 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Begum Rokeya |
|
|
|
A Mission to Boligorto |
|
|
|
|
|
Next Page |
|
|
Home |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The college was closed for the summer. I was sitting in the veranda. Suddenly I noticed Kamala Didi coming up the stairs, panting, and accompanied by a Muslim woman called Jaheda Bibi. |
|
|
|
So the Khan Bahadur Khatkhat� will not let anyone leave home. If only Jaheda would go to Guptapur with someone else then he could easily send them on to Boligorto from there. Their visit would no doubt make Khatkhat� Bhaisaheb extremely happy. |
|
|
|
|
Kamala Devi was a dedicated Congress worker whose mission was to propagate khadi and the spinning wheel. She pulled up a chair at once and sitting down, she said, "I have won over a lot of territory? Now let us go to Boligorto."
"And where can that be?" I asked.
"My maternal uncle's home is there. He is no more, so it's the bastion of my cousins," said Jaheda.
"O fine! Then it'll be easy to spread the message of the spinning wheel," I said.
"O No! It's not as easy as you think. The village is quite out of bounds. Moreover Jaheda is banned from entering it."
"Why? What has she done?"
"Because she goes about with me and has some education, wears khadi and takes vegetarian food."
"Then why go to Boligorto? Since it's the home of Jaheda's cousins, and she herself is banned entry?"
"How can that be? I am Kamala for whom all doors are open. Besides because entry is forbidden, all the more I must enter there. And you have to go with us."
"No dear, you go."
"Look here, it won't be any fun without you. If they are able to operate the spinning wheel then I shall give you the first khadi cloth that is made from the thread that the Khatkat�s spin. Mr Jaherdar Forfor�, who is the Diwan of the zamindar of Boligorto Khan Bahadur Kashai-ud-din Khatkhate, is now in Kolkata. Come, let's go to him and make all arrangements. Bina, get up, please! Come, quick." |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jaheda wrote back that they could go only if they were given some money for the journey. Where would a poor man like him get so much money? --- came the reply. Of course the Khan Bahadur Khatkhat� could easily send five hundred rupees if he wanted to. In spite of all this Jaheda was sure that once they reached Boligorto there will be no lack of funds. |
|
|
|
|
|
We set out on the appointed day. On the way to Guptapur , we halted for seven days in a friend's house at a place called Bishnuganj. It was about eight to ten miles from Bishnuganj to Guptapur. People usually did this distance twice or thrice a day. |
|
|
|
|
|
While in Bishnuganj we came to know that Mr Fargar� was feeling himself jeopardized and he was even hatching plans to frustrate our visit to Boligorto. This made Jaheda Bibi shrink in embarrassment. But Kamala said. "We will not give up. We will certainly go to Boligorto; first let us reach Guptapur. Mr Forfore� was so full of praise for his brother? We must take a look at this righteous sage, and such a great man! |
|
|
|
|
|
So we went to Guptapur. But Jaheda Bibi did not let us go to Mr Forfor�'s house. She made us put up elsewhere. After about two or three days out of sheer politeness Mr Forfor� sent a special invitation to spend two days in his house. And there Mr Forfor� and his wife Dalimkara gave us the following account of Boligorto. |
|
|
|
|
There was no way, and I had to go to Mr Forfore's with them. Two of his brothers were also there and we were welcomed with extreme warmth and hospitality. I wondered why in spite of such loving care and attention Jaheda Bibi said that she was banned from entering the home of her cousin. O I forgot to point out that this Diwan Mr Jaherdar Forfor� was the zamindar's brother and the other two gentlemen were his step brothers. None of them got any share in the zamindar's estate. They only got a monthly allowance. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
They said there was no proper road to Boligorto ?the way was full of ditches, ponds, slush. Since the water bodies were not deep enough, boats could not go. Since the way was neither dry nor flat, palanquins and motor cars could not go either.
Some parts of the road were as high as hills! People have tried ascending the Mount Gourishankar but no one has as yet dared the descent to Boligorto. There was great hardship---after a lot of hazards small fishing boats or other such modes of transport could bring to the town the letters from Boligorto. We would not be able to withstand the extreme hardship and hassles of the journey. And even if we did manage to arrive where would we stay? |
|
|
|
|
No sooner had Jaheda expressed the desire to go to Boligorto than Mr Forfor� said quite spontaneously, "O yes bubu, you must come. It's your own uncle's home, your mamarbari, why should you wait for a formal invitation? Whenever you want to go I myself will come and fetch you, and if I cannot come, then (pointing to his brothers) I will send one of them. Say, when will you go? Whenever you send the word, one of them will come and take you there." |
|
|
|
|
|
|
For the Khan Bahadur Khatkhat�'s huge palace was the abode of goats, cows, sheep, hens and other such creatures. Snakes and scorpions slithered along the courtyard in broad daylight. Evening brought on hordes of some deadly flying insects and oof ! How they would make our bodies swell with their sting! ?we would ache and itch like mad. |
|
|
|
|
Jaheda : -"Brother, I shan't be alone; Kamala Didi and Binapani Devi will also go with me. Our needs on the way."
Mr Forfor� : "Don't worry about that bubu! And don't feel hesitant or embarrassed. Come , all of you, it will be our pleasure. Bhaisaheb will be extremely happy to see you."
After this we all started making preparations for the journey. In the meantime Mr Forfor� had returned home. He lived in a town in the district of Guptapur. Boligorto was about forty or fifty miles from Guptapur. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Things were so bad that the Khan Bahadur had to have his meals sitting inside the mosquito net. His living quarters were in the first floor where there were not enough rooms to put us up in. His three wives occupied three suites. They were all confined upstairs or nearly imprisoned one may say . |
|
|
|
|
Mr Khatkhat� of Boligorto had not yet been informed about our visit. Jaheda was so far only corresponding with Mr Forfor� . When Jaheda fixed up a date and wrote to Mr Forfor� to send one of his brothers, he wrote back to say that both his brothers had already left for Boligorto and would not return before the festival of Bakr-Eid. Also at this time there was the fear of communal troubles. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mr Khakhat� did not let his feet down on to the floor for fear of getting bitten by snakes. His servants carried him about in a chair. In a chair he was conveyed to the outer wings of his mansion. |
|
|
|
|
|
Continued |
|
|
|