North Kolkata Calling !!

I usually don't prefer to live on past.Yet,I believe, one could't live without being haunted by that very past ! So here I am .... We had long holidays in our school during Christmas and it was our father's wish to send us to Deoghar where we had a beautiful house surrounded by garden. De- oghar was a much much quieter place during those days with few houses scattered  here and there.Dhuki Mali -the caretaker of the property-took good care of the house including the beautiful garden-full of trees and flowers.The house -then known as Sripatinath Deb's House-was just at the corner of Bompas Town and not far from the station.  Among other things I particularly remember of an afternoon when I was sitting near the  window watching lines of trees just outside the boundary wall of our house.A madding wind was steadily and slowly blowing throughout the day.I was around 10 to 12 years  of age-the perfect age for day dreaming. S...

It was an experience that still haunts me!  I was probably 22/ 23 years old when I was passing through a North Calcutta gulee- not exactly a gulee-which had its own character, usually seen and felt during those days. It was around 8pm and quietness descended the place with only a solo female voice  coming from the first floor of a house. During those days flat culture was unknown or little known. The place was peaceful - in fact too peaceful except the voice which poured  into my ears and compelled me to stand still !I stood there motionlessly for nearly an hour listening to that gentle and melodious voice. I presumed the singer to be of my age or proba- bly more. She was a Classical singer absorbed in her Alap along with the accompaniment of her Tanpura ! Little did she felt my lone presence on the street below.I quietly walked away and felt the haunting voice pursuing me throughout the night in my sleep !  The voice melte...