Baba's grandfather Shri Jnanendranath Ray (Dadi) built a house at Circus Avenue, Calcutta. Baba had to depart from his foster mother, Didi and move to the new house along with his Dadi, Mama, Mami: Shri Prashant Kumar Ray and Smt. Sailabala Ray. Didi had moved into the official residence of her elder son Shri Mani Ray. who was now the Chief Engineer of Calcutta Corporation. Baba missed his two soulmates Didi and his cousin brother Shri Shishir Ray. Till Didi was alive, every Friday evening his nurse Bhagirathi would take him to his uncle's residence so that he could spend the weekend with his Didi and Shishir Da and return home on Sunday evening.
On one such bone-biting cold Sunday evening of December, Bhagirathi was cycling Baba back to Circus Avenue, when he wheeled into a pothole that was not visible in the dark. Before he could apply breaks and balance its handle, both Bhagirathi, Baba and the cycle fell on the street. Without bothering about himself, Bhagirathi rushed to pick up Baba, checked whether he was injured from the fall. Picked up the cycle. Gently placed Baba on the cycle and reached home before the family would worry about their delay in returning home from Mani Ray's residence, The minor accident became a source of amusement for both Baba and Bhagirathi. In leisure, they would reminisce the incident, discuss the variations in the way they fell on the street; imagine the comic reaction of imaginary onlookers as well as that of Dadi and Mama Babu and burst in peels of laughter until their stomach would hurt! Once Bhagirathi humorously suggested Baba should ride his tricycle to Didi's house for the weekend and return home on it. That made Baba jump up with sheer joy and excitement and offered Bhagirathi a ride on his tricycle!
It is a child's fantasy to ride cycle, drive a car, sail a boat, fly an aeroplane and other means of transport that they see the people travel by. Such fantasy roused Baba's fascination for toy cycle, cars, planes, ships. While they were living in the house at Parsee Bagan Lane Dadi got a tricycle for Baba. It was the most wonderful gift Baba had ever received. He would spend most of his time cycling around the house, and imagine he was speeding up and down the streets of Calcutta to imaginary places on his tricycle. His tricycle would help him reach to imaginary destinations of his imaginary world.
The family would spend Summer, Dussehra(Durga Puja) vacations and long weekends at Hazaribagh. Come Summer and Baba would head for Hazaribagh with Dadi, Mama, and Mami. They would spend the summer in Hazaribagh and return before the law courts would reopen after their summer break. On one such visit to Hazaribagh, Baba insisted to take his tricycle with him. Dadi relented to his grandchild's wish and the tricycle was shifted to Hazaribagh and became an integral part of the house there. While riding the tricycle in Hazaribagh, Baba would imagine the cycle transforming into a boat and sailing across the Barakar River and fly above the adjacent forest and Baba would imagine enjoying its panoramic view while making sounds of the animals in the forest along with the sound of the aircraft's engines humming while flying in the sky.
On Baba's birthday, my Grandfather Shri Ajit Kumar Sen gifted his son, Baba, with a toy peddle car. Baba would zoom in, out and around their house at Parsee Bagan Lane in his brand new toy car. Baba would flaunt his toy car to his uncle Dhiren Ray, who would pretend to be jealous of Baba. He would jokingly complain to Baba's Dadi that Baba now had two cars while he had only one old car. How he used to drive Baba in his car. Now that Baba had two brand new cars, yet he did not drive his uncle in any of them! Gullible Baba would try his best to convince his uncle that he was too big to fit into his car, all the more his uncle Dhiren Ray would feign being hurt and ignored by his beloved nephew! One day, exasperated Baba got out of his toy car and offered it to his uncle Dhiren Ray. This made his uncle laugh out loud. He picked up his nephew, placed him in his toy car and asked him to park his toy car beside his uncle's car in the garage.
One fine day, Shishir Da visited Baba at Circus Avenue along with his cousin sister, Anita. When she saw Baba's toy peddle car, she wanted to drive it. Baba tried his best to keep her away from his toy car until Dadi intervened and had the girl drive the car around the house. Baba's reaction is quite evident in the photograph his Mama Shri Prashant Kumar Ray clicked of Baba standing beside his toy car with his cousin sister Anita in the car.
With time, Baba also experienced a change of heart! He became a proud brother to his uncle Prashant Kumar Ray's daughter Smt, Shipra Gupta nee Ray. He was a caring and loving brother to his kid cousin sister. He would often ask when she would be big enough to drive his toy car. Baba is seen in the photograph with his cousin sister Smt. Shipra Gupta nee Ray.
The toy peddle car now had two drivers, Baba and his sister Smt, Shipra Gupta nee Ray and soon enough a new member joined their team. Baba's second cousin sister and Smt. Shipra Gupta's younger sister Smt. Nandita Ray. In the photograph kid, Nandita Ray is seated beside Baba and Shipra Gupta nee Ray is standing beside them.
My grandfather, Shri Ajit Kumar Sen, who was a lawyer by profession, but decided not to practice it instead taught and was the Principal of Paddapukur Institution, Calcutta. After my grandmother Smt. Sailabala Sen nee Ray's death, he used to live in a mess (Working Men's Hostel) and often would bring Baba, his son, over to his room in the mess. After spending the day visiting places of tourist interest in and around Calcutta, he would bathe and feed Baba and then enjoy an afternoon nap. While his father would rest in the hostel room in the afternoon Baba would stand by the window engrossed in the humdrum of the busy street in front of the hostel building.
Dadi's health began to deteriorate with time. He would frequently fall ill making him weak and frail. Gradually his son Shri Prashant Kumar Ray began attending to his father's legal clients along with that of his own. On one such afternoon when Dadi was in his sickbed trying to take a nap Baba drove his toy car in the courtyard and terrace honking its horn and making loud sounds of the speeding car's engine. Sick and frail Dadi could not take withstand the cacophony and for the first time in his life he rushed to his darling grandson pulled his ear and yelled at him to stop disturbing him with his noisy car. Shocked Baba immediately abandoned his toy peddle car and rushed to his Mami for consolation, 'coz, for the first time he had experienced his Dadi's anger. His aunt Smt. Sailaja Ray lovingly made a rather distraught Baba understand the reason for Dadi's anger.
After a few weeks of the incidence, Dadi succumbed to age inflicted maladies he was suffering from. Before his illness took a turn for the worse Dadi had had a discussion with Baba's father and my grandfather Shri Ajit Kumar Sen and his son Shri Prashant Kumar Ray. He had asked Shri Ajit Kumar Sen to take his son, my Baba under his wings after Dadi's death. Meanwhile, Dadi had arranged for Baba's admission to Ballygunge Government High School, Calcutta. At Shri Prashant Kumar Ray's behest, who always considered Baba to be his son, the trio agreed Baba would spend his weekends with his uncle Shri Prashant Kumar Ray's family at 4/1 Circus Avenue.
Baba's memory sketch of Ballygunge Government High School, Calcutta. Baba studied in this school.
This marked the transition in Baba's life, from childhood to boyhood. After Dadi's death, Baba moved in to live with his father in a house close to stretch of the road in Paddapukur where Baba and his nurse Bhagirathi had met with minor cycle accident. His red toy peddles car remained in 4/1 Circus Avenue as he had grown out of it. His cousin brothers, sisters and their children and even I as a kid enjoyed driving the red toy car that was later painted blue to save it from rust.
I conclude this initiative in the form of a blog "The Journey" of my father, Baba, Shri Sarit Kumar Sen. Please share your comments and suggestions on this initiative.
Acknowledgement:
I thank my mother Smt. Sharmila Sen and uncles Shri Mallinath Ray and Shri Somnath Ray and also my aunt Smt. Shipra Gupta nee Ray for inspiring to create this blog.
Additional Information:
About Toy Peddle Car:
https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-childrens-1940s-tri-ang-tinplate-pedal-car-toy-91818848.html
https://in.pinterest.com/pin/401875966732072250/?lp=true
About Balygunge Government High School:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballygunge_Government_High_School
No comments:
Post a Comment