Dream Come True

She lived on the edge of the Sal forests in Bonerpukurdanga, a Santhal village in the Bolpur district of West Bengal. Married at the age of fourteen, her dreams of graduating from Vishwa Bharati University, with a degree in folk dancing got crushed like the sugar cane passed through the iron wheels to extract the juice. Inside she felt like bagasse, dried of all emotions.

Night after night he returned intoxicated on 'mahua' and beat her mercilessly. He blamed his impotence on her. She couldn't summon enough courage to walk out. Where to? Once married off, returning to her parental home was out of bounds forever. Not acceptable in her society. Tending to the harvest, cooking meals, and preparing for the festivals was her lot for the rest of her life.

And then one day she found by the Kopai riverside, a lot of activity with men setting up cameras on tripods, actors and actresses sitting in foldable chairs waiting for the director to start "lights", " camera", "action". She watched them from a distance trying to perform the Santhal tribal dance to the beat of the drums. Take after taking, they couldn't get it right. She walked up to them and offered to show them the correct moves. The director dismissed her without even glancing in her direction.  

" Sir...give her a chance at least" the cameraman pleaded. Looking at her for the first time, he was shocked to see the beauty in her features, her lithesome body and then her performance. The crew froze as Sugi shook off her lethargy and pounced into action, effortlessly dancing to the music of the Bauls singing.  

The crew applauded with a huge round of cheering and clapping. Mr Mihir Sen asked if she would like to perform solo for the movie. She jumped at the offer and the money that came with it.

Sugi felt unchained at last. Packing her meagre belongings, she left for Shantiniketan. On her first audition, she was selected and offered a scholarship to pursue fine arts that included dancing, singing and choreographing. In four years, she secured a permanent position in the fine arts teaching faculty.  

Word went back to the village of her success. They felt proud that a girl from a tribal community was able to break away and make a name for herself.

Sitting alone in her one-bedroom apartment in Kolkata, the svelte, ebony skin tone, grey-haired lady reminisces about her past.