85 years have passed since the tempestuous romance between Duke and PIku made them leave their motherland.
India in 2025 is unrecognizable.
Everything is different with sweeping social changes that began with the country's independence. But what h...
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Chapter 28
The True Homecoming
October arrived and the pace of activities went on a hyper drive .
The Durga pooja special magazine finally got released on Mahalaya . Banyan Tree Publishing had set up several kiosks around town in the pooja fairs . They were mostly manned by the employees , apart from the one in Lansdowne road .
This one was always manned by the Mukherjees themselves . The fair ground in Maddox square was a mere 5 mins away from their home . So, the family took special pride in manning the company kiosk during the festival days .
But this year Avi had invited Patty to Adipur and he badly wanted to go . He knew that their family once had a home there . He wanted to see that house and also see the place where Borodadu and Motadadu grew up . His family agreed that he should go .
Patty and Avi reached Adipur station at 10 in the morning . Avi's family had driven down a few days earlier . The guys took a rickshaw through the narrow crowded street . It was lined with small shops with plastic and brassware hung out in display . A few clothes shops , a small dispensary , a sweet shop . These were the only bit of urbanization that Adipur had witnessed .
Half a kilometer each way beyond the station , the shops stretched out . After that the view opened up into endless emerald fields . Tall coconut palms swayed in the autumn breeze , ponds with life thriving under their mirror like surface had bamboo groves bent over their still surface . What they could see now was what Duke and Piku would have seen 85 years ago . They made their way through a rough cemented road , slightly higher than the rice fields on either sides .
The fields now lay bare , the harvest was over . The road turned left and became narrower and darker . Now, small houses encroached upon the road from either sides . The rickshawala's frantic honking didn't seem to bother the goats and chickens strutting through the lane . The lane itself felt engulfed in trees . They passed through what they assumed was the main village and then came across the temple .
It was a beautiful old building . A typical bengali temple.
Deep maroon in colour , it was the traditional hut shaped design with sloping roofs and a raised porch with thick columns supporting it . Hundreds of years old.
They stopped and paid off the rickshaw. They could walk to the zamindari from here . Patty took pictures and went up to the temple and peeked inside .
The priest came running and greeted them . He knew that Avi was supposed to arrive today . News travelled fast in villages . They paid their respect to the ancient idols inside and then munching the sweets handed to them by the priest , they walked down a path through the enormous field .
The zamindari house was on its other side . They entered through the side door and came upon a bustling scene . In a corner of the enormous balcony , the idol of Durga was receiving finishing touches from the artisans . There was a sheet partially covering the goddess . They weren't supposed to see her till she was completed .
