Tryst with destiny

The wheel had started rolling. It was a morning of December, the fog inside Meera's head was denser than the fog outside. People were bustling around. The noise seemed to fade away .She could see things moving backward. She was leaving everything behind .The only noise she could hear was of fast moving train. She scanned everybody around, everyone had a destination and goal. She was so unsure where was she heading to .This was the first time she was on train to not reach home. The train stopped with a screeching sound.  She got down from the train with a hope that this city of joy would bring back the lost joy in her life. The childhood memories came alive. The days when she used to come here to her dida's house.

It used to be so much fun. Her small little footsteps would keep rolling in the ground plus two rectangular structure, which she called dida’s baadi (Grandmother’s home) . She would curl up her fingers in a fist with tamarind secured tightly inside.  She loved the sweet sour taste of the sugar coated tamarind. Little she knew there will be a time when life will turn bitter.

She had nothing left here apart from bitter sweet memories to live with. Her maternal uncle had sold the property and there were no remains of past .But when she thought of leaving home, Kolkata was the only place she could think of. The first obstacle to conquer was to find a shelter. It was late night and with the meager amount she had, she settled for a motel in Bara Bazzar.It was dim lit ,a dingy kind of place .She mustered all courage and went inside .There was a man sitting on the reception. He was on the heavier side with all his face covered under a monkey cap and body wrapped in a shawl. She could only see his eyes which were already scanning her. She feebly asked. 

 Dada,ekta room chaie(Brother,I need one room)

Guy:Kate diner(for how many days)

Meera:jaani na..kaal ke bolbo.(I dont know,will tell you tomorrow)

Guy:Theekh aache.100 tanka roz hobe (Ok.its 100 Rs a day).

Meera:Theekh aache.Kichoo khaite jonne hobe (Ok.Anything to eat)

Guy:Khub deri hoye geche .hobe na.(Its too late.)

Meera: double roti ?(Bread?)

Guy:Apeksha karun .check korbo.(wait.will check)

The Guy wrestling with layers of clothes,gradually disappeared in the darkness ,shortly to return with the two pieces of bread. She grabs it and follows him towards her room. He opened the wooden  door painted in green which had cracks and had to be pushed with leg forcibly to open. He handed over the lock and key to Meera. She entered inside .It was a very small room with a iron cot on which were two blanket one to be spread on the bed and other for covering the body. There was a very dim bulb hanging down the twilled red and yellow wire .In the corner was a pot of water with an inverted glass on top it .Meera filled the glass with water dipped the bread in water and gulped it. She settled on the bed .

With eyes wide open ,memories started flashing in front of her. After her parents death in an accident  when she was merely 10 years old  she had come to his Mama's place.(Mother's brother).Maami never welcomed her and she was always made to feel  uninvited and unwanted .At the tender age she was given all the responsibility of the house from mopping to cleaning to other errands. She had accepted the destiny and had given up in life. Years passed by .

One day while ironing the clothes she mistakenly kept the iron on Maami's saree for longer than required. Maami had hit her with same hot iron.  She screamed in pain. That night she could not think of anything other than running away. 

Suddenly the Sun was shining brightly on her face and she realized it was already a new morning. She had to get up and get going for finding a job for her survival. She had no skills which she could use for her livelihood but she had no choice other than trying. She was walking on the roads of Kolkata with a hope to find a new beginning. She could not get anything till now and it was already 3 in the afternoon. Her stomach was making a growling sound .She stopped near a tea stall and ordered for a bun and Tea. She savored the first meal of her day .Stomach was silent now. While sipping the tea she was glaring at the sky and then she realized there was a book store nearby.After finishing the tea ,she hurried toward the shop .It was a huge book store with piles of books old and new.She begged for the job in the store and the guy was a nobel soul. He agreed to employ her for taking care of the store with a condition that she had to stay in the store. Her task would include keeping the  store clean and organized.It was a blessing for her. She thanked the guy and said she would be back in an hour.

She hurried to the motel, settled all the dues and came back to shop. It was a huge task to keep the books in order. There were piles and piles of book new and old scattered all around. Some had layers of dust making it difficult to read the title.  She started dusting the books .She cleaned and mopped the store and started arranging the books.

Time passed by .She would talk to customers coming in to the shop. She would discuss with them about the plot of the book, about the writer. She had started liking to discuss about the books. She would inquire about the story of books the customer had taken previously. Most of them were her friends now. Books bring people closer. They would narrate her the story in short and would explain her about the genres of the book. She understood the genres well now.

Gradually she started reading the books at night when she was done with her daily chores. She started scribbling what she observed around.With all here senses alive she would write down everything she noticed. The pages of the old diary was filled with her scribbles.

The shop owner  Bakul da once noticed the dairy and asked her what she has been noting down. She said, nothing of much importance ,I just write what I observe. Bakul da read few pages and he was impressed. He asked her could he take this writing to a publisher .She was not sure what that piece of unimportant scribbling will fetch. 

After few days, Bakul da came with few copies of  "Alp Katha by Meera" (Short stories by Meera) .She was astonished to see her diary converted into a book and was placed in the front shelf of the book store. Gradually all the ten copies that Bakul da had placed were sold. The request for book was increasing. Bakul da had to get more copies. He would proudly introduce the writer of the book to the customers. They were the lucky ones who would get signed copy of her book. She could not believe that it was not a dream .The power of knowledge had helped her to rise from anonymity. She was a famous short story writer now.

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