Chapter-18
"Hmm, after looking at your argument skills I can say that you have improved from before Anirudh!" said his senior Barrister Santosh with a smile, "Yes sir! I am trying my best to improve myself!" "This is a very good mentality! Continue with this mentality Anirudh! I can see that you have become calmer than before! I am happy to see this change in you!" "Thank you for the advice Sir!" replied Anirudh after which his senior smiled at him. As they headed towards his cabin Anirudh stopped and asked, "Sir, can I get leave early?" "Why? Is any relative of yours coming to meet you?" "No actually I have to meet the scholars for a plea of supplying toilets in every village house!" "Oh! This will be quite difficult for you then..." "But why? They are scholars so they will surely understand this!" "Just like a person wearing British clothes isn't always a British, a person who is educated cannot necessarily have progressive mindset and good behaviour! I have met them, they are really stubborn to let even a minimal change happen and they will surely keep their conditions infront of you so for that all the best!" replied his senior as he patted Anirudh's shoulder and walked away leaving Anirudh in deep thought, "No matter how stubborn those people are, I will surely make them accept my plea!" said Anirudh with determination in his eyes.
When the sky turned quite darkish blue and purple Mauri entered her home in a jolly manner and saw her brother writing something on his diary, "What are you writing Dada? Show me also!" she said as she approached him but her brother kept his diary away from her and glared at her, "I have told you earlier also that you cannot see my diary then why don't you understand this in the first place!" "But I won't tell your secrets to anyone! I promise!" "I don't want to share my secrets to anyone means anyone only! And you also include in that anyone!" replied her brother sternly after which she frowned at him, "Well where is Bondita?" "Oh! Mashi sent her to a distorted hut!" "Why?!" "I cannot tell you further...." "Are you taking revenge from me?! I didn't tell you my secrets that's why?!" "No Dada! Mashi has herself prohibited me from telling you!" "Hmm, will you open your mouth if I tell some of my secrets to you?" "Ah...well...ye...no! No no! I won't! I promised Mashi already!" "Huh, Then give this diary to her!" "You are letting Didi read your secrets but not me! Why?!" "Of course not! This isn't my diary, I have bought this for Bondita as she wanted to write one!" "Oh! Sorry but I am prohibited to meet her...." "Even meet her?! Mashi is behaving like she has a certain disease! Is she unwell?!" "No! She is actually.." "Mauri!" warned her Mashi sternly, "Sorry Mashi" "You have to control your mouth Mauri!" "What's the truth that you don't want to share with me Mashi?" asked Shekhar seriously, "You don't need to know it!" "But I need to! I have every right to know where is Bondita and how she is as she is my sister!" "Huh...your sister is having periods that's why none of you cannot meet her!" "Oh! Then what was the need to send her to that distorted hut?! She could have stayed here like before! Oh I understand this now! As Baba isn't present here to oppose these you are doing all these with her! Right?!" "You are talking like I am her enemy Shekhar! Every woman has to follow these rules! Even your mother had to! So no more talks regarding this!" replied their Mashi sternly and went outside after which tears flowed from his eyes, "Dada! You are crying?!" "No I am not..." "Well what's there to lie? Also! You have never cared for me like you do for Didi! Why so?!" "Because you are still blind to see that care stupid!" replied her brother as he gently hit her head with teary eyes and laughed, "Hmph!" "It doesn't looks like Mashi will ever allow us to meet her! So give this diary and pen to her friend Anuj!" "Won't he be stopped too?!" "Anuj is good in hiding so no one will be able to see him! Go and give him this diary and pen and send him to where Bondita is!" "Why can't you yourself give him?!" "Can't you see that I am busy?!" "Busy?! He is just writing on his diary! Nothing else!" muttered Mauri as she got up and went outside.
She went towards the pond and saw Anuj throwing stones on the water, "Anuj Dada! I want some favour from you!" "Yes! Tell me!" "Can you give Bondita Didi these?!" "Oh yes! I also wanted to ask where she is! Today she didn't come to play with me" "Didi is in a distorted hut actually..." "What?! Is that her new house?!" "Of course not Anuj Dada!! You are saying such illogical things! Actually she is having periods..." "Periods? What exactly is this?!" "You don't know about this?!" "No..." "It's ok! Didi can also tell you about this! Here take these and go to that direction! Okay?! Also don't let anyone see you!" said Mauri after which Anuj nodded and headed towards the distorted hut.
As he was walking he continuously looked behind if anyone was following him or not, when he finally reached the hut the silence was giving chills to his spine. Suddenly he heard some sounds from behind the hut, "There's no one here except Bondita! Then from where are the sounds coming?! Is there a monkey behind?" said Anuj as he gulped in and cautiously went behind the hut, he noticed a half built small room like structure and quietly hid behind the wall to see a man wearing shirt and pant which gave him a clue that the man followed British culture, "Who are you?!" he asked as the man turned to see him, "Oh Anuj! It's me!" "Bondita's Birristra Babu?! What are you doing here?!" "Actually I was keeping buckets and mugs inside the bathroom!" "B-Bath! Rooom?! What exactly is it?!" "Paykhana is called bathroom in English!" "Oh!" "Well why are you holding a diary and a pen?!" "Actually it's for Bondita! Shekhar Da has bought these for her! " "It's good that Bondita wants to write a diary! She is adopting a very good habit!" "What are the advantages of writing a diary?" "You can cage your thoughts there before you forget them! You can also draw and write stories which will make your writing skills better and make you imaginative and be more creative! You will feel like you have a companion with you!" "Hmm, sounds nice! But I am too lazy to write anything...." "You should try it though!" said Anirudh as he chuckled and continued, "Also don't tell Bondita now that I am here! Okay? You go inside and talk with Bondita!" "Okay!" agreed Anuj to which Anirudh smiled.
Anuj entered to see Bondita lying on the floor with a rice bag, "Hello Bondita!" "Oh Anuj! Sorry I couldn't come to play with you as I am having periods..." "Periods?! Can you explain me what is this?!" "Actually this happens to every girl after she is eleven years or some can even have later! Every month for atleast four to five days your body bleeds!" "Why do you bleed?" "I also want to know! Birristra Babu said that this blood is different from the blood that flows inside us! Rather this blood has certain components mixed in it that's why it's thick!" "Oh! Why my parents never told me about this?! Specially my mother!" "They think that these things are impure though these things are completely natural!" "Hmm, oh I almost forgot! Here your diary and pen!" "Who told you to give me these?!" "Shekhar Da!" "Oh I forgot about it! When you will go back don't forget to tell him that I loved it!" "Okay Bondita! What will you like to play now?!" "I can't get up now as it's paining very much...why didn't Birristra Babu come now? Did he get stuck in his work?" "He is on the way now for sure!" "How can you say this with full confidence?!" "Don't you trust him?!" "I do trust him but the way you are saying seems like you know where he is! Right?!" "Ah..well.." "Did anyone miss me here?!" asked Anirudh with a smile as he entered, "Birristra Babu! I missed you! Well...." said Bondita as she noticed some mud on his shirt, "What were you doing now?" "I left some of my trusted workers here to build the bathroom and tomorrow the bathroom will be ready so you can take bath tomorrow! Okay?" said Anirudh to which Bondita nodded, "May I ask you something Birristra Babu?" "Yes?" "Why do we bleed?" "Actually Bondita as you are growing up your body is developing itself so that you can become a mother in future! The blood is the baby which was forming inside you!" "Then why didn't it get formed completely?" "Just like you need water to cook rice, some components are needed for the formation of baby! I am telling you the basics actually! So similarly we are made up of this blood!" "Interesting!" said Anuj with a smile, "So we can conclude that women bleed to give life!" "I wish you were my school teacher Bondita's Birristra Babu! You explain things with so much perfection!" "Yes! You should have been a teacher Birristra Babu!" "Oh, then did I choose wrong profession?" "About that I don't know Birristra Babu, but if you want you can excel in anything!" said Bondita to which Anirudh smiled, "You both sit outside! I am cleaning this dusty hut a bit!" "You don't have to do this Birristra Babu! Let me do this!" said Bondita as she tried to get up, "No you won't! You need some rest Bondita! Go outside and talk with Anuj! You need a clean place to stay!" said Anirudh sternly after which unwillingly Bondita went outside with Anuj.
"I have to say that your Birristra Babu is really multi-talented! He can do anything!" "Yes! But I am not liking that he is working like this...." "He himself wants to so why are you feeling bad?! Here eat some chom-chom! I bought them after my school!" said Anuj as she and him tasted one, "Keep two of the remaining chom-chom! He is doing so much for me! Atleast I want to give him these!" "Is he a child Bondita? He is an adult!" said Anuj as he laughed at her, "He is an adult but he has a child in himself!" said Bondita with a smile as she looked up towards the darkening sky.
Feedbacks allowed as always! 😃❤️