25th November, 2013. Oh, I'd remember this date all my life. I met my greatest inspiration in person, one of those living legends who I feel has molded me into what I am today.
I was taking my driving lesson. The instructor (who, as I said, has become my friend already) hit the brake quite unnecessarily (yes, earlier, once I had driven the car into a small hillock of stone chips, but otherwise the day has been smooth so far - I was being a much lesser bundle of nerves than the day before). I knew not what has happened, and looked inquiringly. He smiled and called out - জেঠু ভালো আছেন? (Uncle, all good?) - and looked at me and said, আমার জেঠু (my uncle). Now, thoroughly bewildered about why I should be introduced to his uncle in the middle of the class, I looked out of the window. The জেঠু who was apparently going to board a taxi, which was parked on the roadside, also peered in with a smiling countenance and appreciatively said, শিখছ (I see that you are learning). And at that very moment I got star struck for the first time in my life. Funny that an almost 80 someone can do it to you. I put my hands together in a নমস্কার, and fanatically blabbered out - আমার কি সৌভাগ্য যে আপনার সঙ্গে দেখা হলো, আমি আপনাকে রীতিমত পুজো করি...(how blessed I feel to have met you, I literally worship you...) - he gave me yet another smile in return, and boarded the taxi. I called out, সাবধানে যাবেন - you may call it a Bengali equivalent of take care. And he went away and I started the car again.
Can't tell you after how many years I feel as if I am on seventh heaven. I called dad immediately after the classes were over, followed by a call to my brother.
Strangely enough, the day when Rituparno died, I prayed for a long time to God to keep my two other idols safe, Suman and Shirshendu. Suman, I have seen performing live long back - I was in school then. Not that I haven't met other dignitaries. Book fair is a place where you do see authors, I guess I have seen Suchitra Bhattacharya and Taslima Nasreen there. Once or twice I have seen Girish Karnad doing his morning walk, when I used to stay in Kota Manor in my early days in Bangalore. But seeing is not meeting, talking and expressing your awe and gratitude. I am so so proud and happy to have done that today. This gentleman has taught me to be imaginative, to live in a bubble and believe it to be true. As I have read each of his story, I have discovered never before kind of an innocent happiness. বনি, সোনার মেডেল, মনোজদের অদ্ভুত বাড়ি, গোঁসাইবাগানের ভূত, হেতমগড়ের গুপ্তধন - are each nothing short of a precious jewel to me. Even the last movie I watched, আশ্চর্য প্রদীপ is based on his short story (I have hardly ever read his work for the adults - however I remember borrowing this collection of short stories from some library and reading it). Actually Shirshendu is a person who keeps my childhood intact - whatever happens otherwise in the life of this forever immature girl, it is this magical childhood that helps her bounce back. There, if that is the case, then haven't I met God today?
I leave you with a BIG SMILE (oh, can she also smile?) and this wee small bit - this is not enough to understand why he is God to me - you need to read his work, you need to be a Bengali.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirshendu_Mukhopadhyay
I was taking my driving lesson. The instructor (who, as I said, has become my friend already) hit the brake quite unnecessarily (yes, earlier, once I had driven the car into a small hillock of stone chips, but otherwise the day has been smooth so far - I was being a much lesser bundle of nerves than the day before). I knew not what has happened, and looked inquiringly. He smiled and called out - জেঠু ভালো আছেন? (Uncle, all good?) - and looked at me and said, আমার জেঠু (my uncle). Now, thoroughly bewildered about why I should be introduced to his uncle in the middle of the class, I looked out of the window. The জেঠু who was apparently going to board a taxi, which was parked on the roadside, also peered in with a smiling countenance and appreciatively said, শিখছ (I see that you are learning). And at that very moment I got star struck for the first time in my life. Funny that an almost 80 someone can do it to you. I put my hands together in a নমস্কার, and fanatically blabbered out - আমার কি সৌভাগ্য যে আপনার সঙ্গে দেখা হলো, আমি আপনাকে রীতিমত পুজো করি...(how blessed I feel to have met you, I literally worship you...) - he gave me yet another smile in return, and boarded the taxi. I called out, সাবধানে যাবেন - you may call it a Bengali equivalent of take care. And he went away and I started the car again.
Can't tell you after how many years I feel as if I am on seventh heaven. I called dad immediately after the classes were over, followed by a call to my brother.
Strangely enough, the day when Rituparno died, I prayed for a long time to God to keep my two other idols safe, Suman and Shirshendu. Suman, I have seen performing live long back - I was in school then. Not that I haven't met other dignitaries. Book fair is a place where you do see authors, I guess I have seen Suchitra Bhattacharya and Taslima Nasreen there. Once or twice I have seen Girish Karnad doing his morning walk, when I used to stay in Kota Manor in my early days in Bangalore. But seeing is not meeting, talking and expressing your awe and gratitude. I am so so proud and happy to have done that today. This gentleman has taught me to be imaginative, to live in a bubble and believe it to be true. As I have read each of his story, I have discovered never before kind of an innocent happiness. বনি, সোনার মেডেল, মনোজদের অদ্ভুত বাড়ি, গোঁসাইবাগানের ভূত, হেতমগড়ের গুপ্তধন - are each nothing short of a precious jewel to me. Even the last movie I watched, আশ্চর্য প্রদীপ is based on his short story (I have hardly ever read his work for the adults - however I remember borrowing this collection of short stories from some library and reading it). Actually Shirshendu is a person who keeps my childhood intact - whatever happens otherwise in the life of this forever immature girl, it is this magical childhood that helps her bounce back. There, if that is the case, then haven't I met God today?
I leave you with a BIG SMILE (oh, can she also smile?) and this wee small bit - this is not enough to understand why he is God to me - you need to read his work, you need to be a Bengali.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirshendu_Mukhopadhyay
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