It is a cold winter night. Whole Kolkata is under the warm blankets…..deep in their sleep. All the hustles of the busy city has crept in somewhere in the silence of this cold night. Only a group of rickshaw pullers could be seen curdling round a bonfire. The stray dogs also found out some place for them near the fire. Sounds of fire crackers could be heard from a distance. Huh !! may be some rich-e-rich is tying the knot tonight.
Tollygunge Christens Cemetery. It is as silent as a painted ship. The graves stand mysteriously speechless. Richard was sitting on one such grave. Anyone will be surprised to see a boy (in his late twenties) sitting in the grave yard so late at night. It is hours before the sky would clear up to welcome a new day.
Richard is sitting with his hands resting on his feet. His clothes are all dusty and his hair is long enough to cover his eyes. From the evening onwards Richard has been ruminating the days that he has left behind. The ruminance seldom brought a smile in his pale face but still he loves to walk down his memory lane passing each and every memory.\
He still remembers the day when he was in the 3rd standard when his father bought him a 2nd hand bicycle. He would spent hours trying to ride the cycle after returning from school. He still remembers how he used to flaunt his cycle in front of his friends who didn’t have one. His father was a small business man who owned a grocery shop in their locality. His mother was a maid and used to work in the complexes opposite to their small basti in Tollygunge. Both his parents really had to work hard to bring up Richard and his small brother Andy. He was in his 9th standard when his mother passed away in an unknown disease. The local doctor could not figure out the disease. His father had to work really hard to bring up both the brothers. Richard had to give up his studies. His father could not afford his education and found out a job for him in the Khiddirpore Dock. Richard had to reach there by 6 in the evening and had to work the whole night. He returned at around 7 in the morning.
Richards’ flow of thoughts suddenly broke due to a roll of laughter coming from somewhere nearby. He looked up to see two men in their mid 60s laughing their lungs out. Richard ignored them. He went back strolling in his memory lane.
Her name was Riya. She studied in the 11th standard in a school near Richards’ work place. Richard was 25 and Riya 18. After a long thought too Richard can’t recall how they fell in love. Richard no longer worked in the dock. He now worked under Mr. Tyrewala who was a distributor of cement to construction sites in and around Kolkata. He loved Richard as his own son and gave him the best truck of the lot to transport cement-bags to construction sites in Kolkata. Richard used to pick up Riya after her school and both used to spent some happy and fruitful hours in and around Maidan. Those were the best days of his life. Riya was a lady luck for Richard and he was climbing the ladder of success really fast. He was now the supervisor of Mr. Tyrewalas’ cement business!!!
Dong Dong Dong !!!! The church clock rang thrice. Its 3 in the morning. Richard again dived in his memories. The night played its own magic on Richard. He can’t come out of his memories tonight !!!!They are engulfing Richard like anything!!
The Durga Puja has just passed. But the puja fever was still on a high. Richard gifted Riya a saree of her choice from Bara Bazar and a set of glass bangles that puja. They spent the astami together. Love was in the air and like all other couples Richard and Riya had a great time. It was the 2nd day of October, Richard still remembers. It was Dashera. Riya had not shown up for a month or so. At first Richard did not worry but after a week he started having an awkward feeling. He couldn’t comprehend what ran through his mind. He had promised Riya never to visit her locality. But he couldn’t control himself. That day he set his foot in Riyas’ locality. After a quick search he found Riyas’ house and waited at the tea stall in the opposite footpath just to have a glimpse of her. Hours passed…it was almost evening.By now Richard had had 16 cups of tea and 8-9 biscuits. He can’t wait any more. He planned to go and pray Riyas’ father for her daughter’s hand. He asked the tea shop owner for the amount he had to pay. Don’t know how the “chaye wala” read his mind. He asked Richard, “Betaji….are you here for Riyadidi?”
Richard answered positively.
“But Riyadidi is no more with us beta……..she left us a month back…..burnt herself completely while trying to learn cooking from her mother…”
Richard fell on the bench. He was as still as a stone. No thought ran in his mind. He was numb. The whole colony was filled with lights and sound of the fire crackers. But darkness engulfed Richard. He felt like been thrown in the middle of rolling waves. He was completely broken. He had nothing left in his life. Riya was his everything. Every source of happiness in his painful life. Immediately he planned to end his life. He wanted to meet Riya madly. If not in this life…may be after his death. Richard didn’t wait a second. He took a cab to the Howrah Bridge. Got down….took a small walk to the side of the bridge and jumped off……..
Richard wakes up suddenly from his thoughts. He looks around. No one is there. The sound of silence loomed in the air. Richard rubbed his eyes. He smiles. There is not a single drop of water in his eyes. He looks up at the open sky and thanks God for the mesmerizing memories….Yes.. Mesmerizing Memories…….
Richard stands up….Looks back at the grave where he was sitting….it read……………….
RICHARD PESTRO
1982-2010
Dong Dong Dong Dong !!!! The church clock struck 4.
