The Unventured Passions

Challenging Decisions

Never before had Bondita noticed how time is so much like water; that it can pass slowly, a drop at a time, even freeze, or rush by in a blink. The clock said it was measured and constant, tick tock... tick tock... part of an orderly world; the clock lies. The past one hour had passed like thousands of camera frames per nano second shown one at a time. In that slow time-bubble the beating of her heart was louder, coldness was colder and colours were monochromatic. All the while her insides felt as if there was nothing there, nothing to have need of anything at all.
She had aggrieved Anirudh, her most entrusted confidant, she had caused him to be upset, and in that moment of engulfing solitude, all she wished for was to right the wrong. But, only if she had known how!
She stood there, in his office like a stone statue, exactly the way he had left her, defeated, confused...
And at that very moment of destitute, destiny had knocked in the form of a telephone call.

"Hello... "
She responded after a minute of indecisiveness.

"Hello, Anirudh Roy Chowdhury's office?"
An husky old voice spoke on the other end.

"He is... He is not available at the moment. May I take a message?"

"Who are you, if I may ask." The voice responded again.

"I'm his wife. But, if you can tell me your name and message I'll write..."

The voice on the other end didn't let her complete.
"Bondita? Bondita Maa, it's me, your Neelmoni jethamoshai."

"Oh... Jethamoshai... " Bondita tried to let out a dry smile of courtesy. "How are you? How is your health?"

"I'm well..." Neelmoni paused. "But I'm afraid my Rai Maa isn't keeping very well."

"Oh... What happened?" Bondita sounded concerned.

"Um... A bit under the weather... Batakrishna have promised to pay a visit this morning... Let's see what our young doctor has to say." He let out a soft chuckle.

"But, Jethamoshai... Why Batuk, he still isn't a qualified doctor... Don't she be seeing someone professional?"
She asked with a gentle genuine concern.

"Do you think I haven't tried that already? Rai Maa isn't ready to see a doctor... You know how daughters are, don't you." Neelmoni tried to reason.
"Anyway, please ask your husband to call back once he is available, I'm afraid I don't have very good news for him."
Neelmoni's voice turned husky and crackling once again.

"Why... What... What happened Jethamoshai... May I know... If that's..."
The familiar pangs of fear returned to her as she started to stutter a little.

"Ummm... " The old man thought a bit.
"I don't see a reason why not... After all you are his wife, see if you can make him see reason and change his mind." He paused as Bondita heard his sharp staggered breathing over the telephone.
"It's about the Swadeshi Custodial death case. Your husband is hell bent on reopening the case and challenging it. And, as I'm appointed to be one of the juries, he had asked for my assistance in backing him up."
He paused to breath.

"But, but Jethamoshai, if the case isn't reopened, then all those imprisoned Swadeshis would have to face Kalapani, wouldn't they?" Bondita enquired earnestly.

"Well, Bondita Maa... There are greater purposes and again there are happiness and content... " Neelmoni started. "I don't have any better way of putting this, but at times one needs to focus on their personal growth and happiness than the greater good. Anirudh is the talk of the town. Considering his achievements at such a young age, the Governor General is even considering to grace him with the prestigious RayBahadur title.  Reopening and fighting this case would put him in grey pictures, if not anything he would definately lose the British favouritism." Neelmoni paused again, trying to let Bondita sink in to his words. But, all he could hear from the other side of the telephone was a deep sigh.
"Bondita Maa... Once Batuk and Rai Maa gets married, all that I have would be your husband's... name... fame... Everything! Don't you want to live in a RayBahadur palace? Don't you want to be the wife of the most popular and powerful man of Calcutta? Think Maa... Think... And put some sense in your stubborn husband."