Dolu Mashi

|| Dolu Mashi ||

Dear All,

‘Dolu Mashi is no more. She passed away last week’, my younger brother informed me over telephone. The message was conveyed to him by somebody who had known Dolu Mashi for a while. I was shocked. Part of my sweet childhood memories will now be a thing of the past.

“Children … Tell me what moves faster than an airplane”, Dolu Mashi had asked us, a bunch of ten-to- twelve year olds. We had not yet read the story of Yudhisthir answering the questions of 'Dharmaraj' appearing in the disguise of 'Yaksha'. “Rocket”, I had answered. “No dear, it is even faster than a rocket”, Dolu Mashi had said. We had no answer.

That was more than half a century ago.

I never thought there would be an occasion ever to write a feature on Dolu Mashi.

Strange coincidence it was … as if straight from the pages of a storybook. Many of you, after reading this piece will think it is one of my weekend blues out of my imagination, over a glass of wine. But believe me, it really happened. I had almost forgotten Dolu Mashi, and never thought I would meet her again. But, the strange thing did happen, and I chanced to meet her after almost fifty years. It is another matter that I regret that I met her again.

If you are wondering who was Dolu Mashi, just wait for a while.

It was sometime back. We were traveling to Kolkata by road. We had decided to drive through to Kolkata from Dalla (near Renukut, a clear 130 km south of Benaras where we were living then), to enable us to take along our pet dog Ginger. It was a strenuous but enjoyable 900 km drive. We had started at six in the morning. At around two in the afternoon, we were driving past this place with breathtaking scenic beauty amidst forest and lakes. I had probably dozed off a little after a heavy lunch on the way at a roadside dhaba. Suddenly, I woke up as the car came to a grinding halt on a busy part of the Grand Trunk road to negotiate the rather unruly traffic.

And there I saw her, an old lady …. She was crossing the road with the help of her young escort. As soon as I saw her, I felt I had seen her somewhere before. But my poor memory betrayed me. I kept thinking. Suddenly, it occurred to me that she could be none other but Dolu Mashi. I had not seen Dolu Mashi for close to half a century, but that very special aura was still there. Cruel time had had its effect on her. But that had not been enough to deceive her grace, which had once mesmerized me. I felt a little restless. I looked out to see which place it was. I tried to remember the name of the place where Dolu Mashis used to live. Was it Dumka or Giridih or …? I frantically surfed my memory and at the same time looked for a sign board outside.

And suddenly near a bend on the road there was that board bidding good bye to us from Topchanchi. 

I almost jumped inside the car. How did I forget? Yessss … Dolu Mashi used to live in Topchanchi. I was now sure that I had seen Dolu Mashi.

Topchanchi brought back the fond childhood memory of two occasions when Dolu Mashi came to my childhood native place at Hooghly during summer holidays. How old had I been then? … Must be around 12 … Dolu Mashi was a sister of Chatterjee kakima (aunt), our neighbor in Hooghly. One fine morning after about a week of Dolu Mashi’s arrival, mother told us three brothers that she had invited Chatterjee kakima and her sister with their children to dinner. We should be courteous and behave properly in the presence of the guests. She also told that the guests were from a place called Topchanchi.

I had heard of many weird named places, but never of Topchanchi. “Where could that be?” Mother was not very sure. “Somewhere in MP”, she said doubtfully. “Chatterjee didi (sister) tells me the children are not very comfortable speaking in Bengali. But don’t you laugh at them, if they speak Bengali with Hindi accent.” She warned.

Anyway, Dolu Mashi arrived in the evening, with children in tow, and we two elder brothers got bowled over by the ladies from Topchanchi. Dolu Mashi was so different. So was her daughter Sumana.

Topchanchi – doesn’t the name sound very romantic? At least that’s how it sounded to me, especially after seeing Dolu Mashi’s daughter Sumana for the first time. She was like an angel. Now, here is an appropriate warning! Do not read anything more in all this. You may easily laugh it off as an immature childhood infatuation, but I must admit that she charmed us – me and my two year younger brother – out and out as a young lady. How silly, but whenever Sumana was around, we two brothers competed with each other, trying to pose smarter than we were. It was not anything like love or such sort of feeling, but just trying to send the message to the sweet little thing, “Hey! You may be beautiful, but I am also quite impressive.” Whatever it was, we definitely liked Sumana’s presence in our house. In her Bengali mixed with Hindi accent, she talked about Topchanchi, its lake and its reserve forest. To us, used to seeing the crowded Gangetic plains, the place seemed to be like heaven on earth. To my annoyance, I noticed that my brother paid more attention to Sumana than her narrations. I must say I did not like it. I thought it was an uncivilized intrusion.

Dolu Mash visited Hooghly a second time, causing some kind of ripples in our mundane life. Chatterjee kakima shifted to Kolkata soon after. We did not meet Dolu Mashi for a third time. 

I remember that every evening we used to have lively get-togethers at Kakima’s place. Dolu Mashi had a huge stock of interesting and intelligent questions for us, from history and mythology. I still remember the evening before she left, she asked us “What travels faster than an airplane?”. Next day Dolu Mashi would leave for Topchanchi. She asked me to send my answer by mail, if I could find the right one. She was very sure someday I would be able to find the right answer. “আমি জানি তুমি একদিন আমার প্রশ্নের উত্তর দিতে পারবে (I know someday you will be able to answer my question.) You are intelligent enough. Keep your brains sharp forever. That’s good life”, she had said. We spent the whole evening looking, to find the answer, but we could not. We never met again. Later, I came to know that the answer was ‘the human mind’. But, that was much later. By that time, Dolu Mashi and Sumana have disappeared from my memory.
…

As soon as I became sure that I had seen Dolu Mashi, I decided to drive back to the place where I had seen her. My wife was curious about why I wanted to turn back. I told her I would explain later. I did not have to search for Dolu Mashi a long time. The old lady was around the same place, still with her escort. I jumped out of the car and cried “Dolu Mashi!”

The old lady turned around and looked at me in bewilderment. “Are you not Dolu Mashi?” I asked with much excitement and anticipation. She gave me a blank stare and faintly tried to mumble something. Her expression was dull and empty. It was not the looks of a normal person. Clearly, she did not recognize me. Her escort confirmed that she was Dolu Mashi indeed. The escort told me that for years Dolu Mashi had been suffering from loss of memory. I wanted to say to, “Dolu Mashi, I know the answer to the question you posed to me fifty years back, which I could not answer then …. It is the human mind, which travels faster than an airplane!” 

But, what was the point of it? Her own mind had long stopped running. Minutes back, I had been thinking of visiting her place, inquiring about Sumana … But, now I decided not to. I did not want any more to see the intelligent Dolu Mashi of my recollection reduced to this sorry state. I did not want to spoil my impression of Sumana either. Who knew in what shape Sumana would be that day? If this could happen to Dolu Mashi, there could be many more surprises. No, I could not destroy my sweet remembrances just like that. I would rather forget that I ever met Dolu Mashi after my childhood.

I bade good bye to Dolu Mashi. She didn’t react.

I returned to the car. I told my wife the story of Dolu Mashi. She felt sad too, as did I. Silently, I penned these lines for Dolu Mashi in my memory’s scrapbook.

ভালো থেকো, দোলু মাসি ... ভালো থেকো Stay well, Dolu Mashi … stay well,
তোমার পৃথিবীতে তুমি ভালো থেকো In your own world, may you stay well
আলো নিয়ে, অন্ধকার নিয়ে With light, and with darkness
ছন্দহীন, তবু গন্ধ নিয়ে                 Sans cadence, yet with fragrance
আজও থেকো দোলু মাসি         Be there today too, Dolu Mashi
তুমি কালও থেকো                 Be there also, tomorrow
আমার স্মৃতিত়ে তুমি         In my reminiscence, remain, 
অন্ধকার নয়, আলো হয়ে         Not as darkness, but as light,
ভালো থেকো         Stay well

We had to reach Kolkata before it become too late in the night. The car now sped like a flying airplane.

Wherever you are Dolu Mashi today, rest in peace. 
ভালো থেকো, দোলু মাসি ... ভালো থেকো |

Sudip Roy
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Posted by: Sudip Roy in WaaS / 03 March 2015