Mishal Raheja ~Dutta
Out of my hands
Part
3
That boy who was picked up from the streets
yesterday on his son's request .. has done a runner..it is noted. In alarm Damoder, immediately scans his
one room dwelling to check if anything valuable has gone missing, not that he
has any valuables.. the only precious item is the one cuddly bundle that sits on the mat yawning,
half asleep.
"babaaa! he moans half asleep ..but soon
enough notices the vacant space where the ragged boy had slept and it baffles
him and he looks up to his father.
"mera dost kadher hai babba?
asks Dutta drowsily.
"
mujhe kya pata! kahan gaye hai woh larka ? rattles an irate Damoder.
Before
Dutta can respond he carries on pointing a wagging finger at Dutta.. who sits
rubbing his eyes and continues to look down at the empty space beside him.
Damoder, complains.
"tune
bola tha is lardke ko ghar le chalo babba!, Damoder protests to his tiny tot of a son!
He blames Dutta by the sounds of
it.. who soon enough pouts his lower lip and begins to bawl! which Damoder
expected eventually to happen. In controlled anger he orders Dutta, to get
himself out of bed forthwith.
"utha ab Dutta! thujhe Aye
Sahib ke ghar bhi chorna hai.. ab woh chokra gaya tu gaya! jaane de!
But Dutta isn't readily willing to accept that. He comes out with a
suggestion that brings a ray of sunshine on his previously grim face.
"babaa ja ke dehien ye gaya
kadher? he pleads with half innocent wide eyes.
It is obvious to Damoder his lad
is upset, hence his suggestion for
a rekey. True he wants his son to be as
tough as steel but he knows that the
onus is upon him to train his son from a young age to face facts.. accept
situational reforms. Understand that life is transient and nothing is
permanent.
"dekh Dutta, hogi us ladke ke koi mujboori, ju woh chala
gaye.. ho sakta hai use bhi school jana ho , jaise thujhe jana hai! ab uth bhi
ja Dutta! Aye Sahib tera wait kar rehe hoon ge.! chivvies Damoder.
But Dutta argues, much to his
father' annoyance as it's delaying the process of getting him ready for the
day. So some fatherly persistence from
Damoder occurs as he, pushes the back of
his son's neck gently and nearly shoves him under the hand pump tap. But Dutta instead of allowing his
to father pump out the water manually
for his face wash, wrangles the handle and with the pumping motion jumps up and down gurgling squeals of
enjoyment. His father scratches his head and then grasps him from the back and
nears the child's face under the gush of water!
"bahut badmash hota ja reha
hai tu Dutta ! he admonishes him while trying to control a playful Dutta.
Damoder tells him off, for his
wriggling about! as he wipes his face
with a towel.. and runs his fingers through his sons damp hair..
Helping Dutta get ready Damoder muses regretfully, though his son is playful and begs for
more bonding time with him his father, Damoder
has immediate things to deal with,
like dropping off his son at Aye Sahib's residence. As his father he could
gather that his son has lost the usual spark in his eye, due to that boy's
disappearance. He feels the urge to perhaps act upon his son's suggestion, by
actually looking for the short time little strange visitor, who left an impact on his Dutta.
Damodar wishes to keep in mind
that his child is gravitating towards a peer ..which has to be a good thing as
Dutta despite of losing his mother, shows signs of reaching out to others ,
rather than withdrawing into himself. The other positive thing is that Dutta is
getting into a daily routine and responding well to it. Life is generally a bit
more stable, for both father and son.
~~~~~~~
On his way back from dropping Dutta
off. Damodar, stops at the market to buy some quick food for his lunch. The
stall has a queue Damoder stands between
two men. As he begins to move forward, he feels something move in his kurta
pocket. On looking down sideways , he notices two little fingers creep further into his concealed kurta pocket. Then he reels
his head and watches the little hand creep out of his pocket accompanied by a
gradual pull back of the hand as slowly
as possible. Damodar twists his body and clamps the thin little arm.. hard!
Owww! yells the little pick
pocket! and raises up his face in pain
to Damoder!
One look at him told Damoder
distastefully, there is no mistaking those dimples! it is Dutta's so called
friend. Damoder grips his arm and the boy screams. Damoder bellows at him
angrily
"salle! Pocket mar! ther
thujhe bata hai main!
But before he can jostle him, the
boy hastily wrenches his arm out of Damodar's grip and runs. Soon
after a crowd of people, chases him and he ducks and dives, screaming his lungs
out!
"main kuch nehi kiya! he protests, but to no avail as he gets caught
by a teenaged boy, and then within
seconds,is set upon by a mini mob that descends on the pick pocket, ready to lynch him!
Dutta's friend shouts for assistance to
Damoder, under the thumps of people whose pockets he might have picked..
"Kaka! Baacheooo! main dost
hai ap ke raj kumar ka!
Damodar, a father of a young lad
himself.. answers to his distress signal and
rushes to the poor mites side and retrieves him. As people respect
Damoder they back off , although one of them does question, who is he to him?
"mera Dutta ka dost
hai..",he replies and it takes him some convincing to have the little
thief let loose from their angered midst.
There was no point in lecturing
the kid, thought Damoder.. no questions should be asked. He just feeds the kid
, seeing he looks starved and then decides what he would do about this urchin!
~~~~~~~~
Basically Damoder explains to Shakuntala, his
boss's wife.. the kind hearted lady, that this
pathetic looking boy by his side this time, is an orphan who roams the streets, picking
pockets. Damodar predicts, that before this child gets into serious trouble
with the law or endangers his life.. it would be a boon, if Aye Sahib can take
him into her home? of course this is a suggestion, the decision has to be hers
entirely.
Aye Sahib by the looks, of it is
taken aback, but nevertheless flattered that she is seen as a charitable, and
kind hearted woman like her husband. She agrees but her reason happens to be,
"hum is liye haan kar rehe
hain , kyun ke Dutta ke pas ek uske umar ka dost hoga,"
Yes to her and Damoder both it is a wise decision,
for Dutta is surrounded by three girls, and this boy would be good for him to
bond with a male as well.. for Aye Sahib, the interest is that Dutta will stay
by her, and yes never leave her side. so yes for Dutta's sake she is willing
to take this childin.. one with a
questionable upbringing,though.
Eventually she smiles at the
dirty little boy standing before her and questions him..
"nam kya hai tumhara?
He has an amazingly, warm and
friendly smile with a pair of deep dimples.. which he flashes at her,asif
butter wouldn't melt in his mouth!
Baji Rao! he replies, shyly,like a good little
boy.. such a churl!
" Baji rao, Dutta bahut kush
hoga tumhe dekh kar , woh bhi humara pas rehe ta din mein", tells him Aye
Sahib.
Baji smiles and folds his hands before the
good lady.. aacha khana, aacha sona Deva shapat! apne tu nikal pare ! he muses
happily..
~~~~~~~
As anticipated Dutta's joy is unbounding. To him it is like, lost a friend
but then shortly found a friend too, magical! Both, are inseparable, joined to
the hip. They would eat together from each other's plates simply out of
affection, bath together, run around and play in the under construction area
outside. Baji is a bit more willing to
include Aye Sahib's daughters in games, all sorts, even imaginative games that
children, particularly girls play. Hence Baji is an immediate success with the
girls! largely due to his, accommodating nature!
Dutta though, would watch from a
distance, at their games and shake his
head. There are times when Roops pulls Baji's hair from the back and makes two
ponies on the top of his head with rubber bands.. while Leela too is busy putting lip stick on and
around his mouth ! Kala from far stands , eyes the fun activity approvingly..
and then turns to Dutta.. huddled against the wall.
"come now Dutta, it's your
turn now to visit the beauty salon and be a pretty model" she calls
threateningly as she tip toes like a scary character.
Ayeee!, he roars and runs
like the howling wind , barges into Aye's room and hides behind her back. Aye
laughs at the mirth of her children.. those that belong to her and those that
were others, the peals of children's
laughter, somewhat takes away the
demise of her beloved husband.
One thing Baji hates is going to school, his tapori
accent is a dead giveaway and here and there , minor incidents do happen but
before they escalate to anything serious the figure of young Dutta with a furious
oyeee! would ward off any jokers!
acting smart.
"Baji mera bhai hai.. ise kuch bhi bola!
tu tum sab mau pe khao ge ,hum dono se! Dutta would roar
"haan phutto.. double patka pare ga!.. Baji would echo Dutta's war cry! .. but the
pair are sweet not malicious..
But one thing is for sure Aye
Sahib's precious girls, were well protected by two small, yet these potentially
big body guards for life!
However, Dutta continues with his
clay model making in school and mud modelling in the mud pit that he and Baji
managed to dig up in the adjoining
grounds around the under construction house..
Baji often catches Dutta staring up at the scaffolds at the
painstakingly rudiments of an appearing building..
"Dutta kya dekhta hai tu is
ghar ko har waqat? many a times Baji asks his little friend.. who would
invariably reply..
" Baji ek din is ghar
mein main bhi kuch kam kare ge, ek din..
jab main bara aadmi bun jaon ga"
~~~~~~~~
If Dutta is gifted with creative
hands.. Baji is active with an entrepreneurial sense.. he comes out with tactical
money making ideas!
It is the season of Ganesh
chaturti.. Baji is aware of what sells.. he shares with
Dutta..
"Dekh Dutta , tu Bappa ke model buna! ek din mein school se ak ke.. kitne ready
hoon ge?
Dutta punches him playfully and
shakes his head side to side and says slowly..
"pagal! buna ke
dhoop mein rekhna hota hai , dry
bhi tu kerna hota hai".. he explains..
Dutta makes many small statues of
Bappa, some baby ones, some adult ones, but all with the imposing trunk
and bappa in varied positions, some lying ,
some sitting ! all movements and representations his young imagination can relate..
Dutta arranges them on a make shift protective shelter that his
father erects with who else but Baji's
help.
Not before long.. Baji, while Dutta is away with his father,
veers a bunch of buyers who buy majority of the statues! Dutta returns and
bawls his little eyes out! seeing his craft has vanished.. but Baji
before Damoder empties a bag bursting to
the seams with coins and paper money.. Baji sits on the floor cross legged and
counts each paisa [penny] to the last amount. Damodar chuckles as he gives both
boys hair a shuffle on the top, of their heads with pride.
"aree tum dono na thu aacha
khasa business shrrou kar diya hai.. he praises them. Baji's eyes and face both beam! as he
comes out with another innovative idea,
"Dutta pata hai kya? is
paisa ka hum ja ke paint khardte hai.. he begins and Dutta interrupts.
"haan Baji! aur main models buna ke uppar paint se sajaye ge! .. Dutta claps
excited!
So the two lads share their joys and sorrows
till they steadily and surely jump through the hoops of time...and..
~~~~~~
Years pass by, their young bodies
reform as they approach adolescent age. .. the tiny bones stretch and expand ,
the shoulders and chest widen a bit ..
their faces grows bits of fluff first! then pokey spikes...Both compete who will shave
first? and whose voice cracks first?
"have to see I have a wider chest than yours Dutta! and by the sounds of it my voice sounds deeper
then yours too!! sniggers Baji every so
often.. inviting trouble from Dutta.. of course
Baji speaks gibberish as it's
obvious Dutta's extremities are longer
than Baji's! and his voice more guttural.
"don't know about that, Baji
but you sure have a bigger mouth then mine!
ummh but don't forget, here size up ! I am taller than you my little midget!" Dutta retorts ..as he narrows his eyes.. and swings
his arm with a clenched fist... but Baji
ducks as always and Dutta's fist slices
air like always!
~~~~~~~~
Dutta progresses well in high school. The school
recognizes him as a gifted and talented
pupil. Much to his families delight he wins a a scholarship at his college and
goes to the specialist faculty of art forms.. at the nearest local city , flanking Patil
Vadi. Both his father and Aye Sahib are relived that Dutta is not going to some
greater distance from home.
Dutta over the years has grown to accept Aye
Sahib's house , still in the finishing stages
as his permanent adode. Damodar still works
on the lands. Aye Sahib has suggested to him on several occasions that
he is welcome to pack up his strenuous laborious task in the fields.. and just
needs now to oversee the selling of the produce. After some convincing he
does accept the offer, but Dutta in his
growing up years can see that his father is not getting younger..
But Damoder, like the caring father ,keeps his
son away from his ailments and lives
only to see his beloved shanti's dream come true.. as in Dutta blooming in
his talent..
~~~~~~~
At the school of art form.. today
is the open day for the incoming class. The campus is set up with stalls of
various techniques and materials used in
art forms.. groups of new pupils roam
around, stopping every now and again, feeling and looking closely at the items left on exhibition. It is clear
that this work is produced by the senior pupils of this institution..
Baji too knows about the open day and he races
down to the campus in the red jeep that Aye Sahib has given him as head of
security of her house. Baji is smart, on
the ball and after spending some time living on the streets as a vagabond is a
fairly good judge of people. Hence he
takes good care of the under construction house , and Aye Sahib and the girls.
Once at the campus he weaves through groups of walking ,browsing students and
reaches the sculpture area muttering to himself,as he parts a small crowd of new pupils all looking down..
"where else will he be except
the mud pit? looks like this man is soft on soil.. true
what people say , son of the soil! well
I live with one! he sniggers but is
dismay as he sees nothing but brown slushy
mud in the pit. Baji looks around
and then yells ,
Dutta! areee. Dutta !
There is slight movement in the
middle of the mud pit.. and slowly one arm with a swollen bicep rises in the air.. then a solid big head with thick hair plastered with wet mud, protrudes
out; slowly follows the strong bare muscular shoulders ,again fully pasted with
mud.. there is movement as the other arm still underneath the mud hauls the
firm torse up; and a pair of knees pop out a bit.. soon after they straighten,
under the eyes of the crowd, as a pair
of muddy strong muscular loins becomes
visible; till gradually ,the two legs level parallel and
hold the entire tall image of a man standing
in the mud pit! The students cheer, the
boys go wow! and the girls go pink in the face. and hide their
faces behind their palms!
Baji whistles the loudest and turns to the shy
receding girls,
Oyee ! don't be shy the man's got
shorts on! and he doubles up and cracks up as the girls giggle..
Dutta blinks his eyes. his eye
lashes covered in mud.. but his narrow eyes
shift like some strange animal!. He feels on lookers eyes with aghast
expression.. that which he initially
seeks.. shock effect!
Finally,he folds his mud covered
arms and brings his palms to his face and attempts to wipe off the mud from
his eyes.. he is relaxed and gives the crowd of
students a look.. and then finally speaks.. as all eyes look upon his mud
covered body from head to toe..
"
welcome to the faculty of
sculpture ,as you can see here we study , shape ,form, movement, action .."
and he raises one arm folds it half way as his fingers touch his head.. and the
other arm he swings and holds it still backwards.. he carries on speaking to
the pupils..
"the idea is to capture
movement or image in different forms of expression.. I stand here in the mud pit giving you an
example of the form we recognize and relate to the most.. our human form! study
and see if you can note the movable and movable parts, how do they
function? And to what purpose.. muse if
you were to capture this image.. what
medium would you use? Sculpture? Paint?
Collage.. which medium would bring it's beauty and meaning most..."
He stops and gives these new
pupils some time to mull over his words.
Baji though has another idea in mind, and he
gets a hose , and on a slow jet he
washes the mud of Dutta's body so all
can see what this Adam, as he really looks ..
" look everybody! this is what my friend and your
senior really looks like after a full body
mud pack!"
Students clap and girls ogle as
the man with a stubble and contracted
lion like looks has rivulets of mud flow
down his hairy chest and hairy torse..
muddy water runs down his V shaped torso and his waist line.. he has a perfect body, healthy , taut and in fine form. As Dutta stood before the crowd bare bodied , modestly sporting a pair of long shorts.. he looks
sideways at Baji.. and raises his arm and signals him to stop.. when suddenly..
Before he knows it the girls are
too close to the edge of the heaped up outer rim of the mud pit.. and one off them
loses her balance as she gets jostled by the others , and is about to fall into
the mud pit , when Dutta reels around sharply flexes his loins and catches her
in his moist wet muscular arms.. he holds her securely as one of his arm
presses midway between her lower back
and the other fits underthe pair
of her folded legs..
Ooohh... she goes, as automatically her inner arm twists around his sturdy moist neck
and gingerly he looks down at her.. and nearly is speechless as his eyes behold
her fine features , her finely formed rosebud lips and her main feature the hazel
green eyes.. wide as the green
orbs..he moves his head slightly from her face and mumbles.. sideways,
"Tum thek ho?
She smiles and nods, as he slowly backs her up and assists her on
her feet.. he notices she has a white dress on and where ever his strong arms
went around her when she lost her balance,there are muddy marks around her.. he
wants to apologize but then abandons the
idea .. he is a senior and she ,whoever she is?
happen's to be a starter.. a junior.. scatty! should be more careful..
With that he folds his leg and
leans his bare back , forward and steps
out of the mud pit, and amid
claps , handshakes from the males and
verbal thank you's from the girls he begins to walk away gingerly.. he
walks past the girl who nearly made him lose his balance , pauses , wants to
say something and carries on walking..
"Suno! She calls out, nice, soft , pleasant feminine
voice.. Dutta stops and she comes by him,
"woh , main,, woh , thank
you.." she says meaningfully..
"koi baat nehin just be careful.. next
time I may not be there to catch you" he replies with lowered eyes, and heads for the gents showers
and dressing rooms on campus.
"looks like you may have annihilated the
mud stud! by your beauty, Nakusha!" her friends, nudge and tease her,
"please don't talk like this" , snubs Nakusha ,as she
turns all sober. It is clear, that to entertain such precocious conversation is
to no avail to her person.
~~~~~~~
Ablution dealt with, Dutta comes out of the dressing room.. Baji as
usual stands in wait for him and watches his mate with profound amusement.
"wah! Kya baat hai tere!
Patil Wadi ke sher! apna eshtyle.. ye Kala Kala kurta! ye gorri gorri
dohti" he teases, with a twist of his arm in mid air..
Dutta , pulls his mouth to one
side and spreads his legs to walk
ahead.. his white muslin dhoti brushes against his lions ,and shows
a glimpse of his oat meal complexioned slightly hairy legs as he by
passes Baji, he turns his head, and says,
" chal let's go! and
quit staring at me, it's bad enough that
I get gaped at by other pupils at this place!, kya hai apni desh ke kapre phene
hai ? not some fancy dress! , he flares his nostrils.
Baji feels his shoulder with an apologetic
look and makes an allowance for his friends interesting dress sense, with a
teeny wink,
"pata hai Dutta , you go for
comfort .. pun hai tu originality".. Dutta nods , "hummmh...
~~~~~~~~
A car parks into the staff
parking lot and the lecturer on sculpture arrives. The car door opens.. a
sandal clad female foot step's out on
the ground, and gradually a sari clad
graceful young woman comes out and the car door slams. She looks across and
notices Dutta with his manuscript folder held under his rolled up black sleeve
muscular lower arm.
She raises her hand and her voice
and calls out to him
"Dutta! can I have a quick word with you in my
office", Baji turns to Dutta and leans to the side and whispers,
"le ah gaye tere,Seema ma'am.. ja ab dekh kya lotcha hai is ke saath?
Dutta nods and makes his way towards the
senior teacher's office with a brief for
Baji , to wait, he won't be long and
he'll join him shortly and they'll head for home.
She sits at her desk flicks
through a glossy magazine. She is young, attractive and ambitious. After all
she is a single woman, with minus family commitments, who lives independently
in a flat, comes and goes as she pleases, and doesn't give much thought to what
people around her say about her bring unmarried or living alone in an
apartment. Dutta knocks gently at her office door and she looks up at this pupil of her's, she is not sure of his age , but his masculine aura ,especially his firm grave
expression , always makes her feel Dutta is
above twenty.. may be hitting mid twenties.. even now she stares at his
contoured stubble face. and of course his distinguished attire black kurta
slightly open neck revealing bits of his curly black chest hairs , the
white muslin dhoti.. all in all she
concludes this time too, that Dutta is
unique.
He stands and stares at her, his
right arm folded against the frame of
the door.. the eyes contracted but
seething with some strange intensity.. interest's her.
"aap ne buliya Seema ma'am..
he asks firmly and she smiles as her full lips stretch across her face.
" yes Dutta, wanted to pass
something by you.. I've just had a call
from the patrons of this art school. They have brought to my attention, that an
international art journal seeks inclusion
, of some pictures of paintings based on
female Indian looks.. so I thought you could shed some light on this
matter".
"humm, in principle seems a
good idea, but what do the models get in return, that is I assume women opting for this activity will receive some
remuneration?" queried Dutta as he felt
the models , most possibly come from financially needy back grounds..
and could do with payment for their contribution , clarifies Dutta.
Seema , nods and replies,
"I suppose that matter can be looked into
, may be they can get a small stipend.. after all they are getting bigger exposure too, so don't see how they can't
be happy"
Her flippant attitude stirs anger
in him, and with a slow shake to his
head , he replies,
"exposure? what manner of
exposure? how is it going to benefit the
women who sit as a model? I doubt
ma'am if any will pursue the world of fashion.. the area around these parts are
outer areas, inhabitants are not like inner city folks.. who are outgoing, enterprising and adventurous.. people here are
reserved and shy and set in their simplistic
ways.. so I don't think many
women here will go for the world of
fashion.. he rattled.
Seema although bemused, still
tries to comment,
"I can see you are touchy about
this area..
Dutta stares at her coldly, and
tries not to react the way he does but somehow he does,
"I am touchy about this
area! I was born here! this is my soil,
it has composed me!put me together! I
reek of this area .. Seema ma'am but how would you know? try living here for a
bit and soon you too will have the fragrance of this area around you", he
finishes slowly as he realizes perhaps he is
over stepping the line of regard with his teacher..
Seema notices his sudden display
of emotions. Bridled passion this Dutta has! a great mix to have in an
artist, sculptor in the making. She brushes the topic aside and carries
on with that she has summoned him for.
" look Dutta , I have briefed the students , about this
art journal model requirement.. and I have also referred them to your
room for potential faces perusal.. you get yourself there, and I'll follow
there shortly to help you in your final choice.. I leave it up to you to make a
discerning choice.. just remember an overall
ethnic feel to the face, predominantly.." she finishes off and watches Dutta leave.. fairly preoccupied.
~~~~~~~~~~
As he
nears his faculty workshop, he can see a small group of girls gather already in
the area. They raise their eyes and turn their heads as they spot him walk imposingly
, arms held behind his back in his black kurta and white dhoti. Dutta peers at
them from a distance and is taken aback
a bit to see a few new pupils too, huddled behind
the senior pupils ,some of whom are familiar to him.. One girl , from
his present art class, dressed in some ethnic ghagra choli glides hopefully towards him. With a smile
she points to her made up face, coquettishly..
"now check this village
belle Dutta, surely you can spot what you want?
He doesn't bother to answer her
question, his scowl says it all as he spreads and presses his arm against his
workshop door and steps inside and the girls attempt to follow suit..
They stand before him in a curve,
ready to be inspected. Soon after follows in Seema ma'am too. She instructs the
girls to perform certain actions like sitting and giving profile glimpses.
Dutta by the looks of it seems unimpressed as looks
from afar ,and soon the number of these would be just for the heck of it
painting subjects! dwindles and he
cranks his head and his bored eyes scour his workshop.
" unbelievable these girls ! with visibly obvious modern cut
hairstyles, and signs! they turn up here expecting to be considered" he complains
to his instructor who defends the girls,
" the looks shouldn't be such an issue Dutta, looks can be custom made.. to
suit our needs" before she can finish, the studio door opens and in steps
in.. a figure.
Dutta with one arm crossed behind his back, while the other
folded up over his chest to feel his stubble chin.. shifts his contracted eyes
to the door.. dressed in a simple white churridar suit stands the girl with doe
eyes, the one he saved from a fall.
Seema turns to her and calls
out," helloo, and who are you? haven't seen you around before are you new?
Dutta bites his lip impatiently
and is on the verge of rebuffing his teacher.. stop asking the poor girl so
many questions.. he is keen to know the
answers, no doubt about that.. how he fixes his stare on her says it all..
"main, Nakusha.. new student, just thought I would
be of some use may be? she fumbles shyly, as Dutta hears her and watches her every move not so
shyly..
Seema beckons her with her hand and stands
before her looking at her chiselled fine delicate features.. with a smile she
turns to Dutta and instructs him,
"come closer Dutta and prop
her chin up with your artistic finger ,to check her profile!
Dutta folds both his arms across
his chest and replies,
"that won't be necessary, my
creative eye can see all the angles and forms I need for the defined
purpose"..
to be continued Hamlet53~ 27.6. 14.
Edited by Hamlet53 - 9 years ago
comment:
p_commentcount