"A RIVER CALLED TITAS" "Based on the novel by Advaita Malla Barman" "Screenplay by Ritwik Kumar Ghatak" "Book published by Puthighar Ltd (Film rights reserved)" "Produced on behalf of Purbapran Kathachitra by" "N. M. Chowdhury (Bachchu) Habibur Rahman Khan Fayez Ahmed" "Main playback singer Dheeraj Uddin Fakir" "Actors in order of appearance Nupur" "Roshan Jamil Shirin" "Golam Mustafa as Ramprasad" "Prabir Mitra" "Ritwik Kumar Ghatak" "Chanu Bhattacharya Narayan Chakrabarty Malati Debi" "Kabari Choudhury" "K. Matin Sheikh Fazlu Banani Chowdhury" "A. Matin Mesbah Ahmed" "Rosy Samad" "Rani Sarkar" "Shafiq Islam" "Aruna Bandyopadhyay Sheelaj Mallik" "Supriya Gupta Rahima Khatun" "Sufia Rostam Farid Ali" "Mahibbur Rahman Sabita Bandyopadhyay" "Golam Mostafa as Kader Ali" "Khalil Khan Farooq Khan" "Kalipada Sen Sagarika" "Faqrul Hasan Bairagi Shamsul Huda" "Sirajul Islam Shahid" "Amita Basu Chakkan" "Tamij Rizvi Rabiul Hussain" "Sunil Amin Joy Islam and others" "Guest Artistes Abul Hayat Golam Rabbani" "Dilip Chakraborty Jahangir Chakladar" "Assistance with collected songs Haralal Ray" "Playback Singers Rathindranath Ray Nina Hamid" "Abeda Sultana Dharmidan Barua" "Dipu Mamtaj Pilu Mamtaj" "Abu Taher Indramohan Rajbangshi" "Still Photography Sunil Aamin" "Publicity Pracharani Limited Subarna Pracharani" "Maya Art Naksha" "Musical instruments played by Alauddin Little Orchestra" "Assistant Director Abdul Zalil Mintu" "Tamijuddin Rizvi Amjad Hossein" "Assistant Photographer Murshed Ahmed" "Assistant Editor Atiqur Rahman" "Anwar Hossein Khurshed Alam" "Music Assistant Liaqat Hussain Nantu" "Sound Amjad Hussain" "Makeup Rebati Das" "Printing Jahangir Rabbani" "Mainul Haq Abdul Aziz" "Development Selim, Karim, Jasim" "Optic printer Hasan" "Production Management Mujibur Rahaman Abdul Rauf" "Lighting Nannu Mia" "Mohit Kiran" "Acknowledgements Mijanur Rahaman Choudhury" "M. A. Jalil M. A. Jaman" "Hasan Imam Abdum Kuddus Makhan" "Sheikh Selim Abdum Jasid" "Nurujjaman Nantu" "Dhaka Urban Co-operative Bank Ltd, Narayan Ganj" "Tandra Islam Khabiruddin Ahmed" "Barun Bakshi Naru Barman" "Shamsher Ahmed" "Saiyaduddin Ahmed Bhabatosh Bandyopadhyay" "Chalachitra Unnayan Sangstha, Bangladesh" "Processed and Developed in the Studio" "Printed by Yusuf Ali Khan (Khoka)" "Film Processing Mafizuddin Ahmed" "Opticals Lutfar Rahman" "Sound Re-mix Harun-ar-Rashid" "Music Recording Harun-ar-Rashid A. Majid" "Dialogue Saiyad Nurul Islam" "Art Direction Munshi Mahiuddin" "Makeup Mohammad Shahjahan" "First Assistant Camera Bulbul Wazed" "Editing Abu Taleb Mahabubur Rahaman" "First Assistant Director Fakrul Hassan Bairagi" "Executive Producer Sanwar Murshed" "Music Ustad Bahadur Hossein Khan" "Editing Basheer Hossein" "Cinematography Baby Islam" "Direction and Music Composition by Ritwik Kumar Ghatak" "Gokannaghat is a small fishing village on the banks of the River Titas." "Nobody knows much about the people here." "And, perhaps, nobody even cares to know." "This movie is dedicated to the toilers of everlasting Bengal." " I caught it first, Subol." " Kishore, I'll be left with nothing." "Must you keep bickering?" "Shame on you." "Keep turning it, Basanti." "We're ushering in the Maghmandal ritual." "Don't behave like that." "You've worn a new sari." "Kishore and Subol will make a leaf boat for you to set sail." "Bathe in the Titas first, come back home, then clear the courtyard and paint it with auspicious drawings." "As if..." "I hear they're going to Ujaninagar with uncle Tilakchand." "God knows when they'll be back." "I can't bear to wait." "Keep turning." "Keep turning." "Mother, look at them." "Listen to what Subol and Kishore did." "As soon as I placed the leaf boat in the water," "Subol and Kishore fought over it like kids." "Each of them said they wanted it." "And they wouldn't let go." "I said "You've both made it." "So why don't you share it?"" "Kishore left it, like a good boy." "But Subol grabbed it and ran!" "You're hurt because Subol took it, and not Kishore." "He could have taken it." "But he left it." "Why didn't he take it?" "He's upset, isn't he?" "He is a good man." "Don't worry." "He'll be back in a few months with money in his purse from Ujaninagar." "It will happen soon." "What a way of showing friendship." "Kishore or Subol, which of them are you waiting for?" "They will surely come." "Go away, Mungli." "What have you put on your lips?" "Red color?" "Stop it, Mungli!" "If it's Kishore, you don't have to paint your lips red." "But for Subol, it's all right." "Hello, uncle Ramprasad!" "Is that you, Basanti?" "See how Mungli is teasing me, uncle Ramprasad." "Teasing?" "She can't wait to marry." "She broods over who'll marry her." "They've both gone fishing." "Who will it be, Kishore or Subol?" "You've grown up now." "Uncle." "I miss my daughter." "Who?" "Durga?" "She left yesterday." "My last dear one." "She was all I had." "My only daughter." "Durga?" "That's the way it happens." "It all comes and then disappears again." "There's a spark of life." "And suddenly it's not there." "It all becomes untraceable." "You were a child yesterday." "Today, you're a woman." "This ever-flowing river Titas may become bone dry tomorrow." "It may not even have the last drop without which our soul cannot depart." "Yet these flocks of sails move on and on and on..." "This is enough for today, Kishore." "Let's turn back the boat, Subol." "Look!" "The headman of Ujaninagar himself has come." "Let's see your catch." "You're doing well, lads." "But don't stay here for long." "Finish your business and go home." "Kalipur is on the other side." "We have a quarrel with them." "There's news that they will create a stir after the Holi festival." "We hear, sir, that your Spring festival is very colorful." "We'd like to see it before we go." "And in case of a fight, we'll be on your side." "We, too, are fishermen." "The Kalipur toughs are here." "Get some water quickly." "Your girl has fainted." "Here's your daughter." "Take her." "Mother..." "Who was that?" "I couldn't see his face." "Is it true that your village is an ideal one?" "Are there people from different castes and educated folk too?" "We'd like to have closer ties." "We're poor folk." "Will it be befitting for you to forge relations with us?" "We are poor too." "What sort of ties?" "Ties of friendship." "Between us." "Fine." "It's accepted." "Not merely with words." "But with song and dance, and binding gifts." "What does that mean?" "Come, change your clothes." "The headman is calling you." "My wife would like a word with you." "Beloved bride, how shall I adorn you?" " Should they exchange garlands now?" " Yes." "I am so unfortunate." "The bridegroom will be leaving soon." "Here..." "You can have a formal wedding when you get home." "Exchange garlands for now." "Here..." "Take it, please." "Come here." "Give it to her." "Here..." "Take it." "Give it to him." "Son, don't be restless." "Embark on your journey in peace." "Don't forget us." "I bequeath you to him." "Beloved bride, how shall I adorn you?" "Wake up, Radha!" "The Suk Sari bird sings." "How long will you sleep, Radha, on this shore?" "This is your father-in-law." "Touch his feet." "You've got the bride." "Formalize your wedding in your village." "She's now your companion in your life, your work, in this world and the next." "Never ill-treat her." "Your dried fish has been sold and you've got the cash." "Set your sails homeward." "Perhaps we will never see each other again." "What is your name?" "Kishore Chand Mulya Varman." "My father is Ramkeshab Mulya Varman." "Gokannaghat village, Tripura district." "Come on." "You've found your mate here, brother." "Now what will happen to Basanti from our village?" "She's all yours." "I'll be sailing through troubled waters." "There'll be bandits too." "And there's a woman with us." "Tell you what, Kishore." "Do it this way." "Prepare the bride's bed under the deck." "So that nobody sees, nobody knows." "Kishore." "Listen to an old man, Kishore." "Don't look at her on the boat." "Subla, unroll the beds." "Look into the cooking." "It's your responsibility." "Oh, God!" "Hey, brother." "So, have you found the girl of your dreams?" "How do I know?" "I've hardly seen her, hardly know her." "I can't even remember what she looks like." "I've forgotten her face." "Completely." "If she's mysteriously replaced, I wouldn't know." "Enough of looking at her." "After dinner, we'll all sleep under the awning." "Be alert, nobody should go outside." "Traversing the Meghna, crossing Bhairab Bandar." "A deft course, and then the Titas." "It's nearby." "Shameless wretch!" "Kishore!" "Get up." "How much more will you sleep?" "We've suffered a great loss!" "Subol, she's gone!" "We've been robbed." "All is lost!" "Let go of me!" "Let go of me!" "Turn the boat, turn the boat!" " We've found her." " Where?" "There in the darkness." "Subol!" "Kishore has gone mad!" "Something is floating in the water." "Come quick." "Basanti, you star-crossed girl, you're driving me crazy." "Why do you move about in the thick undergrowth?" "Why do you keep staring at your reflection in the Titas?" "And who will clean the pots?" "Your childhood love was blighted." "You married Subol and he died the day after the wedding." "And you are still alive, you good-for-nothing." "Go quick." "Go to the water." "Are you looking for a husband in the woods?" "Remember how, as a girl, you prayed for a husband, setting afloat your leaf boat on the Titas during the Maghmandal ritual?" "Go on, don't look like that." "You both grew up together, Mungli." "You have a happy family." "And she?" "Your husband loves you dearly." "And look at her misfortune." "You don't know, aunt, how her heart is tormented as she yearns for a child." "Gokannaghat is plagued with wants." "What misery we have faced over these years." "I can't take it anymore." "Oh, mother." "You're like Goddess Bhagawati incarnated." "I'm escorting you myself to Pagla Shiva." "Please, mother." "Will you tell me?" "It's been nine or ten years since we found you on the riverbank." "You've never spoken of returning to your father's house." " No." " Why?" "I was pregnant and kidnapped by bandits." "Who would believe me in my father's house?" "You haven't looked for your husband in all these years." "Why so?" "I don't know his name nor the name of his friend." "I barely saw his face." "All I know is the name of his village." "What made you set out today?" "You could have stayed here, praying in the same village." "Stone-hearted." "My Goddess Bhagawati is a stone-hearted woman." "Tell us, please." "What makes you restless today?" "For this boy." "This boy is growing up." "Who will I say is his father?" "If he does not accept you?" "What if your husband accuses you of using your misfortune for your own benefit?" "It's for his conscience to decide." "What can I say?" "Mother, why does uncle Gour call you Bhagawati?" "Well, Bhagawati is everybody's mother, yours and mine." " Everybody's mother?" " Yes." " Yours, mine and his too?" " Everybody's mother." "It's really funny!" "Bhagawati." "New here?" "Where do you live?" "I don't know." " Who's this, Basanti?" " She's just arrived." " Are you fisher-folk?" " Hello, ma'am." "They are the new dwellers of this village." "Not us." " We've just come to see her off." " Yes, I understand." "We are of the same cast." "Come with me." "Let's go, ma'am." "That's Kalo's mother." "She is the richest here, among the Malo folks of this village." "She'll take you in." "She's a poisonous snake." " I'm Basanti." "What's your name?" " Rajar Jhi." "Don't worry." "Kalo's mother will definitely give you shelter." "She'll get a housemaid for free." "Oh, God, what have you done?" "This punishment is too much." "I thought I'd make him the master of the house and live on his earnings." "Arrange his marriage." "Bring his bride home." "I'd play with my grandchildren." "Oh, my fate!" "I've given those two old men something to eat." "They want to leave in the morning." "I've made arrangements too." "You are a newcomer, my girl." "Listen to me." "My husband left a lot of money and property." "And my son earns good money." "Every year we harvest lots of hemp." "We make big fishing nets out of those." "Hey, Mungli, give me a banyan leaf." "What's so amusing?" "I chew a little." "My late mother-in-law used to eat huge banyan leaves." "She won't say YYpaan" leaf." "It sounds like her father-in-law's name, so she says YYbanyan" leaf." "My father-in-law used to smoke tobacco occasionally." "He had long, curly hair... and eyes like the devil!" "We were scared of him." "He'd smoke and play the harinda." "Hey, my girl." "Is your mother like me?" "Well..." "Is she alive?" "I don't know, ma'am." "Oh, my fate!" "Oh." "I also have stories about my father-in-law." "Listen, please." "He knew the game of tungri." "The two masters stood at each end of the courtyard." "One of them threw a snake, after muttering a charm." "The other, with another charm, killed the snake." "Once a master snake charmer came from Kamrup-Kamakshya to play tungri with my father-in-law." "She challenged him "If you're your father's son, save yourself from my hornets."" "My father-in-law raised a dust storm and blinded the hornets." "Then he shot another arrow to make his challenger's dress fly upwards." "The more she tried to pull it down, the more it would flutter up." "To hide her shame, the snake charmer had to run for shelter in a boat." "You can leave." "I'll take over." " Where's the boy's father?" " I don't know." " I hope he's not dead." " I don't know." " In which village were you married?" " I don't know." " I suppose there was a wedding." " I don't know." "What luck!" "The child is from the marriage, I hope." " How are you, sister?" " Well." " The child is from the marriage, right?" " I don't know." "You don't know anything, do you, sister?" "I suppose he dropped from the skies." "Here's the spindle for the coarse thread, and this is for the fine one." "Take this board to the riverbank." "Wash and beat the hemp on it." "Then dry it in the sun." "I will come in the evening and teach you everything." "You'll have to make 14 reels of thread a week." "Seven coarse and seven fine." "The coarse ones will sell at 1 rupee a kilo, the fine ones at 2, which the fishermen will buy gladly." "Hello, Basanti." "Have you heard the rumors?" "What rumors?" "Her case will be taken up by the village council." "Whose case, Mungli?" " Whose?" " The boy's mother." "Why will there be a council meeting regarding her?" "That's what I told Mohan's mother at the riverbank." "Whether she spent her father's wealth for nothing or called a man off the street, why should the council have a meeting about this?" ""Unlike you people," I told Mohan's mother," ""I don't talk until I'm sure of things."" "Before coming to the meeting in the evening," "I'll ask the elders, who can decide her fate." "There may be only one subject to discuss." "With whom will she stay?" "You, me or Kalo's mother?" "Is everyone at home?" "I have an announcement to make." "There will be a meeting at Bharat's house tonight." "You are expected to lend an ear as you chew tobacco and betel leaf." "Is everyone at home?" "I have an announcement to make." "We all know about the newcomer." "We must decide how to accept her in our society." "With whom should she stay?" "We must find out more about her family first." "She says "I know nothing about my family."" "Then ask her who the father of the child is." "Keshtachandra!" "Uncle Ramprasad, there are some people in this forum who have been bribed into stirring things up." "But they have no sense of dignity." "When blind people like them make a judgment, they easily jump to conclusions that the person is of a loose character, and therefore must have slept around." "Such perverse thoughts have deprived them of decency." "Other societies may consist of twenty homes or ten." "But mine consists of three families." "And which are those?" "My family includes Basanti and Kishore's father." "This is the last word in reference to this woman's case." "Let there be no more discussion." "Take her along, Mungli." "Now they will be a part of your family." "Agreed, uncle." "Mother!" "What happened, my dear?" "Are you scared of me?" "I haven't come to make a judgment." "I just came to see you." "I'm from another village." "There's no one like your mother in my home, and no grandsons play in my yard either." "Had my daughter been alive, she'd be your mother's age." "So early, uncle Ramprasad!" "Didn't you go home after yesterday's meeting?" "No, I just went round the village." "A thought..." "What if she comes over to our village?" "She could be accommodated with pleasure." " Who's that, mother?" " Bhagawati." "As for your contribution towards the festivities, uncle, the elders have exempted your crazy son." "Mungli, didn't you want to buy my net?" "Here it is." "Don't sell it, uncle." "Even if you don't contribute, the festival will still take place." "But it'll take time to weave another one if you sell it." "I'll persuade the elders." " Don't you agree, Mohan?" " Fine, sister." "I came because they asked me to." "How can I take offerings and listen to the song if I don't contribute?" "Don't worry." "Catch fish with the net and sell it." "Give us a feast during the Sankranti festival in winter." "Right, I'll just celebrate the festival for my crazy boy." "All homes will be open." "Who'll come to your home?" "There's no shortage of people looking for food." "We'll throng your place." "I know what gluttons you are." "These old hands have to cook for you." "Don't worry, aunt." "I'm here." "And Basanti and Ananta's mother will help you cook." "Mother, take the ground rice to uncle Ramkeshab's house." "I will come soon." "We'll make rice cakes." " Where?" " There, where the mad one lives." "Oh, no, sister, they're strangers to me." "We've never spoken to each other." "I've never been there." "I can't go." "Sister, I was a stranger once." "Human beings get to know each other by meeting." "With cattle, of course, it's different." "Don't refuse to go." "They are so old." "Who knows how long they'll live." "It's their cherished wish to entertain people." "On this festive day, who'll go to their house?" "There will be Mohan, my father, the headman," "Radhamadhab from the temple, and, of course, your son Ananta." "We're only going to serve rice cakes." "Do you understand?" "Come with me." "Come." "I'm sleepy." "Tell us a story, sister." "You are from another village." "You must know many new stories." "Oh, dearest, who has stolen your heart with his magic flute?" "If you know any stories, speak up." "I am getting bored." "Don't say anything if you don't know." "But if you do, please share." "I know a story." "How a man became crazy over a woman." "And he wanted to marry her." "Did he marry her?" "Oh, tell me, please." "Did he?" "Yes." "What happened then?" "Then... then..." "Sister, I don't know anything after that." "Good God, is that your story?" "Is this about one man?" "Every man in the world goes crazy over a woman." "And he doesn't leave without marrying her." "But the real story is what happens afterwards." "Sister, you're holding something back." "Believe me." "I'm not." "I'd have told you if I knew." "I know how a man went mad because of a woman." "He really became crazy." "And how his friend died." "But I won't tell you." "You continue with your mysteries." "Let me sleep." "When the madman and his friend were children, during the Maghmandal ritual," "they made a leaf boat for a girl." "She was betrothed to the man who has become crazy now." "When he returned deranged her parents changed their minds." "She was married off elsewhere with fanfare." "I know who she married, but I won't tell you." "I know even more than that." "After the wedding the friend went fishing." "Thrust into danger by his boss, he died in a terrible boat accident." "I know the boat owner." "But I won't tell you." "Why won't you tell if you know?" "I can't." "It's too painful, sister." "And the one you spoke of..." "Who was that girl?" "Her name was Basanti." "She's dead." "Listen, here's the story." "The man went mad because bandits kidnapped his wife from his boat." "Let's see if Ananta is asleep." "Oh, beloved bride, how shall I adorn you?" "Sister, you worry me." "Stop joking with the crazy man." "You don't know why he's crazy." "Yes, I know." "Because he lost his soul mate." "You cannot get his soul mate back." "No." "I can't do that." "But I can try to become his soul mate." "You're restless, sister." "You need a man." " What's that you're taking?" " A little rice." "What about the stuff you're hiding?" "Potato, vegetables, salt, oil..." "All for that wretched woman, right?" "Ananta hasn't eaten for two days." "My friend..." "Stop seeing your friend." "You're living off your parents and you want to support your friend." "Put these things back." "Go on, finish your housework." "You're forbidden to go to that house from today." "Pick up the utensils and wash them by the river." "Moina, dear." "You visit many places for bird hunting." "Can I come with you?" "Yes." "When?" "Right away." "You wait." "I'll get some clothes." "I'll be a vagrant and go anywhere with you." "I'll be back soon." "Don't run away." "Okay?" "Oh, my!" "It's an utter disgrace." "I saw her fooling around with Moina." "What's this?" "Wretched girl!" "I'll talk with Moina." "I'll go off with Moina." "If you don't feed or clothe me, I won't eat nor wear clothes." "But I'll leave." "You will be tarnished." "It's nothing to me." "I have nothing to worry about." "I have nothing to lose, but my body." "I'll squander it, spoil it, ruin it." "I'll do whatever I wish." "Try to remember." "You married me off so long ago." "He died, anyway." "I was too young to understand anything." "And you keep preaching about honor." "Now I wander about, cursing my fate." "Will you ever understand how deep my river of pain is?" "Can't I have my own dreams and desires?" "How dare you, you wretch!" "What are you saying?" "Just wait!" "Let me get my shoes." "Leave it!" "Leave it, please!" "I am asking you to leave it!" "Go!" "Please, go away for a minute." "Go!" "I'll deal with my daughter." "Must you humiliate your father when others can hear?" "What about his dignity?" "He can keep it!" "What about me?" "What do I care?" "With a friend like Ananta's mother and a son like him," "I thought I'd forget my sorrows." "If you won't let me see them, I'll fling myself at the first man." "See how long you can keep me imprisoned." "Go to Ananta's mother, you wretch!" "For God's sake, stay away from men." "Mother, dear, they haven't eaten for two days." "Take something." "There is some rice and some fish." "And take whatever else is needed." "Take whatever you like for them." "Go on now." "Mother, Ananta's mother's sari is in shreds." "You have three saris." "May I give her one of yours?" "Let me ask your father." "Oh, no!" "All right, give her one sari." "I'm hungry, mother." "When is aunt coming?" "I'm starving." "Here I am." "Food will be ready soon." "Ananta, my dear." "Take this fried rice." "Eat it now." "I'll finish cooking soon." "Here's a sari." "Sister, you told me I needed a man." "Yes." "A woman's life is barren without a man." " Get hold of a man." " Who?" "Catch the crazy man." "I tried, but he slipped away." "Stop joking." "I'm not joking." "I'm saying the truth." "Yes." "If only he'd ask me, I'd look after his house." "Explain it to me." "There are so many men." "Why are you drawn to the madman?" "Why don't you drop a hint to anyone you fancy when you go fetch water." "There are more needs than one." "Look at every home." "It's run by a man." "The woman is his mate." "Sister, you've gone mad over that mad fellow." "He will ruin you one day." "Tell me the truth." "Are you the one the madman lost?" "How do I know who the madman lost?" "I know that living alone is unbearable." "If only I had the mad fellow, I'd always live with him." "Sister," "I, too, feel a yearning sometimes." "But I resolved to live like this." "Mother, it's the spring festival today." "Bathe him in the river Titas." "I'm too old to go." "I'll manage him." "Get soap and a towel." "That woman is so fearless!" "She touches a stranger in broad daylight!" "There's nothing wrong." "She can cure the madman with her care." "It's a virtuous act." "It'll earn her merits." "Indeed!" "Funny sort of virtue, I'd say." "Is there blood?" "See if he's dead." "Oh, my!" "Water." "My wife!" "Mother!" "Aunt Basanti!" "Basanti, doesn't your mother scold you?" "What for?" "This orphan..." "He isn't related to you." "Yet you cook for him." "You follow rituals." "It's none of her concern." "She only orders people around." "Father goes out every night to catch fish, which we sell." "Let's go and bathe, Ananta." " Does mother visit you?" " Yes." "She doesn't touch the food you offer." "Why doesn't she?" "Because Ananta tries to talk to her." "The dead never talk to the living." "So they don't hear the living either." "They just understand their feelings." "Come, Ananta." "He who doesn't have a mother has nothing." "True." "Ananta can't forget his mother." "It's been some time now." "She was a real goddess." " Very unfortunate." " Who?" "Who else?" "Those three..." "Intermission" "Banamali, hurry!" "A merchant boat is sinking." "Allah be praised!" "You've saved me." "Banamali, it's not worth going further." "Let's stop here." "Let the boat drift with the wind." "Why don't you rest over there, sir?" "What a downpour." "Villages are not recognizable." "Dry yourself, merchant friend." "Merchant?" "There are no merchants in our family." "I grow potatoes and sell them in the market every Saturday." "But never to haggling merchants who always ask for credit." "It's not easy to get money from them." "Like the fishmongers." "Buy cheaply, sell dearly." "You remind me of our uncle Ramprasad of Jatrabari." "He used to play a part in Ramayana." "No, I'm not Ramprasad of Jatrabari." "I'm Kader Mian from Birampur." " Aren't you Banamali, the fisherman?" " Yes." "I remember." "Last Muharram festival, when I was returning from a stick fight you told me about Karbala." "Yes, Karbala." "Don't drink that water." "It's polluted." "I have relatives in your village." "I'll take you there after selling the potatoes." " Relatives?" "Are you married?" " No, my sister is married there." "Why are you staring?" "I couldn't earn a penny from the first lot." "Nobody would've bought those potatoes." "So I gave them away." " But we haven't even started..." " Yes, we did." "We started with charity to an orphan." "He'll pray to God and bless us." "He who is an orphan is truly unfortunate." "Without a mother or father, one's always kicked around." "If the father dies, it's difficult for the mother." "If the mother dies, the father takes responsibility." "And the brother takes responsibility for the sister's kids." "Here, take this." "If you don't, some other child will." " What is your name?" " Ananta." "Who died?" "Your mother or father?" " Mother." " Where do you live?" "You are fishermen by caste." "Will you take me home?" "Yes." "The market is warming up." "Let me take you around." "Hey, do you understand, Banamali?" "Come to my village some day." "Even the cattle know where Kader Mian lives." "Okay, sir." "I won't go to your sister's place today." "It's late." "Maybe some other day." "Do you want to come on the boat with me?" "Yes." "We'll row around creeks and swamps, catch fish and sell them." "Make a meal and dine on the boat." "Visit home once a week." "Care to join us?" " Yes." " Not today." "Your folks might be upset." " Go home now." " No." "Stop, stop." "Leave the boat." "Leave the boat, please." "He used to have one meal a day." "Now he has three." "How can we manage?" "It was difficult enough for the three of us, without one more." "Yes, I'll have to get rid of him one of these days." "The problem will be over." "Why not now?" "No." "First I must teach him to fish." "Ananta, get ready." "Don't take him fishing now, Father." "He's a small child." "There are many dangers out in the river." "Don't take him with you now." "Let him grow up a bit." "He flickers like the dying lamp, but doesn't die." "After lying low for some time, he's come back again." "I feel like driving him away for good." " This girl is creating trouble." " Mother!" "Stop talking rubbish!" "He has lost his mother." "Even sworn enemies don't talk like that." "Of course, he's my enemy." "I want him to drop dead." "I will pray with special offerings for him to die." "Why should he die?" "Let me die first." "Let me go out of the house." "I won't say anything more now." "But one day I'll surely drive him out." "When are you going to serve rice, sister?" "He's hungry." "He couldn't even shear off a bunch of green bananas." "Please, don't be harsh with him today." "Let me cut the banana bunches." "Don't pretend, Nabachandra's wife." "I'm Udaitara, Banamali's sister." "Brother is coming to take me to father's home." "Shut up!" "This isn't your parents' home." "Let me feed her for the last time." "She'll not eat anymore." "You were her friend, sister." "Don't go." "I'll take him." "This is where your mother died, Ananta." "Here on the bank of Titas." "Take it and go." "Choose a place neither dry nor wet." "Put it there." "Don't turn back." "What's the matter?" "Why are you so depressed?" "It's nothing." " Come." "You'll sleep by my side." " Why?" "The funeral's just over." "Tonight is inauspicious." "Why?" "After death, the mother becomes an enemy." "She no longer remains a real mother." "She becomes an enemy." "She tries to take her child with her." "Her spirit wanders everywhere." "If she catches the child alone, in the dark," "under the banyan tree or on the riverbank, if there is no one around," "she whisks him away and kills him." "No." "Mother's different." "She comes to see me." "I see her on the riverbank." "Where?" "On the bank that bears her name?" "She looks terribly sad." "I don't understand what she wants to express." "And she sobs and sobs." " Mother is Goddess Bhagawati." " Really!" "Aunt, there was a terrible storm yesterday." "Haven't you eaten?" "Come." "The hut fell because of him." "And this foul-mouthed daughter of mine cooks for him." "Get out!" "My enemy!" "Because of you, I hit my mother." "You're not related to me by any means." "So why should I bother?" "Leave!" "Just leave now!" "Let fate never bring you back here!" "Never show me your face again." "Go where your mother has gone!" "It's good that the unpleasant wretch has gone away." "Why should I be responsible for him, sister?" "He's neither my son nor my brother." "For what do I bear so much pain?" "I took him in because his mother died and nobody cared for him." "Let him seek his own destiny, now that the funeral is over." "Sister, Brindaban has seen him selling fish in the market." "My son saw him at the betel leaf shop." "The merchant was throwing so many leaves towards him." "And he wasn't taking a single one." "Who?" "Ananta?" "I don't want to hear about him anymore." "Here's the whole story." "He came last night with some betel leaves." "I fed him, prepared his bed and asked him to sleep." "But he did not sleep." "He vanished like a ghost in the darkness." "I sent my husband in search of him." "Husband!" "Your husband is a sheep." "Whatever he may be, he's my husband." "He looked for the lad, but no luck." "Some say he lives in the woods." "Some say in the hole." "Some say he lives in the temple at the cremation grounds of Jatrabari." "I hope the boy doesn't turn crazy now." "Basanti, come and have a look." "Come!" "Where did you vanish to last night?" "Near the riverbank." "Mungli, shall I give you a tremendous thrashing one day?" "Hello, Nanda's mother." "Who's come to take her?" "Udaitara's brother came to take Nabachandra's wife to her parents." "My parents' home and hers are in the same village." "I see." "I've got news." "He lives there, hiding like an animal." "Get out." "You can't stay here like this." "Take it." "I've bought clothes for you." "Don't jump like a horse." "Where have you been?" "So, husband-baiter." "Are you the person who married me two years ago?" "Let me marry you again this year." "Okay?" " No, sister." " Then you marry me." " I don't like all this." " How can one woman marry another?" " Do it." " Shut up." "Basanti." "You looked after him, brought him up, took care of him in every sense." "Now others are taking him away." "Come." "You may not get a chance to see him again." "Come on." " Allow me to go now." " Yes, you can." "Let me leave in search of the new river, as my mind wanders." "Let me sail on the water as I have nothing to worry about." "After the heat and the monsoon, after autumn and the festival..." "I'll be back after all that." "Ungrateful wretch!" "Because of your own mistakes" "you lost everything." "Who will you blame for this pain?" "O dear one, weep no more." "What do you want?" "I am Manik Kundu." "Son of Jagat Ballav Kundu of Babupara." "Manager of the fishery branch of your village's co-operative credit society." "I'm here on urgent business." "With me?" "Not right away." "But, yes, some other time." "I must see Ramkeshab now." "There, a few huts away." "But he isn't there now." "You won't find anybody at home now." "The men are away fishing." "I must still keep trying." "I've come to reclaim some loans." "Do you weave?" "No, but it seems I'll have to." "Try." "You may find uncle Ramkeshab." "I better get going." "Will you stay here?" "Yes." " By the way, what's your name?" " Basanti" " Are you a widow?" " My bad luck, sir." "I'll sit awhile." "He might come anytime." " You're full of youth." " Don't sit on the ground." "I like it here, Basanti." "No, I can't allow a respectable and rich man to sit here." "Come home." "I'll get some tobacco and betel leaf." "You're offering me tobacco and betel leaf." "What luck!" "Come." "Come with me." "Come in, sir." "You have fallen for the beautiful fisherwoman, haven't you?" "Beat him well!" "Spare me, mothers, I beg you!" "I'll kill you today!" "There are only avenging mothers here!" "Strip him!" "Drown him in the Titas!" "Oh!" "Not my clothes!" "Please don't do that." "Not my clothes!" "Please, don't do that." "Humiliating such a rich man?" "Hey, you!" "You're a fisherman, too." "I'll finish all of you." "Go ahead." "I'm very angry with the fishermen." "I can't stand the sight of them." "Because I move around with you, they shun me." "Do some justice." "We'll sink their boats at night." "No matter what it costs, get men to steal their nets and burn them." "Why let them off so lightly?" "You listen to me, Manikchand." "That wretch who took you to her house." "Go and drag her here." "Buy some pints of liquor and take her to the old abandoned Kali temple." "That wretch?" "No way!" "Masters, these things will not do." "I am a fisherman myself, and I know it well." "As long as the fishermen are united, all this won't work." "Find another way." "YYFind another way." What other way?" "Get them hooked on theater." " Theater." " Yes, theater." "Give them parts in a play." "With drums, flutes and clarinets." "It'll be like the theater in big cities." "Divert their attention, break them from within." "They're up to their necks in debt." "We'll see them off and reclaim our loans." "Finish them in both directions." "Burn their homes." "Seize their property legally." "Have them beaten up by the police." "That'll be a good treat for them." "Before that, I'll go and woo the court clerk Kalua and Magan Mian on my side." "That will be taken care of." " Be patient." " Why?" "I've gone for Kader Mian of Birampur and framed him." "You know him, right?" "The one who uses arms at the drop of a hat." "But that fool doesn't understand anything about court cases." "Let me first settle this." "Then I'll settle the score with the fishermen of Gokannaghat." "Our lads want to have some fun." "So, they should be pleased to supply women." "Instead of being grateful, they are opposing." "What cheek!" "Come." "Khushi, Khushi..." "Yes, Father." " Yes, it's me." " Come." "Come home." "Yes, I'll come in." "I've come with a purpose." "I'm prepared." "If he wants to fight, I'll fight back." "I do feel insulted." "I didn't pay all your dowry." "But does that mean your father's a thief?" " Where's your father-in-law, Khushi?" " He's gone to the market." "Father-in-law, you've come." "Yes, here I am." "I'll not return home without taking Khushi this time." "After the wedding, my girl never went home." "She's bearing a baby." "This is a big family." "I have no family, no land to till, so there's not much to do." "I'm a court clerk with a gift for cheating." " Let her rest in my house." " 'll come too." "Sure you can go." "But even I want something." "I want 400 rupees." "I'll build a boat to compete in the race." "I slog all year and get nothing." "Hey, Sader Mian." "Are you calling me, Father?" "Yes." "Magan Sardar of Ujanchar has filed a false case against me." "A case." "Is that so?" "Yes." "I cultivate my own land and feed myself." "What a surprise." "What is the case about?" "Three years ago, I borrowed 200 rupees from him." "The next year I paid back his money with interest." "He promised me he'd tear up the agreement." "But he's using it to lodge a false claim against me now." "You're very careless, Father." "When did he lodge the case?" "And in which court?" "Who are you?" "I'm Nizamuddin, your relative." "Relative?" "I thought you were a chameleon." "Think what you like." "At this age, I've made many a chameleon dance." "What do you mean?" "Yes, I am right." "You've never handled legal matters." "How can you understand the power of a court clerk?" "I fly a kite in the sky but hold the strings in my hand." "Judges and barristers are nothing to me." "Don't be afraid, Father." "Don't be scared." "You're up on a false charge." "I'll take care of that case." "And I'll file counter claims of cattle stealing, crop stealing and those sorts of things." "Let's go to the court tomorrow morning." "I'll go." "But not with you." "And not to the court either." "I'll go and see that fool." " What will you do there?" " I'll ask him." "I'll ask whether he remembers me returning his money without taking any receipt." "What if he's forgotten?" "He wouldn't dare." "Allah's wrath will pour out through my eyes and burn him to ashes." "Father, you are naive." "Advising you is like talking to a field." "You stay in the land with the cows." "Your intelligence is like a cow's." "What are you saying?" "Many come to me for legal advice." "Have you ever come?" "You're a coward." "Otherwise, you'd see me finish off Magan Sardar." "I can't stand this court clerk." "I stay with gentlemen." "I live with respectable people." "Have I ever mentioned that I've built relations with a farmer like you?" "We don't want our abode to be trampled by an elephant." "Why have you come to be insulted like this, Father?" "I made a mistake." "I'll be off now." "I'll never come back to this farmer's house again." "How can you leave without eating?" "Hey, come here." "Take this stick and keep a watch on him." "Sader Mian." "Here's some money for a big chicken." "Buy it from Barkat to feed your father-in-law." "The chicken of our house is small." "I'm going to find Magan Sardar." "Father, the sun's scorching." "Take this." "Please, Kader Mian, kindly forgive me for the last time." "I've deceived many people in my life." "I'll never do it again." "You will be the last person I deceive." "Don't stop me." "Just put up with it." "You'll see after I bring about your ruin, I'll turn into a good man." "I'll never deceive anyone ever again." "One last time..." "I will have to put you in trouble." "I'll keep bearing it." "Don't hesitate to pursue legal action." "I'll not defend myself." "After the verdict, I'll sell my land and pay up, even if I have no cash in hand." "But become a good man after that." "Give Nizamat a hookah." "Nizamat." "Take your daughter at the time of the big Hindu festival." "And be back when it's over." "Magan Sardar has committed suicide." "He jumped off a huge tree near Titas." "My boat will win the race." "I'll get a prize." "Here is the money." "Throw it into the river or do whatever you want." "What will you do with this boat?" "If we win the race, we will be the pride of the village." "What else can the boat be used for?" "During the rainy season, I can row it to the waterlogged fields and collect fodder." "Any ordinary boat can do that." "Yes, but only this boat can race too." "What about the dry season?" "Keep it sunk in the river." "Let fish gather in it." "Then we can catch them easily." "A very good idea." "Father..." "I would like to send my son to school." "No need." "Let him go tend to the cows in the field." "But then he'll remain an illiterate farmer like us." "If you send him to school, he'll become a court clerk like your father-in-law." "You're always abusing my father, saying that he takes bribes, that he's a thief..." " Stop it!" " No, I won't." "If he's so bad, why did you bring a thief's daughter to your home?" "Why did you not throw me out?" "If I'd thrown you out, would you have been happy?" "See how happy I am here!" "Vile woman, will you stop?" "I'm vile, my father's a thief, and you're asking me to stop!" "Whatever he may be, I'm his daughter." "He brought me up with motherly care." "If I die, it's my father who'll weep." "A thief's daughter, and so much babble." "What about your daughter Jamila?" "She's also a motherless girl." "Just as I am the dearest treasure to a father," "Jamila too is dearest to her father." "Don't mention my daughter's name." "Because of her, I never remarried." "And that clerk!" "Even if he has married, he cannot forget his daughter." "Will you stop, witch?" "If the thief's daughter hadn't taken my daughter's place in my heart, do you think I would have been able to stay with you?" "Fine, send your son to school." "But I am warning you." "If he becomes a liar and a cheat, I won't do anything for him." "I'll break your skull, Sader Mian." "And listen up." "In a few days, I'll bring Jamila home." "So you all be ready." " Aunt Basanti." " Ananta!" "Where have you been all these days?" "Who looked after you?" "Who fed you?" "Who put you to bed and told you stories?" "Oh dear, she drives him out and then inquires after his health." "Leave me alone, Aunt Basanti." " You'll desert me too." " Have you ever really loved me?" "Your love for me died with my mother." " How can you be so sure?" " I am." "I know." "Ungrateful boy!" "Some witch must have taught you all this." "Mind what you say." "Watch your words." "Go away and don't talk too much." "See what happens when you're generous?" "He isn't even your own flesh and blood." "Why did you have to show him so much love?" "See how he insults you." "There's only one real thing in the world motherhood." "There is nothing else." " Serves her right." " Just as you say." "Now we'll mock her." "It'll hurt her even if she tries not to hear us." "Hello, Basanti." "It's Subla's wife." "They've gone." "Basanti, beware." "There's a rumor in the village." "People in the market are talking, like the man who plays the drums." "Do you know what the educated, upper-caste folks are saying?" "Their words are final for us." "That you, a widow, are hiding out of shame." "You always stay indoors." "They know what's wrong." "Good God!" "What can be done?" "I was born here." "Married here too." "The babble doesn't scare me." "You're just a woman." "What can you do?" "I can do everything." "If I can't do anything," "I can set the village ablaze!" "I ask the council isn't there any justice?" "The women of the village are being humiliated." "Has the blood of our fishermen turned to the water of Titas?" " Are there no men of courage?" " Don't ask me, Basanti." "They've become a flock of sheep." "Uncle, why are you quiet?" "You've never accepted any wrongdoings." "He has sold himself." "The rich have turned him into an actor, given him medals." "What are you saying, brother?" "Let me go." "My daughter is ill." "Mother." "The unity of the fisherfolk is broken." "Everything has become rotten from within." "And I'm too tired." "Sister, we'll take action whenever you say." "Hold it." "There must be a way out." "We must find a way." "Beware, Basanti." "There's danger ahead." "One man will stop you." "Mohan found out." " Who?" " Aswini of Patnipara." "He used to work on boats, but now he acts in theaters." "Basanti..." "A breeze revealed her breasts lt was paradise for her friend" "How do you like this song?" "When you go to the king's court I cook I pretend to weep because of the smoke and hide my tears" "Isn't it nice?" "When you passed by playing the flute, I was eating then I can't talk to you. I am scared of mother and sister-in-law" "My clothes get soaked in tears" "Husband or in-laws, I have none." "I live without fear!" "Come, misbegotten one!" "I'll teach you a lesson!" "If you have the guts, take me on!" "This is my motherland, my homeland!" "I'm not afraid!" "There's not a man who can scare me." "The man who can hurt me has not been born!" "Forget about me." "I am worried about this fishermen's village." "Tell me, what's happening in our village?" "Your clothes are wet." "Put some dry clothes on." "This is the limit." "Previously there were only abuses." "Now they dare to beat us!" "They all have debts in your company." "Now's the time to squeeze them." "Don't go just like that, master." "Take armed men along." " But what about that shrew?" " Forget her." "They swore by the waters of the Titas to repay the loans." "And they worship Titas." "Now we'll wring their necks with the swirling waters of Titas." "The river is behaving strangely." "The waves move in circles in front of Kurullya." "Tired of rowing, I dreamt that the Titas had dried up." "Like the desert." "The river is drying up." "Let the fishermen act or fight among themselves." "Let them do whatever they wish." "What are you talking about, Mohan?" "What are you saying?" " Old haggard!" "How much do you have?" " A rupee and 12 annas." "What about your goods?" "Pots and pans, dishes, bags of threads, bags of net, and a lot more." "Come, old fogey." "Leave me alone." "I drag this old body about to catch fish." "Take away all my belongings." "Then I'll be free." "Let's go." "Bidhupal has a bad temper but a kind soul." "At least he has left you your boats." "Dry-eyed after all this beating?" "What good are tears now?" "Here's the auspicious moment." "Set the fire!" "Basanti, I want to have a word with you." "As a child, I set afloat leaf boats." "I was called Basanti then." "I became somebody's wife, soon a widow." "I also became Ananta's aunt." "Now I'm Basanti once again." "You're still the same old Basanti to me." "Come." "I need to talk to you." "Do you remember how we used to fight?" "I won't talk to you anymore!" "A thrashing from you would have given me peace of mind." "The anguish of beating you has still not left me." "Truly, I want you to beat me." "I'll strike not you, but your enemies." "Then you'll have no enemies!" "Come on, let's go." "Don't you want to hear about Ananta?" "Ananta?" "Oh, that poor boy!" " Yes, where is he?" " He fled to the city." " Lives with gentlefolk." " With gentlefolk, is it?" "I miss him too." "But then he's neither your son nor mine." "No, my dear." "I keep thinking of our Titas." "Soon it will be a faint memory, like Ananta." "The name alone will remain." "Look." "The river is gone." "What shall I do now?" "My Kalo was arrested by the police." "Took all our belongings." "I have nothing left!" "Mungli!" "I won't lie." "I'm a beggar now." "Mungli the fisherwoman begs nowadays in distant villages." "Will you take me along?" " Will you come?" " Yes, I will." "You'll get a lot of alms, an old woman like you." "But for us, the path is tricky." "A young girl can stumble, you know." "I am going to Assam." "You know, the tea garden." "That's where I'll go." "I don't care if I stumble or fall." "I'm still young." "I'll make money." "We did not have our meal yesterday." "Not even today." "Who knows where the next meal will come from?" "This will do." "Wherever I fall..." "Not feeling well, sister?" "Sort of..." "Where are you going?" "The farmers claim a share of the dry riverbed." "It was ours when it was underwater." "The fishermen say "We are finished now that the river is gone."" "But all the communities are with us." "If we don't fight, there will never be a pinch of earth left for us." "They will wield power over the land." "I'll be back soon." "The river Titas flows on." "But tomorrow it may be bone dry." "It may not even have the last drop, without which our soul cannot depart." "Distributed by Falguni Kathachitra"