The rusted box

It was dark,

It was eerie.

It was a graveyard.

The sky and the earth were as dark as the jet black soot.

There was not a soul to be seen,

The dark, leafless tress appeared like extensions of the lifeless and forgotten that lay beneath.

The owls hooted and the wolves howled.

The light of the moon was overshadowed by the darkness of the spectral location.

I stood near a grave.

It had my name.

There was a stone on the grave,

It said “the forgotten childhood of mine”

The date inscribed was that of my 15^th birthday.

I grew anxious,

And decided to dig the grave.

I failed to understand what the stone meant.

I kept digging, and found an old, worn out iron box.

The box had gathered dust,

And had all rust.

It appeared as if it had had a bright colour at some point in time,

But that the chains of time had imprisoned its liveliness.

But great difficulty, I opened the box.

What drifted out was unexpected.

A bright, golden, translucent wave of thoughts rushed out,

All my memories of childhood enshrined in it.

It started to spread light in this otherwise lifeless atmosphere.

The darkness was outshined by this speck of light.

Soon, liveliness spread.

The black light turned golden.

And the sad times turned cheerful.

This poem represents how we forget the pleasures of our childhood as we grow up and how our lives have becoming boring and dark without these lively and forgotten memories our ours.

Real Independence

5.45 a.m.: I have been having really weird dreams for the past few days. I’ve been dancing with my favourite actor Akshay Kumar in my classroom! Though I don’t like dancing, I wouldn't mind any kind of dance or song or sport or activity with AKSHAY KUMAR!  For him, I could even quit eating my beloved khakhras and theplas! I am having the same dream at this moment, but my dream is interrupted by maa’s voice which says that it’s time for school. I use the good old ‘two-minutes more’ trick and stay in bed for the next 15 minutes.

6.00 a.m.: I reluctantly open my eyes and finally wake up. The scrappy sister has my soft and  mulayam rajai on her body. I grin at her and proceed to brush. My mind is so filled with Akshay Kumar thoughts that I even see him in the mirror while brushing. All of a sudden, he vanishes. It is at this moment that I recall that we have a physics test today. I do my usual uff and just get out of the bathroom which is putting these study thoughts in my mind.

6.30 a.m.: After having a long, care-free bath, I am sitting at the dining table, with a bowl of Cornflakes in my hand. I am eating and simultaneously putting on all the ‘accessories’ that I put on with my school uniform. I leave for school.

7.00 a.m.: I am sitting in the bus, doing stupid things with my dearest Srija. We are forcing an innocent guy from our bus, whom we call ‘Bella’ to do a Hawaiin dance, which he does in a really hilarious way. We blurt out laughing like lunatics and the whole bus just stares at us as if we are Shahrukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan. It just seems surprising that we have all forgotten about the physics test.

7.30 a.m.: I reach school and do my daily duty which is a part of my responsibilities as School Captain. I really enjoy this duty, though it is nothing more than asking kids to move in a line. I have a regular set of people who say ‘Good Morning Didi’ to me every day. Some call me ‘ma’am’. I just don’t understand how you can call a person ‘ma’am’ when she is standing sakshat in front of you in the same uniform as you!

8.00 a.m.: I reach the class and meet and dear bunch of mad friends. Tina smiles at me as usual. Shruti gives me an awkward smirk. Tanaya and Dibya are talking (I give them the usual glare as I know that they are trying to crack some stupid joke).Ketaki looks at me in her usual gangster expression. I also look at Meena, a person who was the most important to me at a time, but has just changed so much that she just doesn’t converse with me. The ‘hum juda’ music plays in my mind.

8.15 a.m.: Our dearest Bhagyashree ma’am enters the class. We all stand up to wish her. Today is a Wednesday, and we have something called a ‘Quality Circle Time’ in which we discuss our ideas and views about different topics. Since Independence Day is arriving soon, ma’am asks us to discuss the importance of Independence Day. I immediately hear people say things like ‘urgh, why Independence Day?’. I also see all the frustrated faces. The discussion starts and everyone expresses their views. People mainly talk about how Independence Day invokes the feeling of nationalism. I talk about how I move into flashback and think about what this day would have been 70 years back. Suddenly, a boy stands up and says that the reality is that Independence Day is just another holiday for us.

Though it’s really sad to hear, it is the reality. We find the tricolor flags in our hands on 15^th August, but on the roads on the next day. We don’t even take part in the proceedings and often plan trips. We don’t even wear a kurta on this occasion! We don’t think about the sacrifices made by our ancestors, but we keep cribbing about how the nation isn’t developing. We say that since we are going to shift to America, we don’t really need to celebrate this day. Independence Day programs are hosted in English!

What kind of independence is this? If we wear English clothes, use English language during cultural proceedings, and if we dream of shifting out of country in the future, how are we independent from the English? If we throw our flags to the ground, do we even deserve to be a part of this prestigious nation? If we can’t be proud to wear our national or traditional dresses on such a day, then what kind of Indians are we? Are we really independent?

Change starts with us. The British left us long back. But their views have now left us yet. We just don’t give enough respect to our country. I personally admit it. I think my country deserves more than what I, or we give it. We can start by changing on this Independence Day. We can start this Tuesday.

The coalmine murder-4

“What do you reckon Byomkesh? Any idea about who the culprit is?” I asked.

“I think I’ll be able to solve the mystery by tomorrow morning.” Byomkesh replied.

The telephone rang. Byomkesh picked it up.

He just nodded his head and said “hmmmm”. “It was Anukul babu. He wants to meet to today evening to discuss something important related to the murder.” Byomkesh said.

In the evening, even though I insisted on going, Byomkesh went without me in the evening at 6 p.m. He returned by 8.

“So, what did Anukul babu tell you?” I asked inquisitively.

Byomkesh ignored my question and rushed towards the telephone. He called Biren babu.

“I know who the culprit is. Can you please arrange a meeting at the Banerjee bhavan tomorrow morning?” Byomkesh was almost out of breath when he finished talking.

He looked surprised yet tensed about something. I was worried about him.

“Byomkesh, could you tell me what the matter is?”

“You will come to know everything tomorrow morning Ajit.” Byomkesh replied.

Satyabati told us that dinner had been served. My mind drifted away from the intriguing coalmine murder as my it felt excited by the taste of the delicious fish curry

What happened the next day was really surprising. Byomkesh revealed the culprit and all we could do was stare at each other’s blank faces.

In the morning, Byomkesh and I proceeded towards the Banerjee bhavan. Lakshmi, Suryakumar babu, Anukul babu, Deepanath Babu, Dr Manilal and Inspector Biren were seated in the living room.

Byomkesh began his revelation.

“Smita was a talented young lady. She faced criticism of the society but still remained unperturbed and chased her dreams. Her husband wasn’t very supportive of her dreams, but realized how wrong he had been after he went to jail. He thought that his wife was a great woman and he regretted his previous actions. He decided to purify his soul and perform his duties towards God so that all his sins would be washed away and he could apologise to his wife. He was a true Vaishnav. Bijoy wasn’t faking his change, he had really changed during his time in jail. He didn’t murder Smita, but he lost his life when he heard she had died.”

“The murderer of Smita is in this very room. Firstly, let me tell you how Smita was killed.”

“Smita was sent a letter in the name of Bijoy. The letter asked for money (Rs 500) and asked her to come to the coalmine on Sunday evening. Smita thought Bijoy really needed money and wanted to help her husband. So she decided to go to the mine. The murder was planned with perfection. The objective of the murderer was to kill Smita and take all her property. As Smita entered the room, she could smell something eccentric. Suddenly, the door was bolted. Smita couldn’t breathe. She noticed that even the windows were closed. She tried to walk towards them but they were jammed. She then tried to walk towards the door to open the door, but failed. She ran out of breath on her way to the door. Coal had been burning in the room. I found a piece outside the room on the first day itself but didn’t reveal it, fearing that the killer might run away.”

“Now the question comes, how did the murderer get the key of the coalmine? He/she must have either stolen it or might be an owner of it. It had to be a person who lived in this house. I met Lakshmi during the day of interrogation and my suspicions began to rise. She wanted to work but she couldn’t, as her husband didn’t allow her to. She maintained a good relationship with Smita on the outside, but was jealous of her on the inside. She planned a perfect murder of Smita. She thought that after Smita’s death, she could take over the business, as it had no successor.”

“Lakshmi’s plan was perfect, and I wouldn’t come to know the truth if Anukul babu had not told me. Anukul babu had seen Lakshmi go away from the mine, as he had come to pick her up to take her to the cinema. Lakshmi saw him too, and told him that if he told anyone the truth, then she would kill him. Anukul babu didn’t understand this at first, but it all made sense once he saw Smita’s dead body.”

“He immediately travelled to Varanasi, where Bijoy was. Anukul babu had lied that his relationship with Bijoy was strained. The truth was that the two really had a very good relationship. As he told Bijoy what had happened, Bijoy had a heart attack and died. Bijoy’s body had been weak from his tenure in jail, and his life as an ascetic didn’t help. This shock was too much for him to take and hence, he died.”

“If Anukul babu hadn’t told me the reality yesterday evening, I would have been in the dark. I must say that this was a difficult stone to crack. I did suspect Lakshmi yesterday, but Anukul babu is a brilliant actor and perhaps that’s why I didn’t suspect him at all.”

Lakshmi’s evil side had been revealed now. Not only her, all of us were in shock. I could never imagine that a woman could have planned a murder in such a flawless way!

We went home and I recounted the tale to Satyabati. At this point, Byomkesh exclaimed, “Who says women are less than men? I shall say that when it comes to planning murders, they are far superior. Satya, you don’t even need to plan a murder like this. You already murder me every day.”

Satyabati and Byomkesh started fighting while I enjoyed the drama.

The coalmine murder-3

The next morning, Byomkesh, Satyabati and I were sitting in the living room of our Amherst Street residence, sipping hot tea and munching crisp biscuits. We were reading the newspaper. The thing that excites Byomkesh the most about newspapers is the Classified section, which consists of advertorials. We all were deeply engrossed in our respective newspapers. Suddenly, Byomkesh blurted out a surprising news. “Bijoy Banerjee died last night. He was in Varanasi.” Satyabati and I looked at Byomkesh with a surprised expression.

There was a knock on the door. “That must be Biren babu.”, said Byomkesh. One of Byomkesh’s eccentric hobbies was recognizing the person at the door by the nature of his knock.

It was indeed Biren Babu. His perfectly sculpted face wore a forlorn expression on it today.

“Byomkesh babu, I have some bad news.”, said Biren babu sadly.

“I know that Bijoy Banerjee died last night. It was really sad that I couldn’t meet him. The news of his death was in the Classified section in the newspaper this morning. I don’t know how he died. Could you tell me, Biren babu?” Byomkesh said plainly.

Biren babu stared at Byomkesh with a surprised look for a while, and then replied,” He died in his sleep last night. I think he suffered from a heart attack. It was surely a natural death. Also Byomkesh babu, Smita’s postmortem report arrived this morning. She inhaled Carbon Monoxide. Smita died between 6 to 7 on Sunday evening. The prick on her neck was an earlier mark. She had been to Doctor Manilal lately, for her high blood pressure. Perhaps the prick might be a mark of that visit.”

Byomkesh replied,”Biren babu, please get Dr. Manilal along with you tomorrow at the Banerjee Bhavan for the investigation.”

Biren Babu promised Byomkesh to assemble everyone tomorrow and left.

The next day revealed many secrets.

We left from home at 9 a.m. and advanced towards the Banerjee Bhavan on Curzon Street. The house was pretty huge, it had been recently constructed. It didn’t look older than 10 years. The house was three-storied and was constructed in the modern style. The railings were made of metal.

We entered the living room and saw Biren babu. Biren babu had got all the members ready for the interrogation. Anukul Banerjee, Suryakumar, Lakshmi, Deepanath Babu, Doctor Manilal and their servant Anil were all present.

We decided to conduct the interrogation in the living room. The living room was pretty big, and had 2 large sofas, an antique coffee table, a wooden dining table and a lot of showpieces. We decided to start our interrogation with Suryakumar.

Suryakumar was tall and dark and had a round face. His  hair were curly and he wore a dhoti-kurta. His actions were that of a drunkard and he behaved badly. His tone of speaking certainly gave you a hint that he drank a lot. One could really smell the alcohol in his breath.

Byomkesh started asking questions.

“Were you happy that your sister was a working lady?”

Suryakumar gave an irritated expression and replied,”Women are supposed to stay at home and cook.  I just don’t understand why she had to go and work. I am embarrassed to have such a sister.”

“I don't think there's anything wrong if a woman stands up for her rights. Anyways, tell me what you were doing that day.” Byomkesh said.

“I was at the Polo Club, gambling with my friends and drinking.”

“Fine. Do you suspect anyone?” Byomkesh asked.

“It would have been that scoundrel Bijoy. He never really liked my sister.”

“Thank you. You may leave now.”

We called Lakshmi next. She was beautiful, with big eyes and a dusky complexion. She was clad in a simple white cotton saree, but still looked extremely beautiful.

“I won’t bother you with many questions. How was your equation with your sister-in-law?” Byomkesh asked.

“Smita and I were like sisters. We both did not receive love from our husbands. We both were much more qualified than our husbands, but only Smita got a chance to exhibit her talent. Perhaps our common interests made us so close.”

“You must be deeply saddened by her death then. Why didn’t Smita try and convince your husband to allow you to work?”

“Smita tried but she failed.”

“Now all of Smita’s assets are in Suryakumar’s hands since even Bijoy died last night. So will you take care of the business now?”

“I will definitely try. But if my husband doesn’t allow, there isn’t much I can do about it.”

“Thank you Lakshmi. Please send Anukul in.”

A tall, fair and well-groomed gentleman entered. He had the deportment of a hero. His featured were sharp and his modern attire made him look handsome. He certainly looked like a professional actor.

“So Anukul, how are you doing professionally?”

“I am doing great Byomkesh babu. My recent film, Shakuntala, was a silver jubilee.”

“The ticket of Shakuntala was found in Smita’s hand during her death. Did you know Smita personally?”

“I had a very good equation with Smita. He used to watch all my films and used to complement me on my acting. After Suryakumar had drifted apart from her, I was like her brother. I was going to watch Shakunatala with her on Sunday evening.”

“How was your equation with Bijoy after he was released from jail?”

“I was really busy with my shooting and didn’t know that Dada (brother) had been released from jail earlier than he was supposed to. I never had a good equation with Dada. I really did not understand him.”

“Do you suspect anyone?”

“I suspect Bijoy da.”

“Thank you taking time from your busy schedule Anukul.”

Our conversations with Dr Manilal, Deepanath Babu and Anil did not reveal anything new.  We  returned home late in the evening.

Byomkesh and I started discussing the day’s findings.

(To be continued)

The coalmine murder-2

The mine was really huge. I was surprised by how Smita had expanded her empire so much! We slowly proceeded to see the site where the dead body was. Smita’s dead body was lying down in an awkward position. Her right hand was stretched out and it had a ticket of the Modern Cinema in it. Her face was pale and white. Surrounding her was bundles of 100 rupee notes, which had probable fallen from her hand during her death. There was a mark of a syringe on her shoulder.

Byomkesh examined the body carefully. He looked at the five bundles of crisp hundred-rupee notes. He saw the movie ticket and told me to note down the time of the show, the Cinema name and the movie name. Smita had bought a ticket for the film Shakuntala. The show was at 7:00 p.m.

Byomkesh said,”Well it looks like it wasn’t a thief who killed her. The murderer had a specific motive. He did not want to steal the money or perhaps he committed the crime in a hurry and ran away as someone had come looking for Smita. Inspector, could you tell me who discovered the body?”

Biren babu replied,” Smita was missing from the house for the whole day. Her servant, Gopilal, had seen her go out of the house but didn’t know where she had gone. Smita lived with her brother and sister-in-law after Bijoy went to jail. Her manager, Deepanath Bose visited her house on Sunday evening. He needed her to sign some important documents. He waited all day, but he didn’t see her. Smita didn’t have many friends, so Deepanath Babu visited the mine. He discovered the body then. “

As we started walking towards the police van, Byomkesh tarted asking questions.

“Is there any specific reason for which Suryakumar lived with Smita?”

Biren Babu answered,”Suryakumar is a doctor by profession. But some years ago, hegot into wrong deeds. Since then, he was turned into a drunkard. He spends his time gambling and drinking. He had no income. His sister felt sympathetic and let him live with her.”

Byomkesh asked,”Could you tell me about this wrong deed that Suryakumar committed?”

Biren Babu replied with a worried expression,” He started selling illegal drugs.”

We sat in the car and started moving away from the mine. Byomkesh was sitting silently all this while, perhaps thinking about the murder. After a while, a question came out of his mouth.

”What kind of a woman is Suryakumar’wife?”

Biren Babu replied,”Lakshmi is an efficient wife. She is intelligent. Infact, she is more educated than her husband. She has done a MBA. She is just like Smita, business-minded and clever. Unfortunately, her drunkard husband did not allow her to work with Smita. All she has to do is take care of Suryakumar.”

Byomkesh said in a tone of regret,”That’s really sad to hear. Women should be given opportunities if they deserve them more than the men. Now, tell me where Bijoy is now? Has he been released from jail?”

Biren Babu said sadly,”Bijoy has been released from jail 2 months back. But he hasn’t been in Calcutta. I think he got into some ashram in Bihar. He turned to God to forgive his sins in jail. He really regretted his actions and the way he treated his wife. He had said that he would meet Smita only when he becomes worthy enough to be her husband. I have met Bijoy only once, but the Bijoy I saw was completely different from what I heard he was 10 years back. But the fact that Bijoy was just acting and wanted to take revenge later cannot be ruled out. He is the prime suspect.”

Byomkesh stayed silent for some time, gave a thoughtful expression and replied,” It can be assumed that Smita brought the money to the mine to give it to Bijoy. Bijoy might have blackmailed her and might have asked her for money. This would have given him a good opportunity to kill her. But unless I meet all residents of the house, I cannot jump to any conclusions. Biren Babu, please find out where Bijoy is now and bring him to Calcutta. But don’t arrest him until we are sure. Also, please find out where Bijoy’s brother, Anukul. I want all of them present at the Banerjee bhavan day after tomorrow. I will conduct an interrogation.”

(To be continued)

Byomkesh Bakshi and Ajit from the show 'Byomkesh Bakshi' which aired on DD in 1990s.
This is their second adventure-Raastey ka kanta

The coalmine murder

Hello everyone! My first story, The Marlok Mystery was appreciated by my friends and family. This led to this story. This story is a fan fiction. Fan fiction basically means that I write a fictional story about a character that has been created by another author.

In the recent times, I have been reading a lot of Bengali fiction, particularly Bengali detective novels. I have been reading Feluda and Byomkesh Bakshi and am pretty much obsessed with them. So, I decided to write my first fan fiction as a Byomkesh Bakshi one.

So, something about Byomkesh. Byomkesh doesn’t really like to be called a detective. He calls himself Satyanveshi or seeker of truth. Byomkesh Bakshi is a character created by Saradindu Bandyopadhyay. His stories are narrated by Ajit, his companion and best friend. All stories are written from Ajit’s point of view. Unlike most detectives, Satyanveshi is married. His wife is Satyavati, whom he met during his 5^th mystery. Byomkesh deals with really interesting mysteries and solves them with great efficiency. This story is set in the 1950s in Calcutta. Hope you enjoy it. I will be posting 3 parts.

Prologue

Smita Sanyal was a simple, ordinary girl born into an orthodox family. But she had something special about her. Smita had an oval face with jet black eyes, a delicate nose and pink lips. She was fair and tall. Her hair was curly and reached till her waist. Smita was her father’s favourite child. She was born in a rich Brahmin family. It was not encouraged for girls to be educated at that time, but Smita’s father was keen on getting Smita educated. Hence, Smita was educated till her 10^th grade after which a calamity struck. Smita’s father died in a car accident. She had been extremely close to her father and he had been her only support in this conservative environment. She was deeply affected by his death.Her life came to a standstill. Smita had always loved studying and wanted to pursue business. But she also knew that all of this would be close to impossible after her father’s death. Her dreams were shattered.

She was forced to drop out of school and concentrate on household chores, a duty that each woman was expected to do. But Smita was not happy. She secretly borrowed books on Economics and Accountancy from the National Library and read them. She hoped to run away some day. She was still keen on pursuing her dream.

After her father’s death, Smita’s elder brother,Suryakumar had taken up the role of the head of the family. He had conservative views just like the rest of the family and thought that Smita should be married off. So, Smita was married off to Bijoy Banerjee, a man from a revoted Brahmin family, who had a successful business of coal mining. Bijoy was everything Smita wasn’t. He was foolish and had no respect for his wealth. He was not a particularly good-looking man. He had a dusky complexion with brown eyes, a fat nose and thick lips. If it had not been for his father, Bijoy would have been on the streets today. His father had handed over his business as well as all his wealth to Bijoy after his death. But Bijoy did not know how to handle business. Bijoy had a brother, named Anukul. But,Anukul had never had a good relationship with his father. Anukul wanted to be an actor, but Bijoy’s father, Gagan babu did not consider acting a respectable profession. Anukul had argued with Gagan babu repeatedly, and had ultimately left the house. Smita did not like Bijoy at the very first sight. She tried hard to adjust with his family.

But Smita did not love Bijoy. He was a fool and just not good enough for her. After Bijoy’s father’s death, he was the owner of the company. But,he was not business-minded and did not understand how to run the business. Soon, the business started to suffer losses. At this point, Smita decided to step in and advise her husband on how he could improve the condition of the business. Smita knew almost everything about the company, for she read Bijoy’s business files and accounts while he was away at office.

Bijoy, however did not like Smita’s intervention into his business matters. He always thought that women were meant to be a part of only household chores and did not have business-minded brains. He got really annoyed at Smita’s suggestion and told her to just go to the kitchen and do her household chores. Smita was an obedient person and did not know how to reply back. She used to listen to Bijoys suggestions but never paid heed to them. She did not stop giving suggestions.

Bijoy was a short-tempered and arrogant man. He strongly disliked Smita’s interference in his business matters and often had arguments with her and ordered her to stop giving suggestions.

Even after giving warnings repeatedly, when Smita did not stop, Bijoy took an extreme step.

One evening, after coming back from the office, Bijoy was really angry. As Smita took the cup of tea to his room, she heard him shout at her. He was really angry. He started yelling at her and started blaming her for his current condition. He started telling her how his company was in major loss and how he thought that she was responsible for this. Smita stood calm, still as a statue. But Bijoy didn’t stop. He continued to shout. His anger gradually reached a point when he tried to hurt Smita. He put his hands on her neck and tried to choke her. With great difficulty, Smita got out of his hold and escaped from the room.

The next morning the police arrested Bijoy. It seems he had done indulged in unfair practices and had been involved in a black money scandal. Perhaps he had the fear of getting caught last night which might have led to his violent behavior. He was imprisoned for 10 years.

Meanwhile, Smita took control of the family business and helped it scale new heights.

The Main Story

(10 years later)

“The doctor says she’s been killed due to heart failure. But the body’s gone for a postmortem and we can have proper clarity on the cause of death only after that. But the strange thing is that she had a movie ticket in her hand. Also, there are 5 bundles of 100 rupee notes which were found around her dead body. She takes care of all operations in the mine, but no one knows what she was doing alone in the mine on a Sunday.”, said Inspector Biren.

Byomkesh, Biren babu and I were sitting in Byomkesh’s hall, sipping tea and discussing about a recent death. The victim was a woman called Smita Sanyal, the owner of one of the most prosperous coal mines in Bengal. Biren babu had come to our residence to discuss about this case and had requested Byomkesh to investigate this strange case. It appeared a natural death but there was certainly something fishy about it.

Byomkesh said, “It certainly appears to be a strange case. I would want to see the dead body. Can we go now? I hope nothing has been disturbed at the site of the death.”

Biren babu replied, “No Byomkesh babu, I thought it wouldn’t be right to start the discovery of truth without the Satyanveshi (seeker of truth) .”

Byomkesh let out a smile.

We quickly got ready to visit the Koyala Coal Mine. At first I was surprised to hear that a woman ran the coal mine. On our way to the mine, Biren babu told us Smita Sanyal’s story and how her husband had treated her. He stopped at the part when Bijoy babu was arrested as we reached the mine. I was really impressed by Smita’s willpower and was really sad to see her die as I would have wanted to meet a woman who had such a remarkable personality.

(To be continued)

This is a picture from the 1990s show Byomkesh Bakshi which aired on Doordarshan.

It starred Rajit Kapur as Byomkesh Bakshi and KK Raina as Ajit.

(Its an amazing show! Watch it if you are a fan of mystery)