“Ami parbo…..”

Mon tokhon 6 bochhor –
Dada tokhon 13. roj sondhebela Dadu’r kachhe niyom kore porte bosha. Dada’r tokhon onek pora, history, geography, maths, translated Shakespeare o. ami tokhon ki portam moneyi pore na….bondhoy tokhono Shohoj Paath shikhchhi. Kintu dada’r oyi motamota, koto e na rongin chhobiwala boi gulo’r dike khub lobh chhilo amar. Kintu chhoyan jetona sheyi boi – kothin boleyi hok ba bhari boleyi hok. Ekhono mone ache ekdin ami Dadu’r kachh theke Shakespeare cheye niyechhilam ekrokom jor koreyi. Dadu bolechhilo “jhumi, o tumi porte parbena maa”. Amar Mon bolechhilo “Ami parbo….”. ki chhilo tate, kotodur ki bujhte perechhilam, shey smriti aaj jhanpsha. Kintu mone ache dadu porer din shokale ekta Cadbury ene diyechhilo. Chokchokhe chokhe du haath bariye diyechhilam ami. Sheyi bodhoy amar para’r shuru. Mon jokhon e bolechhe “Ami Parbo..”, ami jenechhi shey kaaj shohoj noy, kintu seshe achheyi kono upohaar!

Mon tokhon 9 bochhor –
Goromkaale Kolkata’r loadshedding nityoniyomito byapar. Khola chhater opor shodyyo office pherot bapi r ami. Grishyokaaler taapmukto korteyi bodhoy dokhin hawa’r shrishti. Maadure boshe bapi r amar koto e na golpo cholto shey shob sondhebelaye. Mone acche porer din chhilo Class III er final exam er result. Porikka ke bhoy petam na ami, kintu result ke petam. “First hote hobe” – na na, maa bapi konodin e emon daabi rakehni amar kachhe, kintu amar mon rakhto, r mon er kachhe haar mene nite hobe, shetayi amar bhoy. Bapi jiggesh korlo “Babu, kaalke ki hobe?” Amar uttor “ami First hobo”. Bapi o bhoy dekhalo “Rima kintu khub bhalo meye”. Mon bollo “Ami parbo…” r ami bollam “Bapi, amar cake chayi kintu”. First hoyechhilam ami Class III e. Class III theke Class X. jibone’r shaat ta bochhor protyek final result er din cholto Mon r amar lodayi “First amake hoteyi hobe”.

Mon tokhon 16 bochhor –
Sesh holo CBSE. Jiboner notun ek odhyay shuru howar somoy. Mon bollo ebar r shudhu bapi’r taka e porashuno korbona. Nije tuition korbo. 16 bochhorer jed kintu bapi mene neyni. 16 bochhorer Mon ke mone koriye dewa holo shey Meye. onnyer bari giye bidyabitoron kora take manaye na. bari’r chaar dewaler nirapottaye theke jibone boro howar chesta koro. Ami nijeke proshno kori parbo ki ami banchte jekhane swadhinota shudhu lingo nirnoy kore dewa hoy???? Mon bollo “Ami parbo…..”. Chhatro chhatri duyeyi jutegelo. Chollo nirapod sikhhya adanprodaan.

Mon tokhon 25 bochhor –
Ami uchhoshito, jeno prithibi joy er anondo. Prothom janlam “bhalobasha” kake bole. Eto dewar eto pawar anondo. Bujhlam jibone bhalobashar opore r kichhu neyi. Kintu cheharata je shundor noy, barita je chhoto, ora bodhoy ektu gorib!! Mon bollo manushtake dekho. Ami hashi, boli ebar ami jitechhi – manush ta je boddo bhalo. Ekeyi tobe nirbhoye bhalobashi. Mon o shaaye dey “Ami parbo….”.
Mon ta boro boka, buddhi neyi etotuku. Bhalo o je gorib hole shudhu bhalo thakte parena. Bhalo ebar hisheb kore - kom beshi, 3 tola 1 tola, bichaar kore chamrar rong, jaante chaye property valuation. Ebar ami bhoy payi. Bhabi Mon ebar o bolbe “Ami parbo..”; kintu ebar Mon kichhu bolchhe na keno? Mon keno shudhu kanchhe?!?!?!
Maa go “tumio kanchho?”

Mon ekhon 27 bochhor –
Charu Market er hoyichoyi chhere, 4 tola’r chhath chhere, bhorer train er horn chhere, sheeth er rod er taap chhere ekhon bandha porechhi Neil Avenue er shobdohin, alohin, praanhin ekta ghore. Ami khub chesta kori Mon ke bhalo rakhte – bapi’r priyo Manna Dey, blinds er phaank diye dhoka poronto bikeler nijhum alo, dresser er opore shajano thakur, ghor jure amar Puchkai er chhobi – kintu Mon bhalo thakena. Mon khub kande aajkal, koto ki jeno bolte chaaye kintu ke shunbe!!! Ami je boro byasto – paper er deadline, TA er kaaj, project er tara – ki kore tomaye bhalo rakhi ami???

Aaj chhuti nilam tomar jonne. Bhablam golpo kori tomar sathe, dujone mile nahoy eksondhyaye smritiromonthon kora jaak. Dekho toh shobayi koto khushi tomake niye. Mon shara deyna. Ami boli eyi toh shuru ekla thaka, ekhono je onek poth baki. Mon ebaro bolo “Ami parbo…”!!! Mon ekhono shara dichhona keno??

Chithi

Bhai,

ami toh proti muhurteyi e-mail check kori...tao toke uttor dite besh deri e holo...ashole chayichhilam jokhon tui e-mail check korte ashbi abar totodin obdhdhi jeno eyi "chithi" ta tatka thake :)

hmmm...ami kemon achhi? bhalo e achhi re. e deshe bhalo thaka khub shohoj.........besh nijer moton thaka jaaye, keu karor jibon niye matha ghamaye na.....chayile shobbar sathe hoyi hoyi koro, r na chayile ghore boshe Sunil Gangyopadhayye gelo....tobe bangali prochur eyi paraye...tara majhe majhe naak golan bote :P. bondhu temon bhabe keu hoyni....ekhane "shudhu jawa asha, shudhu shrote bhasha...". khoniker jonne eksathe hoye khub hashi thatta anondo kora...abar nijer duniyaye pherot. bhalolegechhe onek ke, oneker satheyi bondhuttyo kora jaaye, kintu ami ekhono korini :)........

ekhane ashpasher shobayi e student....maane amader bari ta jekhane.....etake bole South Campus...r South Campus e Indian students e beshi...infact bhorti bangali. Saraswati Puja theke Durga pujo....ebar naki poila boisakh o hobe....hujug uthteyi thake kichhu na kichhu.............amio besh mete uthi sheyi hujuge. janish ekhane eshe ami naach o korechhi :)...Columbus e 2008 er Bangamela hoyechiilo...onek boro artist ra eshechhilen...3 din dhore bongoutshab r ki! Suni theke Samaresh...Lopa theke Srikanta, Swapan theke Satinath..shobayike dekhlam ekhane boshe...r sheyi bangamela'r inauguration e amra nach korlam!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Kolkata e boshe eta bhabte o partam na.

Amricans ra dibbyo manush...amar besh pochhondo hoyechhe....ekhane lok eto kom, je bhir ki jinish praaye bhulte boshechhi. ekhane shobayi nijer raja. "Freedom" er swad ekhaane esheyi bujhlam...lagamhin swadhinota shobbar odhikaar edeshe. tobe niyom o achhe, ayin o achhe r ta na maana hole kothin shashti o achhe. ekhane raasta e poth cholti protita manush dekha hole heshe "hello" bole...irrespective of caste creed color and religion...........shobayi e jeno bondhu howar jonne raaji hoyeyi achhe. amar besh bhalo legechhe United States of America! Shudhu thanda ta boddo beshi r rod tao boddo beshi.....

Amar advisor bhishon e bhalo manush, jemon bhalo scientist tar theke onek beshi bhalo mansuh uni.....tobe ekhaneo ek mushkil...prochur swadhinota...majhe majhe mone hoy karor hathe nijer lagam ta dile ektu nischinto hoyi :(

porashuno bhalo e cholchhe...coursework praaye sesh....erpor candidacy tarpor shudhu e research...kichu ekta khunje ber korte parleyi kella fateh :)

ekhane kotha diye somoy chole jaaye bujhte parina...ekekdin ektu kuremi kori bote..kintu somoy boddo taratarti kete jaay ekhane.

adjust korte edeshe karor e osubidhe howar kotha noy....amar ontoto hoyni. amar roommates ra khub e bhalo....oder help peyeyi besh ranna korchhi aajkal.....ja bolbi khayyie debo.....machh to murgi..payesh to pathshapta...fried rice to biriyani! Indian to Italian.

Osubidhe shudhu ektayi hochche....dine dine maa r dida'r size er dike egochchi....eta Amrica'r jonne na gene er jonne shetayi bujhte parchhina.

bari jete toh bhishon e ichche kore....kintu jader kachhe jabo tara toh dakena bhai!

dekha jaak, kobe daak pore.

ami toh onek kotha likhlam...tui o tor shob kotha like janash.

bhalo thakish,
Buri

Dear Jerry

Dear Jerry,

Hope you are doing well! You thank me for being in touch with you - but true to say, I thank you more.

I am really sorry that I took so long to tell you about myself. We met in the Swampfest. That was Fall and this is the end of Spring. I really wonder how time flies. You know what, it has been a year and a half now since I have seen my parents, have touched my mom, giggled with my friends out there, pampered my 2 year old nephew - since I have been home!

My aspirations to study higher, study better brought me to the United States of America. I traveled for nearly a day to arrive at this part of the world, away from the still "developing" sphere of the earth. I belong to a middle class Indian family, from a part of the country known to be the Cultural Capital - Kolkata. Having grown up in a very crowded city, buzzying with traffic, roaring horns, vehicle exhausts stinging one's eyes and ever noisy streets, Columbus was like all deserted to me. There is more to this missing list of mine. I miss the hot sweltering summers, the sweet winter mornings, the soothing breeze of spring and songs of the Cuckoo. We have a monsoon, too. Heavy torrential rains from the tropical clouds are like music to the ears as the dark clouds turn a day into night. Indian classical music has a raga devoted to the roar of the monsoon clouds known as raga Malhaar. I miss my early morning sunrays, I miss my fullmoon on my moonlight flooded terrace, I miss the verandah where I have spent hours together singing, watching and listening to the streets and just wondering. I miss my home.

Had it not been for my Masters dissertation in Soil Microbiology, I would never have aspired to work with Prof. Richard Dick and not have applied to The Ohio State University. And here I am now, a PhD student in the School of Environmental and Natural Resources. I spin my time studying, working in the lab and teaching now. I love my students - I often try and find in them the time of life when I was of their age. I really envy their sense of independence, their confidence and their ability to express their opinion - I admire their self-reliance and only wish if the children of my country were as equally heard as they are. Life at OSU has been a mix of feelings for me - I have received more than I have given to it. Not only the respect of being a graduate student, the faith that the people around hold in me is as rewarding as it is humbling. I should be honest and must say, I now love the freedom and amiablity here. I love the Winter snow and the frosty flowers on the frozen ground, I love the red-orange-golden leaves of Fall, I love the smell of Spring and revel in the heat of the Summer. I love the serenity and the wild of the Wetlands - I love the red maple and the honey suckle as much as I love the golden rod and the cattails. I am fortunate to be in this free world. I love the crazy Buckeye fans, the uncanny styles of the students, the smell of Adriatico pizza and fresh Panini bread; I love Caesar salad and hot-fudge brownies. I am surprised to find a "made in India" shirt at JCPenny and cannot resist but have it - at times I feel, I can still touch my Motherland, can still smell its soil, air, grasses and sunshine from this faraway New World.

I still have a long way to go and fall in love with the rest of the US and overwhelm my love affairs with the Smoky Mountains and the New York City. I still have to find myself among the most revered Soil Scientists and still to dream higher.

I do not know if I have said enough for you to know me; this has been like moving forth and back in memories, distance and time. I am really glad to have a friend like you who wants to know about me. Thank you Jerry.

I was shocked to know about the passing away of your daughter - she IS so beautiful and vibrant. I am more of a blue placid lake whose bottom can be easily seen. I cannot say if you can find her in me - but surely, I promise to be your friend.

Stay in touch and take care.

Best Wishes,
Taniya