A tribute

My grandfather, Shri Bachchu Singh Shastri passed away last November. He was a freedom fighter (revolutionary), an author of few books, a socialist, a social worker, a teacher. In those times, my grandmother was a working woman, salute to him. He was a person who commanded respect in life and went into the pyre covered with the national flag.

I have translated few portions of his play ‘Manzil Dur Nahi’(Destination not far) written in 1951. I have tried to pick various aspects of his deeds and thinking. It is interesting to know what were the priorities and mindset of people some sixty years ago. He had written with the pen name of Suresh.  

Few lines from the foreword done by Shri Ramvriksha Benipuri (one of the legends of Hindi literature)

My friend Bachchu Shastri had actively participated in the do or die movement of 1942 and I am happy that he has given his experiences a form of a play. Not only this, he has also shown us the direction in which society will move in future based on the incidents of the movement. There is a poem by Rabindra – the sun was setting, world was stunned, who will now give light; even stars and moon were afraid. The small ‘diya’ then came up – till then this burden on my small shoulders. This creation of friend Bachchu jee must be seen in this way.   

Few lines from preface

We are not concerned whether we are independent or subservient. The only thing we know is that we are hungry, we are bare and we are dying in suffering for lack of grains. Not only this, we are looking with our shrunken eyes, a bulldog’s puppy feasting upon milk-rice in front of a big bungalow, and beside it two living skeletons standing with stretched hands.

Living skeletons! People may say whatever they want, but nobody can deny the fact that these living skeletons have stopped considering themselves as human. They are ready – to sell their self-respect for few juggling coins, to strip their dignity, to destroy themselves. Because demonic politics have made these structures of bones to drink strong venom of frustration and have pushed them from hope of life towards deep ocean of depression.

Background of scene one

The arms room of mandapam police station is locked. An armed constable is dozing at door. Two other armed constables are walking in front of the door. A sign board of ‘mandapam police station’ is hanging in front. Suresh wearing the clothes of constable enters and attacks a walking constable. Diwakar attacks another one. The sleeping constable suddenly gets up to shoot Suresh. But Suresh is quick and kills that constable with revolver and blows whistle. From the other side five other revolutionaries enter running. The two constables are tied up. All revolutionaries then vanish. The tied up constables and a dead body remain there. By the time, SP and collector enter the scene.

From Fifth scene

Special court. Judge, two lawyers. Few onlookers including Suresh’s mother. Suresh, Lila and Prema standing in front of judge.

Judge – (1)You killed a constable at mandapam police station and looted its arms room, (2)killed SP, (3)helped escape of Lila from house arrest, (4)helped Prema to escape jail, (5)tried to overthrow a government of justice and law, (6)burned three stations and (7)blew 6 railway bridges. The punishment of these crime is ‘kalapani’ and death penalty. Do you want to say something?

Suresh – Why will I acknowledge a court of the government whom I want to overthrow? I have nothing to speak.

On death

Universe is a sum total of all changes. The processes of creation, development and destruction carry on every moment. Movement is the only truth in this fragile world. What is life? Slowly moving towards death is life. Then why to be sad for the compulsory death? I will not be there tomorrow, but my works will remain forever.

Conversation of Lila and Suresh over love, lust and marriage

 Lila – What is the relation of love with revolution?

Suresh – The relation among humanity, beauty and revolution can be termed as love.

Lila – What is the relation between love and lust?

Suresh – Even great intellects are divided on this matter. Great like Freud considers lust as the prime motivator of human efforts. There are such intellects also who find no place for lust in pure love. But this is the ultimate truth that lust is satisfied in our life in some form or other.

Lila – Is marriage necessary?

Suresh – Man is social being. A system developed to protect basics of the society as well as to satisfy lust took the form of the institution of marriage. Marriage is not necessary but satisfaction of lust is necessary. And being social while satisfying lust is even more necessary.

On socialism

We can produce more crops when land belongs to people who till it. There should be cooperative farming, advanced farming tools, better seeds, fertilizers and scientific methods of agriculture must be adopted. Drought can be managed only when means of production are socialized. The rebuilding of the country must be based on socialism.             

Romantic Ranchi

{ I had written this short story for the contest 'Romantic Ranchi'. The subject was the same as it is evident from the topic title. Word limit was 1000 words. Needless to say, I didn't win it. :( . So, I have decided to force it upon you people. :P }

It was a lazy afternoon class of chemistry. The organic reactions written on the blackboard were looking like a Picasso painting. In such dull periods, the human mind becomes the most creative. I decided to draw a cartoon of my chemistry teacher on the desk. I searched for space; the desk was scribbled at most places. But, there was something new written on the desk. “F/17, boring classes L”. I was excited. I wrote back, “M/17, totally booored! Eco, science, u?”     

For the online-chat-illiterate junta, ‘F/17’ means ‘Female, 17 years’. And this message written on the desk was from some girl from the morning session of my school. DAV Shyamali, Ranchi held classes in two sessions and I was a student of the afternoon session in science section with economics as my chosen subject.

Thus started my story of ‘desk-dating’. Every day we left a message on the desk for each other. I wanted to meet her in person and the filled up space of the desk came as a good excuse. “No more space. Can we meet? At 12 at gate”. It was a big step. I dreamt of being run over by a train at night. Next day I went straight into my class and hugged my benchmate as soon as I saw, “yes J tomorrow”.

For the first time in my life, I pressed my school dress. I re-knotted my tie after seven months and polished my shoe after a month. I cleaned my spectacles too. I started earlier to the school and reached 11:30 sharp at the school gate. For half an hour and five minutes more, it felt like I was the heaviest thing on the planet earth. She came at 12:05 pm. I had wondered earlier how I would recognize her. It was not hard. Only two people had completely pale faces at school gate and we knew.    

“Hi”, I murmured. My God! She was beautiful. She shied a little, smiled a little and said in the sweetest voice I had ever heard, “Hi”. I felt like the lightest thing on the planet earth.

We decided to walk through the Shyamali colony. She said she would bunk her two tuitions. I would have eaten raw grass to be with this girl! I said I would bunk my school. We walked side by side, but no hand in hand as I had always dreamt. All the trees planted alongside the road made the February sun even more pleasant. We talked about classes, school and tuitions. I proposed to go to Church complex. She agreed with her that intoxicating little smile. We walked unto AG more.

We got into a vikram, a type of 6-seater. The bumpy and noisy ride of vikram and she sitting beside me felt like heavens. We didn’t talk in vikram, due to noise or due to other people staring at us, or due to both, I didn’t know. We alighted at Kadru more. From there, we walked upto Church complex. I told her a story of my childhood. Myself and my friends used to steal chickens from neighborhood and kept them in a diwali’s gharonda. I told her how we got caught and thrashed. She laughed and laughed.

We spent some time in Church complex. She told me about her mischief in childhood. We were bonding. With afternoon dying, she started to feel hungry. I suggested we should eat chowmein at firayalal chowk. With sixty four rupees in pocket, I had no other choice also. We took a rickshaw. The congested road and feel of a girl sitting beside on a slow moving rickshaw made those moments memorable.

When we got down at firayalal, I took out money to pay to the rickshaw wala. Suddenly, she caught hold of my hand and said she will pay. Her touch had a paralyzing effect on my body. I couldn’t do more than just shyly nodding. She paid the money and again the same mesmerizing little smile.

We ate vegetable chowmein, 15 rupees a plate. The crowded firayalal chowk, the smell of chowmein being fried, a beautiful girl eating in front of me, life wasn’t more fulfilling ever before.  

We then walked upto Gopal complex to enquire about some test series. In between, we talked about taste of chowmein and how we both loved to cook Chinese food. I asked her to take the spiral staircase outside the Gopal complex to reach upper floor. She was reluctant to climb it. I took her hand and pulled her gently onto the stairs. She obliged and again the same engrossing little smile.

She kept her palm pressed against mine. I did the same. Now, we were walking hand in hand as I had always dreamt. We reached the top floor of the complex and looked out at the dimming evening sky. The February cold air was still. After we had held hands, we hadn’t talked. Silence between us and in the empty corridors of Gopal complex top floor was so resounding in our pounding hearts. Unexpectedly, she hugged me. I ran my fingers in her hairs.

We promised each other a lot of things that day.  Like any other teenage promise, they were broken one by one in months to come. Even today when I sit anywhere, I look at the table for any signs. Because, you never know.