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ABOUT THE STORY:
When the world's largest delta of Sundarbans is on the threshold of climatic degradation, the forest officer Vedhant Singha Roy, sets out on a challenging mission not only to rescue the isla...
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1.14. A Bitter Farewell
I was ridden with guilt for having put our professional competence at stake. My relationship was strained with Vedhant, and for the number of days that passed by, I found myself being threatened by the distance whose gulf I had created deliberately between us. My time in Sundarbans was limited and I had to bid everyone adieu, leaving behind the memories, the people, but most painfully, him.
My daily Vedhant-less routine normally included waking up early, taking a proper shower, going amongst the local communities to learn more of their common difficulties and challenges, noting them down, and preparing my draft notebook by the evening when I was back to the resort. Some lazy evenings also included spending time at the pool, practising my swimming skills, but most importantly, missing Vedhant's presence and his tantalizing touch on my skin.
But it did not matter anymore. I was a guest of the Sundarbans for only another two days and then I would depart. The thought of not being able to accommodate him by my side was a reality I had to accept, but it didn't help much either.
I now sat on a wooden stool amidst a few elderly women from the local communities, who were narrating to me the tales of their disastrous lives while staying on the island. They expressed their grief of how their houses were uprooted when storms ravaged in the sea, and their family members lost due to either the sea tempest or the attack of man-eaters.
My breath choked and my heart cringed, for their loss of kins was too detrimental to bear. The oldest woman with grey freckles and worn-out skin dabbed her salty eyes with the ends of her faded cotton saree and looked towards me.
With an expression so doleful, she began to murmur, half of her voice choking in her throat. "We have always been through thick and thin, my husband and I. We lived our days together passing the pain and taking care of our children. And suddenly, one day—"
As the woman narrated, I felt myself at a loss for words. She recalled how she had lost her husband to a massive storm surge a couple of years ago when he had gone to the sea to catch fishes for their subsistence. Not only this, she had also lost her eldest son to the attack of a tiger in the middle of their yard out of nowhere.
For once, at the mention of a tiger, I got reminded of the time when Vedhant had risked his life to save me from the unrestrained animal. My heart ached as I had given up all hopes on him for reasons I wasn't surely aware of. What if I had to leave the place? Couldn't we make things work between us? Couldn't I convince my inner-self that I wanted to stay back here in the Sundarbans and spend my life just like Vedhant? Couldn't I make my parents agree to it?
The oldest woman responded dryly. "You are not the first one to come here with good intentions, child. Many people from the cities come to study our problems, just like you. They take our stories, our pain, and leave. But nobody comes back to help us out of it. Nobody provides us with solutions."
