Anamika

Sitting lonely, Anu tried to recall her past in eyes full of tears. Now she was not a child, but her childish mind was tortured in unavoidable circumstances. Now she had been analysing her past and asked herself whether she was right or wrong for the heartbreaking events in her life. Sometimes she thought that her life was like a floating boat in a stormy sea, it may be drowned or destroyed at any time, but till now it had been floating, facing all the hurdles of time and tide.

      

Anamika's mother was not educated. Because at that time a girl child had not got many opportunities for learning. Their parents' intention was to get them married and to fulfil this purpose, they had been brought up accordingly. The girls were bound to learn household work such as cooking, sewing, guest hospitality, cleaning, washing, preparing pickles, Badi, sweet cakes etc. They had no independent voice. From their girlhood their mentality had been built in such a way that they thought, they were born only to go to their in-law's houses. They had to depend upon their fathers, then husbands and then perhaps upon their sons. Their lives were nothing but like creepers. For this, their - laws had been getting advantages to mould them according to their household needs.

     

My mother's girlhood was like this. In their day-to-day play, in festivals, worships everywhere even day-to-day talking of family members taught them one and only one thing that they were others' property and they should make up their tender minds only to fulfil the unavoidable purpose i.e marriage.

    

Anamika's mother had passed away nearly 12 years ago. Anamika's maternal village and maternal house were only in her memory. She had no scope to visit those physically. Anu loved her mother, her native town much more than her life. But, for many years she was deprived of that pious soil.

       

Nowadays she faced another type of conspiracy. Her husband sold his own made house in his sole decision just nearly informing her. So she had lost not only her own house but her beloved soil, where there was a beautiful garden made by her husband's own hand.

    

In this way, Anu was deprived of all her attachments. Now, she prepared herself to live all alone. Because now she was free from all types of worldly bondage. Now her path was clear to go towards the Supreme being from where she had come one day to this earth. That day, she was all alone and now also she was alone going there.

    

Physically, she had to leave nearly 21 years of relation with the whole Nature that she used to enjoy every morning and evening, her beloved Nature which stood with her in weal and woe. Anu's heart was aching in pain. But she had to overcome it. All these painful histories of her life couldn't disturb her any more. They were all past now but alive in her memory. Anu had been thinking all these in tearful eyes, aching heart, sitting in a vacant mood, expanding her vision to remote mounds only where she was searching for peace amidst gathering clouds at the top. In such a heart-tearing sorrow her dear Santiniketan was beside her. He calmly tried to listen to all these and then embarrassed her and said, "My dear, please don't weep no more. I am always with you. I am your old childhood friend. Here we both will live together happily. We have much work to do. So, don't waste time on the past, focus on the Present. Here also there is a rich and enchanted Nature before you. Try to explore it."Anu felt quite relaxed.