The Unventured Passions

For the Women they Love!

How far would you go to find your love?

They say pain to be love's constant companion. They say it's pain that glorifies love, it's pain that cuts deep into one's heart to sow the seed of longing, and yet the only way to heal this pain is to be loved. Of all kinds of pain that there is, the one that purifies love is perhaps separation...Yet when the love is true, the separation builds lovers both stronger as individuals and as a couple, as partners in all they do. For in these moments of pain is the truth of what they are to one another. And, if nothing, such separation has proven to be the golden ticket to realising who your soulmate is, the forever person of one another.

Satyakirth too was undergoing this realisation, in the past few days, amidst all the anxiety and anticipation, it was Raimoti's face that had flashed in his mind's eye, like a relay, a collage of memories, her fluttering eyelashes and that smirk on her lips... And everytime, the realisation was stronger, prominent, leaving him in tatters.
Raimoti was the one for whom his heart beats! And, it would always be her...
And yet, Satya knew little too well that his journey ahead was full of bullets and blood, and that she cannot be with him when he reaches his desired destination. She cannot be, rather he wouldn't let her be, yet the thought of being alone at the end had given him sleepless nights.
Satyakirth's eloquency was restricted when it's about the heart, and it had always been thus, but battling with his mind and heart every night for the past one week, Satya had finally decided on one thing.
He would set Rai free. How? He was yet to figure, but he can't let her be a part of his bloodied journey. He had lost many, but he was determined to not lose her, never!

He had never proclaimed his feelings openly, like Anirudh, nor had he ever expressed his pinning like Bondita, but every night, after Bondita would fall asleep, Satya would quietly walk out of the door, staring at the stars, and with the first ray of the new sun, he would set out...

"Satya... I'll be counting on you today."
Bondita had reminded him, as he had prepared to leave, at dawn, and Satya had nodded slowly.

"I'll." He paused and sighed.
"Bondita, the entire village would be here tonight, to attend the wedding of the headman's daughter... And, by tonight, if we don't find Anirudh Da and Raimoti, we'll be heading to Raipur, absolutely no arguments, and once we reach, my men would arrange for you to get back to your home, and I'll be off to my mission again."

A faint string of heartbreak was imminent in his voice, and Bondita felt a blow from its broken chords.
"Why not Rangpur?"
Her words were just a defenseless query and Satya sighed again.

"Rangpur would be too predictable. We've told everyone on our way that we'd be heading to Rangpur, and if the British police tries to follow our trail, that's the first place they'd look for."

Bondita nodded her head and looked away.
"Do you miss her?"
Her words felt distant, and Satya prepared to leave, turning his head towards her one last time.

"More than my life."

"Then have faith. We'll find them."

Satya had left, leaving Bondita at the door, his heart twitching mindlessly at the verbal acceptance of him missing her, and the feeling was overwhelming. Suddenly it was only Raimoti in his mind, occupying the highest pedestal of his being, and the first place this all-encompassing emotions led him to was by the lonely broken river bank, his small boat was there, tied to a tree.
Rafik majhi had brought it there, the night before, as he himself had rowed towards the east of the river, where his destination was to meet Girish and others in hiding.

Satya jumped into his boat and sat down.
The post office had yet two more hours to open, and Satya, finding some solace under the fresh chilly breeze of the early dawn, lay down on the deck, his head rested on the plank, and on his chest was Raimoti's blue shawl, soft and fragnant, just like her!