Have you ever tried to burn paper or a dry leaf with a magnifying glass? Have you ever tried lighting a fire out in the open, in a desolate desert, on the icy surface of a frozen landscape, in the unbroken wilderness, beside a murmuring stream, somewhere high up on a mystic mountain, in a clearing in a dense forest, or perhaps in a dark and narrow alley in a city, on the terrace of a building, or in a dumpster somewhere in a concrete jungle? There lies a deep sense of accomplishment in creating fire out of nothing. Starting a steady blaze from a tiny spark ignites a warm feeling of a deeply satisfying achievement.
Fire is perhaps one of the most important phenomena to humankind. It gave us the embrace of safety during the predatory days of the war of the species and continues to provide us with a sense of security in any dark and unpredictable environment. It gave us the ability to eat things that we could not consume otherwise. It gave us the power to clear the lands, mould nature, and split the elements. It brought the illumination and warmth of the life-giving sun into the palm of our hands. It lit up our world and advanced human civilisation in unfathomable ways.
Fire, however, is a powerful force and something not to be reckoned with. That’s why perhaps, it holds a sacred mantle in almost all civilisations, religions, and beliefs. It in itself is neutral, neither good nor evil. It is found in all the realms, on Earth, in the netherworlds, and in the heavens. It burns at the highest altars of our most haloed gods and roars under the boiling cauldrons in the lowest rungs of hell.
It blazes the stars in the void of space, simmers the waters in the deepest of the freezing oceanic trenches, and keeps the core of the earth molten, helping the planet spin on its axis, making day and night possible. In the beginning, when there was nothing, it was a spark that caused the genesis of creation, and it will be a fire that ultimately disintegrates every last being and thing into nothingness.
Now there lies a profound influence of fire on the physical, psychological, and metaphysical being of a human. While most of us are unaware of this, some of us are more receptive and conscious of it, and then there are a very few who are born with the ability to harness and channelise this powerful energy in unimaginable ways, something regarded as supernatural, mystical, or magical by ordinary men.
Traces of the existence of such extraordinary beings are often found in the annals of human history and religion, in scriptures, songs, myths and lores, as gods, demigods, angels, demons, mythical creatures, heroes, and villains. Prometheus, Ola, Ra, Zhurong, Gugurang, Agni, Jowangsin, Amaterasu, atar, Odqan, Alaz, Enji, Eate, Alpan, Brigit, Logi, Caca, and Pele are some of the known fire deities across various cultures, whom many have come to fear and revere over the ages.
As human civilisation advanced with the evolution of technology and way of life, science took a tighter grip on our beliefs, and these beings of magic and mystery became more conspicuous. Though now we rarely see or hear about them, they still live among us, dwelling in the shadows, living lives of faded existence.
On the sixth day of the sixth month in the year of our lord 1980, Ogni, meaning fire in Bengali, was born with a fiery red skin and soul-piercing amber eyes in a measly shanty made of split bamboo, broken plastic, rusted tin, deadwood, and old worn-out bed sheets, in the Tangra slums of the conurbation of Kolkata in India. It was one of the hottest dates in living memory, with many spontaneous fires making newspaper headlines the next day.
During those days, the favela of Tangra reeked with the smell of chemicals, blood, and dead flesh, being home to over three hundred and fifty tanneries built by the Hakka Chinese shoemakers who settled in the marshy wetland region of the city around seventy years back in 1910.
Right from the beginning, even as an infant, the boy showed signs of being different. He was literally so hot when he came out of his mother’s womb that he burned the hands of the midwife who delivered him. As a baby, his parents would use salvaged fire-retardant materials for his crib and to wrap him, for ordinary cloth and clothes, wood and plastic caught fire when the baby went into a fit of rage.
His parents came to believe that their boy with the fiery red skin and soul-piercing amber eyes was born with a curse. Since the child had a constant body temperature much higher than anyone else, they thought that he was always sick and forced him to stay in the hut as much as possible when he just wanted to play out in the streets with the other slum children.
As Ogni grew older, his powers became more uncontrollable. Soon the parents realised that their boy could never have a normal life because people always found it difficult to accept those who were different. They also realised that this curse was too powerful and had the potential to create great havoc and destruction if not put under check. The only thing that the boy, however, wanted was to have friends.
From religious men to quacks to witch doctors to traditional healers to medical practitioners, the parents knocked on every door available. Though their poverty did not allow them to explore many options, they finally found the cure to this bane in the unlikeliest of places. A local medicine shop owner prescribed paracetamol tablets. The simple fever medicine helped keep the red-skinned amber-eyed boy’s body temperature down, and the fiery curse became dormant.
Still, his parents kept him as protected as possible and never allowed him to mix around or have friends. They did not permit him to go to the local government school, which offered free education for slum children. Every day for hours, the little boy would peer out of his shanty window, looking at kids going to school. He wanted to speak and be friends with them but held back, fearing that he could only hurt them. The desire to go to school would become a lifelong obsession. It was like a forbidden fruit that he never ate.
With age, he realised that staying emerged in the neighbouring lake for long hours during the night helped keep his body temperature down to a great extent, but taking the fever medicines was also important to keep himself as normal as possible. He learned to experiment with various labels and try different combinations and dosages. All this medication, however, had its side effects. They always kept him sickly and depressed. Age and time went by, and he could never go to school or make any friends.
Many years had passed, and Ogni still lived in the same little shanty in which he was born. Now he was all alone as both his parents had passed away. With time he had learned not to have any friends, as closeness with people only meant having and displaying emotions, which could trigger his curse to cause a catastrophe. He went to a tannery to work six days a week, hardly spoke with anyone and mostly kept to himself.
The red-skinned amber-eyed fiery little boy born with an uncontrollable power had managed to transform himself into a sickly and anonymous hide cleaner from the slums of Tangra in the ‘City of Joy.’
One thing, however, gave him much happiness, every day on his way to work, he would sit on the bench outside the local government school to have breakfast, two dried flatbreads with a pinch of salt and a piece of onion. Eating here was not important, but observing and enjoying the kids going to school was the whole point. He would repeat this activity in the afternoon, during his lunch hours when the school broke. He never had anything to eat during the noontime but pretended to munch out of a crumpled newspaper, as it gave him a chance to observe and enjoy the children once again.
“We have been looking at you for a while, you paedophile. It’s high time you stop gapping at our children,” shouted an angry father as he and a few other slum parents walked up to Ogni’s bench while he was nibbling on his last piece of onion wrapped in yesterday’s flatbread, gaping at the children entering the school building.
“I… I… I… mean no… no… harm. I’m just having my breakfast. I… I… I… can… can… cannot harm the children. I… I… I… love them,” nervously bluttered Ogni as one of the parents landed a hard smack on his red face.
After being badly beaten and bruised, the poor hide cleaner spent the night huddled in a corner of the local jail cell. “I know you are not a bad soul Ogni. It’s just that you managed to attract the wrong kind of attention. You have never committed a crime in your life. God only knows why you gape at those children. Please stay out of trouble,” said the Officer in Charge before releasing the poor hide cleaner from the police station the next day.
Over the course of the next few weeks, Ogni tried his best to stay away from the school as far as possible but could not help stealing a glance when he passed that way. The long night emersions in the lake still helped him keep his calm during this spell of mental turmoil.
Gradually Ogni lost the desire to do much of anything and even to live, realising how miserable his life had been. He blamed the gods for cursing him with this bane and even stopped his medication contemplating self-immolation and death. The red-skinned amber-eyed fiery little boy born with an uncontrollable power who had turned into a sickly hide cleaner abhorred by society had finally decided the time and date to end his miserable existence.
At the end of the Hindu festival of Navratri, celebrated as the Durga Puja in Bengal, on the tenth day of the month of Ashvin of the Hindu calendar year 2069 in the year of the Christian Lord 2012, when the effigy of the Asura king Ravana is burnt all over the city to symbolise the triumph of good over evil, Ogni decided would be his last moment in this mortal realm. He felt that like Ravana who was misinterpreted as being evil, he too had been misjudged by the people.
When the morning of October 24th, 2012, finally came, Ogni knew it was the last twenty-four hours of his earthly presence. Already for days, he had stopped eating much, left going to the tannery, and given up his medicines. His core body temperature had been steadily rising, but a calmness had come to him. He no longer feared hurting anyone, for he knew that soon he would be no more to cause anyone any pain.
In the evening, when the festival was at its peak, Ogni finally came out of his shack. Saying goodbye to the place of his birth, he went and sat on the bench opposite the school to see the children for one last time before letting go of his emotions and using the fire within to set himself ablaze.
Through the wrought iron gate of the school, the thirty-two-year-old saw a flaming arrow being shot by a performing archer dressed as Lord Rama towards the pyro-filled effigy of the Demon King Ravana. The blazing projectile pierced through the evening sky and lodged itself on the chest of the ten-headed Asura, which lit up in a dazzling blaze within a few moments.
The crowd of children, parents, teachers, and guests in the school field surrounding Ravana’s flaming image clapped and cheered, enjoying the fireworks, till something totally unexpected and horrible happened.
Something with the pyro-technique had gone terribly wrong. Instead of burning in a controlled way, spurting fireworks towards the sky, the towering inferno of Ravana burst and engulfed everyone present in bellows of scorching flames. Within just a fraction of a moment, the playground had turned into a field of flaming children and people running around in blazes.
Without giving it a second thought, Ogni dashed towards the flames, not really knowing what he was doing, but with a pure heart and a deep desire to save the children. Next, what happened was nothing short of a miracle.
As Ogni lunged into the burning field and moved through the flames, uncertain and disoriented about who to leave and whom to help, an unimaginable phenomenon took place. Every bit of fire in that place left devouring everything else and pierced into his body. Like a giant electromagnet moving over a heap of iron filings, Ogni sucked up every bit of fire over there into himself till everyone else felt no heat and only the chill of the evening air. Not even a blister remained on any skin.
The last anyone ever saw Ogni was on that night, walking away from the school field engulfed in a dazzling flame entering the water of the neighbouring lake. No diver or anyone could ever find his remains. Many still believe that he still lives, a fire god who moves about the slum of the city, dousing any unwanted fire and flame.
Copyright © 2023 TRISHIKH DASGUPTA
This work of fiction, written by Trishikh Dasgupta is the author’s sole intellectual property. Some characters, incidents, places, and facts may be real while some fictitious. 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 
Poignant and painful, Trishikh. From the very first mention of Ogni’s simply wanting friends, the story crackled with its own electricity.
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Dear Annie, as always your words fill my being with joy. It gives me a great sense of accomplishment. So glad that you liked the story.
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Fire is a very integral part of human life.thank you for sharing dear friend.
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Yes Alev, Fire is indeed a very important part of all of our lives. So glad that you liked the story.
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Always treasure your support in helping me share my stories with the larger world.
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A poignant, sensitive story which I thoroughly enjoyed and learned alot from. Amazingly filled with interesting facts and yet so emotionally touching. I felt for Ogni early on and the caring grew. The mark of a well written and well constructed short story.
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Reading your beautiful words of appreciation for this little story of mine brings me great joy. I am so happy that you get to learn little things from my stories. Glad that I was able to bring emotions and the character out. Treasure your comment.
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Amazing story and interesting ceremonies, always with a message.
Thank’s for share Trishikh. Have a wonderful day.
Keep well.
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Thank you so much Elvira. Always treasure your appreciation. Yes, India is a land of rituals. So many of them are there that it would take many lifetimes to know about all of them. A great day to you too as well.
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Always a pleasure, Trishikh.
Thank’s for your kind words, thats very interesting. Enjoy your amazing day too. Keep well.
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So excellent article about Fire 🔥 yes, our all ritual ceremonies lighting fire 🔥 and we cherish Agnidav
for worshiping our life’s purity, so true inspiration 🌹🙏👍🏻thank you for sharing dear friend 🌹🙏♥️🌹
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My pleasure in sharing the story. So gald that you liked it. Yes fire is a very integral part of human life. Your appreciation makes writing this story so worthwhile.
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Thank you so much for this lovely reply comment 🙏🌹grace wishes 👏
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My pleasure. Always appreciate a good appreciation.
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🙏
Aum Shanti
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Pease and blessings to you as well dear friend.
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Well thought out story, we do not know if he will be a demon or a hero until the very end. I felt so sad for his isolation.
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Dear Rebecca, so glad that you brought out this angle. I did not think of it that my readers would have a doubt in their minds about whether Ogni’s character would turn out good or bad. In my mind as a writer, he was good from the beginning. I was biased on my thought process. So gald that you brought this out, that he could have turned out to be bad too. Yes his isolation brings a pinch of sadness to the story I must agree.
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I felt he was a good character inside, but I didn’t know how his special abilities would play out in the world. Very happy to see your tale this weekend!
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Am so glad that the story made you smile.
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Trishikh, love your stories , so exotic and fresh. I’m really sleepy now, but I read every word being gently pulled along.
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That is such a big compliment. I really treasure your affection for my stories. Thank you so much good old friend.
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You’re so kind and humble, but I think if you keep adding to your body of work you’ll eventually be recognized as one of the great story tellers.
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May your words come true. I want to leave behind as many short stories as possible. It would be my little contribution to humanity.
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Yes, fire is so destructive and powerful. Wow, what a story about Ogni.
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Glad that you liked the tale Vanya. Nothing makes my day better than a little bit of appreciation.
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Wow, it is a fascinating story. So many different emotions surface as you read it. Lovely 🌺
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Thank you so much Shalini. So glad that you could find many emotions in this little story of mine. Nothing makes my day better than a bit of appreciation.
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A well-composed thought-provoking fable, Ogni’s final act showed his true greatness, as he had lived in accordance with his nature and preserved his original simplicity, so he completed himself in death.
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Always a pleasure to receive your appreciation. Your words never fail to bring me great joy. Like Ogni, many of us are able to find greatness at the very last moments of our lives. Who knows perhaps Ogni did not die, perhaps he simply could not die, perhaps he is one of the Immortals among us.
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Wow! That was awesome.. really enjoyed reading this.. thank you Trishikh.. ❤️
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Always a pleasure to share a good story, and appreciation such as yours makes writing them worthwhile.
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💛💙❤️
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Another amazing story, Trishikh. It seems that so many powerful light based people sacrifice their lives while remaining misunderstood by others. A sad but recurring theme in humanity. Thanks for another great tale.
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Yes you are right. I also think that light and sacrifice have a deep connect with each other both literally and psychologically and even metaphysically. So glad that you liked my story. As always, your comment brings me much joy.
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and the heart needs fire to keep the love burning.thanks for sharing this🙂
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Very well said, what are we with passion and fire in our hearts.
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What a wonderful story, Trishikh, tragic, yes, but this person Ogni still was able to perform his great act of love, even if he himself had been treated badly all his life. A genuinely pure soul cannot be completely corrupted. What a great lesson for us.
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That’s such a beautiful way to summarise my story. I treasure your comment. “A genuinely pure sould cannot be completely corrupted” – what a powerful line, I would certainly like to use it in one of my stories.
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Feel free … I am sure you can formulate it much better.
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Ideas come from everyone and everywhere, we just need to be receptive to catch them. Thank you so much.
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That’s so true!
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Bonsoir mon AMI
En cette fin de journée qui j’espère a été belle
je t’envoie ce petit message sms mignon
Des mots amicaux pour toi mon amie (i) fidèle
Un simple message d’amitié douceur miel
Pour te dire bonsoir et te souhaiter une bonne soirée
Que ta nuit soit douce et des plus beaux rêves habitée
Bisous affectueux et bises amicales
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Thank you Bernard. Always treasure your support.
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Quite a punch. Such a sad ending (and life).
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Thank you so much for liking the story. Yes, many of my readers and saying that the story has a sad ending, but I like to believe that Ogni lives anonymously, helping people in the slums of Kolkata deal with fire.
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Thanks for sharing this amazing story. Anita
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My pleasure, and I must thank you for reading, liking, and commenting. Always treasure a good appreciation.
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God bless
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Thank ❤🌹🙏you sir for likes
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You are most welcome Titus.
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Powerful and legendary! 💪
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Thank you Emmanuel. Always a pleasure receive your appreciation.
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♥ 🌟
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When fire becomes wild then it’s difficult to control but otherwise it source of energy and uplift in many ways be it at the end like your story.
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Yes, fire has both the potential to create and destroy. Thank you so much for liking the story and sharing your thoughts. I always look forward to your comments.
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https://i.postimg.cc/RZHF8G4q/bonjour-amusant-dr-les-1-768×524.jpg
Un petit message pour te souhaiter une bonne journée
Pour te mettre dans la bonne humeur
Allez réveille-toi si tu ne l’es encore pas
En ce jour est l’espoir que quelque chose de merveilleux se produira
Que ta journée soit belle est ensoleillée
Pour toi
https://i.postimg.cc/mgFD7pRN/muguet.jpg
Bise Amicale Bernard
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Thank you Bernard, always appreciate and treasure your comments.
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it is an amazing piece. Loved it. Will keep coming to this page for more! thanks for sharing!
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You are most welcome. So happy that you liked my story. Appreciation really makes my day. Please do visit again and read more of my stories whenever you feel like. I am sure that you would love many of them.
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Fire is a primordial thing for humans in my view. It makes food taste so good too. ☺️
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Oh, yes! Fire has such an historical connection with us. I also agree that fire’s greatest contribution is perhaps in making food taste better. Nothing can beat that.
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Have a tasty week! 😂
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Thank you John. A delicious week to you too.
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Thanks!
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You are most welcome.
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A very poignant and compelling tale, masterfully written, Trishikh!
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Thank you so much Cheryl. So glad that you liked this little tale of mine.
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Bonjour mon AMI
Chaque jour est un nouveau chapitre de la vie
Il nous apporte de nouvelles énigmes à résoudre
Vis chaque instant avec passion afin d’écrire la plus belle des histoires
Que cette journée t’apporte le sourire et remplir ton cœur de bonheur
Agréable journée à toi et ceux de ton entourage
Bise AMICALE Bernard
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Thanks Bernard. A pleasant day to you and all around you too.
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Thank you for the likes. I would like to return the favor, but I believe I did all that you currently have posted.
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Much appreciate. Always treasure your likes on my stories and comments too.
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Thank you for sharing good story
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You are most welcome. It is always my pleasure to share a good story.
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Wow, this story about Ogni and the symbolism of fire is absolutely captivating!
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Thank you so much. So glad that you liked this little tale of mine. Sorry for the late response, I was travelling.
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Fantastic 💖it rekindled many of my thoughts about fire. Thank you
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Thank you so much for your lovely comment. Am so glad that you liked my story. It specially gives me great joy to have been able to kindle and rekindle your thoughts about fire.
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My pleasure. I will read your other articles in due time. They appear interesting 😊
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Please visit again and read more of my short stories. I am sure you will love them.
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Good job
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🙏
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I love your work because you are a truly warm and generous soul, thank you brother 🙏
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Such a big compliment. I embrace it with much love and appreciation.
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Moving story of humanity and sacrifice.
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So glad that you feel that way Mich. It really makes my day when someone derives a bit of joy from one of my stories.
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I’ll be a regular reader from now on.
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It would be a great honour for me to have you visit my blog to read my short stories. There are many more stories here that I have already written and published, do come and read them whenever you feel like. I am sure that you would enjoy many of them.
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A warm story 😊
Poignant pathos.
I feel for Ogni. Your tales are always so believable. I loved this, Trishikh 🔥
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Thank you so much Lesley, so glad that you got to read this story of mine. I always treasure your appreciation. You have always been so supportive and encouraging to my writing these short stories.
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I love your stories, Trishikh
They are real and imaginative 💗
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Your appreciation really makes my day.
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🌹
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I couldn’t have stopped reading this even if I wanted. I found the text so enthralling. and introduced to another hero. marvelous!
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Thank you so much Patrick for your beautiful words of appreciation. You have always liked my stories, and have encouraged me so much. I treasure our interactions, and pray to God to keep on gifting me with these stories, so that I may keep on presenting them for the world to enjoy.
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Nice story, dear friend –
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Thank you so much.
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Bonjour MON AMI
Bonne fête à vous les mères en ce dimanche 4 juin , toutes les années vous entrez dans l’histoire
Ou vos enfants petits enfants sont là pour vous dire bonne fête maman avec un petit cadeau soit par leur présence un petit baiser un resto un cadeau une fleur ou autre
C’est un message d’amour pour dire à sa mère qu’on l’aime pour toujours
En ce jour d’anniversaire à venir BONNE FETE A TOUTES LES MAMANS
En toute amitié Bernard, tout le meilleur pour vous
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Happy Mother’s Day to you too.
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This story beautifully shows the love and emotions of a deprived young man, who sacrifices his life for those who didn’t like him. A twist at the end shows the magnanimity of Ogni. Well penned, Trishikh, as always!
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Thank you KK. I always look forward to hear from you. Your comments brings me great joy. I think there are millions of Ogni’s amongst us with there own unique powers who go unnoticed.
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