1
“Meet my sweet grandmother… her name is Mrs. Bela Banerjee”, Radha said to her friend Archana.
“I love her most in this world; she is not just my grandma but my mother in the true sense of the word. My mother had been a working lady so I spent my entire childhood in her care and love.” She added while speaking to Archana.
Radha had just returned to Kolkata from New York along with her husband, Arun, and six-month old daughter. Today is the rice feeding ceremony of the little child who has filled the world of Radha and Arun. The couple had been staying in New York for over four years after their wedding. They had decided to celebrate this special occasion along with their family and thus came down to Kolkata.
“You know something; our little angel shares her birthday with her too!” Radha commented excitedly while talking about her beloved grandma.
The old lady at eighty-two years of her existence is sitting in a cozy armchair at a corner of the spacious hall room of Kamala Villa. Her eternal smile graces her face that is frail now and the skin of which is wrinkled with age.
Her hearing has become weak as if the sounds and voices reluctantly return from the passage of her ears. Her eyes have become smaller but stare in the eternal void as if searching for old memories. The calmness of her composure, partly due to the burden of age tells that she has led a satisfactory yet ordinary life. In this ordinary existence she has walked many a path and now nothing more remains to be explored.
Perhaps, this is the truth of every ordinary existence. However, one can rewind the frame of time eighty-two years back, just to get a glimpse into the nooks of this untold story safely secured in the heart of this frail old lady… Bela
********
2
The year was 1931. On the twenty second day of the month of July, a little girl was born into the family of an Indian Civil Servant. The child was healthy, and her fists clutched… the struggle of a lifetime was about to begin. The little girl opened her eyes filled with dreams in this family of six members and a maid.
Looking at the face of their first girl child, Mr. Surya Shankar Mukherjee and Mrs. Janakibala Mukherjee named her “Bela”.
Mr. Surya Shankar Mukherjee held a respectable position in the government and was quite affluent. He lived in a nice bungalow that he had built and named “Kamala Villa”. It was located at the posh Lansdowne Road in the city of Kolkata; then known as Calcutta.
Little Bela started to grow up in the love and care of her mother and elder brothers. Her eldest brother, Rudra Prasad Mukherjee, was aged twenty-five and worked as a lawyer. He was married to Chitralekha, a learned lady in English, who happily took care of the household chores and helped her mother-in-law to run the family.
The younger brother, Shyam Prasad Mukherjee, was aged twenty and was completing his studies in civil engineering.
As Bela reached the age of five, Shyam Prasad was also married off to a sweet lady, Anindita. Due to her young age, Bela enjoyed the motherly love of both her sisters-in-law and was happy in her own life.
However, after another year, fate darted a bolt at this family and took away Surya Shankar and Janakibala in a sudden attack of Cholera. The entire family was devastated and especially Bela who was just six years old.
At night she would wake up crying, “Where is my mother, please take me to her.”
Either Chitralekha or Anindita would embrace her close to their bosom and try to calm her down and help her get into the oblivion of sleep. Once awake, her eyes would again search for a glimpse of her parents whom she thought might be temporarily hiding away from her in order to tease her.
With the passing years, nobody told, but she understood that her parents would never return. As little Bela grew up to the age of ten, she would play around in the nearby children’s park, make a small garden outside Kamala Villa and even learn household chores and cooking from Chitralekha, Anindita and the household maid.
Rudra Prasad became the head of the family and Shyam Prasad helped his brother in everything and every way possible. Together they managed to run the family well.
Both the brothers and their wives loved Bela as their own daughter. Yet somewhere, she was lonely. The closely knit family values made Bela a very beautiful human being. She had a loving and caring heart towards all. Her heart ached for the deprived and she would often give away food to beggars who would stand outside the gates of Kamala Villa.
Perhaps her heart searched for solitude in the satisfaction of these souls who would bless her.
Teenage ushered and Bela became a fine young lady. She was not very pretty to look at. However, her good nature and proficiency in household chores won her accolades among friends and neighbors. The fragrance of this fame spread far and wide and proposals for marriage started to pour in.
Bela was nineteen years old and Rudra Prasad and Shyam Prasad thought it to be their ultimate duty to marry off their little sister to a suitable groom. Thereafter, they planned to move on to Bombay, where they had started a new business.
A few days later a proposal came from an Indian doctor on deputation in Myanmar, also known as Burma.
Dr. Ashok Prakash Banerjee was a young man working in the city of Mandalay. He had been chosen by the government of India to travel there on deputation for a few years on behalf of the government to help the neighboring country as it lacked proper medical facilities. Ashok had returned to Kolkata for a few days only and his parents had heard about Bela and the proposal of marriage commenced.
Rudra Prasad and Shyam Prasad were happy with Ashok and his family background so they agreed to progress. However, they arranged for a meeting between Bela and him so as to break the ice.
The first meeting was pretty formal. In those days, young men and women didn’t interact much. Thus both Bela and Ashok were a bit nervous.
The only significant words that Ashok spoke that day were, “Well, our families have decided to unite us in holy matrimony. I have heard that you are very famous for your proficiency in running the household. I hope you would be able to do the same with me while we stay in the foreign land.”
Bela smiled shyly and said “Yes. I will do so, always.”
She was impressed with the good looks of this young man who had been chosen by her brothers to be her partner in life. Yet, she was worried about how he would turn up to be as a human being. They were to leave the country just seven days after their wedding as Ashok did not have any more holidays left.
The wedding happened and culminated on a nice note. Rudra Prasad and Shyam Prasad gave a bunch of paper in Bela’s hands as she was leaving for her new home.
“These are the legal papers of Kamala Villa. Please accept this as a gift from your elders. We hope we could fill up the void that our parents had left in your life dear.” said Rudra Prasad.
Bela’s eyes brimmed and overflowed with tears as she hugged her brothers and said, “God has given me not one but two great souls whom I can proudly call my father… not brothers.”
Seven days passed and Bela boarded the huge ship along with Ashok and left for yet another unknown… a new life in a new land among new people!
********
3
In Mandalay, life was calm and slow. The residents were poor and the doctor’s colony only comprised of Indians. Everyday Ashok would leave for the hospital for his duty and Bela would stay in her apartment in the company of maids. In the evening Ashok would see patients in a small room inside their apartment. Bela insisted that she would act as an honorary receptionist during this period, to spend her time.
During daytime she would chat with her maids and during the evening she would do so with the patients and their families. This helped her learn the local language extremely well and she became fluent in speaking and interacting with the residents of this new land. Bela, felt as if she belonged here, being able to speak their language she started to understand their problems, grieves and happiness.
As months passed, the formal ice wall between the newlywed couple disappeared without notice and they became soul mates.
The following year Bela gave birth to a bright young boy whom the couple lovingly named “Satyaki”. Bela’s world filled with happiness and she spent her time with her son. The void of parents in her own life was filled with the love she developed for her son. He became extremely close to her heart.
Two years later Bela gave birth to a sweet little girl. Ashok was overjoyed as he always wanted to be the father of a girl child.
“We would name her Nayantara” he told Bela while sitting by her side. It meant membrane of the eye.
“I think it is a wonderful name and nothing can be better”, Bela added.
Thus the years moved and Satyaki joined the preschool. Nayantara was still too young to go to school and stayed at home with Bela. Ashok had a handsome income and the family lived in affluence and satisfaction. Bela communicated with her brothers and sisters-in-law via letters and every month would write pages for them.
Then one day, the government proclaimed that all the doctors on deputation would either have to take up citizenship in the foreign land and stay there permanently or return back to India. However, if they wanted to return to India, they would not be able to take back their wealth along with them as it belonged to another country.
“What should we do my dear? My entire life’s earnings and savings are at stake! I am completely lost” Ashok approached Bela with a worried face one night.
In the dim light of the lamp, she calmed him down, put her fingers through his hair and said, “My dear, I have never asked anything from you. But today I ask you. Let us return back to our own motherland. Maybe we would lose our wealth and savings but we would at least be where we truly belong to. I am sure, with your background and hard work we would again regain whatever we would lose!”
Tears rolled down her cheeks. Ashok wiped them and said “Yes, we will.”
********
4
So they returned to India, to Kolkata and began a new life. It was a tough path they had chosen. They could not bring back anything and thus were at the mercy of fate. Ashok and Bela started to stay at Kamala Villa and Ashok took up the job of a physician at the National Medical College in Kolkata. His earnings were heavily curtailed. He used to earn handsomely while their stay in Mandalay but here he had to settle with a thin one. Bela managed the household in this curtailed budget and never complained. She had lived the life of a rich lady while in Mandalay but never forgot the values ingrained in her and this helped her walk these trying times.
Satyaki and Nayantara went to good schools and were given proper education and Bela ensured that their food and comfort never get compromised.
Over a decade passed, but Ashok could never regain the financial muscles he had while he was at Mandalay. Yet, Bela always made him feel as if he was the king of their own small world. With her love and care she ensured that he was always happy and satisfied.
Satyaki was a brilliant student and secured a seat in engineering. Nayantara was a good student too but she was more into the health studies and chose to become a dietitian. Four years later Satyaki completed his engineering with flying colors and joined an MNC as an officer. Nayantara procured a good job as a dietitian in a reputed hospital too.
Ashok was extremely proud of his children and especially of his spouse Bela who had groomed them so well. However, a sudden heart attack snatched away his life.
Bela broke down as a result of this blow. She was speechless as her entire world was shattered. She was again into an unknown domain that she never expected would come. Her tears came out only when she was alone in her own room, secluded from her children.
Satyaki took over the control of the family. He left his job and started a new business along with a friend. Two years passed and the hard work flourished. He managed to earn well and arranged for the wedding of Nayantara. She went away to Nagpur along with her husband. Satyaki accomplished this task that his father had left undone and Bela was happy to see her dutiful son do so.
A year later, Satyaki got married to a girl whom he admired and they started to live in Kamala Villa in the company of Bela. However, Shanti, Satyaki’s wife, did not like the idea that Bela would remain as their guardian. She brainwashed Satyaki who like an obedient husband and a prodigal son agreed to move into a new apartment leaving behind Bela alone in Kamala Villa.
“As you wish my children; I just want the two of you to be happy”, Bela agreed calmly. Deep down she was hurt that her loving son was deserting her, but she did not express it. She only ushered her blessing on Satyaki and Shanti and they left for their new home.
Thus Bela remained in Kamala Villa, all alone. She was lonely, she was sad but she never uttered a word. Every morning she would go to the market and buy the vegetables and come back home. She would cook a bit for her own self and eat it while sitting at the balcony. Kamala Villa was huge, but the lone resident of this place was as derelict as the garden outside the house. Nobody cared.
A few months later Nayantara returned to Kolkata permanently along with her husband Rahul and her newborn girl. She was shocked to hear the news about Bela and rushed to meet her.
“You are not going to stay here alone. You are coming with me, mother.” She spoke with tearful eyes.
Bela didn’t refuse. Her loneliness had been so hurting that she craved for company. So they closed the gates of Kamala Villa once again and took Bela to yet another new destination.
In the new apartment belonging to Rahul and Nayantara, Bela found a new reason to live… Radha! The little girl with her innocence filled Bela’s entire existence and she dedicated her remaining life to her upbringing. Since both Rahul and Nayantara were working fulltime, Bela became the mother for little Radha.
“Life has shown me so much, I wonder.” She would tell young Radha, “My ordinary existence has been really filled with adventures.”
Again, years passed and Radha started to grow up and Bela became her best mate in life. Twenty-five years passed and Radha grew up to be the mirror image of Bela in all her good nature and humility. She became pretty to look at and an MBA by profession.
“Grandma, you have wrinkles on your face now!” she would scream playfully.
“These are not wrinkles my dear. It is a book where each line has a story to tell. You only need to know how to read them” Bela would answer back.
Presently, Arun came into the life of Radha and finding him a suitable partner for Radha, Nayantara and Rahul decided to tie the knot between them. Thus, another episode commenced and Radha got married to Arun and the couple moved on to New York where Arun got an opportunity to work.
“Goodbye my love. Be happy with your beloved and remember that this old lady is always there for you” Bela told Radha as she was leaving.
“You are my best friend Grandma. I love you a lot!” Radha cried as she parted from her family.
For the first time in years Bela again broke down from within, but never showed it to anybody. She missed Radha, Satyaki, Ashok and everybody else who had been a part of her life, but only the wrinkles in her face knew about her pains. Her body was slowly becoming weaker and age was taking toll on her existence.
********
5
Today, after four years, Radha had returned to Kolkata along with Arun and their new family member, their little angel who sparklingly shared her birthday with Bela. Today again, the doors of Kamala Villa had been opened, the place cleaned and decorated for the rice feeding ceremony. However, the oldest resident of this place, Bela, who had begun her journey in this bungalow, was today frail and old.
Arun held Bela’s hands and took her to the central room where the ceremony was being organized and made her sit in a comfortable chair. Nayantara and Rahul sat beside her and hugged her. Radha took the little child and placed her in Bela’s lap. Bela looked at the innocent baby, and smiled. She then placed her thin hands on her forehead and blessed her. Everybody’s eyes brimmed in happiness.
Nayantara asked Radha a question in order to make the situation a bit lighter. She enquired, “Radha, you never told us what the two of you named her. You told us it would be a surprise and you would not allow anybody to change it! Now would you please reveal it in front of everybody?”
Radha, moved close to Bela’s face and kissed her cheek and then looked at everybody and said,
“We have named her with the best… We have named her Bela”.
As the old Bela and the young Bela touched each other in their innocence and stared at each other, one thing became very clear… No life is an ordinary one; every life is special simply because of the unique experiences and devotions they cover. So was the life of Bela, a truly special one!
Just as the setting sun leaves behind the hopes of a new sunrise, the old and wrinkled Bela gave a kiss on the forehead of the little Bela and said, “Welcome home dear!”
********
No comments:
Post a Comment