KASATANDIRA SWAPNA

(Dreams of Kash flowers)

1^st August, 1975.  His first day in the college. Ajay had reached the college the day before and stayed with his senior in school, a friend who had gone to the college the previous year. In the morning, when he was going from the hostel to the class, they heard a commotion, and saw students running to college square. Both joined them. They saw the police had detained a lecturer in the college square.

That day, the police were forcibly cutting the long hair of the boys of those who had hippie style and tearing the bell bottom pants of the girls those who wore. The lecturer did not have hippie style hair, but had long sideburns. The police insisted on shortening his sideburns.

The lecturer, pleasing and handsome, had acted in a few Odia films and had his own admirers in the college and locality. He argued with the police and was heard repeatedly saying, “What crime I have committed in keeping the sideburns and what discipline of the emergency I broke?” But the police did not heed to his arguments, and pestering him to shorten his long sideburns. Students present, the public gathered there to witness the scene and a few lecturers who had gone to see what was the matter were just silent spectators. One lecturer meekly requested the police to leave the lecturer with sideburns. The police did not listen.

Ajay protested against the injustice and police atrocities. The police took both Ajay and the lecturer to the police station. The crowd comprising the students, a few teachers and general public dispersed.

Ajay got his first taste of Emergency Mrs Indira Gandhi had imposed in India. The Board had declared the Matriculation result on the day emergency was promulgated, on 25^th June, 1975. Ajay had passed Matriculation with a first division securing good marks in the exam and had gone to the college for higher study.

Ajay is the main protagonist of the novel Kasatandira Swapna (Dreams of Kash flowers).

This was my first novel, published in 2003. Santosh Publications, Sutahat, Cittack published the book; Tanuj Mallik had designed the cover. The book was priced at Rs.70/

II

Bibhuti Misra rang me up just after he had finished reading the novel. He was in full praise of the novel. He appreciated the style, the treatment of the characters and the theme of the novel.

Bubhuti was my batch mate in Utkal University, Vanivihar, doing his Masters in English literature. He had topped the University in B.A. (English) and also got a first class in M.A. He joined State Bank of India, but the bank proved boring to him; his creativity could not cope with dreary demands of a banking job. He left the bank for a career in journalism and writing.

Within a span of a short period, he established himself as one of the finest journalist and a good writer. He was freelancing with the Hindu, Indian Express, Statesman, Dharitri and many others. His weekly column, misraraga in Dharitri was very popular. He wrote both in English and Odia and had published a few books including one titled, ‘Banking on Pen’.

Bibhuti had reviewed kasatandira swapna in Indian Express, Dharitri and Bahi-jagata (world of books), a magazine only on books, he was editing.

At this point in time I was awfully busy with my office work. I was in charge of the VAT Cell and associated with its implementation in Odisha. The State implemented VAT from 1^st April, 2005 along with other states in India. Our meetings were infrequent. He stayed in Bhubaneswar and I in Cuttack and we both were preoccupied with our own jobs. We talked over phone, and had promised to meet at the book fair in Bhubaneswar; we usually met there every year.

I had been to Delhi on  training on VAT administration. I returned on a Sunday. While browsing the newspapers I came across a story of Bubhuti published in Sunday literary page of Sambad, and the editor had captioned, Bubhuti Misranka Sesha Galpa (The Last Story of Bibhuti Misra). I could not understand. (It was a time when cell phones were not widely used; only a few had the privilege of using cell phones). My daughter, then in school, told me Bubhuti uncle had died.

It was a great shock to me, the first shock I got losing a dear friend at an early age. I lost a personal friend, and Odisha lost a brilliant journalist and a writer.

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