Please Note: All characters of this story are fictional and any coincidental similarity should be treated as untenable.
Once upon a time in Kolkata there lived a boy named uddalak.He was an orphan and used to stay with his uncle Avinash.He was lean and orexic ,13 years old.Since the day when the news broke out of his mother and fathers demise he had always stayed a recluse.He used to dream of fairies ,dwarfs,dolphins,whales and talking parrots .They had a house near the South Western part of Kolkata near FALTA ,Raichak which was far less crowded and had a lot of space for the otherwise burdened nature.There was a boulevard of pine trees which decorated the hallaway where once in a blue moon people used to pass off in taxis and private buses for picnic.The place was quite far off from locality so usually people used to settle for the other part of Raichak which has numerous transport conveniences and buses every fifteen minutes.They had a small river named ruprekha flowing near their house.Unlike other children uddalak never went to school ,he spent his time idling in the woods taking stock of the numerious fruits growing in the boulevard and taking stack of the hedgehog that lived there.His uncle was a woodcutter who used to take the wood to the FALTA Woodstock factory and earn their living .At night his uncle used to tell him stories of BENGALI FOLK TAILES ,stories of prince and princess who used to beautiful as GOD’s AND GODDESSES like the GOD panchanan’s mandir which was there in the woods near in house and closely associated with
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His uncle AVINASH’s stories often used to take UBJ (as his uncle used to call him when he used to ponder on his big name) into dreams all day long he used to pick up tree branches and rehearse all these scenes time and again.One day his uncle came to know that in a neighbouring village a CIRCUS party has come which is known as DINESH’S WORLDFAMOUS CIRCUS.The cost of ticket was Rs 100(last row),Rs 500,Rs 1000(first row) for adults and RS 50(last row),Rs 300,Rs 500(first row) for children.AVINASH wanted to take little uddalak to the circus .Infact he was planning for it for some time now as uddalak used to be ill for most part of the year owing to common cold which he used to have because of roaming all day long in the Sun and consuming water just after returning and also partly due to the muddy roofs and walls of their house.He thought taking him to the circus would freshen him up and would open up the closed world for him which starts and ends in their house and with not many relatives keeping their relation with this poor family plagued by regular wants it would also be a enjoying experience for the maverick child something different from the stories he was tired to repeatedly recite.
Finally on SUNDAY the 13th they went to the CIRCUS .The circus was held inside a big tent surrounded on all sides by tight security and an oval covering which shielded anyone from viewing from outside.From the morning only uddalak was very excited for the circus ,he had heard from his uncle about the clowns and the lions and tigers which prowl in there .It was quite an experience for little UBJ which truly fascinated him and he was so enthusiastic that he woke up early at 4 am andbegan impatiently moving around and pushing his uncle time again to wake .Anyways finally at 9 am they started for CIRCUS and took the RS 100 AND RS 50 tickets from the counter and sat at the last row .The Circus was badly constructed and from the last row it was barely visible and one had to stand up to have a glance on the proscenium.The events for the day were to begin with THE CLOWNS gimmicks with the cycle with balls on his hands and then follow it up with stunts like motorcycle race in a closed vessel,jimnastic by Sandra bullock,bear cycling races and finally the ringmaster act with 7 lions and 3 tigers on stage.The stage was set and the enthusiasm in the weather was palpable.But alas the were further pushed back towards the exit by a gang of syberites who simply pushed them away backwards as there was quite a crowd accumulated .His uncle did not complain and being a peace loving person silently rose and moved towards the toilet entrance and took little UBJ on his arms to have him a glimpse of the rostrum.
BUT ALAS! The stage was till not properly visible and only the first row was properly visible.After sometime of hussle restive little UBJ’S eyes fell on a girl of about his age.She was dressed in a golden top and had a tinge of kajal on her eyes but not much make up otherwise ,yet she was the most beautiful woman by far in the circus . Even the light of the circus was following her.She was the most beautiful woman uddalak had ever seen.At first it seemed to him as she was part of the circus party as she was constantly focused on by the lights and was all smiles constantly motioning towards the clowns and explaining to her friend how she enjoyed the clowns last antics.As she spoke her hair was constantly falling back and again on her face and with his tender fingers she pulled them back time and again making a nice panache.A golden chain adorned her neck which often pandomised with slight movement of her glistened face.Although she was wholly unaware of his very existence his silent eyes stood riveted on her.Her devine smile as if stole the very purpose of his coming to circus.For any slight movement ahead of him he soon readjusted his vision expediently to refocus on her.She to him seemed to him an opera by herself .Her smallest small movements ..her leaning on her friends shoulders ,her adorable cute face and whole kaleidoscope of emotions started a dream within him …he felt asif she was the princess for whom he stood searcing with the twigs of the jungle, she was the princess for whom he had made small boats and floated them in the river waiting if they ever come back with someone.When ever sun set in the valleys and sun peeped into the waters he used to rest his boat and dream of the faces which he had never seen perhaps dreamt to see ,meet ,chat.”HOW ARE U UDDALAK ?WHERE DO YOU STAY?” they often said in dreams.
As the CIRCUS neared its end,in the last show the ringmaster came out and signaled at her and bowed infront of her.At first uddalak felt perhaps the ringmaster too had fallen in love with this devine sprite and when she waved in return ,perhaps somewhere deep within he felt an insatiable lust to have her attension too and stop his rival from winning the game with such a boisterous ease. Anyways after a few great stunts the circus closed for the day.And uddalak and his uncle both came back home.When at home his uncle asked ,“How was the circus ?Saw the great panther? O! my God ! it was so Big !I have been to CIRCUS BEFORE but never before I saw such a big circus.Next time whenever they would come next year we would go again.”,uddalak replied uninterestingly ,”nice”.His uncle was expecting a more energetic response and a whole barrage of descriptions but that did not come .He then asked,”U did not like it ?” .Uddalak replied ,”yes i did”.His uncle thought uddalak must be tired and hence doesnot want to speak much.”poor child !”,he thought,”ok we will talk tomorrow morning”.
That night his uncle slept but Uddalak did not,all night long he was in him mind seeing her again and again .He wanted to capture this moments .He wanted to distill this picture for time indefinite.He wanted to hold her back .He felt as if the banyon tree in the courtyard of their house is saying ,”Go to her .She is the princess who is your goal.She is the one whom you love .So what are you waiting for? You have grown up.Every individual is born for some purpose when the darkness of night will dispel and there will be a new morning where she will be waiting for you near the river.And then you too will ride in the boat as the clouds will reek the sunlight and the water will touch the boat as you too will share each others experience and laugh at them forever.”.Then he felt a voice within him say,”I am not born to be here ! I will try my best to reach out to her .I will try try and try to go beyond the world I know In search of her”.He went outside at night and sketched her face in a palimset and made a boat with paper from his uncles diary and placed the palimset in it and made to handles and set it float in the river.
Next day,when his uncle was going to work he went out and started to assay his way by traveling along the lines of the river and constantly noticing if the paper boat was moving somewhere near the shore.That day at the evening when his uncle came back he was very unhappy and apoplectic at his employers .The very moment he entered the room he said,”I know these people they are always behind money they donot have heart.I donot know where they will keep all this cash .. I have been thrown out of job..anyways donot worry we will go to our village and there we would make for something …anyways I think I would make more than this scoundrels ever gave me..“.Uddalak did not know what to say he mused on it and then said ,”ok”.In his heart within hearts he could not forsake the fear of losing his princess.He wanted to go and tell this to his princess transported by air to kingdom of dreams 7 seas and 7 lands away to enter which u need mercury on your shoes and a beautiful heart(his uncle once told this …at night when he was crying for his mother).BUT ALAS! That was not possible so he was at war with himself for he knew that if he went to the village yonder then he may not see his princess again.
NEXT DAY 15THmorning they arrived at the station.Uddalak was very much in a trance ,he knew not what he wanted to do …on one hand he had the the loving hand of his avuncular uncle and on the other he had the face which he saw all night yesterday .The face which joined the polestar with the sagitarius ,the face which resembled of the face of that girl in circus who is anonymous, whose antecedents he knows nothing of ,he does not even know he would ever see her again or not.With tufts of cloud as her black eyelashes and half moon as her lips he could see her hair flowing with an earning eyes looking at her always ,staring at him imploring him to come to her rising out of the fairy book of her dreams.The sight was indeed impelling ..the sound of the train reaching and station had somehow been drowned in the dream itself.He has grown up –he thought ,”prince of persia did not run away like this ! “.When his uncle dragged him over into the crowded local train he could not react much.But in his eyes the image ruled.”NO !no more !he cannot do this! The birds the squirrels the trees that he is living behind is begging him !they are saying no …this cannot be a friend.. you are not a turncoat ……why are u going away? “.Tears came down on his cheeks..”NO I wont … “,he decided and came down from the running train .His old uncle did not know what to do .He was awestruck .There was no chain and he could not come down he called behind him “come back !come back!Train is leaving !Train is leaving ! cannot you hear?”.uddalak did run the race of his life.He ran and weaved through the mob and reached outside the station.He then realized where would he go now? He began to cry.He did not know who else he had in this world apart from his uncle.He felt destitute and lonely in this great world.As porters and familys began to pass him he realized that he must now go back to the circus.He walked to the hut of theirs .From their he did not know the road .He asked someone in the road and then mapped his way to the circus.15th was the last day and the last show was going on.Preparations were on for the shifting of elephants ,tigers and deers.He went there and looked around .He did not have money he gave his slippers to the gate keeper and entered the Circus campus .He was barefooted and the evening lights had started to fade.He was stranded ..knew not which way to go.Soon the ringmaster was seen alighting from the lions cage moving slowly towards the backdoor followed by his trainer.Uddalak made a dash.He reached up to him and said ,”do you know where that girl lives???”.Ringmaster negligently said,”who are you??”.Uddalak said,”that princess … this much tall,golden shirt,with a ring in her neck..i had come her two days back to see the circus”.Ringmaster replied with all irritation ,”who????????i did not know anybody with your description.”uddalak’s eyes dropped ..for one moment he had all the energy and hope against hope but now he was all lost .Perhaps now his uncle would come and take him away and then beat him for his utter negligence and disobedience.The ringmaster took one more step then stepped back and artfully said,”O… ya I know someone ..but what do you have to do with her ?”.The vulpine face did strike terror in uddalak’s heart.He said timidly “she is my princess,I like her ,I want to know about her”.”ha ha ha ..”,ringmaster broke down in laughter.The trainer standing alongside him grinned and said “see these boys barely 13to 15 years of age and ..see how they ..”.The ringmaster then said ,”No stop”(towards the trainer)”you said that u donot have anybody else but your uncle isint it ? ok ! listen I can tell you about her but u have to be patient …since you have come that far off to just know of her ..so I think you are patient unlike your age…and I will tell you one thing about your princess each year on your birthday but you have to work for free all these days ….uptil the day when I finally tell you her address.”.The trainer said “what !!!are you out of your senses ..you barely know him ..we donot know his antecedents and you are keeping him in the circus as employee?”.The ringmaster was shrewd he understood his simplicity visible in uddalak’s eyes.He said “I am a business-man too .I know how to choose…My father have been a gold miner for years ..I know better..”.Then he turned to Uddalak and asked “then? What did you decide?”. Uddalak was speechless ,he did not want to go back.He had no other choice.SO he nodded.
From then onwards each year he worked day in and day out.There was no vacation and he often had to hear all the abusives of his high demanding masters.His uncle came to the circus too to search for him later but he could find him because the circus party had moved from Kolkata to Jharkhand and then from there they went to Trivandrum…and so on.Uddalak even in such a tight schedule never lost hope .He knew all his life that although his uncle never gave him any work but when need will come he will arise and will work and work better than the rest.And now when like his uncles stories he is made to work like the prince of Ametheus who worked day in day out and finally one day God came and released his servitude and gifted him a magic sword using which he finaly made his dream come true and find the princess Diana to get a glimpse of whom he used to work day and night at CEBELY.He was happy and hopeful.As years flashed by ,Uddalak emerged as one of the old members of the circus troupe .He was given food and clothing but no salary as such.In the first year ,the ringmaster said “She has a closely knit family and she likes roses.”From that day onwards he started to accumulate rose sticks and used to work meticulously at night and made embroidery on them.Added paper petals.Then next year in his birthday the ringmaster said ,“SHe is known as EJ among her friends and family members.” Uddalak inscribed the name EJ in the petal pots and then made the embroidery again.In this way year after year passed .After twelve long years,when his birthday came ..the ringmaster was ill.He finally said that he was impressed by his servitude and peonage and that his days are numbered and he wanted to say him something .He told him to come close and in his ears the ringmaster whispered,”13,GlassGlowStreet,SouthAvenue….Go fulfill your dream..”.Uddalak was happy all this while even as year after year in abject servitude passed by.He knew someday he would meet EJ.Someday their story would be reach its completion.But as the Ringmaster finally said the address..tears fell from his eyes.He took a loan from his fellow circus college who voluntarily gave it without any repayment condition.He took the train and reached Kolkata and took took a bus to the South Avenue.There once alighting from the bus he asked a fellow pedestrian where 13,GlassGlow Street was.The pedestrian who was an old man pointed towards the norther direction.It was the month of May and in Kolkata it does rain during this time yet the atmosphere was cloudy.Uddalak felt within his heart that it would be a historic day when he would meet his EJ and the entire world will celebrate it with monsoons.Twelve long years have made his feelings even stronger.Today he had grown a lot more confident and silent .
The serpentine lanes ultimately brought him to a big bunglow there was high security outside.There was a big plate outside in golden color-“13,GlassGlow Street”.He asked permission from the guards who instantly refused.He then seeing no other alternative jumped up the walls using his circus experience standing on the 12 feet wall he jumped onto the middle of the 4” by 4” muddy patch created to cultivate flowers.Thus making no noise.He then pressed the bell from the vestibule.Two boys came out running “I will open the door Ronnie .. I will ..” .”no rajiv I am your elder brother I will “.One was eight years old Ronnie and other was 7 years old Rajiv.They asked ,”Yes mr what do you want ?”.Before he could get over the hysteria of this 12 year long wait and say something.Ronnie said “are you the plumber Mom called ?”.”wait I would call Mom”.As rajiv stood looking at him trying to figure out whether he had a chocolate for him or not Ronnie went into the washing room to call his mother.Moments later a lady most probably 25 years old but having a face of a 30 yearold came out.Her wizened face has lost its gloss but still is beautiful.The old penache is of hairs falling with the wind on the face is still there.Only thing that perhaps has changed is that she now was a touch portly and have grown fat around her stomach.Her tenubruous eyes though is still so catchy with a shade of blue on the rims.”yes what do you want ?”.Uddalak knew not what to say.All his dreams …all those hopes ..all those years of desire …accumulated in the pipeline seemed to create a strange sphere around him shielding him from reality which has assumed crude proportions.He began to feel this as untrue and all that he had thought in dreams to be true..he forced himself into the fantasy as tears started to fall in his eyes.Dark cloud in the atmosphere slowly found a origin in his eyes.He saw darkness all around him.His breath was panting and he fell like running out to the wild ,somewhere serene and ask to mankinds mother “was this necessary? Why me ?”.EJ said “Yes ?hello ?”.Uddalak said with a heavy voice as if 10000tonnes weight has been put on it ,”sorry,I have made a mistake …(voice loss)..I have lost my path……..I…” .Ej said ,”Who are u ?how did you get into my house ? Guards!Guards!”.Guards came rushing in and took him away out into the streets.Ej turned towards Rajiv and said ,”how many times did I tell you not to open the door to strangers?What would have happened if …”.As tears came out from Ej’s eyes Uddalak felt that someone relieved all his pain as with a blow all his pain became numb.He lay unconscious on the street and his bag full of presents for Ej blew in air and flew around.The rose he had made with extreme precision lay close to the drain crying for attention.The guards picked up a few of them and took them to gift their wives and happy that they taught the fool a lesson returned to the bunglow reporting.
After an hour when Uddalak found consciousness ,he knew not where to go .He remembered of the time when he left his uncles hand and reached the circus.It was still so distinct.He stood up and started to scramble to his hut wondering whether it was still there or not.He moved a step or two and the rain came falling down.One Two three all the drops started to rub the dust of his clothes..and he sat down to take rest.Just when the rain had thinned out a little he moved out towards his hut.Now Kolkata had changed a lot .Even at Raichak there are houses with large drains flooding streets in rains.Just when he was about to enter his locality he found a paper chip making a lot of noise in the mouth of a drain.Just as he turned to see what was it –he found that it was that same palimset he had written in the memory of EJ once.The diagram made of pencil has indeed faded but the borders are still there.The pattern he made on the boat is still there although it s borders have been eroded.As he touched it he felt as if the entire universe and the skys came falling down,and all his inner world was torn into pieces.A big cross blurred the fairies and tiny elves of his dreams ,their images lost their faces .He sat down on his feet and felt the rain .As far away down the street at the corner of the factory created over the boulevard he heard a voice of his uncle.He walked towards him following the straight road passing his house which was no more.The road took him to the wood factory where his uncle used to work.He enquired there of his uncle .The man sitting at the chair said “he died when he followed you and tried to alight from the train..following you …anyways you can work here”.On hearing this all uddalak closed his eyes and became silent.The glitter of the man’s eyes resembled that of the ring master.Uddalak asked,”where are the marked trees ?give me the axe and my uncle’s trolley.”
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