Mahira is only twelve months old. But the story is about him. The story might as well be a long novel. Because it is part of a cycle of life revolving in a longer flow of events. So Mahira was stuck in my heart as a painful memory for a long time, so I am writing about her today.
It’s already evening. The middle tea table of the room has been moved to one side. This arrangement will make it difficult for everyone to sit in the small room. The ceramic showpiece on the table, the small flower vase and the brass rickshaw have been removed. Window curtains are spread all the way to let outside light into the room. Because now it is only evening, there is load shedding of electricity or workers are doing some work somewhere. Two people are sitting in the empty space on the west side with plastic wrap. Street vans battery powered rickshaws and voices of people can be heard. House by the wayside. So this irony continues till two or three in the night. Sometimes a few dogs gather from nowhere and start barking continuously. Then the great aunt was very troubled. He can neither perform his worship nor sleep properly.
Everyone is waiting for the decision. Everyone is upset, some are excited, some are angry. Shakeel died of Corona. However, many people in the family did not feel pain for him, because of Shakil’s marriage and family.
When people get information from television, Facebook, YouTube, the people of the country are not getting food, relief food is also being looted. No flour, no onion, no rice, no oil, no sugar. But the government has given everything enough. However, there is only no, no, no. Not in Rajshahi, not in Khulna, not in Sirajganj, not in Meherpur, not in Barisal, not in Kushtia, not in Sylhet, not in Comilla, not in Tangail, not in Chittagong, not in Rasulbagh, Shahidnagar, Islambagh. There is nothing for the poor everywhere. There is nothing for a non-political man without wealth and glory. There is, there is, everything is there, fish meat oil rice vegetables flour onion cilantro pepper sweet pumpkin tin of milk. Everything is all: in every district “their” house! Where will the poor go, what will they do? There is no fair distribution of what the government has given. The looters looted all the relief. Even the relief slips in the name of those close to the society or themselves are disappearing.
Shakilto is a part of society. He grew up and died fighting poverty. In fact, nature or God does not bring any permanent happiness to man, leaving a little imperfection. Happiness is not in wealth, happiness is in love and good relationship. All the trouble happened with that love or house of Shakil. And these are the topics of today’s discussion. The situation is almost such that many people are relieved that Shakil is dead.
They were at peace. They did not have much money or fame. They had a lower standard of living than the very common middle class. But now they have lost everything in the hands of that Hindu girl. They were not supposed to be destitute. In a sudden love, the fatherless Shakeel Rana married a simple Hindu girl, going beyond his religion. When the incident went out of the house, when many people said that Shakeel did not do a good job, is there a shortage of girls in this city, that Shakeel, a garment worker, is also a Hindu and not very beautiful, should marry him. Shakeel must repent, life is not so simple, he must give an account to Allah. You will not get heaven, or hell.
The ramifications of these discussions are not only in the neighborhood but further and further away in the house of Lavanya’s parents. But love does not mean such logical fear. If you think about that, there will be no love, no relationship, no life. How can he be a lover who could not give up? He who could not cry did not deserve to be a lover. Those who could not wait, what is the need for love! Where is the value of love for those who could not give time and money! Shakeel remembers these things very well.
He has not had a father since childhood. It’s been twenty years since my father disappeared. Everyone gave up hope of father. Shakeel did not leave. He thinks that father will come back one day. When his parents were worried about illness, Shakil studied only at his elder aunt’s Malibag house and passed some kind of degree. When everyone is looking for a job, the soles of the shoes are scraped. Shakeel then easily secured a job as well. Even with his own efforts. Twelve thousand rupees salary. Not less then.
All stumble upon the beauty of the garment. Ordinary girl but what she owes! What words, what sense of responsibility! Being a shift supervisor, Lavanya often has to come to Shakeel. The closer the relationship grows. When you come close, Maya binds. When you come close, the sense of relationship becomes clearer. Love happens when you get close..?
So it happened. Closer to Lavanya and then Sansara.
Everyone is happy if the family? is not Shakeel’s mother and other family members could not agree. Everyone in the house chased them away. Shakil’s different identity to the society.
And the aunt who became a person, grew up, then the aunt is not the same as before. He then returned from Mecca after performing Hajj. Aunt was also afraid of Shakeel. Where to go then… Rasulbagh. He entered old Dhaka with a small durum house. Lavanya and his own salary will be gone for days. Then gradually everything will be fine. Lavanya was told, Lavanya, suffer for one year and everything will change. Don’t let it hurt you. No need to leave the job now. I’ll take another route. Remember I didn’t have a father. Mother was sick. I have been a struggling person since childhood. I have not learned to lose.
After six months, Shakil got a job as a salesman in a good clothing store in Gulshan with a salary of 20,000 taka. Day by day, Shakil from the hospital basically reached the brink of defeat. In fact, you can’t win all the time. In all fields, some people have to compromise with defeat in all efforts. In the end, it did not happen to Shakil. The life of the struggling young man is not to see victory in the war. Lavanya became, child became, Mahira became, house became. But Corona came and shook Shakeel very hard. Took her away from Lavanya, from Mahira.
Where will Lavanya-Mahira go? Lavanya has to lose everything due to tying the knot of life with a Muslim boy. Parents and relatives did not accept him. When everything was pitch black, when he was walking on the path of dust and rustling of dry leaves, when he was about to fall into the ditch from the uneven slippery road, his great aunt called him.
Today is the discussion. Today we will talk about Mahira Lavanya. Lavanya is sitting with Mahira on her lap. The only tears in his eyes. The dust in his eyes is a broken dream. It is as if there is no beauty, Corona has taken away all its beauty. Parents, society and religion also destroyed him.
The gist of what everyone is saying in shrill and hoarse language is that Lavanya and Mahira will have no place in this house. But great aunt came down as avatar. His long life experience of sociology and religion sharpened him. There is a strong argument that still has the atmosphere of Hajj in it. Again after many days a storm blows today. Will Mahira suffer the same fate as Shakil, who did not meet her birth father for twenty years, who grew up in disrespect and neglect? Mahira lost her father in just twelve months.
Tornado, Tsunami happens inside big aunt, Lavanya is a Hindu and Shakil is a Muslim, but where will he place Mahira? Which religion Mahira belongs to, which faith, which meditation… this question keeps turning in the mind of the elder aunt. Although many thoughts depressed him, he became stronger, more determined in his mind. Free your mind from all arguments today. In his mind, only Dardamakha is a human illusion. He feels that he has to make a last ditch effort to save Mahira.
His mind and brain are filled with a miraculous meditation. Then slowly look at everyone once. In his eyes, dependence and human language are sharper than the language of the ruler. He said in a full voice, they are human. Mahira Lavanya will stay here with me.
Then the power came back on. The entire room is filled with golden joss light.
