“Hey! The factory siren just went off.”
The crowded slum of Bhuinyabhanga became restless in an instant. The calm atmosphere became charged in a moment. Jhagru, Mangla, Sumita, and others all started going to the ’number’ in groups, one by one. This happens every day. It all seems to move in a rhythm. Sushama also used to go to the ’number’ with Jhagru and Mangla, carrying her basket, in tune with the factory siren. But while moving in rhythm, suddenly things went out of rhythm for her. Sushama was laid off due to the company’s new law. Of course, this out-of-rhythm feeling lasted only for a few days. Then she brought a rhythm back into her own life. Now, when she hears the factory siren, she doesn’t go to the ’number’ like Jhagru, Mangla, or Sumita of Bhuinyadanga. Sushama starts for the city long before the siren goes off, keeping her own rhythm. But today, Sushama couldn’t start before the factory siren, keeping her rhythm.
“Let’s go, let’s go, hurry up. We are very late today.” Sushama held her eight-year-old daughter Guliya’s hand and almost dragged her out of the crowded slum of Bhuinyadanga and started walking along the main road of the garden. Guliya, holding her torn pants that were slipping from her waist with one hand and her mother’s hand with the other, walked on. After going a short distance, she saw Biltu and Ghutuara sitting almost naked under the big Krishnachura tree next to the dance hall, playing with pebbles. Seeing them playing happily, Guliya’s heart felt a certain way. She thought to herself, “To hell with it, mother only goes to the city every day. Biltu and Ghutuara’s mothers go to the factory, and they just sit and play so nicely. If mother didn’t go to the city, I could also play like them.” Thinking about these things, she suddenly said to her mother, “Hey ma, why don’t you go to the factory like Biltu and Ghutuara’s mothers? You only go to the city every day.”
“Oh, look at this girl’s audacity. She says, ‘Why don’t you go to the factory like Biltu and Ghutuara’s mothers?’” The words made Sushama uncomfortable. They pierced her heart. But she couldn’t say anything to Guliya. Still, she looked at Guliya with eyes full of affection and said, “I am not like Biltu and Ghutuara’s mothers. I am laid off. Laid-off people don’t have work in the factory.”
Hearing Sushama’s words, Guliya looked at her very carefully. As she walked, she scrutinized Sushama’s hands, feet, and face. But no, there was nothing out of place anywhere. Her mother’s face was much more beautiful than Biltu and Ghutuara’s mothers’. Her hands and feet were flawless. Nothing was cut off. Then why would she be laid off? Why wouldn’t she get work in the factory? Is her mother lying then? To hell with it, I don’t understand anything. Thinking about these things, Guliya held her pants with one hand and, holding her mother’s hand with the other, walked on with big strides. Sushama and Guliya, walking on, reached the big confluence. The big confluence is far behind the crowded slum of Bhuinyadanga, the dance hall, and the Mirdapatti. After crossing the tea house of the middle bil and walking a long way along the narrow road through the gap of Charabari, one reaches the big confluence. After passing the shop of Nenu Mian Mahajan of Dhalatal, there is a long empty field, and then the big confluence. Is the big confluence just for nothing? It is really a big confluence. The confluence of Bhuinyadanga, the middle bil, and Dhalatal, three roads from three directions meet here. Besides, there is another one, which is even bigger. The main road of the big confluence. One has to go to the city along the main road. Where the main road of the big confluence begins, there are big trees. Shirish trees. The Longlichhara flows past the trees. Water flows through the stream with a murmuring sound throughout the year. Crystal clear water. But not always. Crystal clear water only except in the rainy season. Coming from the direction of Dhalatal, the Longlichhara gradually flows past the big confluence and merges with the seven drains of Bhuinyadanga. The murmuring sound of the Longlichhara is an exception in the calm environment of the big confluence. As soon as the sun rises, men and women come out of the thatched houses of the middle bil in groups and gather at the big confluence. They also come from Dhalatal. Sushama also comes from Bhuinyadanga. A little after gathering at the big confluence, they set off for the city. They walk in lines of two, three, or sometimes four. It seems as if a procession has started. No, not a procession of “Inquilab Zindabad.” Not a procession shouting “Our demands must be met.” Not a funeral procession either. It is a procession to find work in the city to fill their hungry stomachs after not getting work in the factory. The work of paving the road of Yendi’s Muhuribabu. The work of breaking stones for the bridge of the Gimun Company. The work of building the road of the contractor Asai Mian. The procession to find this work has a sound… [truncated]
But today, when Sushama reached the big confluence, she saw no one. There were no laid-off workers from Dhalatal or the middle bil. The wind was blowing over the huge Shirish trees of the big confluence in the calm environment. The water of the Longlichhara was flowing with a murmuring sound. Sushama thought of waiting for a while under the big Shirish tree. They might also be late. Seeing Sushama standing, Guliya freed her hand from her mother’s. The wind was carrying the fine petals of the Shirish flowers like sailboats. Guliya ran after them. She was catching the fine petals floating in the wind with the skill of catching a dragonfly. One by one, she was gathering the petals in one place by herself.
Sushama was getting impatient standing under the Shirish tree. She was only looking eagerly at the roads of Dhalatal and the middle bil. No, no one could be seen anywhere. “Hey ma, no one is coming. Did they all leave?” This question of leaving shook her mind. She got scared. She was bewildered for a few moments. Then she slowly composed herself and decided that there was no point in waiting. They must have left. She had to start for the city as soon as possible. Thinking this, Sushama stopped Guliya from catching the beautiful fine petals with the skill of catching a dragonfly, held her hand, and started walking, saying, “Come on, we have to walk quickly to the city.”
Guliya could not bring her cherished beautiful fine Shirish flower petals with her. Holding Sushama’s hand, she was almost running to keep up with her. On other days, Sushama would walk towards the city, chatting with the men and women of the middle bil and Dhalatal. She would not even realize when the road would end in the midst of the conversation. But today, it seemed as if Sushama was just walking. Just walking and walking. And her mind was in a turmoil, wondering if she would get any work today. She was thinking whether she would get the work of Yendi’s Muhuribabu. She was thinking and pulling Guliya with one hand. Sushama reached the city and found no one. She found no one from the middle bil and no one from Dhalatal. She could not even find out where the contractor Asai Mian or Yendi’s Muhuribabu was working. Still, she kept wandering around the places she knew. But no, she didn’t find anyone anywhere. She was just wandering around desperately with hope. She didn’t find any work anywhere. Finally, disappointed, Sushama started walking along the main road of the city. Guliya was also running, holding her mother’s hand. She was enjoying the sight of the colorful people, shops, and vehicles of the city. She was walking along the road and just looking. But her pants were causing trouble. They were slipping down every now and then. Holding her pants with her left hand and her mother’s hand with her right, she was walking and looking at various things. She was watching the motor cars moving with a sound. She was watching and enjoying it very much in her mind. As she was walking like this, she suddenly saw an auto-rickshaw go by with a sound, and she could not contain her joy anymore. She said to her mother in an ecstatic voice, “Hey ma, look, look, how a small hut-like car is moving along the ground like a mouse.”
Sushama was walking along the road, thinking about the coming afternoon. She knew from the bottom of her heart how the pangs of hunger gnaw at you. She knew how Guliya would pester her when she was hungry. So, as she was walking along the road without any work, Sushama was just thinking about what she would do when Guliya would demand food. How she would satisfy her own hunger. These thoughts were swarming in Sushama’s head. She was not even paying proper attention to the people on the road. The colorful fancy shops on both sides were not catching her eye. The ‘pee pee, vyan vyan’ sounds were not making any impression on her mind. She was thinking about the coming afternoon. Seeing Guliya’s hut-like car moving along the ground like a mouse was not a source of joy for her now. Still, because Guliya was saying, “Hey ma, look, look,” she turned to look. But she could not be a part of Guliya’s joy. She looked at Guliya and said, “You are very annoying.” Saying this, Sushama pulled her hand hard and increased her pace. Guliya also started walking without saying anything more to her mother. She thought to herself, “What did I do to annoy her?” But even though she increased her pace, Guliya could not stop herself from looking at the vehicles on the road and the splendor of the fancy shops. She is looking at the splendor of the fancy shops. The glittering things in the shops. Red, blue, green, all sorts of things. She is looking and enjoying. She is looking and thinking to herself. “Wow, so many fun things! Hey, hey, a memsahib is standing in a glass hut in the shoe store. Like Jionlal Manager’s memsahib. Is this a real or a fake memsahib, man! Damn, mother is just walking with big strides. She couldn’t see if it was a real or a fake memsahib.” In this way, Guliya is looking and thinking. She is thinking and walking along with her mother.
Sushama is also walking and thinking. But she can’t decide what to do. As she walks, fatigue seems to be gathering in her whole body. She can’t seem to walk at a steady pace anymore. She stopped next to a shop at the crossroads and thought that it would not be bad to rest here for a while. Sushama let go of Guliya’s hand and sat down, taking out some khaini from the knot of her cloth and rubbing it in her hand. Guliya, freed from her mother’s hand, started looking around. She looked back and saw a lot of people sitting at tables and chairs in a shop. They were eating various kinds of food. On one side of the shop, there were sweets in a glass cupboard. Black and white round sweets. White and yellow flat sweets. Small sweets. Big sweets. Just sweets and sweets. A boy brought a plate full of sweets from the cupboard and placed it on the table in front of a babu sitting in a chair. The babu was eating the sweets in front of him. Guliya was secretly watching from a distance. She was not tempted to eat the sweets in the cupboard. But seeing the babu eating the sweets, she was tempted. She was just secretly watching the babu eating the sweets. “Oh no! The babu is looking this way. Did he see me? The babus are very angry.” This babu looks like our union babu. They are very angry. They scold if you go in front of their car. Last year, the union babus had parked their car in front of the dance hall of Bhuinyadanga. If you stand next to the car, you can see your own reflection. You can see your long face, your long body in the car. When they were standing in a group and looking at their reflections on the car, the union babus had scolded them and driven them away. The union babus are very angry, man. Who knows if this sweet-eating babu saw me or not? Thinking about these things, Guliya takes her eyes off the babu eating the sweets. But no, she can’t keep her eyes fixed. She is yearning to secretly watch the babu eating the sweets. She steals a glance again. Then she comes to her mother and says, “Hey ma, give me four paise. I’ll buy some sweets and eat.”
Sushama was also thinking about eating. But not about eating sweets. About the fact that she would have to go hungry in the afternoon because she didn’t get any work. Not getting work means going hungry. Sushama’s mind has been on fire ever since she didn’t get the work. While sitting here and eating khaini, anger and rage were swirling in her mind. At that moment, Guliya’s demand for sweets sprinkled salt on her wound. At first, she couldn’t understand what to say. She quickly got up and looked back at the sweet shop. The shop itself is the culprit. It was not right to sit in front of this shop. Sushama thought that it was not right to stand here anymore. Holding Guliya’s hand, she said, “Let’s go from here. The shopkeeper won’t give sweets for four paise. We’ll go to the market over there and buy something to eat.” Saying this, Sushama held Guliya’s hand and started walking. Guliya couldn’t say anything more to Sushama. As she was passing the sweet shop, she stole another glance at the babu eating the sweets. After going a short distance, Sushama stood in front of a small paan-bidi shop at the market corner. She will buy a few paise worth of bhujia from here for Guliya. Guliya, somehow managing her pants at her waist, held out the fold of her dress. The shopkeeper put the small packet of bhujia in the fold of her dress. Then she started eating it little by little. While eating, Guliya saw a man sitting on a cot in a big building next to her, talking on a device attached to his ear and mouth. He is talking and laughing loudly. With his laughter, the man’s drum-like belly is shaking. He is laughing and talking on the device attached to his ear and mouth. This is very funny. Guliya hears the man just saying, “Hey Pyareji, has the price of chili gone up? How much has it gone up? Has it gone up by eight annas? Hehehehe, has it gone up by eight annas? …hehehe…”. With his ‘hehe’ laughter, the man’s huge drum-like belly is shaking. Guliya thought, if the man talks more on the device attached to his ear and mouth and laughs ‘hehe’, then his belly will also shake more. It will be very funny to watch.
Guliya is eating the bhujia little by little with a crunching sound. She is watching the man and thinking to herself. Just then, a truck loaded with goods stopped next to the big building. The loud ‘gar gar’ sound of the truck attracted Guliya’s attention. She stopped eating her crunchy bhujia and looked at the truck. She went near the truck, one step at a time. The truck was completely loaded with big sacks. Guliya observed it carefully. She went around the truck twice, once at a time. She looked at it with rapt attention, with both her eyes. As she looked with her eyes, she seemed to smell something with her nose. Then, the more she looked, the more it affected her mind. As she looked, the expression on her face and eyes was changing. The hand that was carefully holding the bhujia in the fold of her dress slowly and unknowingly loosened its grip. The remaining bhujia from the fold of her dress fell to the ground. Ignoring it, she ran to her mother, held her by the waist, and started hitting her continuously, and in anger and sorrow, she started shouting loudly, “Hey ma, you lie every day. You don’t make rotis, you say there is no flour. But where did so much flour come from? You only lie every day. You don’t make rotis and say there is no flour. But where did so much flour come from? Tell me, you tell me, ma, where did so much flour come from?”
Pratyay, October, 1980