Almost fifty years after independence Parbatpuri had spread itself in all directions. Yet, it still had not been able to climb the elevations on which the members of the civil administration lived. The DC bungalow of Parbatpuri was a legacy of those days when the British had administered the district from residences-cum-offices perched on hillocks nearest the DC bungalow. Beyond him lived the Civil Surgeon and on a slightly lower elevation lived the District Forest Officer. The view from the hillock was marvelous. The DC bungalow was itself creaky but spacious. Every window opened to heart-stopping views of the surrounding landscapes. To the north red river was flowing and Mahatma Gandhi road on the other side attracted everybody in and around. The Parbatpuri market place was a bustling, busy and a crowded area. In those days MG road had been called the Kings Way. MG Road was different from the Kings Way of the twenties and thirties. The MG road was renamed in memory of the Mahatma Gandhi. One of the famous restaurants in those areas was New India. Earlier the New India restaurant was named New China restaurant. The restaurant was actually about 40 years old and set up in the mid fifties. The restaurant was famous for noodles as well as chicken cutlets. During the Chinese aggression in 1962 the Chinese people were made look spy. In desperation the proprietor changed the name. The Parbatpuri planters club, on the other hand, had its own uniqueness. It was one of the oldest clubs in the area and had been established by the white tea planters. It had served as a place where people could meet with each other. Now it was more an officer’s club.
Deenath Saika College was named after one of the foremost citizens that town had produced. Deenath Saika had not been only a freedom fighter and a poet but also a rich and a successful tea planter too, for it was money from the tea plantation originally funded the college, now it is one of the best in the town. Rukhmini lived in Parbatpuri for one and a half years. She was working in Deenath Saika college along with Rita, Priyam Deka, Animesh Dutta, and Shipa Dutta and was teaching English Literature. Rukhmini got married to Sidharth ten years back and she couldn't bore him a child. The life of partbatpuri was always filled with violence and the talk of violence.. Rukhmini always used to spend her time with Priyanka and Manoj whom she met in her colleagues’ wedding. She barely wanted to have a romantic relationship with her husband as they had difference of interest and Sidharth couldn't satisfy Rukhmini's needs. Sidharth, being a DC, was always filled with his works and never made himself available to Rukhmini whenever she need him the most. Rukhmini was alone to deal with her bareness and sidharth never showed any interest in meeting the doctor for fertility checkups.
Rukhmini had to go out of her comfort zones to live in partbatpuri. She maintained a decent relationship with Mitali Bora and Deepak Kundalini. Mithali was married and with 3 children and Deepak was a local tycoon. Deepak used to take contracts for construction works and he had a decent status in the society because of the money he had and the power that came with that.
Renu was the sister of sidharth with whom rukhmini shared a bond. She used to call Rukhmini - Minnie. Renu often gave suggestions about petri dish conception and about test tube babies. She also used to talk about adoption as a remedy. Renu also gave her an amulet of fertility as she was so pious she wore the amulet around her neck all the time. Rukhmini also knew that Sidharth would not object this because he hardly objected to anything she did.
It was the summer and people always neglected the MG roads as the sun was too much and people were still wary of going out at night. It was only during the evening, the city showed some sign of lives. The only people who seemed unaffected by these excruciating temperatures were the local newspapers. Every week, reports of fresh incidents of extortions and looting or of gunning down appeared on the newspapers. Many of these organizations who were doing these extortions and other stuffs merged themselves into a single thing called MOFEH or the Movement for an Exclusive Homeland.
Rukhmini was in critical situation to decide whether to move forward with GIFT because she was pushing 35 and she also knew the fertility rate above 35 would be half. She found a solace whenever she could get from Manoj, brother of Rita. Manoj was married and got divorced with mutual understanding. Maya, wife of Manoj, was happy after marrying another businessman. Manoj was happy about it.
The climate changed and so Rukhmini. The Northwest wind was common at that time of the year. Trees were uprooted routinely; power and telephone wires were snapped. Nandini Deuri, SP's wife hardly left her house without her personal security officers. Rukhmini never felt good with this action and she never wanted to have a security officer around her and to teach her students who can't speak in English. Mukul Madhav, a reporter, who was a cult figure in Partbatpuri because he had been following the course of MOFEH closely and produced millions of report on how they were working and how a MOFEH cadre was indoctrinating and evolving gradually. Nandini on the other hand never compromised her work for anything. She was looking her cows and her household duties never complaining. She was well contented and the universe of her took a change when Deuri got shot and killed. The homicide of SP, Deuri, of the place triggered a sense of restlessness and disturbances everywhere. This tension was further escalated when Rukhmini met Bibek and Bondena. Sons of farmer and a priest engaged themselves in MOFEC and Nandhi quit Partbatpuri and took all her belongings to live in a town.
Ruknhmini called up Manoj as she wanted a break from her life. She eased herself whenever she thought she was bleeding. The whole relationship went to the next level. Rukhmini got pregnant with Manoj's child and she hid the truth from Sidharth and he believed it was his. There was a chaos in and around Rukhmini and her drivers Anil lend him a hand now and then because he had the idea of what's going on in her life. She wanted to let things out to someone and she chose writing letters for that. The MOFEC episode happened again and Manoj got kidnapped and Sidharth had to rescue. Sidharth and Manoj lose their life on the rescue and Rukhmini was on her own now with her unborn child on her womb.
(Paraphrased by Marcio Sandoz (M.A English Lit. St.John's College, Palayamkottai).
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