Ch. 5 STORIES FROM THE PARA - THE FURTIVE WEDDING

The Furtive Wedding

Far away from the excited gathering before Chhutki`s “chandnatolla”, another pair of souls were being joined in eternal union. Unlike the large gathering of notables and para residents who had joined together to shower their blessings on Chhutki, there were only seven people present at the parallel event :

Major Ghosh Dastidar, V.S.M. (retd.)

- In his own drawing room, sat Major Ghosh Dastidar, V.S.M.(retd.) [1] The Major looked impeccable in his tweed jacket and regimental scarf, and held himself up straight as a ramrod in his Wing chair. He had brought forth his bottle of “Laphroaig” which he saved for special occasions and was into his third “chhota peg”.[2]

- Raja babu, the part-time purohit and the para`s devoted ghotok; his hands shaking with a mixture of fear and anxiety, he had set up an improvised “mandap”[3] at one end of the major`s drawing room, under the radio. Given the perilous circumstances, he had managed to cobble together a “mangal ghot”,[4] a copper plate with a small “shiva linga” and a handful of flowers.

- Jarnail Singh, the taxiwallah was in the verandah, keeping a sharp lookout for intruders.

- Chhutki`s mother`s “pisemosai”[5] had left the main wedding in the para briefly, to take part in the parallel one. He was a divisional manager of Western Railways, currently posted at Ratlam. [6]

The major looked at his watch as they all waited for the bride and groom to turn up. The strains of Nazrulgeeti[7] could be heard from the adjoining dining room where the major kept his “Murphy” record player. After what seemed to be ages, they heard the sound of shuffling footsteps in the hall leading to the backdoor, and Jarnail Singh`s taxiwallah brethren Avtar Singh and Pooran Singh escorted in Chhutki`s mother and her chhotomasi. They put down two suitcases on the veranda and and left as silently as they had come. Chhotomasi was dressed in a red sari, but showed no other signs of being the bride.

The bride arriving before the groom was only one among several things that was unusual with the wedding that was about to take place. When Deepak da came in a few minutes later, he was alone, with no “Bor Jatri”[8] to accompany him and no “Bor Boron”[9] to bid him welcome. The major sat impassively and sipped his drink. Raja babu looked busy with his “puja samagri”[10] and was muttering “mantras” under his breath. The whole thing was over in a couple of minutes. There was “maala badal”[11] and then Deepak da did the “sindoor daan”. The couple then touched the feet of the three elders in the room for their “aashirbaad”. [12]

Jairnail Singh.

With the voice of Purabi Dutta singing Nazrulgeeti still filtering out from the dining room, Jarnail Singh escorted them into his waiting taxi. He slammed the door shut and with Bahadur, the para`s “darwan”[13] beside him in the front seat, he sped off. Jarnail Singh was an expert at negotiating the Calcutta traffic, and he set course for Howrah Station via Rash Behari Avenue and Chowringhee, and crossed Howrah Bridge in record time.

 

And so it was that while Chhutki would end the evening with “bidayee”[14] surrounded by her family and well-wishers from the para, her aunt would be bedding down for her “kaal raatri” somewhere between Ranigunj and Asansol, in the Ladies Compartment of the Howrah-Bombay Mail, as it hurtled into the night. In the hectic hours leading up to Chhutki`s “bidayee”, nobody noticed anything amiss. Even Jarnail Singh and Bahadur made it back and tucked into the grand wedding feast in front of dozens of witnesses, who could have given them an alibi, should they be questioned.

On the next day with Chhutki safe at her in-laws`, a thorough search of the para had not turned up the slightest trace of her chhotomasi. I hoped that Deepak da and chhotomasi, on their second night aboard the Howrah-Bombay Mail, would have got the Ladies Compartment to themselves and would be preparing for their own “phool shojja.”[15]

Just like Chhutki in Belgachia!

 

THE END

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[1] Vishishit Seva Medal, given to members of India`s armed forces for "distinguished service of an exceptional order".
[2] A drink made with approximately two fingers of hard liquor.
[3] A dais or alter.
[4] A copper pitcher, filled with water and with mango leaves and a coconut placed atop it.
[5] Paternal uncle, by marriage.
[6] A divisional headquarters of Western Railways, one of the zones of Indian Railways.
[7] The poetry, set to music, of Kazi Nazrul Islam.
[8] The bridegoom`s party.
[9] The ritual in which the bridegroom and his party are bid welcome by the bride`s mother and family.
[10] The paraphernalia of ritual worship.
[11] A ritual exchange of garlands between the bride and the groom.
[12] The newly-married couple being blessed by their elders.
[13] Commons watchkeeper of the locality.
[14] The bride being bid farewell by her family as she departs for her new home.
[15] The newly weds are adorned with flowers and left to their conjugal bliss on a flower-decked bed.