The mother of all road trip : DAY FOUR

DAY four we wake up groggy eyed. It is really early as we prepare to leave Denver. While leaving the city you can see the vista of the downtown on one side and the snow-capped Rockies on the other side. We left so super early that there were hardly any cars on the road yet.

Once you leave the city borders of Denver and go towards Wyoming the scenary changes at every bend and it is truly breathtaking or as people in this generation likes to refer to it "instagram worthy".

For once we did have a destination. Teton National Park. We debated going to YellowStone National Park but then later decided that YellowStone will have to be a trip by itself. Wyoming is empty. When I say empty. I mean EMPTY. There is nothing anywhere around. Unlike the east coast there are no rest stops after every 30 mins. It is just wilderness. Raw and beautiful.

Finally after driving for hours we came across an almost broken gas station. But there were atleast 50 cars there. It looked like it was the only gas station for miles. As I entered the gas station, I saw on the left that there was a tiny designated room marked "PRAYER HALL / GURUDWARA". Surely enough that gas station in the middle of nowhere WYOMING was owned and operated by a Sikh family.  Along with the regular chips and sodas and candies they were also making " Aloo Paratha" in a corner. I was the only other Indian and I went upto them and asked them if I could buy one. They informed me that was for the family and not for sale. Seeing my dejected and hungry glances they just offered me one and said no payment was necessary. I was touched with their gesture. After that I went to use the restroom. I wish their compassion extended to the other guests using their facilities and they step up and clean the restrooms.

After a brunch of " Aloo Paratha" we were on our way again. We were driving at 100 miles an hour. And our windshield ended up being responsible for a million bug deaths. The white spots you see are not meteors, but bug guts.

The Grand Teton National Park is a national park(BIG SURPRISE) and the two major peaks are Teton Range and Jackson Hole. Words are not enough to describe this place in the middle of true cowboy country. It is pure, untouched, virgin. This is where peace lives. Nothing bad can ever happen here. It is where you fall silent and drink in the the grandness that nature has to offer. The few snaps in this blog does not do any justice to this place. We also got to see wild animals including wild buffaloes, deers, foxes and a moose.

We decided to have dinner at Jackson Hole town. It is the tourist spot and gentrified to appease the tourists and cater to them, what they would expect a cowboy town to look like. Although, I did have the best grilled salmon I have had ever in my life here.

When we left Jackson Hole we still had daytime. (Thank God for Summer). Then, however from nowhere a bunch of dark rainy clouds started floating in and covering up everything.

We were soon caught up in a crazy thunderstorm and had to make a stop for the night adding one more extra day to our epic road trip.

আমি ঢাকা

I had gotten my visa extension about two months back and the first thoughts in my head were I have to go home. To kolkata. I had asked my manager then only but finally that Friday morning my manager came up to me and said I could look to go back home end of October if I wanted. That's all I needed. I booked my tickets within the next 5 hours. The flight is apparently on a Monday and would reach on Tuesday and I would lose two working days. That will affect my utilization and then my rating. But who cares? I am going home. That's what mattered. I decided to meet up CGNC. I had been cooped up inside the house all week.I was just in one of those moods where I did not want to meet anybody and was feeling like a hermit. But the fact that I would be going home needed to be celebrated. It was around 8 in the evening when I met CGNC. I was bursting at my seams. I just blabbered whatever happened throughout the day. Any celebration needs food and that's like a CGNC and me tradition. We meet up once a couple of weeks and go and dine out and make a day/night of it. He listened to me and said you must want Indian food today and to that I told him that what I wanted that day was good bengali food and I went on to add as to why the Bangladeshi/Bangali community here have'nt opened a true-blue Bangladeshi restaurant. And then he said " Hey ! Have you been following what's happening in Bangladesh today." I had read that a Hindu priest was hacked to death the day before and I silently nodded. "Why do you thing their commandos are taking so long to take any action? Why are they not barging into the cafe?"  I realized he was talking about something else. "Cafe? What Cafe?" He replied "A bunch of terrorist have stormed some cafe in some city in Bangladesh. I can't remember the name. The ISIS have claimed responsibility."

I was only half listening to him. I was already too busy trying to find the details on my phone. Bangladesh. I could not believe it. I know politically, geographically it is a different country but I have always felt that it's not that different. I mean, everyone in my mother's side of the family converse in fluent "bangal". How many times have I heard my pishi telling me "এহ তুই  মিষ্টি  খাস না . তুইও  বাঙ্গাল তোর  মা'র  মতন ."

All kidding apart. We speak the same language, eat the same food, share the same history, are nourished by the same river. We are the same.

And then I found out. A cafe in Dhaka. Dhaka! I had always imagined it to be like a soul-sister city to Kolkata. You know how we read about "সই " in old books. Something like that. I don't know why. But I needed more information.
More information than that there were Italians and Japanese citizens trapped inside the cafe. I needed more information than, the RAB was standing right outside waiting to take action. I needed to know who were inside. Who were those people. I needed to know how many terrorists. And yes I desperately needed to know what the RAD was still waiting outside for. I needed real-time update. Sitting in the U.S we keep getting real-time updates about a Bangladesh-India cricket match. Why not about this? Why not about what is happening in Bangladesh? If this was Paris or Brussels or Orlando, then there would be updates..that would have been the only news flooding my feed.

And then I went to Bengali daily news sites. And then I got what I was looking for. I don't even know what I was looking for anymore. I learnt about Arushi. And Arushi's friend. Farhaaz Hossain. The boy who could have left and saved his own life. But chose to stay back because of his friends and was hacked to death. The boy who was just 20 and far wiser and braver and noble than any one of us could ever be. But then the boy who hacked Farhaaz to his death was like Farhaaz and yet so unlike him. Nibras Islam, Rohan Imtiaz and Meer Saameh Mubasheer. They were not older than 23 themselves. They have studied in the best schools, travelled, and have been exposed to the world. Yet, they were completely okay with dying, because they believed they would go to heaven. More scarily, they were completely okay with hacking someone who was exactly like them. to death, not shoot them, but hack them with a machete, in the name of religion. Someone they might have had common friends with. Someone they could have easily had a conversation with, or shared a cuppa joe with, in some cafe.

But instead all of them lie dead. All of their lives cut short by machetes or bullets, brutally. And all, directly or indirectly because of this arbitarary "thing" called religion.

And that brings me to the point I have found hard to shake off my system. A point which would offend a lot of people. Everyone I know, have strongly condemned and been shaken by what happened in Bangladesh. But then there are many among them who are also strongly religious. Devout Hindus, Muslims, Christians and/or Sikhs. And to them I want to ask and this is a genuine question. Not an abstract condescending one. What is the point? What is the point about having a religion?

I really don't know the answer. All I know is that it could have been me. I am just like any of them. It could have been me sitting in a cafe with my friends, when a bunch of religious fanatics might decide to storm in and hack people to death. I don't know if they would have decided to spare me if I identified as Hindu or a Bengali or not. All I know is that I would bleed too. I already am. Because at some level I might not be as brave as Farhaaz Hossain or as cruel and clueless as Nibras Islam, but I am still them. Maybe not exactly. But still. A lot like them.

The Master, The Mistress and The Bachelor of Arts.

Disclaimer : I did record all of their voices, but when I came back and replayed the recording it was all gibberish. So this entire post is from memory. 

Location :  A very well known silver shop in Hoggs Market(popularly known as New Market).

It is a Saturday afternoon. This tiny shop is very busy as usual and brimming with customers. I was here a week back and had wanted this particular piece of earring which they were  nice enough to bring. Me, KB and SB as usual are also checking out 75 other different things. This shop has an array of breathtaking pieces of jewellery and every time I come here I keep on wishing if only I could afford to buy every piece they have. I am pretty sure I will not even mind the duplicates. But this Saturday I had another agenda. I wanted to feature them in my blog.

NAME : Vashi
AGE : 60
ETHNICITY : Sindhi

From the first day itself I like this vital middle-aged man. He always has a friendly smile and is quick but genuine with his compliments. He reminiscences about his grandfather who came and settled in Kolkata from Sindh Punjab post India partition. The shop he tells me was established in  1962. This shop was also his father's baby. He used to be an accountant in a reputed Engineering office and did not initially have much interest in the shop. Now he is nurturing his father's dreams by taking forth the tradition. He also mentions that his son (who is his constant companion) is very interested and he is happy to transfer the responsibility to his capable hands.
He talks about the Kolkata of the 60's and the people then and the people now and how the customer's profile have changed throughout all these years.
He asks me jokingly about the Prince Charming in my life with a twinkle in his eye.
He is one of those very few people who know how to live their life to the fullest and be happy and makes others smile around him.

NAME : Rupa
AGE : 56
ETHNICITY : Sindhi

Rupa just like her brother has an easy smile and a friendly attitude. But at the same time it is easy to figure our her deep perceptive inner core.Talking with her reveals more and I wanted to talk with her more. It felt like she believes in the same philosopy of life as me. Also she is one of the very few people who guessed my age correctly. She is a professor and she is single. She lives by herself. I asked her if she has any pets and she told me she does not. She said she is happiest with herself. She talked about how losing her elder brother suddenly made her seek solace in meditation and spirituality. She has this aura of calm reassurance and she imparts it to everyone around her.

NAME :  Vinayak
AGE : 23
ETHNICITY : Sindhi

The cutest looking boy with a shy yet charming demeanor enticing with his lovely pretty fares. He feels like the life of the shop. He is passionate about this shop and it shows. He even designs some of the jewellery himself. His father calls onto him for every minute details and he seems to know all those minute details. He is calm and collected and seems to be everywhere at the same time. The only time I noticed he looked a little uncomfortable was when he had to bargain with two older ladies. But he was polite and firm with them at the same time. It was highly admirable. He is also the solver of all problems silver. All you need to do is present him with the problem and he will definitely resolve it. He also likes dancing and was sweet enough to invite three of us to his concert.

For me personally it feels great just being in the shop and talking with them and looking at all the pretty things. They never force you to buy. They never stop you from trying. The never tire from showing you whatever you want to see. And they do it with a warm and friendly smile.


Actual Address: Asian Arts , F61 New Market. Kolkata - 700067.

Siddheswari Kali Mandir

• NAME : Debiprasad Mukhopadhyay
• AGE : 62
• LOCATION : Siddheswari Kali Mandir
• OCCUPATION : Devotee

Debi Prasad Mukhopadhyay calmly narrated the history of Siddhewsari Mandir to me and KB. He patiently answered all our questions. His family carry on the responsibility of taking care of the idol and the temple.

The idol itself is over than 500 years old. The Goddess appeared in the dream of the celebrated Sadhak Kaliprasad. She revealed herself to the Sadhu(holy man) and told him that she can be found in the southern side of a village where the Ganges ends. Sadakh Kaliprasad came down from the Himalayas with his two disciples and discovered the idol on the southern side of a forest in West Bengal, exactly where the Goddess had told him She would be found. Kolkata was not kolkata then. The Goddess had directed the Sadhu to establish her in The Maha Pith(Kalighat). But Sadhak Kaliprasad being a holy man of very limited means, offered water and sugar to the Goddess. He then meditated and prayed till  the Goddess gave him permission to establish Her in that place only. After establishing the Goddess, the Sadhu went back to his Himalayan abode.

The history of how the temple was built around the idol is equally interesting. There is a well known Madan Mohan temple a few feet away from the Siddheswari Kali Temple.One follower of the Madan Mohan temple was Shyam Chand Mullick. He happened to be the local zamindar. Daily while coming back from the Madan Mohan temple he had to cross the Siddheswari Kali idol. He would cover his face up so that he did not have to view the Goddess's face. In  pre-indepant India of 17th century, being a Vaishanb(follower of Krishna) it would be heresy on his part if he even as much as glanced at the Kali idol. But then over the next few days, he started hallucinating the Goddesses's face while looking at Lord Madan Mohan. He was deeply repentant and as a token of begging forgiveness he built the temple. He also engraved his name on the floor in front of the idol. The idea is that his offense would be slowly reduced as people step over his name to pray to the Goddess.

A few decades later towards the early 1700 this temple, became a place of worship and a centre for the notorious Dacoits of the day. Historically for some reason the Dacoits have been ardent devotee and worshipper of Kali, the ultimate symbol of female power. This Kali idol came to be known as one of the Dakate Kali idols. The Dacoits would abduct innocent victims and use them as human sacrifice by beheading them and offering the fresh blood to appease the Goddess. Infact the Kali idol is placed on top of three Dacoit heads. Even to date the Harikath(the Y shaped structure where the victims head would be placed while his hands would be tied behind his back) and the Khorgho(chopper used to chop the head off) is preserved inside the temple. It was only towards the end of 1700 when, one day Lord Clive , the then viceroy of East India Company, was passing the temple on his boat via the Ganges, came upon a little child about to be sacrificed. That is when he took measures to stop this barbaric ritual of human sacrifice.

This place also is witness to several other historical incidents. The Siddheswari Kali idol was referred to as Ginnima by Ramkrishna Parhamhansa Deb. This is where he stayed when he used to visit Kolkata. Once when Keshab Chandra was grievously sick, Ramkrishna Deb asked him to offer prayer to the Siddheswari Kali Ma. But Keshab Chandra being an ardent Brahmo Samaj member refused. Then Ramkrishna Deb came all the way over to Siddheswari Kali and offered prayer on Keshab Chandra Sen's behalf. 

The celebrated theater personality Girish Chandra Ghosh used to come to Siddheswari Kali Ma to seek blessing after every new play that he would write.

I am not a religious person. I am, what can be best described as agnostic. But this idol(Mrinmoyi Murti) has a calm and powerful aura. Just being in Her presence will make you close your eyes and offer a prayer. I did offer a prayer and also made a wish. Later KB told me that she prayed and wished that I would make a wish inside that temple. So if that means that her wished came true.... does it mean so will mine ?


P.S. - I am uploading the narrative in Debiprasad Mukhopadhyay's own voice. It is in three parts and might not be very cohesive.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3