Bipin Bihari Choudharee belonged to a very particular breed of endangered Bengalis. A dying pedigree reminiscent of the bygone days of the Zamindars and ‘babu-culture’. A typical Bong in many ways and unique in some very distinctive traits. Residing in his ancestral home – a dying palatial facade in Goabagan, north Kolkata, Bipin had never left the ‘City of Joy’.
The septuagenarian led a very routined life. His day began at four every morning through the ritualistic gargling with saline water, which according to his wife Mrinalini, could raise the dead from its burning pyre. This was followed by a voluntarily induced vomiting caused by deep throat fingering – The yogic cleansing act of Kunjal Kriya. It produced one of the weirdest sounds that no one would desire to hear at the break of dawn every morning.
Bipin was a highly superstitious and religious man. Right after cleansing his throat and taking a bath to clean his body, Bipin would concentrate on purifying his soul by offering an intricate and clamorous hour-long prayer to his favourite deity, Goddess Kali.
Completing his other disturbing morning rituals, sharp at five Bipin would prance out of the house, wearing white canvas keds and red socks along with his usual Dhuti-Panjabi. Ten loud cries of “Joy Ma, Joy Maa Kali” would announce Bipin’s exit from the house. Of course to the relief of his neighbours.
Fifteen minutes of speechless power jogging, with occasional nods and clasped hand namaste’s to fellow walkers, Bipin circled the Hedua Talab swimming pool, like a wound-up tinker toy.
Then he would spend the next thirty minutes socialising with fellow pseudo-comedians through artificial bursts of frantic laughter at the ‘Young At Heart’ laughter club, which gathered beside the sacred banyan tree on the fringe of the Talab.
All of his other morning outdoor activities ended at about 8:00 AM when Bipin performed the most important act of his existence. He had never missed doing this for the last 50 years. Rain, hail or thunderstorm, nothing had ever dithered him from buying fresh fish at the Maniktala Bazar Fish Market.
He could reschedule or skip any other activity to perform this fish buying ritual. Except on Tuesdays and Saturdays when he became a complete vegetarian to please the Goddess.
Bipin babu was one hell-of-a fish-crazy Bong. He trusted no one and had to buy the fish himself. More than eating, it was the sheer act of buying, which excited him. It was an act that he had mastered for over half a century. And the Maniktala Bazar market proved to be his ideal fishing grounds.
The earliest reference of Maniktala Bazar is found on a map drawn by Captain Mark Wood of the East India Company in 1784. For more than two centuries now, this wet and dry market has been in existence and Bipin Bihari was perhaps its biggest living fan, most ardent customer and greatest beneficiary.
The morning of July 4th in 1998 was no different. Bipin got up at his usual time and followed his morning antics one after the other like clockwork. However, something felt off! His gargling water was not at the right temperature. He nearly choked while performing Kunjal Kriya. He could not find his socks for a good 10 minutes. He instantly knew that it was one of those days with a faulty cosmic alignment.
This meant he had to be extra cautious in doing everything and had to please the Goddess more than ever. Ma Kali might have been offended with him for some very serious and unknown reason.
The run at the park had its share of hitches. “Dhur Shala” cursed Bipin, accidentally stepping on something brown at the entrance of the Talab. This resulted in a hilarious display of the weirdest moonwalk (on the nearby sandpit) that one could ever witness – Bipin’s attempt to ‘cleanse his sole’ of dog s…
Occasionally grazing the sole of his shoe on rough surfaces here and there, Bipin made his way to the bazar, skipping laughter club for the day.
His stint at the Bazar proved to be equally ill-fated. A broken water pipe had turned the fish selling area into an ankle-deep wading pool. Fish blood and guts floated freely amidst the chaos. However, nothing discouraged the usual hoard of fish crazy Bongs – and certainly, nothing could stop our beloved Choudharee babu.
“Ki re Bhola, Katla ta koto re – Hey Bhola how much for the Katla fish” enquired Bipin with one of his patent fishmongers. “Aggey Charsho Korta – just rupees 400 sir” replied a toothless pan-chewing relic of an emaciated fish seller. Shooting his clenched fist skywards Bipin cursed Bhola for being a dacoit. The price according to our babu was too high.
It was really turning out to be an ill-fated day. After a one-and-a-half-hour of elbow jabs, head butts and rigorous negotiations, Bipin was yet to buy his fish. Either the price was too high, or the maestro spotted a defect in the ware.
Then amidst all the chaos, his dhuti (traditional Bengali lower-body wrap-around for men) nearly came off on being tugged by an old lady’s rickety umbrella. “Arey arey ki kando mashima – What the heck are you doing aunty” blurted Bipin, somehow managing to hold on to his dhuti.
A pigeon even managed to bless him on his shiny dome through the narrow openings of the Bazar’s corrugated ceiling – “Dhu-tari-ki – What the heck” cursed the furious Bengali.
“Bandor Cheley – Monkey Boy” Bipin shouted at a little brat – the grandson of a fellow marketeer. The kid was following him through the market and mischievously filling Bipin’s red plastic bag with all sorts of dirt and garbage. The kid sprinted splashing water all around, startled with Bipin’s sudden discovery of his mischief.
An over irritated Bipin now had to spend considerable time cleaning his red plastic bag at the Bazar communal tap.
Bipin was environmentally conscious and had been dedicatedly using this red plastic bag from ‘Sriniketan’, a renowned garment store at Hatibagan for over a month now. The missus had bought a saree from there and thus came the ‘red plastic bag’ in his life.
Overcoming many more irritating difficulties Bipin finally managed to buy a one-and-a-half kilogram Katla fish after reeling for nearly two-and-a-half hours in the market.
After accomplishing this mightly feat, Bipin let go of himself and sat on the wrought iron bench outside the Bazar with a thud. ‘Ami ki Amon paap korlam Ma – what sin did I commit Goddess’ sighed the gasping Bong. He felt miserable with the shadow of misfortune overcasting him from the moment he woke up that day.
A panting and frantic Bipin started murmuring prayer after prayer, pleading with the Goddess to lift this curse of misfortune from his head. The longer he sat lamenting, praying and reflecting on his stint of morning misfortune, the stronger his superstitions engulfed him. The more he believed that he had offended the Goddess in some unknown and big way.
All this while a white-beard, Rudraksha adorned, vermilion smeared, saffron-sarong wrapped yogic man observed his discomfort and soliloquies from a distance.
The Baba (sage) came quietly and sat beside a swaying and hyperventilating Bipin.
“The dark shadow of Shani (Saturn) has entered the realm of Budh (Mercury) – rokha kor maa kali, rokha kor (save Goddess Kali, save)” blurted the husky sage.
Bipin stopped swaying and instantly turned towards the mystic. “What did you say oh wise one” he addressed the yogi with a glimmer of hope. It felt like suddenly all his problems were about to be solved.
Like millions of other staunchly religious Indians, Bipin too had great faith in Gurus and mystic men. And on this particular day of misfortune, sitting on that wrought iron bench outside the Maniktala Bazar Fish Market, Bipin believe the baba to be the solution to his problems.
“You are having a bad day my child and you love to eat fish” calmly declared the sage in a very sombre voice.
“Haa… ha… How do you know this, oh omniscient one” stuttered Bipin in utter surprise?
“All your ill fate has culminated in the red plastic bag, which you dearly clench in your hand,” said the Baba pointing at Bipin’s bag of fish. “Years of obsession with fish has tipped your inner chi. Today’s cosmic imbalance acted as the catalyst to your misfortune” continued the wise man.
Bipin’s face turned paler, it felt harder to breathe. After a moment of blank demeanour, swallowing his anguish with a fairly audible gulp Bipin pleaded with the sage in a feeble and defeated voice, “Save me oh wise one, I will do anything to escape this curse of misfortune.”
With a deep and long sigh, the yogi revealed, “there might be a way after all.”
“There’s a small and obscure Kali temple at Chapatolla Ghat on the bank of the river Ganges. You can reach it in fifteen minutes by auto. Once at the temple, meet with priest Boom Shankar and give him your bag of fish as an offering to Goddess Kali,” explained guruji slowly in great details. “Do this without any questions, and your troubles will be over. Or else this stint of misfortune will stay with you till your dying day,” warned the sage with a stone gaze of caution, and got up from the bench and vanished into the crowd of shoppers before Bipin could react.
Flabbergasted Bipin remained seated deliberating what to do? After ten minutes of deep reflection, the babu finally got up from the bench. He had made his mind. He would not take any chance with the Goddess. He could not dare to test her wrath.
The Bygone Zamindar stopped and hopped into an auto and went on to offer his fish to the Goddess at Chapatola. At the Ghat He found the mandir (temple) and gave his precious bag of fish to priest Boom Shankar, along with a tear-filled narration of his sad story. “The Goddess will be pleased with your offering, go in peace and do not be worried,” blessed the priest.
Sad and depressed, Bipin slowly walked away from the mandir. For the first time in fifty years, his fish-eating act was disrupted. Disoriented with grief and anguish Bipin no longer knew where he was going till he reached the brim of the river – where he let go of himself and sat under the shade of an old Peepal tree, gaping at the tranquil water.
A kaleidoscope of scenes from his childhood, faces of Goddess Kali, the Bazar, Guruji, priest Boom Shankar, and lots of fish mosaicked his vision. Hours passed by before Bipin regained composure and realised it was time to go home – Mrinalini must be worried sick.
As he got up and started walking away from the bank towards the connecting road, he heard a very familiar husky voice and a group of men talking.
Something drew him towards the din. Perhaps it was the smell of freshly cooked fish and rice that had filled the air.
Drawn by a sudden curiosity fueled by a familiar voice and smell, Bipin moved closer to the floating conversation. He parted the leaves of a nearby Hamelia bush to have a closer look. There he saw Guruji from the Bazar along with priest Boom Shankar and two other sadhus gormandising freshly cooked Katla fish with steaming white rice, and in one corner fluttered Bipin babu’s red plastic bag…
Copyright © 2020 TRISHIKH DASGUPTA
This work of fiction, written by Trishikh Dasgupta is the author’s sole intellectual property. All rights are reserved. No part of this story may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including printing, photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, send an email to the author at trishikh@gmail.com or get in touch with Trishikh on the CONTACT page of this website.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Trishikh Dasgupta
Adventurer, philosopher, writer, painter, photographer, craftsman, innovator, or just a momentary speck in the universe flickering to leave behind a footprint on the sands of time... READ MORE
Weekend Stories by Trishikh 
Crispy! Liked it very much!
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Thanks TUMUNS, glad to be able to share a good read.
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The story is so intriguing from the very title and the exact logical progression left me stunned with the intertwined thoughts.. Really a good work.
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Thank you so much Romena, you made my day. They greatest joy you can give an author is by loving his work. God bless you.
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Story is very rich in thoughts and brings out the true essence of monotonous reality of the individual life..
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Thanks Subrata’da. Indeed many a times we forget to notice very trivial things around us, which my bring us joy.
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Very well articulated Trishikh. Behind the Bengali guy portrayal, there is this common Superstitious Indian irrespective of region or culture to which he belongs. This is very relatable.
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You are absolutely right Nikhil, many of us are extremely superstitious irrespective of religion. As long as our superstition keeps us safe, I guess it’s alright, however when it adversely affects our’s and other’s lives then it become a thing of concern.
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A captivating and realistic portrait of the typical Bangali babu- coated in orthodoxy, the usual ‘respectable’ and expected characteristic of the bhadralok. Very well articulated and exposed . Commendable writer.
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Thanks Mam, our typical Bengali Babu has always intrigued me. Glad to have been able to uphold the character for everyone.
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Very good bro khub bhalo hoiche ei storyline khub depth n inner meaning ache keep it up look forward for ur nxt story
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Thanks Amarnath, it reminds me of all the short stories Mr. Kallingal, Mr. Kachupara, Mr. Devasia and all our other English teachers used to share with us. I am sure my next story will also make you happy.
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This is so true and refreshing …. keep writing such amazing stories … Excellent
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Thank you Putu, I shall try my best to write more such stories in the days to come. Your words of encouragement is really going to make a different.
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Good job done.
Keep it up 👍
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Thanks Supriyo’da, your words of encouragement will go miles in helping we write my next story.
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This is really a great. Can’t wait for your next story!! 😁
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Thanks for appreciating. Look forward to write more such stories in the future.
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Short, crisp and perfectly palatable, this story captures the essence of the quintessential Bong man within the span of a few paragraphs. I love the narration and the style, brought Bipin babu alive before my eyes. I have been reading Tagore recently and this story is written in the same spirit.
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Thanks Narcissa, your kind words have encouraged me to continue my writing stint. Thanks for the valuable edits.
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Really enjoyed reading every word and the way emotions, actions, patterned thinking and way of life captured… Amazing! At the end of the story felt pity as I felt the day was really bad for Bipin Babu…He was befooled… I think the perception and unconsciously exposing oneself to certain odds and succumbing to those odds appears self created to a great extent. An unquestioned belief and conditioning of mind make us prisoners of our own conviction, arrogance and self-designed world…
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Thank you for your kind words, Jayanta’da. I truly agree with you. Happy that you found so much emotional content in the story. After all it’s a writer’s dream to touch the nerves of his reader.
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Nicely potrayed about a bong man’s routine life and his superstitious nature. Excellent job done. Eagerly waiting for your next story.
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Thanks Anamika, your support and inspiration has always helped me to write. Many more good stories to come…
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Poor Bipin Babu – His 50 years old untampered ritual is broken by his own superstitious beliefs! 🙄😏
But I loved the choice of words and the way it is written 😋😊
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Thanks Ananya, glad that you liked my story. Rightly said, I could not have expressed this better – “untampered ritual broken by one’s own superstition”, such a good line that could have been used in the story.
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Amazing write-up!
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Thanks Nawab. Keep an eye out for more stories in the future.
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what a superb story Trishikh…you are a born and gifted story teller. Keep them flowing…..I loved the manner in which you created the ‘Bhadralok of Bengal’ and the manner he handled his untampered ritual broken only by his superstitions (as so well stated by Ananya) ….cheers!
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Thank you Ravi Sir, your words of encouragement mean a lot. Keep a look out for more stories to come in the future.
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Thank you for sharing this story, Trishikh! I loved it – all of the different references, Bipin’s routine, thoughts, his wife. It reminded me of the beauty of the ghats – how much I miss
India and you all. Surely look forward to reading your next story – and seeing you all again. ❤️
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Am glad to have been able to kindle some memories. Do visit India again, we look forward to it.
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The story is good and I was eager to know the end ! The detailed narrative was well crafted, especially the fish market part. Thanks Trishikh , enjoyed the piece.
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Thanks Diptendu’da. Glad that you liked the story. Keep an eye out for more to come…
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Nicely written Trishikh – brought back time and smiles. Waiting for your next
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Thanks Jose, am glad that the story was able to take you back in time.
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Nicely written . Very well done Trishikh
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Thanks for appreciating Sumit. Hope to bring few more these stories in the days to come.
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..liked it,could visualize old Calcutta in your lines…..keep writing
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You rightly say Mark, this has been influenced by the many of the sights and sounds from our childhood days.
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My dear friend, I am gobsmacked!! You have talent, clearly. I was hooked from the outset, and couldn’t stop reading until the photo and your copywrite notice. And at that moment I was very sorry to learn that the story was ended… I would very much enjoy reading more!!
From a creative writing standpoint, your prose is thoughtful. The words you’ve chosen, and the ways you’ve used them, create an image in my mind that is at once clear, and yet you leave enough to the imagination for the image to be wonderfully out of focus.
Some day, God willing, I will be able to return to your mysterious land and enjoy its treasures; until then I will satisfy myself with your stories.
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Dear Fr. David, your words have encouraged me beyond my wildest imagination. While writing I was scared that this might only appeal to a Bengali, however now its clear from your words that the story has the potential to touch hearts and thoughts beyond borders. My regards and best wishes to your congregation and family in Texas.
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Would be very surprised if this was your first attempt …it’s clear u have a thing for writing …very nice setup to build on any story …u must read works of Amitav Ghosh …ones like the hungry tide or shadow lines …n keep writing …am sure there is plenty to come …
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Dear Deepayan, you are right – this is not my first, however it is the first attempt to write a story every week and release on Sundays, for everyone and anyone to read and enjoy. I really love and admire Amitav Ghosh’s work. I also believe that the more we read, the better we become as a writer. We can always learn from others and its limitless…
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Well written Trishik. Very interesting and you depicted the situations nicely. This is called short story. Go ahead with many more
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Thanks you Niloy’da, glad that you liked it. Plan to write and release one story every Sunday.
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Trishikh, what an interesting window into the Indian culture. Very amusing and entertaining. Thanks for sending, Marthe
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Dear Marthe, glad that you liked the story and found it interesting. Yes I have tried to weave tits and bits of Indian culture, especially that of a Bengali into the fabric of the story. Will do my best to bring more such stories in the future.
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A nice story with a moral…could see a typical Bangali babu in Bipin. Good one.
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Thank you so much, glad that you liked the story. Watch out for more in the coming days. Hopefully a story every Sunday.
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Very relatable … I could actually see Ritab Basu Mullick when he turns old romping around north kolkata like this…
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Ha ha haa Shadab… very true, very true… and who would Guruji be?
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This is a wonderful picture that you have drawn with your choice of words. You really have a great flair for writing. The style is lucid and it seems the scenes are actually happening. As a resident of north Kolkata, the theme is very relatable. Keep on writing and I expect to read such good stories again and again.
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Thanks Saurav, you gave me great joy by appreciating the story. I understand you can relate to it, being from that area. I will try my best to write and publish a story ever Sunday, and a lot of my stories will be about North Kolkata and experiences from our childhood. Do share my stories with people you think might still love to read a good story. All of your encouragement is the ink in my pen.
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Crisp and sweet writing Trishikh da. Cool depiction! Delightful scenes! I would like little more substance though. Thanks for sharing!
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Dear Sunny, thanks for liking it. This was meant for a lighter read. Will try to bring in more substance in some of my future stories. Really appreciate your comment, I always treasure your feedback.
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Fantastic read with humour and sarcasm. We common people often face such bad phases in our life. Man is often cheated by so called sages . We people always should measure our steps to face the cruel world. Poor Bipin babu……! Satisfactory read. All the best for your upcoming story.
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Thank you so much Mallika aunty. I know you to be an ardent fan and practitioner of the English language, so words of appreciation from you mean a lot to me. Do keep on reading my stories. I will always try my best to release one every Sunday, God willing.
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Long live Bipin Babus and their crazy love for fish. A well knitted short story of everyday life of a typical Bong. Everyone can visualise and come across such Bipin Babus in everyday life…
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Yes Debashis, glad that you liked the story and could relate to it. It is my humble effort now, to pen stories from Bengal, its people, and culture, showcasing them for the world. I write and publish one story ever week. Do follow my blog to read more in the days to come. Presently I have written 5 stories in the past 5 week. Take you time and read them when you can, I am sure you would not be disappointed.
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Enjoyed the story
Now you gotta like all my posts too 😉
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Slowly I will go through your posts, and am sure that I will like them.
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Haha thanks
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Lovely story Trishikh shall savour the others slowly and steadily!
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Thank you so much Amitabh, it would be my honour and pleasure to have you go through my stories. Words of appreciation from is the fuel to my writing engine.
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You started something, you should finish it 😌
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Yes that was how the story developed. Though while writing I was not sure how it would end. Glad that I was able to satisfactorily finish it.
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While I was reading ,,A Suitable Boy”, I fall in love with India. Never been, but happy to find a part of the indian charming culture in your blog ! Warm Greetings ! Diana
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It is my pleasure to uphold bits and pieces about India through my stories. So glad that they interest you. Always appreciate your coming over and liking them.
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I liked all your posts with great pleasure ! But before this one, on my Reader there are no other post. This is the very first one ?
Thank you so much for appreciate my work ! 🙂
I am waiting with interest your next posts !
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Will always try my best to bring forward good stories. Keep on reading.
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Reblogged this on Ned Hamson’s Second Line View of the News.
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Thanks Ned for reblogging my first short story my blog. This story is very close to my heart.
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Trishikh the story is very funny. Bipin babu and his reactions against people and circumstances around him is the backbone of the story. His dress is similar to a Bengali man. I enjoyed the fun. You have a superior vocabulary. You tell the story in such a way that the reader find it interesting and read it till the end. Your story is very close to hindi novels, I’ve read till now. Congratulations to you.
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Dear Lokesh thank you so much for your kind words. You have very beautifully analysed the story. In today’s world of internet anyone can develop a good vocabulary, you can always search for synonyms over the net and use it in your writing, and slowly you will learn a lot of new words. Reading, however, is the best way to learn new words, the more you read, the more you will come to know. Since my stories are mostly from India, you will find a lot of similarity to Hindi and Bengali writings and novels. Keep on reading, I really appreciate you interest in my stories.
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Can you please tell me how you have developed your way of story telling ?
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There is no single formula, but I can surely give you some pointers, and tell you the way I approach writing stories. The first thing is to be dedicated to it. Whatever happens I try to write everyday, preferably at a fixed hour, for me it’s early in the morning at dawn. Most of the time you will not have a story in mind, you will just have a word, or a sentence, or an incident, or an object, or a place in mind. Start writing a few lines about it, and then slowly it will develop. Writing short stories for me is more difficult than writing a novel, as you have very limited space to finish your story, and that can be challenging. Do not worry about the ending, you will ultimately get it. Also remember all stories will not be amazing, some will be better than the other, however, there is always someone, somewhere who will like your story. Just keep writing, soon will come to know how to do it. If you do not start writing you will never master it.
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“Just keep writing,” these are great words, easy to apply for me.
Similar inspiration, we have got from a rare Hindi writer – Rajiya Sajjad Jahir. She says,
“ हमारें दृढ संकल्प ही हमारी ताकत है,
हमारा लिखना ही हमें जिंदा रखता है । ”
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Thank you so much. I will keep on writing.
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I don’t know what is my future Trishikh. But I love reading and writing. I love all genres of writing poems, shayari, quotes, stories, short stories, essays and articles etc. I’ve also written an incomplete book.
I need a job for me and my family’s survival. I am preparing for competitive exams, administration is my aptitude and attitude.
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One can only honestly try, the result and reward is in God’s hands. I wish you all the best, I have a gut feeling that you will succeed in life.
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Thank you Trishikh. I believe in my abilities and will power. I imagine to create it in the reality, opposite is also true— my Imagination is inspired by reality around me.
Let’s write some good stories…that is what we can live right now.👍🌄
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Well said brother, let us live our realities.
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Loved this one
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This was the first story in this blog, which got everything started in August 2020. I am writing my 34th story today, releasing this Saturday. It is a very special story for me. Not many have read it, as it was the first post but I sure with time more people will ultimately read it. Thank you so much for the like.
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I am glad you started. I also like to read a writers work from the beginning
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Thank you so much. Look forward to your comments and likes. Happy reading to you.
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Hello there, is this your first blog post? Because the reader is stopped here! So I liked all your articles and I hope to be able to read your next new publications … Good day.
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Yes Marie, this was my first story written for this blog back on 2nd August 2020. I write and release 1 story every weekend, so keep an eye out to read more of my tales. Thank you so much for all the likes and beautiful comments.
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I will be sure to follow your next articles, no problem … Thank you too for following me and have a good Wednesday!
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Thank you so much Marie. You are most welcome. Have a great Wednesday too.
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Amazing
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Thank you for your kind word of encouragement.
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Lovely story Trishikh shall savour the others slowly and steadily!
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Thank you so much. This was the first story for this short story blog of mine. So it is very special to me. I am so glad that you loved the story.
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Very well spun and written, bravo! And I really like the humour in this story. I am looking forward to reading more.
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Thank you Stella. So glad to meet you. I am sure you would enjoy many of my other stories as well. I try to write and release one every weekend.
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I am sure, I like your style, especially this humorous, but benevolent attitude to human beings and their “faults” and little oddities (if I am reading you correctly … 😉 )
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You are correct Stella, it is one of my styles, however, I like to play around with different styles as well. You have analysed my story and writing style so well. Even I had not thought about it in that way. Thank you so much for liking my story and taking the time to comment and encourage me.
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I read the beginning of the last one you published, so I can see that it is different in style, but not in language quality. 😉
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You are right Stella. Thank you so much for taking an interest in my stories, I am so glad that they appeal to you.
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we would now like to read “What a Babu can do to someone who cheated on his Mach bhat” …
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Oh, that would be a great sequel to this story. Who knows maybe one day I will right it. There are many more short stories in my blog, some of them I am sure you would love to read.
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Tremendous cheater and greedy was the sage
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Many amongst us pose to be men of God and make a living out of cheating and exploiting the religious sentiments of the people.
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Read it as advised. Lovely story. You have a knack of sprinkling your story with small ‘side-dishes'(facts) to make it even more palatable. The progression of Bipin’s day was hilarious to read with small details telling it all.
“Mosaicked”, I read it for the first time. Though the meaning was very clear but I thought you ‘coined’ it probably and confirmed it with Google uncle. 🙂
The ending was good and the significance of a small detail added earlier in the narrative about the Red Bag got so prominent at the climax.
Though I was expecting a different ending. With the Baba referring to Shani(Saturn) and our Bipin Babu was a complete Vegetarian on Saturdays to please Kali Ma and that particular day, 4th July 1998 was a Saturday!
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Dear Ravindra’ji,
Your eye for details is mind-boggling. I must admire, the depth of your reading of my story.
Yes you are right – little crumbs of facts do garnish my stories. Glad that you came to know another new word.
Your observation about Saturday is a critical one, but then the story has been written.
Do visit again and read more. It gives me great to read your comments.
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Your wonderful journey which started from here will inspire me.
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It is a big honour to inspire someone. I am so happy that you feel motivated from my stories. Your comment really made my day.
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MMMM…….CHE BUONO.
BUON FINE SETTIMANA.
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Thank you so much for liking my 1st short story in this blog. No many have read this story. A great weekend to you too.
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grazie a te
Thank you
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You are most welcome.
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grazie 🙂
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i wish you a merry christmas
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A very merry Christmas and a happy new year to you too in advance.
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thank you and a very happy new year to you too
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