LATA, PRAMODA O ANYAMANE

PRAMODA:

I had to tour to Bhubaneswar, at least once a month, when I was in Rourkela during 1996-1999. I worked as officer of Investigation Unit in Rourkela Commercial Tax Office, and my job profile included to raid, which we called in a gentle language, ‘surprise visit’, the business houses suspected of evading taxes. I was called to Bhubaneswar to participate in centrally conducted raids, and also examine seized documents.

There were two routes then to come to Bhubanswar from Rourkela: one via Sambalpur; the road condition was better, though longer, and the other was through Lahunipara, Pallahada. I preferred the latter. It was a pleasure to travel by a jeep in the jungle route, from Lahunipara to Barakote and from Pallahada to Samal barrage, Talcher, the road coursed through jungles.

After Lahunipara and around twenty kilometres from Barakote, every time I passed, I noticed rush of eaters, the truckers and other travellers, at a road side dhaba managed by a lady. Our inspector ascribed the rush to the pretty looking lady. I just looked at the dhaba, never stopped there and had never seen the lady. We planned our journey in a way so that we always took tea at Barakote and our main meal of the day at Samal barrage; the fresh sweet water fish caught at the barrage cooked and served in those jhopdi hotels was really delicious.

One day, on our return journey from Bhubaneswar, after Barakoke and just two/three kilometres before the dhaba, the jeep I was travelling developed snag, the dynamo stopped functioning. It was an August evening and it was also drizzling. Without light the driver could not drive in the jungle road, though it was yet to be night; but the thick woods and the rain brought deep darkness. He tried to mend, but failed. The BDO, Lahunipara was returning from somewhere, he met us on the road. His driver drove his jeep slowly in front and we followed him till we reached the pretty lady’s dhaba. The driver again tried to sort out in the light of the electric bulb, but could not.

We did not have any other way except spending the night in that dhaba. I watched the lady working and instructing her boys. I was amazed at the grit and command of the lady managing a lonely dhaba in the midst of a forest. Later, the lady and my experience of the day, and night in the dhaba inspired me to write a story. The story was published in the annual special issue of Sambad under the caption, Pramoda Khudi (Promoda Aunty).

The story got good response and I had received a large number of letters of appreciation from different parts of Odisha. (That was the time prior to use of mobile phones, internet, WhatsApp or Facebook)

                                          (Letter of poet Ramakant Rath on the story)

LATA:

Jhankar, the prestigious literary magazine of Odisha had published in its Puja special issue of 2003 my story Tukuna, Lata Apa and Dustaloka (Tukuna, Lata Sister and the Mischievous Man). The story is about sex consciousness of a teenager (Tukuna); he is attracted to his elder cousin (Lata Apa) without being conscious, and turned forlorn after he has suddenly witnessed an intimate scene of Lata with her husband, estranged for a few months, but reunited in a marriage function.

I was working in the head office at Cuttack and sharing the room with a senior officer, K.N. Khatai. Mr Khatai had interest in literature; had dabbled with pen in his student days and also authored two books. He did not conceal his displeasure and minced no words in decrying the story as incestuous. But I received many letters of appreciation for the story. I showed him every day for some days, the letters I used to get, until he was completely silenced, though probably not convinced.

                    (Letter of Poet and Writer Nrusingha Tripathy on the story)

odiasahitya.com has published this story in 2011 and has sixteen comments. One reader has some reservations on the story, but the other fifteen have words of appreciation. (The link to the story is given below, ctrl+click to follow the link)

୨୧ଟୁକୁନା, ଲତାଅପା ଓ ଦୁଷ୍ଟଲୋକ

Santosh Publications, Sutahat, Cuttack has published the book, Lata, Pramoda O Anyamane (Lata, Pramoda and others) in 2007. 

    (Letter of appreciation of the book by Writer Ramachandra Behera)

The book, my fifth story collection, contains fourteen stories including the above two. Sashikant Rout has designed the cover. The book is priced at Rs.100/

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