Bitterness is evil.
Bitterness leaves a negative impression. Yet, in life, bitterness is necessary
too. It is a resident evil in all our lives that is so very indispensable. Just
as my disease, my amnesia, is trying to overcome my entire existence, a
bitterness often starts to cloud my mind. In such a situation, one incidence
flashed across my eyes and I wanted to note it down here in my journal.
Mr. Samir Mukherjee was
Baba’s college friend. He used to live in Kolkata along with his wife, Archana
aunty. Samir uncle was a lawyer by profession and used to practice as a public
prosecutor in the Calcutta High Court. The incident happened when I was in
class X and it left quite an impact on my adolescent mind.
One Sunday morning, as I
was sitting with my studies after finishing breakfast, the doorbell rang. The
ring was of an unusual duration than normal and I felt that somebody was at our
doorstep with an anxious state of mind. Baba was in the living room and was
reading the newspaper. Aunt Padma went ahead and unlocked the door. Like a gust
of agile monsoon breeze, Archana aunty entered. Maa came out of the kitchen and
Baba kept aside the newspaper and stood up. The was a clear sign of anxiety on
Archana aunty’s face as she stood with a big suitcase beside her. I came out
from my study room and watched the entire episode unfold.
After the grimness of
the sudden arrival cleared a bit, we all learnt from Archana aunty that Samir uncle
had sent her to Mumbai, to stay with us for a couple of days, in order to avoid
a crisis that was prevalent in their lives. The suddenness of the situation was
such that it was not possible for them to inform us previously, and Archana
aunty took the morning flight from Kolkata to Mumbai and arrived.
“He is involved in a
dirty case!” said Archana aunty while drinking from a glass of water. “He has
taken up the defense case of a serial murderer in the Calcutta High Court. The
entire newspaper media and the electronic media has been harrowing us ever
since! Even the general public has labelled him as an evil lawyer! No other
public prosecutor agreed to take up the defense case and finally Samir agreed
to do so. The public emotion is strongly in favor of the capital punishment and
Samir is fighting in favor of the criminal, on behalf of the court of law.
Everybody, including our relatives and friends, have suddenly taken a negative
view about us. They have labelled Samir as a traitor to the country and
democracy! Considering the looming danger of a public outrage, Samir has sent
me here till the case clears!”
All of us listened to
the discourse with full concentration and consoled Archana aunty. She was very
worried about the safety of Samir uncle. Baba made a few phone calls and even
spoke with Samir uncle over a long-distance telephonic conversation, while
taking stock of the current situation. I could not find any reason for this
behavior of Samir uncle. Why did he have to represent the evil criminal? Why did
he choose to work in favor of somebody whom the entire world abhors! Why did
Samir uncle need to support a felonious person and bring upon such bitterness?
Yet, I could not find any suitable answer. Days passed, as we keenly followed
the proceedings of the case. A sense of bitterness grasped out house. Everybody
held a gloomy face while Archana aunty remained in a state of complete trauma
and fear of something bad that might befall. Baba, tried his best to convince
Samir uncle out of the case, but failed. Baba pleaded him to remain safe and
get out from any upcoming troubles. After a total of one month, the Calcutta
High Court declared its decision and announced the criminal as guilty! Unknown
to us, Samir uncle gave a striking interview in the local newspaper, and as a
result, the negative public emotion cleared quite somewhat. In the next four
days, Samir uncle was in Mumbai and sitting with us happily.
On the day of his
arrival, Samir uncle smiled at Archana aunty and said, “Archana, I am famished!
I have missed the excellence of your cookery for so long! Please treat all of
us with a fantastic Bengali lunch this afternoon! And please include my
favorite SHUKTO recipe in it positively!”
Baba and I were sitting
with Samir uncle in the living-room. I asked, “What is this SHUKTO? Is it a
specific delicacy?”
Samir uncle only
replied, “Pravin, wait till you taste it. I am sure you would love it.”
As we sat or lunch,
Archana aunty first served steamed rice and SHUKTO. It was the first time I
tasted SHUKTO, a mixture of bitter sweet medley of vegetables that was cooked
in a unique manner! The recipe holds its origin in the old Portuguese culture
and has evolved ever since its incorporation in the Bengali cuisine.
As we savored our lunch,
Samir uncle asked, “This Bengali style recipe, SHUKTO, is an appeasing rustic
curry which clears your palate! Can you perceive the taste of the BITTER GOURD amid
the vegetables?”
I nodded my head while
gobbling my food. Baba’s eyes sparkled in anticipation of what his dear friend
was about to say. Maa, Aunty Padma and Archana aunty looked at Samir uncle
while he started again, “The bitter taste of BITTER GOURD in the SHUKTO is not
meant to spoil the taste of this fantastic recipe. It is this bitterness that
alleviates the beauty of the entire curry and makes the recipe more palatable
and unforgettable. Without BITTER GOURD, the SHUKTO is incomplete!”
Baba smiled, as if he
understood what Samir uncle was hinting towards. I listened keenly to his words
as Samir uncle continued, “Bitterness is important in life. It is important
because, the absence of bitterness would eliminate the taste of sweetness!
Since there is something bitter, we can appreciate whatever is sweet. This is
the sole reason why I chose to become the public prosecutor in favor of the
criminal. Even though the entire media criticized me for my choice, I remained
firm in my decision.”
Archana aunty watched
her husband with eyes full of emotion as Samir uncle spoke, “If nobody
represented evil, nobody highlighted the negativity, how would have anybody
proved the righteousness? How would the defense lawyer prove the guilt? The
more I fought, the more I defended the criminal, the more easily justice was
meted out. I didn’t believe or support the crime, I highlighted it. Bringing
out the bitterness in front of everybody, helped me prove the severity of the
crime!”
Samir uncle finished, “Trust
me, bitterness is important in life and my decision was not wrong. The entire
news media now understands my decision. So, my dear Archana, we can happily go
back home!”
Even though it is an old
story, the metaphor of BITTER GOURD in SHUKTO still remains so relevant. Indeed,
the absence of bitterness in life will devoid us of the beauty of
sweetness. The sweetness that life and
the entire world carries around us is far more than my pain. Perhaps, the
bitterness of my amnesia is a necessary evil that enables me to appreciate the
beauty of life and love it even more!
Lucid writing
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the appreciation !
ReplyDeleteGreat story. Loved the concept and the insightful teaching.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your appreciation !
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