Ambivalent Relationship

Ambivalent Relationship

A limousine stopped in front of a star hotel and a handsome, youthful looking, well-dressed man in a Saville-Row suit, alighted. A big party was in progress inside, and the choicest food and beverages were served to the guests by uniformed waiters. He was looking for a girl, who did not know he existed, or the story that had brought him here. He had no reasons to be discreet but still he had to be careful. He was standing near the doorway and surveying the golden banquet hall, which was filled with men in trendy suits and women in revealing apparel concealing their well contoured bodies. There was an air of expectancy to see the person in whose honor this party was held.

He slowly walked inside, his alert eyes roving across the guests. A few eyeballs turned towards him craving to know his identity. At that moment the host, Barrister Dipak Ganguly, came forward and clapped his hands to invite the attention of the guests.  He introduced the man as Dr. Ramapada Mukherjee, the renowned surgeon in London whose name had hit the headlines in newspapers recently, for his outstanding achievements. The hall echoed with the sound of claps from all the potential admirers and the facial expressions of the beautiful women lit up as they made a beeline towards him to consolidate their appreciation personally. He gratefully acknowledged their adulations, but his mind was focused on locating someone he was extremely desirous to see.

The party ended and the guests had all left. Dipak Ganguly escorted a fourteen-year-old girl and introduced her to Ramapada Mukherjee as his daughter, Indrani. She looked up to gaze at him as this was the first time, she had seen him and experienced a feeling of admiration for his achievements. They all walked to the waiting limousine and left for his residence together. It was past midnight, and a servant opened the door to receive them. Dipak advised Ramapada to rest in the bedroom arranged for him upstairs and promised to meet him in the morning over breakfast. He gave necessary instructions to the servant and bid good night to Ramapada, before leaving for his own bedroom.

Ramapada tried to sleep, but it eluded him. He surveyed the room and saw a framed marriage photograph of Aarushi with Dipak Ganguly on the mantelpiece. Adjacent to it was the photograph of Aarushi. She must have just passed college at that time. On the study table was the photograph of a beautiful girl, aged around eight. He lifted the photograph and gazed at it for some time, before gently putting it back on the table. She had the same expressive face and beautiful eyes as her mother, he thought. He lay on the bed and went into retrospection on the metamorphosis of the village boy Ramu, into the sophisticated Dr. Ramapada Mukherjee and the cause of his visit to Kolkata after many years.

                                                         *****

I was born in the village of Sukhdevpur in the district of 24 Parganas in West Bengal. My father owned a small piece of land where he toiled all day to grow rice and vegetables. My mother worked as a housekeeper in the zamindar’s bungalow. I spent my childhood days working in the field with my father and helped him with small jobs. When I was five years old, I was sent to the local village school as my father was keen that I should not remain illiterate like him.

I was taken to school daily and picked up after school, by my mother. I was soon able to impress my teacher by learning the lessons taught by him, quickly. The same teacher also went to the zamindar’s house after school, to teach his daughter, Aarushi. She was a year younger than me. One day the teacher had to go to the city for some work and told my mother to bring me to the zamindar’s house directly, for a joint teaching session with Aarushi.

The zamindar was overly concerned about the progress of his daughter’s studies and occasionally sat for a while during her teaching sessions. On that day, too, he sat while I was asked questions by the teacher and appeared impressed by my prompt answers. He also noted that Aarushi was inspired by my performance and was keen to compete with me. He asked the teacher to teach us together, henceforth. He agreed to buy the books required by me. Since that day, Aarushi and I became companions and playmates, and spent most of my time in the zamindar’s bungalow. My mother treated us like siblings, quarrelling at times, but always fond of each other. I appeared for the matriculate examination and came out with flying colors. On the advice of the zamindar, my father sold off his land and took a loan to support my stay in Kolkata for studying medical sciences. Aarushi also passed the matriculation examination and was admitted to a girl’s college in Kolkata, where she stayed in a woman’s hostel.

We met on most weekends and spent the day visiting parks or sitting by the riverbank talking. We soon discovered we were deep in love and could not live without each other. Meanwhile, based on my performance in the medical college final examination, my professor strongly recommended me for a fellowship to enroll in London for advanced studies. I reluctantly agreed to go, but promised Aarushi that I would soon come back and live together permanently.

A few days after my arrival in London, tragedy struck my family. A cyclone, followed by floods, had washed away my parents, leaving no trace of them. When I received the news, I was devastated and lost all interest in life. I became a recluse and wandered from place-to-place seeking solace in treating the poor. I lost all contact with Aarushi and his relatives. During my wanderings, I got acquainted with an eminent Doctor, who was running a free health camp for the poor. He appeared overly impressed with my skills and my devotion to the profession. He invited me to work in his hospital in London. I found renewed interest in my profession and with constant encouragement from the Doctor, I enrolled myself for the advance course on surgery. After the completion of the course, I became an elite Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS), Dr.Ramapada Mukherjee. I became renowned for my surgical skills and innovative methods of surgery.

                                                         *****

One day, several years later, the Superintendent of my hospital requested me to perform a complex gallbladder operation on a patient from India, Barrister Dipak Ganguly. He was on a business visit to London and suddenly fell ill and had to be admitted to the hospital. The operation was successful, and he was shifted to the post-operative care unit where he was under my supervision. He was a very amiable person and I enjoyed talking to him. He recovered fast and, one morning as I entered his cabin, I found him deeply engrossed in a photograph taken out of his wallet. He showed it to me and said it was his wife, Aarushi, who went to her heavenly abode on this day, seven years ago.

I was shocked to see the photograph and asked him how it happened.

“Did you know her,” he asked, surprised.

“We came from the same village, and she was the zamindar’s daughter. We both studied in Kolkata for our college education. I was in the medical college, and she was in the women’s college,” I replied.

He sprang up on his bed when he heard my reply. “Aren’t you Ramu? I had been vigorously searching you all these years,” he said triumphantly.

“After the cyclone disaster passed away, Aarushi waited for some time, but finding no news about you she yielded to the family pressure of marriage. A month later, we were married. She enjoyed a happy family life and gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. We named her Indrani. I loved my wife and child dearly and left no stone unturned to keep them happy. However, our family life did not last long. Four years later Aarushi was inflicted with a lethal brain disorder. I tried every treatment available to cure her, but in vain. Her condition began to deteriorate, and she expressed a desire to talk to me. When I came to her side, she made a most unexpected confession. She whispered to me in a feeble voice that I was not the biological father of Indrani. She was the love child of Ramu and herself. She implored me to treat her like our own child and search for Ramu and, if possible, return her to her biological father. She breathed her last after saying those words,” said Dipak, tearfully.

“I am terribly sorry. I wish I could be of some help to you,” I said to comfort him.

“You have been of tremendous help to me. Now, if you allow me to fulfill Aarushi’s last wish, I can spend my remaining days in peace,” he requested.

“That is impossible,” I said protesting. “Besides, Indrani does not know me and the circumstances. She is happy in that environment and should continue to stay there.”

“I know the difficulties. But, if you agree to come to Kolkata and stay with me for some time, maybe, we can sort it out and come to a decision,” he appealed.

I was torn between my love of Aarushi and my desire to do my parental duties on our love child and allowing her the freedom to choose her own destiny. Dipak’s relentless persuasion eventually compelled me to accept his suggestion and I decided to visit Kolkata as his guest. Dipak planned my visit by inviting me as a guest of honor to a grand reception to celebrate his recovery from the major operation.                                                                        

                                                          *****  

Ramapada was unaware when he dozed off to sleep, but he woke up suddenly by the cacophony of birds announcing the arrival of dawn. He got up and dressed himself for breakfast. He was excited to talk to Indrani but did not know the outcome of this meeting. Soon Dipak entered his room to enquire about his first night in his house. They went down to the dining hall together for breakfast. Indrani was already at the breakfast table.

Ramapada decided to break the ice and said, “Hello Indrani, how did you beat me to the dining table? I thought I will be here first and welcome you.”

Indrani laughed and said, “I should be the one to welcome you since you are our guest and saved my dad.”

More conversations followed and they appeared to become comfortable in each other’s company. Ramapada asked about her interests, her food habits, and her friends. She spoke with him frankly without showing any inhibition. Later, Ramapada suggested a visit to his ancestral village, where her maternal grandparents lived. She agreed and they left together. The building where they lived was in shambles and a portion of it was converted into a school. The principal of the school was Sheela, an old friend and playmate of Aarushi. She had also visited Aarushi after her marriage. She invited them to her house to show them some family albums. Indrani saw some photographs of Aarushi and Ramapada together during their school and college days. She was impressed with their close friendship and asked why Ramapada never communicated with her after going to London. He explained the state of his mind and the circumstances that prevented their reunion. 

They returned to Kolkata after an enjoyable visit. On the way, Indrani revealed a startling statement by her mother, Aarushi a few days before her death, “Your real father will come to take you with him some day. Go with him and you will be happy.”

“Are you my real father?” she asked. Before he replied she added, “I am willing to go with you.”

This was the statement Dr. Ramapada Mukherjee was eager to hear.

*******

Words: 2007