…continued … The Tree that remembered everything…32 That was the first year that we were given charge of arranging Saraswati pujo. We, being that generation of youth roughly my age, it was like a right of initiation, an acknowledgement that we had reached that age when we could be given…

Bitter thoughts of a has been Indian journalist. The gap, the distance and the disbelief keeps spreading. Sometimes, now more often than ever before, my internal conversations veer around the same relentless topic. External conversations have all but dried up, it no longer makes sense to engage with people in…

…continued … The Tree that remembered everything…31 Dada and Bula didi married the year I passed out of school. It was in winter. I wanted to wear my blue coat. Ma said no. “You will look silly” she tried to reason. I was adamant. “You have outgrown the jacket” I…

…continued … The Tree that remembered everything…30 This the tree does not know. I don’t know whether the tree is still there. Even if it is the tree wouldn’t know because it is not here. This is happening now. The call did not come to me; it did not come…

…continued … The Tree that remembered everything…29 “You want te?” Manju di always said te for tea. “No”I replied “Then what do you want?” “I don’t want anything” “Are you sure” Manju di took her responsibility seriously. Ma and Papa had gone to the Army Command Hospital at the other…

…continued … The Tree that remembered everything…28 “Basu” He called out to me. My name is not Basu. It never was. He called me Basu. “Basu, you are a good boy” I tried telling him that my name was not Basu. He would not listen. “Basu what is in a…

…continued … The Tree that remembered everything…27 There was a petrol pump on either side of our stop on Jessore Road. Both were within walking distance and had a Dhaba each. Rana, Tootoo and I walked there to have tadka dal with roti. Those were special occasions when we got…

…continued … The Tree that remembered everything…26 “We need to buy a fridge” We were a month away from Dada and Bula Didi’s wedding. “Bula told me her parents are thinking of buying us a fridge” Dada was talking to Ma. …

…continued … The Tree that remembered everything…25 The train reservations had to be cancelled. There was still a week to go before the date of our return. Papa had no reservations, his trip had been unplanned. “I will have the tickets cancelled” Ranga dada offered at the war council called…