Granny's Story

My grandmother was born at Satyabhamapur, Cuttack. Her father was a Railway DSP and being promoted he was transferred to Kharagpur during the period of British India. She has completed Intermediate of Arts through Bengali medium. She was a straightforward and daredevil lady just like her father i. e. my father's maternal grandfather who had blessed with a daughter(my granny-elder) and a son-younger. She taught me Bengali while I was a UP student at Cuttack. She was often telling me stories while I was sleeping with her. She had a habit of reading Bengali, Hindi, English, or Odia Magazine while sleeping inside a mosquito net in the light of a lantern. She could not sleep without reading. One of her life stories once she told me as follows.

One afternoon she was cycling to the nearby market to fetch some groceries while she was a class IX student. While returning to Railway quarters after purchasing, she marked a young man following her, whose appearance was rude with long hairs and a thick mustache. The man was also a cyclist. My granny had a suspicion on that fellow's attitudes and gestures. So she changed her route straight away to the Police Station situated nearby and inform the S. I.about the follower. Then the S. I. sent a constable who was wearing a civil dress to accompany my granny up to Rly. Quarters. But the chasing guy was so cunning that still, he was waiting under a roadside banyan tree putting a hat on. His big red eyes were moving around which exposed his drunkenness. While my granny reached the tree side that guy again followed her. Red turbanned constable was also played the police trick and nabbed the ruffian and searched out some gold ornaments, thousands of rupees, a golden bracelet, a silver necklace, a gold ring, a bottle of whiskey, and dragger from the pockets of his long pantaloons and full shirts. After being slapped and severely beaten by the police the guy confessed his guilt that he was a thief, pilferer, street bully, and pickpocket at a stretch. At the time of police operation, some passers-by gathered there and dragged the culprit by his collars to the Thana and handed him over to the Inspector-in-charge and locked him up. Then my young granny was happy enough and with thanks to the Constable as she became tension free and by riding her lady's bicycle peacefully came back home with necessary grocery items. She told her father the whole story and her father thanked her for bravery and patted her shoulders affectionately.

After granny's story was over my eyes became closed and merged myself in deep sleep thinking and thinking about the bad qualities of a man. My granny also was asleep with deep snoring.