Kamalika, an energetic and young journalist from Kolkata, India set out to find the story of Teesta. There are few people who are biased about Teesta and she is one of them, grieved with the loss of her beauty due to ecological disturbances.When she reached home, she found out that there were more stories at home from her 86 years old grandmother.
Kamalika's email: kamalikasengupta90@gmail.com
Thakumar Jhuli Part I
86 years old Bina Sengupta sitting in her dingy
south Kolkata residence still remembers her childhood days in Rangpur,
Bangladesh. She still believes that Rangpur is the best place on this earth.
From Elephant and horse rally in Tajhat, a palace in Rangpur which was then
British administrative office, everything became alive as this Octogenarian narrated
her story. Bina was fondly called Binu and she had two sisters and two
brothers. She was the youngest and that is why she was notorious and the most
loved in the family. Binu’s father was Station Master in Kokrajhar Railway
Station in Assam. Binu says “It was only three hour journey from Rangpur and we
use to enjoy our weekends sometimes in Rangpur and sometimes in Kokrajhar. But
partition broke everything; my father left his job and came to Kolkata”. Her
eyes filled with tears and the pain of the partition changed her mood. She said
“nobody asked my father and mother or us that, were we interested to go to
Kolkata? but we were forced. Sitting here in 2012 you will not understand, how
in one day it was ordered that the place where we were staying for ages, it was
told that place is not ours rather that is now a different country”, everything
seem standstill. It seems that agony of partition was still there in her.
Picture of Binu at her young age when she had to leave her favourite River Teesta...
She again started again after holding for few
minutes, Rangpur, is known for many Swadeshi Movement, she boosted that she was
somehow related to famous freedom fighter Fhani majumder. Her Brother who is
also her best friend, Bulu was a revolutionary. She laughed and told me that
she was very much afraid when she came to know that Bulu is involved in
revolutionary activities. All the secrets meetings of the revolutionaries, they
use to hold in Newsenpara of Rangpur. But as Binu’s father made her understand
that Bulu was not doing anything wrong, she was convinced. That is why when
Bulu was arrested by British police, she was not afraid...rather she was happy…
How Binu use to celebrate Tajhut Elephant
rally…what happened in Rangpur during her marriage….continued in next series…
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