Rajib Goswami
To me she always has been a princess. I heard her story from a story teller in a certain ghat of the Ganges.
Nobody knew why her complexion was not fair. Her parents were fair, fair enough to earn them a title, “Saheb Mem”. And from her childhood she had been listening to all the researches going on for her would-be marriage which to the researchers was the most uphill task on this planet because of her unfair complexion.
Her brother was fair. And as a common practice in our society, her brother used to get the maximum concentration of the family. And she like other girls on mother Earth never mind. Gladly she shared the larger portion of any delicious food brought to their home to her younger brother, and she helped her mom in household works.
That is such a common thing, isn’t it?
And the Ganges on the bank of which these two children were born flew the same impartial flow of her, eating up time so quick, so fragile.
At the time of this story the girl was at class eleven and her brother was at class seven. It was end of September. The Durga puja days were coming near. A depression formed over the Bay of Bengal, and for three days it rained heavily. On fourth day the sky became clear and the younger brother wanted to visit the Ganges which was very near to their home.
Well your sister will accompany u, his mom said.
Both brother and sister went to the shores of the Ganges. It was hardly five minutes walking distance from their home. The Ganges was flowing with a dazzling speed. The heavy rainfall increased the water level to at least four feet. Suddenly, the boy cried out Fish, didi (sister) there’s a fish. I must get it!
