The Unventured Passions

Crossroads

There are two primary choices in life: to accept the conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them. Anirudh, as an elder brother, and a mentor had always encouraged and taught Batuk to take up responsibilities, to take up the challenges presented by the world, and needless to say, Batuk had always exceeded his brother's expectations. He had devoted his life to the cause that had, till then, been the biggest force driving his life... The cause to free his motherland. But, after getting his heart broken mercilessly by the foreign beauty, Batuk was no longer sure what he wished in life. He for the first time in life, was contemplating his actions, and judgements and the decision to bring the two girls to Tulsipur. He had the choice to abandan them, despising every moment of the rest of the journey. But, at the same time, he felt responsible towards them in an obligated way. They were his brothers responsibility, and so were his!

It was the cresent of dusk, the sky reflecting a pure orange glow, when Batuk's carriage was greeted inside Tulsipur with rolls of conches emitting from the scattered village households. They were all offering their evening prayers, lighting diyas in front of the Tulsi Manch, and the smell of incense had impregnated the air with it's feel good serenity.
Batuk had paid the carriage off, and as he entered the massive gate of their Haveli, he was promptly greeted by the guards infront, tears in their eyes and hands folded. The two girls were behind, following him, hurdling close to each other, as their widened eyes were awed at the sheer massivity of the building.

"Didi... This is hugee!!" Bhargavi pressed Mira's arms in anxiety as they crossed the threshold, entering the sprawling courtyard. But Mira, however, was quiet, she hadn't spoken or wasn't infact moved by anything since the letter fiasco, and with small uncertain steps, she clutched Bhargavi's hands and walked along, her head bend low, and her eyes teary.

"Come inside, Bhargavi."
Batuk called out, and the girls tiptoed, crossing the threshold, and infront, as if like a climax of a dramatic novel, stood the Zamindar himself, fresh after his shandhya arati, with a brass plate in hand, holding a diya.

...............................................

There are moments in life when we find ourselves at crossroads, and the choices we make at those moments are probably the ones that defines the course of life.
Bondita too was at a crossroad, choosing between running to her husband's protective arms, leaving the sacrosanct behind, or staying with Satyakirth, saving his life and doing justice by whatever her husband had taught her all these years. And, in this battle of do's and don'ts, Bondita didn't take long to decide her path.

"Come on... Come fast!" One of the British officers beckoned Bondita, commanding her to get into the open hooded motor carriage, and Bondita bowed at them, excusing herself on the pretext of fetching her husband.

Ghontu and his mother was standing too, watching them, and as Bondita hurried around the corner to meet Satya, Ghontu rushed inside the hut, and came out in no time. He held Bondita's hand and stopped her.

"I know he isn't blind." He swallowed hard, and with trembling hands, forwarded a fat black rimmed high powered glasses at her.
"This is my Dadu's... He looked blind when he wore them." He smiled fondly, before his face clouded once again.
"When the police took him, they didn't let him take these..." He sighed, shoving it into Bondita's hand.
"Take these... "

Ghontu had ran inside the hut at once, and letting out a fearful exhale, his mother too followed him silently.

For a moment Bondita couldn't fathom what to do and say next, and clutching the old black spectacles she turned around, and infront of her was Satyakirth Sen.
His fresh pink kurta was soiled as if he had rolled on the muddy ground, his face was strained with mud and grease, and his hair was disheveled in an unrecognisable way. Bondita's mouth fell, it was as if in these few minutes Satya had transformed himself completely into someone else, sans the eyes, and seeing the glasses in her hand, he took it at once and pushed it on the bridge of his grimy nose.