Bipin Chowdhury loves to spend more time amongst books, than amidst people. Every Monday while returning from office, he stops by at Kalicharan’s bookshop in New Market to pick up his weekly dose of fiction. He is addicted to racy thrilling novels, whether it be crime fiction or one of those tales of mystery and horror. If people drop by in the evening and stay over till 8pm, he starts getting uneasy and lies to them, making up an excuse like he has not been keeping well, his doctor has advised him to take his dinner and rest early. As soon as the guests leave, he quickly finishes his dinner and lies down to finish a book till late in the night.
Bipin has been following this
routine from God knows when. Today is a Monday like any other. Bipin is at his
favourite bookshop, engrossed in carefully reading the first few pages of books
which catch his attention. Suddenly he becomes aware that someone is standing
too close for his comfort. He looks up
from the book and notices an average looking bloke, smiling creepily at him.
“You don’t
recognise me, I guess.”
Bipinbabu
was caught off-guard. He couldn’t recollect having met this man before. This
face seems completely unfamiliar.
“It’s my
bad to expect that you would remember every random person you meet. I know what
a busy life you lead.”
“Have we,
by chance, run into each other before?” Bipin babu asks.
The
stranger is a bit surprised. “Every day for a week! I used to arrange the car
for your daily trips in Ranchi. You had come there for a vacation in 1958. Then
you took our car to Hondru Falls. My name is Parimal Ghosh”.
“Ranchi?”
Bipin babu
felt relieved that it wasn’t him who was forgetting things, rather this
stranger had mistaken him for someone else. He had always planned to visit
Ranchi, but the plan always got cancelled last minute. He smirked a bit and
enquired, “Do you know who you are talking to?”
The
stranger’s eyes almost popped out, “Who wouldn’t know you? You are the
legendary Bipin Chowdhury!”
Bipinbabu
shifted his gaze to the novel at hand and softly corrected him, “But still you
are confusing me with someone else. These kinds of mistakes happen sometime. I’ve
never been to Ranchi.”
At this point,
the stranger laughed out loud.
“What are
you even saying? Don’t you remember you tripped and fell at the Hondru Falls? I
was the one who finally rushed to you with the first aid kit. You stayed in a
bungalow, because you hated the hotel food. You insisted on getting your food
cooked by a hired bawarchi. Do this ring a bell? You were accompanied by a
friend- Dinesh Mukherjee. Dinesh was staying at his sister’s. Remember that
massive argument you had with him about going to the moon. Also, I remember you
used a satchel filled with novels. You said that was a must-carry anywhere you
travelled to. Am I correct?”
Bipin babu
asked grimly, “Which month of 1958 are you referring to?”
“Just
after Mahalaya, either the month of Kartik or Ashwin.”
“You are
clearly mistaken. That year I had gone to friend’s place in Kanpur during the
Durga Puja. Goodbye.”
But this
didn’t deter the strange gentleman a single bit. He kept gawking at Bipin babu.
“That’s
ridiculous! One of these evenings in Ranchi, I had tea with you at the
bungalow. You told me that you didn’t have any children, your wife had passed
away some 12/13 years back. You had an elder brother who was diagnosed with
schizophrenia. That’s why when you visited Ranchi, you couldn’t bring yourself
to visit the mental asylum. You said it triggers memories of your brother- “
When
Bipinbabu paid for his books and was leaving the shop, the stranger stayed
rooted to his spot, staring at him in disbelief.
Bipinbabu’s
Buick was parked next to Lighthouse cinema on Bertram Street. He asked his
driver Sitaram to take a different route today, down the side of the river.
As soon as
he felt a little calm in the moving car, his mind was beset with numerous
confusions. That rogue kept making up stories about him for no reason at all.
Bipinbabu has never been to Ranchi, and it’s not possible for him to go there.
Why would anyone forget an incident that happened hardly seven years ago-?
Is
Bipinbabu falling prey to dementia? The sheer possibility of it made his head
spin.
Is he
really losing his mind? How could that be possible? He holds such an important
position at his workplace. There has been no lapse at work. Even today, he gave
a smashing presentation at the board meeting. But then-
How could
that person know such intimate details about Bipin babu’s life? These facts
about his wife’s demise, his satchel, or his schizophrenic are some of his
private truths. But he got the story of the Ranchi visit all wrong. In fact, he
deliberately made it up. He is sure that in 1958, he was visiting his friend
Haridas Bagchi in Kanpur. The best way to confirm this would be to send a mail
to Haridas-
But he
suddenly remembered, Haridas has left with his wife on a Japan visit. There was
no way of confirming this detail with him. Then again, why should Bipin go into
this much of a hassle. He hadn’t committed a murder at Ranchi in the month of
Ashwin, that the police are now looking up details of his alibi. Bipin knows
for a fact he hadn’t been to Ranchi. That is that.
While
crossing Hastings, Bipin babu rolled up his trousers to check his right knee.
He can clearly see a scar there but he just can’t recollect how it appeared on
his body. He tries very hard to remember if he was part of an accident in the
childhood but the scar remains a mystery.
While crossing
Charakdanga four-point, he remembers the detail about Dinesh Mukherjee. Dinesh
lives close to Charakdanga, on Beni Nandan Street. Should he pay him a sudden
visit to confirm this Ranchi incident? What if this was a lie? Bipin knows he
can’t handle the caustic humour of Dinesh. He was sure to make fun of Dinesh,
if the Ranchi incident was a lie and the rogue had taken him for a ride. Dinesh
would laugh on his face, proclaiming loudly that Bipin is finally going mad.
No, he can’t handle that kind of an insult.
Bipin
returns home. Cooling down with the help of a sherbet, in the cold spell of an
Air cooler, Bipin convinced himself that he has been pranked. These were just
obnoxious people, out to prey on innocent, hard-working citizens.
By the
time, Bipin dozed off with that night’s novel, he had completely forgotten
about the man in New Market.
Next
morning at the office, Bipin couldn’t focus on his work. That man’s face with
dreamy eyes, an unassuming smile and his insistence about the Ranchi trip kept
haunting Bipin babu. If he were correct on so many counts, why did he get this incident
wrong?
- “two three
five nine seven four?”
-Am I speaking
to Dinesh Mukherjee?
-Speaking
-Hi
Dinesh, this is Bipin. I had a little query. Would you remember if you had taken
any trips away from Calcutta in 1958?
-Umm, I think
so…let me consult my diary.
-Yes,
twice. The first time I had travelled to Ranaghat around February. And then, this
you must remember too. Ranchi. We had taken the trip together. But why do you
ask?
- Oh, it’s
nothing much. Something has come up. I’ll talk to you later.
Bipin kept
down the phone receiver and clasped his forehead. His world seemed to be
falling apart. Is he really forgetting his past? Under these circumstances, it’s
not possible for him to work at office. But how can he take a mid day off? He
was known as a workaholic; everyone was in awe of his track record at this
office. However, today must be an exception. He left office and returned home by
2pm.
He shut
all the doors and windows of his bedroom to calm himself down. Once he was able
to think straight, he started devising a plan to get out of this dilemma. If he
were really starting to forget things, how was he able to perform so well in
the competitive workspace? Whenever he travels out of the city, he is
accompanied by his man-servant. But the present bearer is a new one, he wasn’t
around in 1958.
Just then,
the bearer knocked on the door to inform him about the arrival of Seth Giridharilal
Prasad. He was a big wheeler-dealer of the city and it would be very rude to
turn him away. But today, he just doesn’t
have the strength to entertain anybody. He conveyed his apology to the bearer
and retired to his bed.
Once
again, there was a knock on the door and this time he was informed that it was
his friend Chuni babu, on an extremely urgent visit. This irritated Bipin to no
ends. He knew the exact reason for this urgency. Chuni was his schoolmate and
was now calling him because he had recently been laid off at his workplace.
Bipin told his bearer that he won’t be able to meet Chuni not just now, but for
some weeks.
Suddenly,
it struck him that Chuni has been visiting their house on and off, since his
childhood. What if he cross-checks the truth of the Ranchi visit with him? Bipin
stormed down the staircase and caught up with Chuni as he was about to exit the
apartment. Seeing Bipin, Chuni’s face lit up with the hope of some help.
- “Hi,
Chuni, sorry I have a very random question for you. I remember that you’ve always
had a very sharp memory and you’ve visiting us for some years. Would you happen
to recollect any vacation of mine in Ranchi, around 1958?
-Yeah, I think
so. Or was it 1959?
-Are you
sure I went to Ranchi and not somewhere else?
-Do you
have doubts about the destination or the year?
-I am not
so sure…
Chuni sat
down on the sofa he had got up from. He shot a sharp glance at Bipin and
started, “What’s the matter with you? Have you taken to drugs or something? As
far as I knew, you had no such bad habits. We’ve always known you a short-tempered
person, you don’t have much patience for old friends, but you always possessed a
clear head. At least, till the recent past.”
“I don’t
know what’s happening to me. It must be the work pressure; it’s finally getting
to me. I should consult some kind a specialist-
Seeing his
friend in this messed up state, Chuni didn’t raise the purpose of his visit and
left quietly. Bipin babu sat there for sometime and then booked an appointment
with Dr. Paresh Chandra. Dr. Chandra can be considered to be a young professional.
He was below forty years of age, he possessed an intellectual disposition and
in this short period, he already had a prestigious clientele in Calcutta. When
Dr. Chanda heard the facts of the matter, a look of grave seriousness came upon
him.
“Mr
Chowdhury, I am unaware of any permanent solution for this kind of a problem. In
fact, this is the first time I am hearing something like this. If this is a
case of short-term memory loss, then I would suggest you visit Ranchi once.
That might aid the recovery of the memory. In any case, you seem to be losing
sleep over this. So, here’s a prescription for a sleeping pill. A good refreshing
sleep can do wonders!”
Whether it
was the sleeping pill or the doctor’s consultation, Bipin babu slept peacefully
that night. Next morning, he rang his office to inform them about taking a
leave and by the evening’s train, he had set out for Ranchi.
As soon as
he set foot in Ranchi next morning, Bipin babu was convinced he had never been
to this city before. These bungalows, streets, shops, Mora Badi mountains, all
seemed unfamiliar. Should he go to Hondru Falls to remove any remaining traces
of guilt? He booked a car to go there and explore the place on foot.
Around
5pm, Bipin babu gained consciousness of his surroundings. He had apparently experienced
a vertigo at Hondru Falls and fallen on the rocks. Fortunately, a Gujarati family
happened to be picnicking close to the spot and they chanced upon his body. No
sooner had they revived him, then Bipin babu mumbled, “All is lost. I have been
tricked.”
What happened
after this, Bipinbabu can’t even imagine or wouldn’t like to imagine.
By next
morning, Bipin babu was back in his baithak khana, holding an icepack over his
injured head. The bearer had called on Dr. Chandra and he was to arrive any
moment. Just then the bearer came in with a telegram, which had the words
Urgent written on top of it. Bipin babu paused his preparations and opened it-
“Dear
Bipin,
Suddenly
coming into wealth at your middle age brought out an ugly side in you. Was it
really impossible for you to help out a childhood friend in his dire straits? I
don’t have your financial or social capital. What I have is my imagination
capital, and I expended that a bit to take revenge on you. That man you met at
New Market, happens to be my neighbour. He is a fantastic actor. I was aware
Dinesh Mukherjee doesn’t get along with you, so it was easy to get him on board.
You must remember how you got the scar on your right knee, at Chandpal Ghat in 1963…?
What else?
Now you will recover what you have lost. Meanwhile, one of my novel’s manuscript
got selected for publication. I should be able to survive some months with that.
With
love,
Your
friend Chunilal.
As soon as
Dr. Chandra arrived, Bipin looked up and said, “I am absolutely fine. It all came
back to me as soon as I landed in Ranchi. By the way, can you check if my hip
bone got dislocated or something. I had a minor accident on my trip. The pain
is shooting up since last night.”
(First published as part of the anthology, Ek Dawjon Goppo or A Dozen Stories on 25th Baishakh 1377 or 8th May, 1970)
