'Thek'othonponjee: November 2010

পরানবন্ধুরা,

আমাদের blog-র শুভ উদবোধন-এ সবাইকে জানাই আমার বাঁধভাঙা উচছাস।

বন্ধুর মনের খবরের ভাঁড়ার। আহা! আর কে বলে মনের ঠিকানা পাওয়া দুষকর? Nirmalya আবার ওর স্রিজনশীল মন আর অনুপম একাত্ম বোধের অভিনব পরিচয় রাখল। আমরাও অজান্তেই এই যগ্নে সামিল হয়ে গেলাম।

মানসের লেখা ঈদানিং খুব মিষ্টি হচ্ছে। Site-এ পড়তে আরো ভাল লাগবে। শান্তনু-র পাকা লেখা বহুদিন miss করছি। এবার নিশ্চই সব পাব। সুজয়-ই শুরুটা চিরটাকাল ভাল করে, এবারো করেছে। অবশ্য এই site- আপাততঃ আমার ধরাছোঁয়া-র বাইরে-ই রয়ে গেল। তাতে কি আসে যায়! তোদের সবার চোখ দিয়েই দেখব। আমার হাল তো সেই "জীবনপুরের পথিক রে ভাই, কোন দেশেই সাকিন নাই; তবে খেয়ালপোকা যখন আমার মাথায় নড়ে-চড়ে, কলম হাতে বন্ধু তোমার কথাই মনে পড়ে"।

তুরষ্কের এই অন্চল-টা ইস্তানবুল থেকে বেশী দূরে নয়। Black Sea এবং Mediterrenan কে জুড়েছে দুটো প্রণালী, Bosphorus এবং Dardenelis! Dardenelis-কে অনেকে আদর করে বলেন “দর্দ কে নালী”- 'The Strait of Sorrow'। এখানে সমুদ্র বোতলগ্রীবসদৃশ (Kola had used the word 'bottleneck' – translation-টা আমার: Nirmalya), নদীর মত দুটো কূল দেখা যায়। সবুজ পাহাড়, সোনালী বেলা-তাত নীল আকাশ, হুমড়ি খেয়ে পড়া ঢালু ছাদের বাড়ি। আর চোখে হীরের ঝিলিক তোলা স্বল্পবাক মেয়ের দল। সেই এক ইরানী গোছের পোশাক-আশাক। ইরান দেশের গোলাপ যেন তুরষ্কে এসে চাঁপা ফুল হয়ে উঠেছে। ওখানে ছুটে গেলে কাঁটা লাগতই, আর এখানে সাপের ছোবল খেতে হতে পারে। মানে, সব কিছুর থেকে একটু দুরে দুরে থাকাই ভাল।

থাক এই উদ্ভট দুনিয়ার কথা; এখন গন্তব্য আফ্রিকা - দাড়ি-বুড়োর আফ্রিকা।

তোমরা সবাই ভাল থেকো।

জাহাজ: Torm Charente (আমি এটা যোগ করলাম: Nirmalya)

আমাদের 'ঠেক-ও-কোলা' (মানে 'The Kola O(f) Thek') - অনেকটা Coc-a-cola type – জানিয়েছে যে ওর birthday was on 18^th November. আমার মনে ছিল না। মানে আমার database updated ছিল না। Apologies!

ওর জনমোদিন-এ একটা খুব ভালো e-mail পাঠিয়েছিলো। কাকে লিখেছিল, জানি না। তবে আমাদের-ও পাঠিয়েছিল।

ওটা এখানে copy করে দিলাম। সময় নিয়ে পড়তে হবে।

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Thank you so much for rememebering an old man's birthday like me. I am sure your Mom must have reminded you. Tell thank you to her too. She has always been a good friend for sure. It is a great feeling to know that someone somewhere still cares. Among the hundred living people I am in touch with, by business or by bond, You are only the third person who remembered to wish me this day. My son (and his mother ofcourse),a friend of mine, and you; these are the three people who remembered this day. I actually thought Ruup's mom and Sucheta's mom too will remember ...but you know there comes a time when you have to forego and forget a lot of things. This is law of nature. Our age has come to that. So no hard feelings for sure..... for it is usual that people only remember the (rich and the) famous peoples' birthday.

Then there are others ofcourse who remembered. But they are the weak old people, my aunty, my good friend's Dad and Mom, my father et-al. But they do not know how to mail me. These are our very respected elders---fountain
of pure goodwill and blessings. Wonder can we ever be the same "pure for sure" fountains to you all? We have to try selflessly shouldn't we?

I remember when I was a kid, my elders specially Mom and granny made it a point that my birthdays were special. In our simple Bengali middle class life, cake was still not so much a symbol of celebration of Birthdays; instead a bowl of Payesh was. My Baba called it sweet-meat and my grandmother used to cook with all her skill and care. In the red hot glowing coal fire she used to stir up a heavenly fragrance from her bronze cauldron. How delicious was it to watch that Payesh being cooked leave alone eating! My mom who seldom cooked,(she was working) would cook mangsho for me that day and in sumptuous amount (and mangsho always meant the he-goat; not chicken per se). The good part was that all these cooking in themselves already imbibed a lot of good thought and blessing from the elders before one by one they blessed me ritually. Now that enkindled feeling of "janmodin" in glowing coal fire is partly missing as the cake mostly is not baked in home. But my Ma's ma and Pa's ma both my Grandma died 34 years ago and two years later Grandpa followed her to heaven on a Christmas day. I never saw my Ma's pa but kind of started knowing him from the photos that my mother always held close to her chest.

The fan fare was much less and barring a few friends the celebration used to be a closed family affair. As far as I remember my parents could afford only once to call some people and treat them on my birthday and I think I was two years old then. Twice I remember I could take chocolates to class. I tell you what Those days after pranam, elders will give a big hug and wish a long successful life. I am sure they did that with all their heart.

So now I am here still, ---though among strangers in deep sea yet celebrating another birthday alright. Well childhood did not last long. At all stages of life you have a tryst with destiny, and I had soon when I was 12 years old. A family problem landed me in hostel. New place new people new rules new horizon--- birthday was subued for a while. And then I was no more a kid. But one way I was lucky to be the only kid as long as i was one.

Well back to reality, here in ship---- people dead and alive congratulated on my growing even older and they all wished me luck. The departed ones came when I was half asleep in my lonely cabin. They came quietly one by one and congratulated me for being alive and also for being not a very bad man either. Mom was the first one. She caressed my hair and looked bright. Next were my grannies, then my teacher, my mashis, meshos, Jhimli didi, my uncle and lo my friend Sugato,(the one who died this year of cancer) and Bhaipo my motorbike mechanic (who died too this year, probably of undetected swine flue)~ they made it too. I used to frequently lend my mo-bike to vaipo before his marriage, and then there was another man who should have been naturally hostile to me but turned into my well wisher--I don't know why. He was there. I and he had a very strange impalpable relation. You won't understand that now, and for that you have to grow up to your Dada's age. But I knew he would never miss the occasion. Will you believe when I have tummy aches this man goes inside into my tummy and heals the pain. Everytime I get a pain when I am alone I call him and never he lets me down. Even on occasions he entered my defective machinary and made them working. This has happened so many times. In 2005 he died suddenly just one-day before my birthday. The time I finished his cremation 15th Nov broke forth in the calender. It was wee hours of morning and I retired in absolute tiredness. When I got up in the broad sunlight-- there he was! Telling me not to be gloomy, but to cheer
up. It was my Birthday~ he reminded me. Did he know he was dead?---I wondered.....and leaving my devastated bedridden mom entirely upon me? I

wanted to curse him but he looked sad he didn't want to die this way all so sudden in just two hours of chest pain. No one else could see him. But I could. I looked at him. Again I could not hate him though I always wanted to. He still looked much younger to his age. He was smiling at me. Sometime I felt his goodness to me almost bordered a kind of show off or compulsion and I told him that. But he said he could say the same thing about me, and eversince we had stopped discussing our conduct and natures.

I saw my wife's father too. He came in my cabin and was busy going through my novels. He too departed in 2005. Still he is so restless ~I thought! They all were smiling. In life they had differences now they all came to party, it seemed. I appologised for not being able to do enough for any one of them in life but it seemed alright with them. They didn't mind. They were happy with me. They stayed for sometime in a kind of gathering in the night, some of them laughed aloud, got busy in preparing some thing only they knew what. They asked me if I miss home and if it is Ok with Rishi that I do not stay much with him. I kind of fumbled but told them like my friend and family I miss each of them a lot. They all beamed widely and amidst their laughter and cheers I slipped into a comatose of sleep. With the break of sunlight they all vanished --- in the bends of down memory lane---deep into my mind.

Morning was here and Here was another 15th November--- another birthday. Another year closer to extinction. I kissed my mom's photo called up my Dad, then ofcourse my son and my wife. Isn't it kind of silly calling others on your birthday?...As if goading them for a B'day wish. So I called none else. Infact I wanted to call your mother. I get lot of peace talking to her. I am sure your Dad didn't remember such petty occasions of life but sure your Mom did. Last year when I asked her why she remembers, she broke into a laughter and said "Why I am your insurance agent!" I was very close to her soon after your Dada was born. I stayed with your dad and Mom for sometime . Your dada would only sleep in my arms and her, and no body else. Dada would not leave her for a minute but if I whistled he would quitly stretch his arms at my direction. Your Mom and dad went to see plays and I took care of your three months old Dada. Oh! By the way Are you doubting even for a moment that this saga of dead men visiting is my made up story? Well then you don't know so many things.

Do you know about that fifth engineer and motorman in my first Ship VishvaSobha who died in an accident. The thought they were real and would you believe it---they thought we were the ghosts. I used to keep night watches sometime alone and I could see glimpses of two boiler suits (Engineer's apron) between the floors and railings, moving stealthily. Could not see their face ever. They would come in my watch but still would always run away from me. How scared they were of me! I have sen many but never seen such timid ghosts. Well I hate the term ghost. They were departed men in Time Cordinate but un fortunately not in space cordinate. One day I went after them and they ran like hell...well it's another story i will tell you some other day. Later on they would do so many of my jobs and protect me!

And then the Chief officer's wife in M.T. Torm Thames. She sailed with her husband and while going home from the ship she died in a car accident. Everynight till today she comes to look for her husband in that ship. She drags her long key chain in vacant alleyways at dead hours in the night her foot bands clink rhythmically and in these wee hours if you stay awake alone in Conference room or lounge she would always close and open the door frequently, drop books on the floor to drive you nuts.

Then the ship Vishwa Mangal. The crew who jumped through the port hole in the sea. Anybody in that cabin if he directs his feet to that port hole, he is in deep trouble. Whole night he will be clawed, his hairs pulled and torn his cheek scratched. Always one had to put the head towards that port hole! Then night will be peaceful and don't ever look at that port hole even if you heard any sound! There will be that scream that sob that soliloquy but do never ever look that way. That was the key to remain healthy in Vishva Mangal.

Then that creepy crawly bizzare incident? Second officer's duty was to end at morning four 'o, clock. Cadet came at quarter to four. He saw second officer sitting quiet on a high chair called Pilot Chair. He wished him Good Morning but he did not reply. Second's cabin was adjacent to Wheel House, Suddenly the cabin door opened up and to the cadet's great astonishment the same second officer came out of that cabin saying "shit I slept off and nobody gave me a call", Cadet's blood curdled in fear as now in front of him there were two of the same person in two different place but at the same time. Suddenly the sitting second officer gave him a glaring stare and said "OK two of one is not done,--- right? Saying this he ran on to the dark bridge wings and jumped overboard into the water. In the still calm water of South Pacific both the cadet and the second mate heard a huge splash! They shivered in fear and shuddered to think who this creature was and why he came and what if he came back the next night?

There are many such incidents.

May be someday I will write a book and dedicate it to all my beloved children like you.

Back to my Birthday The alive ones wanted a party. But it was very foggy, we were supposed to approach a ship double-bank with it and take cargo from it. But the fog stopped our operation. We stood stranded in the dense fog. The deck was not visible through my windows. Someone had covered the sea in a spray of mist flour. It was as if we were in a lost world of clouds and mist. So the party was postponed. Fellows who wanted to scream and dance and laugh aloud had to wait for another day another time. But they presented me hand made cards, cakes and lots of cheer. My boy too gave a good news that this time he got full marks in maths. I told him that only increased his pressure as expectations of his teacher and his mother is now going to soar high. I know you are a good student too. Dad told me you involve lot of imagination intuition and thought into your studies. That is surely great. Some day I dream all my children - You, Ruup, Rishi, Raj , Mayukh, Some, Titlee and others whom you don't know like Tamanna Ushashi, Sucheta will hold all the positions of great expectations on earth and me the old man with my old wife will fly from one child's home to the other. But you have to send me the tickets oK? Today the fog is lifting The blue sea water appears like a mirror coated with a spray of miosture in places. It needs a final swipe of the breeze to clean everything around. Clouds want to stay as guests for a few days more. There is a chill in the air that has sent the birds back . So the sea is looking kind of forelorn and sad. But business is going to start soon. I will be busy again after this mail.

So much about me. What about you dear? Now that you have grown up to be a boy what has changed around you? I am sure what used to excite you 5 years back do not appeal so much anymore. So let me know what inspires you, what puts a spring in your steps, what ties a load of cement bags to your feet...that is disgusts you. Do you get angry...does anger drive you mad? What about Dada..see that you make him feel that he is very special. This is his home and you are the ones who make this a home. I know him. He is sentimental type...tell him really how much you miss him and all his stoic laughs would vanish. He will melt like butter in front of you.

Bye for now !

Kindest Regards

Amit Mama

Thursday 25 November, 2010

কোলাকথন: Dateline: 24th Nov, 2010, Strait of Dardenelis, Turkey

Wednesday 24 November, 2010

An email from Kola on his birthday (while he was sailing)

Monday 22 November, 2010

aha ki ananda

Sunday 21 November, 2010

বাংলা-য় লিখতে হলে

Prothom Alo