“Baban, ei baban, kemon achis?”
Ke jeno daklo picchon theke. Byasto Metro te jokhon bhalo kore daranor i jayga nei, sekhane aabar ke dake, tao aabar daak namey! Pichhon firey takalo Mayukh. Are e je Somak da!
Somak Chattopadhyay. Vidyatan Viswabidyalayer adhyapak. Mayukh er adhyapok chhilen. Aaj pray bochhor pachek porey sei sutham, poripati manush tar sathe dekha holo. Anekdin por. Sei shob din gulo jeno flash back e mone porey gelo Maykh er. Sei shob din chhilo... Choturdik fele chhoriye dosh ta bajlei hajir howa University te. Somak da (Adhyapak der Da, bolatai chol chhilo tokhon), Aniruddha da, Sarbari di der class er jonno pagol hoe jeto Mayukh ra. Saradin hoi choi kore class, tarpor Madhab dar dokane laal cha aar dim toast. Adda cholto sandhye abdhi. University manei anabil anando, rangin din, ek jhaak muhurto aar... Ishita!
“Kire, chinte parchhis na naki? Naki aamar sathe ekhono rege achis?,” mridu heshe jiggesh korlo Somak. Sei je bhabe University te jiggesh korto sei bhangi tey. University te porakalin Mayukh er shob cheye priyo bondhu chhilo tar ei Professor t ii. Boyoshey motey bochhor atek er boro, kintu Mayukh er sathe bhison bhab chhilo Somak er. Class e, class er bairey ardhek somoy ta katto Somak er sathei. Addar fakey Madhab dar dokan theke chop asto, muri asto, lukie churiye mod, cigarette, gaja asto, aar ashto... Ishita!
Chonmone, furti baaj ekta sadhasidhe meye. Mayuk er college jiboner bondhu. Ek sathe class, tuition, adda, khawa dawa korte korte kokhon je preme porechilo dujonei bojheni. First year er seher dike prostab ta diyei felechilo. Ek kothay raji Ishitao. Seo je tokhon Mayukh er preme bhasoman! Sei shuru... College er baki du bochhor proti ta muhurto ek sathe katieche dujone. Tar por dujonei ek i University te bhorti. Ek sathe jawa asha, khawa dawa, golpo, adda.
Somak er khub kachher chhilo Mayukh, Ishita. Oder ador korey Labanga-Latika bole dakto Somak. Nijeo ek kaley Shreyashir preme pagol hoe jodidong hridayang tobo path korechilo bocchor tinek agey. Seta tokhon pray bhangar mukhey. Bohudin holo ghar chhara Shreyashi. Tin bochhorer lal neel sangsar tokhon fyakashe. Tai University tei pore thakto Somak. Mayukh aar Ishitar sathe cholto galpo, adda, nesha, aar... preme pora!
“Tui aaj o aamake khoma korisni na?” Aabar proshno korlo Somak. Ebaro nirob Mayukh. Asholey tar mon ta hothat chole geche sei University chottorey. Bhire thasa Metro takeo tokhon bhison faka mone hoche. Jake ei panch bochhorey ekbarer jonno o mone poreni aaj sei Ishita kei hothat mone porche or. “Na, tomar upor kono raag nei aamar. Kemon achho?”
“Bhaloi... Dibbi achi... Besh...” mridu heshe Somak er jabab. “Toke khub miss kori Janis toh. Sei shomoy takeo. Ki bhalo chhilam aamra. Jogajog o toh rachis na.”
Aabar nirob Mayukh. Miss kore na chhai. Ashol kaaj to serei nieche. Adhyapak aar bandhu seje chhiniyei toh nieche tar preyashi ke. Shreyashi hara howar por, Somak dar jiboner preyoshi toh ekhon Ishita i. Katha gulo jeno bhison nyaka nyaka lagchhilo Mayukh er.
Aaj o mone porey sei shomoy ta. Pray panch bochhor eksathey thakar por hothat ekdin abiskar korechilo je Ishita ashole take noy, Somak da kei bhalobashey. Pray roj i Ishita r sathe galpo korto Somak, janto Mayukh. Konodin apotti koreni, asholey bujhtei pareni je ebhabe gore uthche ekta notun somikoron.
Ishitar moner andarmahaley je ebhabe jhor uthche seta andaj i korte pareni Mayukh. Shanto nabik er moto se tar jahaj take egiye nie jachhilo besh. Se r Ishita, dujoney kujoney... Se bojheni ei palay naam likhieche Somak da o!
Bhabtei pareni. Bhabbei ba keno? Somak da ke toh chirokal i bondhu bhebe esche Mayukh. Bondhu, priyo bandhu. Je shob janto oder dujoner byaparey. Se ki kore emon korte pare, bhabei ni Mayukh. Sutorang, aaj etodin por ei kotha gulo sune matha ta groom hoe gelo or.
“Tomar sathe jogajog rakhte ichhe korena tai. Tai rakhina. Asha koro ki kore je jogajog rakhbo?,” chachachhola bhasay bollo Mayukh. Ebhabe bolte chayni, kintu matha ta tokhon besh gorom. “Sorry, obhabe bolte chaini aami. Kintu tomar sathe jogajog rakhar proshnoi othe na,” bollo Mayukh.
Hashi much ta muhurtey thom mere gelo. Jeno hothat brishti naamlo shohorey. Aaro pashe eshe daralo Somak. Bollo, “besh. Rakhis na jogajog. Kintu aamar sathe ektu chhol aaj. Kothao boshi.”
Ki jeno mone holo Mayukh er. Bollo thik ache, jabo. Train totokkhoney Maidan perieche. Central station e naamlo dujone, gantobbo Coffee House. Sara rastay keu kono kotha boleni. Mon ta bharakranto hoe ache Mayukh er. Besh toh guchhiye niechilo nijeke. Besh toh bhebe niechilo je tar keu nei. Keno aaj hothat ebhabe dekha holo Somak dar sathe. Keno?
... Priyo infusion e chumuk diye sojasuji jiggesh korlo Mayukh. “Keno dakle? Ki darkar? Ki chao?”
“Kichhu na, toke onekdin por dekhlam. Bhablam ektu katha boli. Toder chhere aamio bhalo nei”
“Hmmm... seto jani. Koto bhalobasho amake, seta toh aami jani,” tirjok bhangitey bollo Mayukh. Matha ta besh gorom. Poristhiti uttopto hote pare. Bairey halka brishti hoche. Pachpachey kada. Aar bhalo lagchhilo na Mayukh er. Biroktikor poribesh.
Ishitar mukh ta barbar mone porchilo tar. Sei mukh ta, jake ekshomoy khuuub khuuub bhalobashto Mayukh Sengupta. Sedin o tar jonney priyo chocolate ta nie gechilo. Dairy Milk. “Toke kichu bolte chai. Dekh, we can’t be together. Let’s part ways dude. Aami Somak da k bhalobesechi. I think he’s the man. Please tui bhul bujhis na. But, aamar pokshyey tor sathe thaka sombhob noy,” sojasapta bolechilo Ishita. Mukher upor.
Brishti porcchilo sedin o. Mayukh janto se mod khay, nesha kore, yaarki kore, thatta kore, khepay, faaki baaj, bekar, kintu egulo dekhei toh ekstahe pashapashi hetechhilo Ishita. Tobe, aaj keno noy? Keno?
Abaak prithibi!
Ek chhutey paliechilo Mayukh. Bhalo lagchhilo na. Tarpor besh koekbar phone e kakuti minoti. Aranye rodon! Sei theke aar kono jogajog rakheni Ishita ba Somak da r sathe. Ora biye korechilo, Jodhpur Park e tokhon oder laal nil sangsar.
“Janis toh, aami aar Jodhpur Park e thaki na. Rather, Kolkata tei thakina aar. Toke bola hoyni. Last der bocchor dhorey aami Santiniketan e thaki. Okhanei porai. Ekta baari korechi okhane...”
“Eka thako? Se kemon ache? Ki korche aajkal?”
Stobdhota. Mridu hashi.
“Ki holo?”
“Aamar baritar chhobi dekhbi?”
Anichha sotteo raji holo Mayukh.
Wallet theke ekta chhobi bar korlo Somak da. Chhotto ektola bari. Sundar, chhimchham. Bojhai jache Ishitar jotno peye bere uthche bari ta. Ekdum poripati. Dibbi dekhte. Hothat chokh gelo pradhan fatak er dike. Bari tar naam ta dekhe chomke uthlo Mayukh.
Bari tar naam: “Tor jonno”
Tolay duto naam: Somak Chattopadhyay and Late Ishita Basu Chattopadhyay. Jara bachte cheyechilo. EK SATHE THAKTE CHEYECHILO.
Ek lafe chair chhere uthe daralo Mayukh. Somak dar mukh ta totokkhone fyakashe. Chosmar kach ta jhapsa. Asthir hath cigarette ta ke dhore ache. Infusion er cup ta halka dulche, bodhoy mon tao!
... “Throat cancer. Keu bujhte pareni. Ekdin hothat mukhe rakto uthlo. Niye gelam hospital e. Doctor bollen, lifeline sesher pothey... Thik ek mash beche chhilo, ek mash,” mridu hasher byartho chesta korlo Somak. Bhese jawa chokh aar mon tokhon palate chaiche.
Mayukh er chokhey jol. Hathrano smriti, aar ekta mukh. Nibchhe, jolchhe...
“Tor kotha khub bolt oh re. Toke khub miss korto. Biye ta aamake korechilo botey, kintu tui i or shob chhili. Tor dewa boi, DVD gulo aaj o sajatney rakha ache. Aami oi ghar tay aar dhuki na. O ghumoy okhane, tai aar birokto kori na,” bollo Somak.
... Asthir aynay ekta mukh bhese uthchilo. Duto manush er kotha porchhilo, aar tokhon i hothat abachetan bhabei hath ta chhulo Somak er kandh take. “I am sorry Somak da. Aami jantam na, boloni keno aamake?”
“Tui je jogajog rakhte chasna aamar sathe, chasna, aami kharap lok toh,”
Aar kichu bolte parlo na Mayukh. Japte dhorlo Somak ke. Adhyapaker Punjabi ta chhatrer chokher jole bhije geche totokkhone. Bairey tokhon megh-roddurer lukochuri, aar Coffee House er do tolar ek koner dhusor prithibi te sobe brishti nemeche, aabar bochhor panchek porey...!
*Galpo ta sotti hote pare, choritro ra tobu kalponik*
