The Road Less Taversed

Recently I had to meet up with a friend near Nandan. It is a nice location near Exide More in Kolkata.

After meeting up with my friend and exchanging a few pleasantries we parted ways. It was then that I realized that I was near my school and it had been a few years that I have visited it. I don't know what overwhelming desire I overcame me but I felt that I had to visit the place. It was then that I began my long winding trip to my home instead of taking a cushy ride in a metro.

The places near my school started reviving those long lived memories that have been ingrained in me for thirteen consecutive years. I remember how my school used to look and seeing the new changes that have been placed on the top gave me a feeling of insecurity. I guess nothing is meant to last forever. (Summer of '69 by Bryan Adams). Ofcourse the school was closed for the holidays. But it was worth going that way just to get a glimpse of my childhood memory storage. (CSE student, can't help being technical at some point in time).

After that I started my walk home. The same path with the least variations that was the shortest distance for my home. The same path that I had used for nine consecutive years from 2002 to 2011. It was like muscle memory. I didn't have to consciously turn and move according to the road. I just went, with no thought of roads. The curves, the bends, the corners all too familiar to pause and decide about the course of action. Even the traffic it seems is the same after all these years. Its as if the path hasn't aged a day.

But still there were things which I was so accustomed to that when they failed to show up, it caused a sense of uneasiness. There used to be a solidified bag of concrete on the side of one of the roads. It had been lying there for atleast five years when I used to go through the place regularly. That for starters was missing. Passing the place I searched for the bag, but there was no mistaking it. That thing was certainly gone.

I slowly trudged my way across the known roads not even realizing how much distance I had covered in a somnambulist like state that when I turned near Matri Sangha in Bhowanipore, that I was taken aback by the great expanse of free space that suddenly assaulted my eyes and senses. There used to be a big building near that place. Quite an old one actually, many families used to live there. All of a sudden I find that the building has been completely demolished and materials for building a new one was being arranged. I was totally surprised at seeing the building gone. I think a friend of mine also resided there. I asked a guard about when the building was demolished and whether it was fairly recent. He replied that it was destroyed about six months back. In return he inquired how long ago did I visit this place last. In truth I said about four years. The guard gave a hearty laugh and said to me "Beta, Waqt kisi ke liye rukta nehi" (English Translation: Son, Time does not wait for anyone).

Although I wanted to know where the residents were and their whereabouts but I was pretty sure he didn't know anything as he was recently appointed. So I decided to the do the thing which time did to me. I moved on.

It was near Motor Vehicles a location near Lansdown Market that another fond memory made its presence. It was in that street that I had met a friend of mine by chance a long time ago. Her name eludes me right now, but when I was returning from school I had the chance to meet her and we had a good chat for quite some time. It was back in 2010. Now at the end of 2014 I was hoping to get a glimpse of her once again. Perhaps exchange a few words and pleasantries, inquire as to what she is doing now and tell her about me.

Alas!

She did not show up. Well there is no harm having high expectations I guess. Anyway I then met an old man in the Lansdown Market. He is a shoe seller by profession and used to greet me everyday on my return trip from school. In the past three years he had visibly aged and was actually hard to recognize him, but the warmth emanating from his eyes were unmistakable. It was him for certain. He greeted me with the same way he used to with blessings and asked about my current studies and what I am doing.

I exchanged some words with him and then bid him adieu to him as well. There were no more surprises awaiting me any further as I was in my home turf. But one thing is for certain. The road less traversed has completely changed in the past few years.

Cheerio!
Rajorshi Mukherjee