8/7/2018 - I had written the following blog on 11/10/2015 but never published it.
The dawn of 1976 saw us - the Bose family, still at 4/2 Ram Mohan Roy Road, Calcutta - 53. The previous year Ashok, my husband had gone off to Thailand financed by his father, Buddha Bose. Swapna with her 2 sons had left for Japan to be with her husband, Arun Bose, who was running a yoga school sponsored by a Japanese named Hanari San. I was expecting my second child in early February and Bishu Mama's (Biswanath Ghosh) wife Krishna was due to give birth to her first child in April/May, 1976. Nani ma, Ashalata Ghosh (Bishnu Charan Ghosh's widow), was delirious with joy - her first grandchild was about to make an appearance and another great-grandchild too. The house was agog with excitement, exclamations for the reasons above and exhaustion running after my first-born who kept everyone on their toes.
My second son unwillingly entered this world in the early hours of 2nd February, the doctor Ashru Kumar Roy or Ashru-da, commented that this fellow just did not want to come out from his mother's womb. This son of mine is still reticent, shy, reserved and an introvert.
Now a few hours before his birth when I was going through excruciating labour pains, Rooma came to see me at North Calcutta Nursing Home and made a request. Her request was urgent and very personal that it somehow took my mind off my immediate condition. She wanted me to write a letter to her father explaining how she was keen to get married as soon as possible to her longstanding beau - Surojit Ghosh. I wrote the letter in that stage of confused, painful and angry state. I remember I implored to my father-in-law on behalf of Rooma that she was keen to get married to Surojit Ghosh.
Soon after that, a month or so later Rooma and her mother shifted to the New Alipore house, in march-end or early April of 1976. Buddha Bose (my father-in-law) also shifted off very soon after that. I was left behind in my grandfather-in-law's (Bishnu Charan Ghosh) house.
For a brief period I went to my parents' with my two infant sons. Then came to stay at the New Alipore house at Mamoni's insistence. Place was made in the rooftop of the main building and I lived there. I do not wish to relive the days spent there. My mother visited me one day and realising it was killing for my two babies in that heat she requested my father-in-law if she could to take us back for a few months. I would come back to my in-laws' place once the summer passed off and the rains came. This must have been sometime in May-June 1976. Mamoni passed away on 2nd July 1976.
Swapna sent a letter to her father-in-law from Japan giving vivid and voyeuristic details of Arun's philandering with some Japanese ladies. I was so embarrassed and went bloody red in the face because Baba read it aloud to me alone. This was after Mamoni's death on 2nd July 1976. Soon after Swapna wanted to come back to India. She came back with her two sons and lived in Rooma's house in the same compound. Arun followed and died within fifteen days of arrival. Till date I have not understood how and why Mamoni and Arun died so easily within 4 months. Questions welled up inside but did not know where to get the answers.
I met Mamoni a number of times before her death. In one such occasion we were alone in the room, when she grabbed my hand in an urgent manner. She said in Bengali, which translated into English goes like this - "Tutu you must touch me and promise me that you will never take diksha from your Baba (Buddha Bose)." I promised and said I had never thought being initiated by him. It had never crossed my mind. However, I was puzzled about this strange request from Mamoni but was too polite to question her 'why'. One of the many things my parents taught me was never to question elders and I obeyed them perfectly. Years later that I realised that some of the principles in my upbringing were too obsolete and not valued by certain people I got related to. I grew up with the belief that a promise is a promise and one did not need to swear by anything to guarantee a promise. I believed Ashok when he promised not to drink anymore if we got married. He kept the promise for the first 3 days of our marriage. The fourth day he was missing from morning and after enquiring came to know he was sitting downstairs in the cowshed and drinking. How I cried and howled for hours - he had broken my trust and I just could not believe it! Sometime later Rooma came to console me and helped me understand that life will come up with more such heart-breaking disappointments. She was so right in 1974 - breaking of trust and faith boulder hit me disastrously in 1982.
Oh there is so much to to say. I never thought I would publish this. Today I am. The next blog will disclose some more.
Even though life taught me not to trust anyone, I still believe in goodness of humankind. We are made in the likeness of God. Somewhere there is goodness buried in each one of us. God bless.
The dawn of 1976 saw us - the Bose family, still at 4/2 Ram Mohan Roy Road, Calcutta - 53. The previous year Ashok, my husband had gone off to Thailand financed by his father, Buddha Bose. Swapna with her 2 sons had left for Japan to be with her husband, Arun Bose, who was running a yoga school sponsored by a Japanese named Hanari San. I was expecting my second child in early February and Bishu Mama's (Biswanath Ghosh) wife Krishna was due to give birth to her first child in April/May, 1976. Nani ma, Ashalata Ghosh (Bishnu Charan Ghosh's widow), was delirious with joy - her first grandchild was about to make an appearance and another great-grandchild too. The house was agog with excitement, exclamations for the reasons above and exhaustion running after my first-born who kept everyone on their toes.
My second son unwillingly entered this world in the early hours of 2nd February, the doctor Ashru Kumar Roy or Ashru-da, commented that this fellow just did not want to come out from his mother's womb. This son of mine is still reticent, shy, reserved and an introvert.
Now a few hours before his birth when I was going through excruciating labour pains, Rooma came to see me at North Calcutta Nursing Home and made a request. Her request was urgent and very personal that it somehow took my mind off my immediate condition. She wanted me to write a letter to her father explaining how she was keen to get married as soon as possible to her longstanding beau - Surojit Ghosh. I wrote the letter in that stage of confused, painful and angry state. I remember I implored to my father-in-law on behalf of Rooma that she was keen to get married to Surojit Ghosh.
Soon after that, a month or so later Rooma and her mother shifted to the New Alipore house, in march-end or early April of 1976. Buddha Bose (my father-in-law) also shifted off very soon after that. I was left behind in my grandfather-in-law's (Bishnu Charan Ghosh) house.
For a brief period I went to my parents' with my two infant sons. Then came to stay at the New Alipore house at Mamoni's insistence. Place was made in the rooftop of the main building and I lived there. I do not wish to relive the days spent there. My mother visited me one day and realising it was killing for my two babies in that heat she requested my father-in-law if she could to take us back for a few months. I would come back to my in-laws' place once the summer passed off and the rains came. This must have been sometime in May-June 1976. Mamoni passed away on 2nd July 1976.
Swapna sent a letter to her father-in-law from Japan giving vivid and voyeuristic details of Arun's philandering with some Japanese ladies. I was so embarrassed and went bloody red in the face because Baba read it aloud to me alone. This was after Mamoni's death on 2nd July 1976. Soon after Swapna wanted to come back to India. She came back with her two sons and lived in Rooma's house in the same compound. Arun followed and died within fifteen days of arrival. Till date I have not understood how and why Mamoni and Arun died so easily within 4 months. Questions welled up inside but did not know where to get the answers.
I met Mamoni a number of times before her death. In one such occasion we were alone in the room, when she grabbed my hand in an urgent manner. She said in Bengali, which translated into English goes like this - "Tutu you must touch me and promise me that you will never take diksha from your Baba (Buddha Bose)." I promised and said I had never thought being initiated by him. It had never crossed my mind. However, I was puzzled about this strange request from Mamoni but was too polite to question her 'why'. One of the many things my parents taught me was never to question elders and I obeyed them perfectly. Years later that I realised that some of the principles in my upbringing were too obsolete and not valued by certain people I got related to. I grew up with the belief that a promise is a promise and one did not need to swear by anything to guarantee a promise. I believed Ashok when he promised not to drink anymore if we got married. He kept the promise for the first 3 days of our marriage. The fourth day he was missing from morning and after enquiring came to know he was sitting downstairs in the cowshed and drinking. How I cried and howled for hours - he had broken my trust and I just could not believe it! Sometime later Rooma came to console me and helped me understand that life will come up with more such heart-breaking disappointments. She was so right in 1974 - breaking of trust and faith boulder hit me disastrously in 1982.
Oh there is so much to to say. I never thought I would publish this. Today I am. The next blog will disclose some more.
Even though life taught me not to trust anyone, I still believe in goodness of humankind. We are made in the likeness of God. Somewhere there is goodness buried in each one of us. God bless.
