It was early in the morning. The sun was rising in the east. Birds were chirping around. Badal da opened his eyes and batted his eyelids to get accustomed to his surroundings.
He was lying on a bench in the garden. He slowly got up in the sitting position. It was a little cold outside. He yawned and shrugged his shoulders. He felt the pressure building up in his stomach.
He walked back home. The entrance door of his room was partly open. He went inside his room. When he was about to open the toilet door, he saw the broken partition door. He could not contemplate why the door was broken down.
He looked inside the hall. Tumpa and Babla's baggage were lying there on the floor. He searched the whole house. No one was there. First, he thought they all had gone. But immediately, he realized that they could not go leaving behind their belongings. They must have gone somewhere nearby, he thought.
The pressure was building up in his stomach. He entered the toilet and closed the door.
Soon he heard some footsteps outside. Then Tumpa’s voice came, “Aunty, where has he gone? I am so afraid he doesn’t do anything wrong with himself.”
In the room, Swati was searching for her purse. She picked up her phone and called a cab. Then she bolted the outer door of Badal da's room from inside. Tumpa was shivering with fear. Swati took her in her arms and tried to calm her down, "He will be fine. He will not do anything stupid, I hope. Babla has gone on the bike to look for him to the railway station. We will take a cab and go towards the river. We will find him soon. Gather your courage. We will find him out anyhow."
"If something happens to Papa, then I will never forgive myself. I did not take him seriously. He got hurt because of me. He always wanted us to come back. I made his life miserable. Please tell me, aunty, that nothing will happen to him," Tumpa was in tears. She was sobbing cynically.
Swati wiped the tears from Tumpa’s face with the end of her saree and started crying herself, “No-no, it is entirely my fault.”
Suddenly they stopped crying. They heard something - The sound of the flush in the toilet. They froze and started staring at the closed door. The door opened slowly, and Badal da came out. He stopped and looked at the two crying women.
For many moments no one spoke anything. Then Tumpa cried out, "Oh god Papa, where were you? We were so worried about you."
She ran towards him and clasped his wet hands. Swati wiped her tears and rang up Babla, “Come home Babla. He is here.”
Badal da looked emotionally settled. He said, "Why are you so worried? I felt a little suffocation inside the room. So I went out for a walk. But tell me who has broken down this partition door?"
Tumpa looked at Swati. Swati fired back, “Don’t you remember what you did last time?”
Badal da smiled and said, "If you went around the house and saw that the exit door of my room was left ajar, then you would have known that I had gone out. Now again, I have to repair the door."
He examined the broken door with remorse.
Swati blurted from behind, “Remove this door. There is no need to put a partition door in this house.”
Badal da realized that she was right. After she has gone, the partition door was not needed. He plucked the remains of the door hanging from the wall.
Swati did not stop. She shouted with anger, "Do you realize how you put people into trouble? Why did you lock the door from inside last night? The whole night you were visiting your favorite place toilet several times. Because of the sound of the flush, I could not sleep properly. And in the morning you never go for a walk. What made you decide for a morning walk today?"
Badal da was astounded. Swati could be this angry he did not know. He tried to explain, "Actually I was thinking the whole night. ….. I was preparing myself mentally for my future without the presence of any one of you. ......... Now no one has to bother about me. I can manage my life without you all. I know how to cook. I can spend my time gardening and keep myself fit by doing aerobics. Now I am fully prepared. All of you may leave my house."
“No one is going anywhere,” Swati declared, “Tumpa, take your baggage to the room and brush your teeth. We have to bring the house into order before the rehearsal team comes.”
"Hey, what is this? When I am ready to live alone, you are saying no one is going." Badal da complained.
“Tumi beshi bolo na (You don’t talk rubbish). Go and brush your teeth. I am preparing tea for all.” Swati said with authority.
She went inside the kitchen and quickly prepared tea for everyone. She served tea to them. In the meanwhile, Babla also came. Hearing that Badal da had gone out for a walk and fell asleep on the garden bench when they were looking for him in the entire colony, he started laughing.
Swati had taken charge of the house and looked like a different person. She instructed everybody to take a bath, have their breakfast and dress up appropriately. The housemaid had come and cleaned all the rooms. The house and the entire family were ready to receive the neighbors.
No one in the colony had any idea that last night, a storm swept across the house and cleared the mist over their minds. In spite of the sleepless night, their faces were glowing brightly with their internal happiness.
Only two days were left for the celebration to begin. The preparation was in full swing. In Swati's house, vocalists were practicing. In one house, dancers and in another house skit artists were practicing. Many were participating in more than one event. Tumpa practiced her Aarati with empty ‘dhunachi'.
After the gathering dispersed, Badal da and Swati also practiced the couple dance. Babla was given the responsibility to anchor the couple dance. He was one of the judges of the song and skit competitions.
The celebration started with splendor. Arati competition was the first. Tumpa enjoyed dancing after a long time, although she did not get any prize.
The days were full of activities. Everyone in the colony was in a festive mood. They participated with fervor and delight. Fun-filled moments passed so quickly that no one could realize how mornings ended in evenings and evenings into late nights. Except for the older people, hardly anyone could get proper sleep at night. Yet all looked so fresh and agile.
The couple dance was on the ‘Ashtami', and Badal da's special surprise appearance was on ‘Navami'. Every day when others were busy in the program, Badal da would sneak into his room, locked it from inside and practiced.
The couple dance was the highlight of the day. Everyone laughed heartily on Badal da's comic performance. Swati blushed when the crowd cheered and whistled at Badal da's dance steps that were bizarre jerky movements. The couple who danced on a love song very gracefully got the first prize.
Among the hustle and bustle, on the final day, the anchor called Badal da on stage for his surprise performance. Badal da appeared on the scene in his skin-tight T-shirt. People were eager to see what he was going to perform.
He started doing aerobics with the music. Slowly the music became faster and faster and Badal da's body moved in perfect harmony with the music. His movement looked more like the belly dance. The enthralled crowd cheered with excitement. They began jumping and whistling with his dance moves. He was dancing so gracefully that people were awestruck. They cheered and clapped on his every step.
When he ended his performance, there was a big uproar in the audience – once mere, once more, once more. Badal da was panting heavily with exertion. Full of appreciation and delight, Babla ran and embraced him. Others cheerfully gathered around him. They pushed each other to get an opportunity to congratulate and shake hands with him.
Standing amidst the crowd, Swati was looking at Badal da with appreciation and pride. When the ladies of the colony congratulated her for Badal da's superb performance, she thanked them generously. The whole environment was electrifying.
Tumpa was so happy that she held her father's hand, and danced around him.
The whole family was proud of him. Babla had recorded the dance on his mobile phone. He immediately sent the video to his friends in India and abroad.
That night at the dinner table, Swati put her hand on Badal da's shoulder while serving him mutton and rice. It went unnoticed by the children. Badal da looked at her from the corner of his eyes. She smiled back with glittering eyes.
The next day was the Vijaya Dashami. After the conclusion of the worship, ‘sindur khela’ (The vermillion game) started. Swati also participated in it wearing the traditional white saree with red borders. Vermillion was smeared all over her face, saree, and her conch shell, coral and iron bangles. When she came home, Badal da commented, "Do you know this ritual is performed only by the married women?"
She waved him off with an air of carelessness. Behind her, Tumpa entered the room. She had also played the vermillion game. She had overheard her Papa's comment and said, "Oh come on, Papa. Gone are the days when only married women performed this ritual. Now it is the symbol of universal bonding for all the women. Anyone can play sindur khela."
Babla added, “You are right. It is a break away from the patriarchal tradition.”
Badal da smiled at Swati and said, “These women have become very powerful these days. Soon patriarchy will be replaced by matriarchy. Joy Durga Maa."
It was time for the whole family to laugh and enjoy the moment. The memories of this celebration would linger in their minds for the entire year ahead. Both Tumpa and Babla promised that they would come every year in the ‘Puja’ vacation.
Badal da's belly dance video that Babla had sent to a few of his friends had become viral on WhatsApp groups. Three days after the Dashami, a team from the local Cable TV Channel came. He had become so popular that the local TV channel decided to air an exclusive program on Badal da's belly dance.
The news spread in the colony like a fire. The whole neighborhood flocked around Badal da's house when the team from the TV Channel arrived. The interviewer asked Badal da many questions about his personal life. Where did he get the inspiration from, when did he start practicing, who helped him improve his performance, was it his first public appearance and things like that.
Badal da was very excited at the very idea of coming on the TV. He said that Swati was the only person behind his success. In a lighter vein, he said that he learned dancing while dancing on her tunes.
Then they asked about Swati. Badal da could not answer who she was? Tumpa came to his rescue. She said, "She is our Maa and my father's companion. We are a family."
The interviewer asked Swati, “What do you have to say about your companion?”
"He is a liar," Swati said and laughed, "It is we who dance to his tunes. He throws such a tantrum that we have no choice but to agree to his whims. I asked him to go for a morning walk, but he never listened to me. He would close the door and play music loudly. We never knew he practiced aerobics. But we are proud that he dances so well."
Then they recorded an interview with Babla and Tumpa. Both said in unison that their father was the Best Father in the world. Finally, Badal da had to dance again in his drawing-room on the tune of a different song for recording purposes.
The colony management put up a big screen in the garden area, and all the residents of the colony collectively watched the program. There was repeat telecast of the program on many subsequent days. In a matter of days, Badal da became a celebrity. He was the talk of the town.
Those who knew him rang him up to congratulate. When he went to buy vegetables, people recognized him and shook hands with him. His morning walker friends once came in the morning and hugged him one by one with affection. They invited him to join them in the morning walk once again.
The family had a lovely time together. Time flew past, and one day it was time for the children to depart. They booked a cab for Ranchi airport. At the airport, Swati hugged Tumpa for a long time and Babla encircled his arm around Badal da's waist.
"Baba, it was the most memorable time with you. I am so happy that you adjusted your life according to the time. Now we will not have any guilt that we have left you alone. I promise you that I will call you every weekend."
“Me too,” said Tumpa, “I was not able to understand your emotions. But now I can understand how lonely you felt when we did not talk to you. I came here to give you company, though for a very short time. Now I am happy that I am not leaving behind an old man all alone. Aunty, please take care of my Papa, even when he sometimes behaves like a child.”
"No, I will not take care of him. Rather you ask him to look after me. We have to give him some responsibility. Otherwise, he will get spoilt."
Everyone started laughing. Before Babla and Tumpa entered the departure terminal, Swati held Tumpa's hand in hers and said, "Please take care of yourself and you too Babla. Call whenever you get time. We may deny, but the fact is that we are always worried about our children. ….. And don’t call me Aunty.”
Tumpa hugged her again and said, "Thank you, Maa."
Badal da said, "When you come next year, I want to see both of you with your spouses."
Both the children waved at them and entered the gate. Badal da was smiling, but Swati could not hold back her tears. She stealthily wiped her eyes. Badal da saw this, but he did not comment. Instead, he said, "All is well that ends well."
On the return journey, both were sitting in the back seat of the cab in a pensive mood. Badal da opened the discussion. He said, "They have promised to come every year during the Puja. In case by next year, if both of them get married and come with their spouses, I wonder how we will accommodate them in our house."
"That won't be a problem. Tumpa will stay in my room and Babla in his room."
“And what about you?”
"I will sleep in the drawing-room," she said and gave a shy smile.
"No-no," Badal da objected strongly, "You are the rightful resident, and you will sleep in the drawing-room? No, you will sleep in my room, and I will……..."
Swati started laughing hysterically. Badal da stopped his sentence in the middle. Then he too started smiling. When Swati controlled her laughter, Badal da whispered into her ears, “Do you snore while asleep?”
“How do I know?” She said smilingly.
Badal da’s hand crawled on the seat and touched her fingers. She did not remove her hand. Both of them were looking into each other’s eyes.
When the cab reached their house, it was still not dark. Badal da paid the cab driver, and he went away. Someone was impatiently waiting for them in the doorway.
Hemant was walking back and forth. The moment he saw Badal da, he rushed towards him and said, "Badol da, I found that pill. Here it is," he showed him the pills with glittering eyes.
Badal da smiled at him and said, “Sorry, it is too late Hemant, I have already found the magic pill.”
Badal da turned around and looked at Swati. Both of them smiled at each other with a meaningful gaze. He stretched out his right hand to Swati. She held the hand, and both entered the house. The door closed behind them.
Hemant stood there with puzzled eyes shifting his gaze from the pills in his hands to the closed door in front.
