“দাদুভাই কই? ”

The timid voice of an old man… Noticeably weak is on the other side of the telephone.

I could not figure it out. So I said, “What number do you want?”

- “2540 8403”

Well! That really is our home phone number. But who the hell is this DADUBHAI? See, I have many things to do. And a silly wrong number is strictly not welcome at this point of time.

- “আপনি কে কথা বলছেন?”
- “আনন্দমোহন বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায়”

[Actually I can not recall the actual name at this moment. It might be Pranmohon or perhaps Pranmoy or Anandamoy… that is all four possible combinations…]


I was irritated this time. May be I suspected (blackish brain of 2007 – Always suspects everyone) some silly friend of mind is playing a perhaps more silly joke.

My voice was firmer this time,

- “Err… Sorry! But this is a wrong number supposed to be.”

No this was not a friend’s silly joke as my ma entered the room and said, “Is this the DADUBHAI call I am getting since yesterday?”

And the phone rang again.

- “দাদুভাই কই?”
- “আপনি কে কথা বলছেন বলুন তো!”
- “দাদুভাই কই? দাদুভাইকে দাও।”
- “দাদুভাই এর নামটা kindly বলবেন?”
- “অরিন্দম ব্যানার্জ্জী”
- “Err… Sorry! But ওই নামে এই বাড়ীতে কেউ কাউকে চেনে না”

The line was cut. And I had no time for keep thinking this madly Dadu and his gone_for_ever Dadubhai. May be his son was too careless I giving his father the correct phone numbered. Or perhaps he intentionally gave his father the wrong number so that he could not disturb him over phone.

But I don’t blame the son. The way the things might have been gone is just normal I think. It is perhaps the damn result of prioritizing studies in a way too much in the childhood. All a boy (or a girl… of course… now a days) needs to do from his childhood is study. He should not notice anything else. He should not spend time with friends, relatives or may be even with parents. All he needs to do is study, study and study. And this habit injected by the parents and the society doesn’t simply go when the child grows up.

I know this piece is becoming and boring essay (sort of). But still, I do not blame the son. When he did not paid attention to anything else than study… this habit was cultivated by the parents themselves and the parents took pride in it. In that case, how can be he blamed when he doesn’t pay attention to the parents themselves.

I know you are feeling bored. So let me stop these and concentrate on a childhood story (my imagination) of that boy…

One day the masi of the boy came at their home. The boy was present in the living room chatting with the relatives and sometimes playing with his cousin. And his masi goes on like this:

- “আমার মেজভাসুরের ছেলে। জানিস দিদি? ওরে, তুই জাস্ট কল্পনা করতে পারবি না... কীইইইই পড়েএএএ। ধর্‌ তুই ওদের বাড়ী গেছিস, দিদি তুই বুঝতেই পারবিনা ছেলে বাড়ী আছে। ঠিক নিজের ঘরে দরজা বন্ধ করে পড়ছে। যাওবা বাইরে এল, দুচারটে কথাবার্তা হল, আবার ঘরে গিয়ে বই নিয়ে। আর রেজাল্টও করে সেই রকম... এইচেসে আটশো পঞ্চাশ। আর জয়েন্টে কত জানিস দিদি?”

- “কত?”

- “চারশো কত যেন। সাড়ে চারশোর নিচে... অ্যাই বলো না কত”

- “চারশো পঁয়ত্রিশ” Meshomoshai answers.

And when the relatives leave, ma comes to his room.

- “দেখলি?”

- “কি দেখব?”

“ওই মাসী যে ছেলেটার কথা বলছিল। দেখলি? অধ্যাবসায় কাকে বলে?”

“কেন?”

“দেখলি না? কেমন দরজা বন্ধ করে একমনে পড়ে? চারপাশে কী হচ্ছে কোনোদিকে তাকায় না। আর তুই? যেই বাড়ীতে কেউ একটা এল, বড়দের মাঝখানে বসে হ্যা হ্যা করছিস”

(His cousin was also present among the adults… but that is not the point.)

“আমি আবার কখন হ্যা হ্যা করলাম? আমি তো চুপ করেই...”

“আর যবে থেকে ওই নতুন টিউশানটাতে ভর্তি হয়েছে, সেই থেকে এই মুখে মুখে তর্ক করা আরম্ভ হয়েছে। আর রোজরোজ বন্ধুদের সঙ্গে আড্ডা। ভালছেলেদের সঙ্গে তো আর বন্ধুত্ব নেই! যতরাজ্যের লোফার ছেলেগুলোর সাথে দিনরাত চরে বেড়াচ্ছে!”

“তুমি এখন যাও। আমি পড়ব।”

“হ্যাঁ! মায়ের কথা ভাল লাগবে কেন? এই এক্ষুণি বন্ধুরা ডাকলে তো ড্যাং ড্যাং করে বেরিয়ে যেতিস।”


The boy didn’t answer. He knows very well that the best tactic at this point is keeping silence. After a while ma feds up and leaves the room. But something was going on in the boy’s brain. A decision was being taken. If talking and spending time with friends and relatives mean you are not concentrating on studies… then he might not be with ultimately anyone… not even with his parents.

(may be continued…)