Ashirbader Phul Inn had a good crowd for the competition. This was what Taajwar asked Ronjon for, a good advertisement. Nirabpur was famous for its ancient Buddha Temple, so tourists were expected daily. His Inn had existed for years in this village but the revenue dwindled when other Inns started opening.
After analyzing their financial crisis, they found the problem;
Night came. Malabika called Asha to her room. "Come, my dear. Sit here." She tapped the space beside her on the bed. Asha obliged. The middle-aged lady cupped the younger girl's face, observing her every feature. "You're pretty, sweet, and headstrong. I think that's the reason.""What do you mean, Mashi?" Her eyes widened, curious about what the elder lady would say.
The three of them weren't sure what to say or do. Only one thing came to the minds of the two men. Leave this place. Asha was not affected much since her ignorance of the actual state of affairs didn't muddle her mind."What do you want us to do?" Asha said.
Early morning the next day, when the sunlight cleared the heavy fog, Ronjon, Asha, and Monojit dashed straight to the car which was parked near the camp. Ronjon started the engine with one aim in mind, to go back to Nirabpur. Ten men followed them, riding in a van.Ronjon’s car's speedometer went to 90. If there were speed limits, he was breaking it. Dust covered
Ronjon sent another letter to his employer in Royal Bengal Hotel, explaining the situation with his Uncle but didn't mention the Independence camp.Their delay lasted for another week until the Inn went back to business. Asha spent more time with Malabika, and Monojit used the opportunity to talk about business matters with Taajwar. On the day of their departure, the e
The old man went back to his small kitchen and brought back plates and glasses. Then came back with a plate of Dosas, scrambled eggs with green chilies, and small cups filled with milk tea for each of them."Please don't bother," Ronjon spoke on their behalf.
An old man, two tall young men, and a petite lady in between them walked into a spice store. Monojit pulled a basket at the entrance.Old man Abhik started the lesson. "Masala is the soul of Bengal food. And the food is the soul of Bengal." Abhik rounded a shelf full of spices packaged by a kilo in a variety of colors. With just a glimpse, the spices created an image of a rainbow in the customer's eye, inviting them to come closer to buy.He picked a dull brown ground spice. "Cumin… hmm, cumin is a saucy whore. Gives you great pleasure, but she herself is unquenched. So be careful. Use it sparingly." He winked at the two men. Monojit and Ronjon looked at Asha, afraid if she understood the double meaning of the words. The girl gave them a clumsy smile.Ronjon shook his head and took the pack from Abhik's hand and laid it in the basket. He felt he had to explain to Asha to avoid her misunderstanding about that mischievous wink from the old man. She might think he was promiscuous and freq
Ronjon went back to work and left the three. The elder let her try mixing her own spices. She showed the old man her first mix. Abhik just took a quick sniff and cringed, throwing everything to the garbage."How do you know it wasn't good?"
Asha clasped the note on her chest as warmth filled her. She couldn't comprehend why, but she knew she was really happy. The rose's relaxing scent spread throughout the small netted place, encouraging her to pick up the flower itself. Somehow, anxiousness mixed in between this blissful moment was like the rose’s thorn plucking a thread from the silk pillowcase.
Asha blew air in exasperation. "Okay, Chef Ronjon Munshi.""Why is the chef title being inserted in this conversation?" Ronjon asked as one of his brows raised.
Both Asha and Ronjon went back in later. An hour more and the doctor came out from the operating room. All of them stood right away, aside from Asha, who slept, exhausted from crying."Who are the relatives of Shaheb Arup Mukherjee?"
Noontime came. The scenery was mesmerizing, but Rimas mind was not on it because the scorching heat of the sun was like burning coals roasting them alive. He tried lessening the soreness of the sunburns by covering his head with his shawl but held the cloth in his firm grasp, keeping the strong wind from blowing it away. Suddenly, someone yelled at his back. Everyone looked to where the shout came from and saw a woman pointing at a man who fell from the train. All the passengers on top of the roof were frightened to death. They might be next if they would not be careful.
Unknown to them, Rimas silently sat at a corner at the airport in the capital city. He tried to buy a ticket to flee the country but as Ronjon and Harry had predicted, all flights were sold out a long time ago and no more tickets were provided for the following months. Every family decided to find the best place suited for them to live. Somehow, the British Raj had not yet submitted any clear boundaries of the two countries, and there were only four months left before the set independence day.
Tarapati went back in and wakened Ninu and Arup."Ninu Bhai, your daughter is here. You better get up or something ugly will happen," Tarapati said while shaking Ninu.
Tarapati came out smiling to greet Asha, who stood in between Ronjon and Harry, but halted his steps when he saw the police cars escorting behind. He looked back at the two men sleeping in the living room, Arup and Ninu, and thought of waking them to clear up the situation to the unfriendly visitors.That night, when Ninu, Tarapati, and the rest arrived in the mansion,
Instead of being happy, Tarapati's mind boiled in rage against Ninu."Who are you playing with? Me? How dare you impersonate my late good friend?" Tarapati hollered right up to his lungs as he clenched his fist to strike Ninu on the face, but the latter calmly moved his head and shifted his hair to show Tarapati his hairy mole behind his left ear. Tarapati's hand tempo
While Tarapati was at it, he asked Ninu to allow him to talk with Sovhona alone. However, Sovhona was not at ease with the idea. She insisted on Ninu to stay with them. Hence, Tarapati had no choice but to ask Ninu for an oath of secrecy because he perceived him to be an outsider. He absolutely did not recognize this Ayoush's real identity even though they were close before.
Tarapati went to visit and talked with each of Rimas wives, aside from Sovhona, who he had no inkling of her where to find. The wives were in outrage after learning Rimas sold the house and their properties in secret. They couldn't even accept that he had the nerve to keep all the money to himself. With the fact that most of his acquired lands and business establishments were from their dowries, most of them wailed in agony and a few wished to sue him but with no power and money to do so.