The Unventured Passions

Home and the World

Since the night Trilochan had fled from the Calcutta Club, without ensuing his nephew's safety, his life had been nothing but a rollercoaster of emotions. It was anticipation, it was fear, but mostly it was anger...
Cradling his granddaughter in his arms, he had felt helpless, and so very angry, so deeply bloody angry with the universe, with God. Everything seemed so unfair. Everything he had ever wished for, everyone he had ever loved, all his struggles, it had always been exactly what he hadn't asked for. He had lost the woman he loved, he had lost his newborn, and yet the sufferings hadn't seized. The pain that had come with it, the brutal... brutal suffering of his soul was his sleepless companion. There was no other way to escape it, no way to learn what he had learned, the hard way, and the anger was because now his only reason to live, his nephew... was in danger too... And all he could do was nothing! He wanted to scream... to break things... to cry out loud... But all he did was sit by the Durga temple with his grandchild on his lap, praying silently to the goddess with his tears as the only offering.
He won't eat, nor would he let the goddess eat as well, till the time a news of his nephew's whereabouts reaches him.
And, on the third night, as he offered his soul to the goddess, begging for the safety of his family, he heard a carriage bell, ringing at his doorstep.

"Bihari... Bihari... Who is it...?"
He called out to his faithful servant, and walked unsteadily towards the gate.
He wasn't the mighty Zamindar anymore, but a hapless father, pinning for his sons, and as he ran out of the threshold with his heart in his hand, he saw his youngest standing infront of him, a smile on his face, and at once he know the goddess hadn't been unkind to him, not this time.

"Anirudh?" He had asked, his voice faint and his entire body trembling from the anxiety that the moment had presented.

"He's good and safe." Batuk smiled, and approached him, and Trilochan's lips quivered again.

"And Bahu?"

"She's good too!"
Batuk had bent down to touch his uncle's feet, and instead he felt his knees tremble, as the old man held Batuk's shoulder at once for support.

"Kaka!" Batuk caught him in his strong arms, letting him rest his anxious heart, and Trilochan clutched Batuk's shirt firmly, burying his face on his shoulder.

"Are you alright Kaka?" Batuk hushed, tightening his grip on the old man.

Trilochan looked frail, his deep-set eyes reflected the sleepless worries that had been his refuge in the past few days. He hadn't eaten anything, and now that his mind was relieved, the weakness was taking over his body... slowly!

"I'm good... I'm good!" Trilochan tried to smile, standing upright once again he touched Batuk's face, cupping his jaws in his palm, and his eyes had moistened with the undeniable paternal love that every cell of his existence oozed.

"You suddenly look all grown up Batuk..." He smiled, and Batuk smiled too.

"I'm here now Kaka... Dada too would come home soon... And... And everything would be like it was before."

Trilochan nodded in agreement, exhaling sharply, as he pressed his eyelids to let the tears sink in, and when he opened them again, infront of him was the silhouette of a young girl, smiling at him happily.

"Who are you?" Trilochan asked, a little surprised, as he turned to Batuk and repeated the question with a frown.
"Who is this Batuk?"

"She is Bhargavi." Batuk remarked, as if his uncle was supposed to be familiar with the name, and before Trilochan could ask any more questions, he saw the girl nearing him, and she stooped down to touch his feet, expecting his blessings in return.

"Bhargavi what?" He asked, and the girl looked up and smiled brightly.

"Bhargavi Bharadwaj."

"Bharadwaj? Kulin Brahmin!" Trilochan narrowed his eyes and Bhargavi nodded her head.