Rik made the decision not to end his life today after spotting Atreyi in the Rabindra Sarovar Metro station. It is afternoon now. The compartments of the metro train that has arrived, is wet. Regular crowd seemed to be inside the brightly lit air-conditioned buggies. Rain streaks stretched over the thick glass windows. Rick was in the queue waiting for his turn to buy tickets. You have to spend money, even if you choose to die in this city. Atreyi had just punched the ticket and was now exiting. This part of the station is now a bit crowdy. Rik continued to notice Atreyi's outfit: blue leggings, a nude lipcolour, carelessly done up hair and a white kurti with embroidery on the front. A little black bindi which she never wore before, donned her forehead now. Rik always felt that a tiny bindi would enhance her appearance and recalled suggesting the same to her one soggy night, with his head resting on her lap three years ago. Atreyi was now moving up the stairs oblivious to the fact that she was being watched. She must have taken a quick shower or must have got wet due to the rain, for the back of her kurti appeared a little damp. ‘Pardon me, ma'am. Could you please show me the route to hell?’ Rik gives Atreyi a pat on the back. Such a life was not what Sritama had wanted. Infact she does not remember anymore what type of life she truly desired once. Occasionally, following a bath, she would approach the dressing table and spend a considerable amount of time staring at her reflection in the mirror, in silence. Debashish is in office now. Perhaps there's a group of people in front of his counter already. It's likely that he's currently counting the money before him and sneaking a peek at the new girl who recently joined the bank to sell credit cards. Sritama’s daughter Ellora is most likely in the hospital's surgical ward now. Her roster obligation has been listed there for this week. The other day, she calls Sritama and said, "Look, mom, the blackened part of the foot is gangrenous," gesturing to a photo on her cellphone. “In two days, a surgical removal will take place”, she added. In the story, Jara Parijayi, the characters— Rik, Sauryadeep, Ellora, Devaditya, Atreyi, Javed, and Sritama— represent a distinct individual with a unique past and personal dilemma. The narrative spans from the distant tea estates of Rangarun to the medical college's dorms and campuses. They have no idea that their lives are somehow interconnected. Some flee far in search of solutions, only to return later. Some people permanently flee from life's incessant questions. Visit online bengali book shopping sites to shop your favourite Ananda titles. Download the ananda publishers book list from the Ananda website www.anandapub.in.
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