Killing the Water

For more:

Blog:     https://tasteofliteraturewithgeethu.blogspot.com/

Youtube:  Taste of Literature with Riya https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8bPxrwGbA0R2yJUOieZ-wg

 

Ø The narrator reached the place Dhaka in Bangladesh. But it filled with air pollution. This is quiet different for him. The people were the mask where once filled with good air.

Ø Now he narrate the changes occur in the place. At first he says how Mymensingh Road named as Kazi Nazrul & later he say how railway line road change into Sonaragaon hotel

Ø However,his place still have the touch of traditional so that he find horse carriages, bullock carts etc

Ø Later his place is filled with palatial residences and they had a very rich life but his father is not like them.

Ø His father abandoned his job in Calcutta and settled in Dhaka when Second World War comes to close.

Ø He only had small land in Dhaka and Ford jeep

Ø This jeep is also not belong to him. He got this jeep from the American soliders who closed up their shop with the victory over Japanese.

Ø Now he runs small business of transporting and selling firewood.

Ø His mother married his father with the condition of continuing her schooling into medical college.

Ø But two years later she drop-out because his father (her husband) flirt with other nurses. Later they had four children

Ø His mother is city –born, learned modern medicines but she always use ayurveda for her children whenever they fall ill.

Ø His mother often said, the water is source of life whenever she said this his father murmured, water is death than life because his village is near to bank of river Jamuna. He lost his kinfolk due to flood.

Ø However his mother uses her chance to say how water is important. Once such a chance is Monsoon pilgrimage trip.  His father asks narrator’s elder brother to fetch water to prevent engine from overheating. This makes take her opportunity to say how water is source of life even for modern machine.

Ø Near to his home there is a pond, which filled with fish. This pond is always associated with story.

Ø The evil men insulted or attacked saint. This saints change the evil does in to fish, turtles or crocodiles with their magical power. However the saints is known for their mercy so they setup places of pilgrimage where travellers would gather & feed those unfortunate souls in to eternity

Ø The narrator place is filled with greenery so there is lot of ghost story associated with palmyra tree. Though narrator does not believe this he and his sister often hear swoosh swoosh sound above their rooftop near Palmyra tree where they play in  the morning

Ø One day dozens of dead fish float side way on the pond. They worried if the catch disease but his mother concluded by saying “somebody must have placed a curse”

Ø To remove the curse she poured blessed water. She believed it help the pound to clean. Moreover she asks her husband to dumb potassium permanganate. But that made water turned in to purple and settle in to state of greenish scum

Ø Later days they found the oil waste under the bridge but people does not care about it.

Ø Once birds flocked to the ponds but now they never return. The foul smell soon over whelmed the surface of the water. The pond is spoiled and many trees lost their life include Palmyra tree and swoosh-swoosh sound vanished from rooftop. That shows spirits also gone.

                                      

                                                     *------*------*