180 is normal for me."

There needs to be a common ground where both the doctor and the patient can reach a mutual understanding. The doctor should have a thorough knowledge of the disease and treatment, but the patient knows how they feel and what they can tolerate.

Australia produces around 3,000 doctors each year. Most of them prefer to live in cities, and there is intense competition among them. As a result, everyone wants to become a specialist because it offers higher pay. What happens then is that specialists make a lot, but the patients gain very little. As a result, a single patient often needs 10-12 different specialists for treatment.

In large hospitals, when admitted, separate specialists are consulted for each issue. A cardiologist for heart problems, an endocrinologist for diabetes, a nephrologist for kidney issues, a neurologist for neuropathy, a geriatrician for dementia, a psychiatrist, and many more. However, none of them communicate with each other. Each one gives their consultation independently, at their own time.

Dr. Ranjana Srivastava believes that, instead of having so many specialists, most people would benefit more from a general practitioner (GP) who listens to the patient and offers comprehensive treatment advice.

This is a very important book, easy to read and very well written. 

A J Jacobs's 'Thanks a Thousand'

 

The culture of saying "thank you" at every turn is not inherently ours—it's not a part of Bengali culture. From childhood, we have been taught politeness. We never address elders by their names, whether they are relatives or not. Instead, we show respect by adding titles like Bhai (brother), Apa (sister), Chacha (uncle), Chachi (aunt), Khala (maternal aunt), Khalu (maternal uncle), Uncle, etc., to their names. Of course, if someone is very famous, that's a different matter. For instance, we refer to Rabindranath Tagore as Rabindranath, not as Rabindrada or Rabindrajethu.

Despite our emphasis on politeness, we don't tend to say "thank you" very often. While saying "thank you" in English feels natural, the Bengali word dhanyabad somehow hasn't become instinctive for us. Perhaps that's why we don't use it much.

In English-speaking cultures, however, "thank you" is probably one of the most frequently used phrases. There's a habit of saying "thank you" at every turn. But how much of this gratitude is sincere, and how much of it is simply habitual?

A J Jacobs

Author A.J. Jacobs is an exceptional writer. He writes a book every couple of years, but his books are not only laugh-out-loud funny but also provoke deep thought. Each of his books is a unique project. For instance, he read every single volume of the Encyclopaedia Britannica and wrote a book based on that experience. To write about the Bible, he spent a year living as a pastor. Every book he has written stems from personal experiments and observations. His book, Thanks a Thousand, is based on his "gratitude project."

Happiness doesn’t lead to gratitude; rather, gratitude leads to happiness. Jacobs is not religious—he is a skeptic. Religious people often thank their creator through prayer for everything. Jacobs doesn’t have that option. Religious individuals tend to overlook the actual people doing the work—especially when the outcome is favorable—and instead thank an unseen deity. However, when the outcome is unfavorable, they often blame other people.

To express genuine gratitude, Jacobs decided to start with the cup of coffee he gets every morning from a shop. He resolved to thank not only the person serving him coffee but also every individual involved in getting that single cup of coffee into his hands.

The journey of gratitude begins at the coffee shop. After thanking the woman who made the coffee, Jacobs thanks the coffee supplier. He learns about the coffee tasters who ensure its flavor, a process handled by specialized professionals. Jacobs speaks with them. He also visits the warehouses and learns about the trained workers managing storage and logistics. He talks to them as well and expresses his thanks to each one.

The coffee cup is something we use once and discard without a second thought about the engineering skills involved in its creation. It’s part of a massive supply chain business. The coffee cup is a specialized item—it retains heat, keeps the outside cool, and ensures the coffee inside stays warm. Its lid is meticulously designed to prevent spills while drinking. Jacobs visited the team behind this engineering marvel and thanked them personally.

The coffee beans came from Colombia, so Jacobs traveled there to meet the coffee farmers. He personally thanked them for their contributions as well.

Thanks a Thousand is literally a book about thanking more than a thousand people. At the end of the book, Jacobs includes the names of all the people he personally thanked—those who contribute to his single cup of morning coffee.

The book was published by TED in collaboration with Simon & Schuster. TED’s books are known for their excellence in every aspect, and this one is no exception.

Jacobs also delivered a TED Talk about this book, which can be viewed on YouTube.

I Hate Men – A Proud Cultivation of Hatred

 

Book: I Hate Men

Writer: Pauline Harmange

English translation from Frence: Natasha Lehrer

Publisher: 4th State London

Year: 2020, 2022. 

Total page: 99

++++++++++

I had never heard of the young French radical feminist writer Pauline Harmange. Of course, it’s not surprising that I hadn’t heard of her. While I keep a modest interest in feminist thinkers, I have no particular interest in radical feminists. Like socialism, devotionalism, or rationalism, all aimed at establishing certain principles or ideals, feminism too has many valuable aspects. However, the moment any ideology becomes radicalized—no matter how noble it may be—I feel inclined to distance myself from it.

I was quite surprised by the title of the book I Hate Men, which is why I ended up buying it. Feminists have written many books filled with insults directed at men. For instance, Dale Diana Schwarz has an extremely scornful book titled All Men Are Jerks, though even that shows a bit of leniency with a disclaimer marked by a star: "...until proven otherwise." However, no book has ever been so direct in its hatred of the entire male gender as I Hate Men. Even after scouring Amazon, I couldn’t find another book like it.

It’s widely acknowledged and established that men have imposed a deeply painful and oppressive system upon women. Yet, men have not written a book titled I Hate Women so far. In that regard, I Hate Men is undoubtedly a trailblazer.

There’s a saying often whispered in romantic hearts: “On the other side of hatred lies love.” I, too, believed that this book, despite being tightly woven with hatred, might, in some corner, offer a faint glimpse of love for those deserving of it. But no, the author makes it abundantly clear on the third page of the book itself: “I hate men. All of them, really? Yes, the whole lot of them. By default, I have very little respect for any of them.”

The author herself admits that she is bisexual and is married to a man, living together as husband and wife. By her own admission, it’s clear that she hates her male spouse as well. She hates him, yet doesn’t leave him. At the same time, she also has romantic or sexual relationships with one or more women. With this patchwork of relationships, she passionately pours out hatred toward all men in the world. And what’s her argument? The entire book doesn’t present a single new argument that feminists haven’t already used against men over the past century.

The book isn’t very long—just ninety pages, and even that is printed in the format of a small booklet by the renowned London-based publisher Fourth Estate. If it were printed in a standard book format, it wouldn’t exceed fifty pages.

In this book, the author places significant emphasis on establishing misandry—hatred of men—akin to misogyny, or hatred of women. While she expresses her hatred for men, she clearly states: “We don’t injure or kill men, we don’t prevent them from getting a job or following whatever their passion is, or dressing as they wish, or walking down the street after dark, or expressing themselves however they see fit.” (Page 38). In other words, this hatred is entirely non-violent. She does not physically harm or kill men, obstruct their careers, hinder their dreams, or interfere with their choices in clothing, behaviour, or speech. She simply harbours pure hatred.

But the question is—what will this accomplish? Will men change because of it? Even if they do change, won’t they remain the same “hated men”? What purpose does such hatred ultimately serve?

Workplace discrimination against women still exists in many areas. However, efforts to reduce this disparity are underway in many countries. In the author’s own country, France, such discrimination is far less pronounced compared to the patriarchal societies of many developing nations. Yet, without citing any specific statistics, she claims that the job market is entirely dominated by mediocre, underqualified white men. According to her, while women refrain from applying for jobs unless they feel fully qualified, white men shamelessly secure positions despite their incompetence.

To substantiate such claims, concrete data is essential—something entirely absent from this book.

The author believes that a woman’s love for a man, marriage, and mutual physical attraction—all of it—is a trap. However, she doesn’t question who set this trap. If nature itself laid the trap, does that make nature male as well? Drawing from Paul Dolan’s book Happy Ever After, the author argues that childless, single women are the happiest people on earth. But would all women agree with this claim?

Throughout the book, the author often presents her personal beliefs as universal truths. I don’t think this book contributes to feminism in any meaningful way. Instead, it seems more likely to alienate people from the movement.

We all know that hatred often attracts more attention than love. But such a reality can never be the desired reflection of a civilized society. Yet, over time, we’ve grown accustomed to this unintended outcome, to the point that our civilized brows no longer furrow as much as they should when we witness such things. Love, hatred, joy, sorrow, romance, jealousy, union, separation—these human emotions are the seeds, saplings, trees, and branches of relationships between people. The core element of literature is indeed human relationships. It’s not that hatred has no place in this; in any emotional society where love resides, hatred can also lurk in moments of tension. However, an outright public declaration of hatred towards a specific group of people is not acceptable in art, literature, or civilized society.

To accept a confident declaration of hatred towards an entire group of people—based solely on their identity—cannot be called tolerance, no matter how you spin it. But when someone takes the liberty of writing a book titled I Hate Men, clearly stating that all men are contemptible simply because they were born male, how can this be accepted? If we accept this, then would we also have to accept public expressions of hatred based on religion or race, should they arise in the future?

The provocative title of this book is, in fact, the measure of its commercial success. When the book was first published in French by a small publisher in 2020, only 450 copies were printed. The publisher would have been happy if those sold. But the real twist came from another direction. Upon seeing the controversial title, the French government’s Gender Equality Department raised objections. A notice was sent to the publisher stating that the title of the book was unacceptable. In France, it is difficult to outright ban a book, but the publisher knew that the more something is forbidden, the more people are drawn to it. So, he started promoting the idea that the book might be banned. That, in turn, increased its sales. The publisher printed 2,500 copies, and they sold out quickly.

This small publisher then handed the book over to a larger publisher, and it was translated into 18 languages, including English. Pauline Harmange, the author, became famous. Whether or not the content was substantial, the book succeeded by sparking an empty, sensational debate. This is exactly what happened here.