Untitled - Katha

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38 ◆ Two brahmins had set up shop at the Hanuman Gate. They had brought rice from Coochbehar and sales were brisk. Two servants assisted them. A small crowd had gathered. It was difficult to find this quality of joha rice for sale in Kamrup. As the news spread, people from Natpara, Hemtola, Bamunpara, Bezpara homed in on the makeshift stall to buy this special rice. There was sympathy in the crowd for the middle-aged brahmins in coarse dhuties and chadars. As young men, they had not been able to afford the bride price. So they went to Coochbehar, hoping to make a fortune performing religious rites. But time flies and now they were back. No brides. No money. Every now and then they would shout at a customer haggling over the price with their servants. Once in a while, the malnourished servants would add to the commotion. The Man from Chinnamasta
A great many people were going up today. Devotees, wrapped in shawls and blankets. Dew falling from the leaves of the towering trees had soaked the huge rocks on the hill. Today, this auspicious second night after the full moon, was the wedding anniversary of Shiva and Parvati. Kameshwar, the god of love, was taken around the temple on a silver palanquin, before the formal installation of the Lord in the temple. The women’s voices rose in song: O Goddess Rudrani, Devi Parvati, enticer of Shiva, your heart is as hard as the stone from which you are wrought. Without warning, some twenty young men in dhuti kurta appeared. “Beware of the jatadhari. Women, beware! Get out Dorothy Brown! Go home!” The louts rushed down the hill, pushing and shoving everybody in their path. Devotees from far-flung Coochbehar and North Shekhadari couldn’t tell what was going on. They had no idea who Dorothy Brown was. They were climbing up chanting, “Ma ... Ma ... Tara. Ma Bhairavi, Ma ... Ma ... Ma.” Among them were Debeshwar Sarma and Harakanta Sarma, in Shantipuri dhuti and turbans. They were large landowners from the north bank. Their sons were students of Cotton College. Both the boys had disappeared from their hostel. Before John Simon set foot on Assamese soil, a government circular had been sent to their guardians, indicating that any student participating in the anti-Simon demonstration would be rusticated. The two brahmins had come to see if their sons were hiding among the conspirators at the Chinnamasta temple. They saw the joha rice but paid little attention. Both carried stout sticks. Speculation was rife about a government plan to impose a ceiling on land holdings. Both prayed wistfully that their sons Shibanath and Indira Goswami ◆ 39
Page 2 and 3: THE MAN FROM CHINNAMASTA Thank you
Page 4 and 5: THE MAN FROM CHINNAMASTA Indira Gos
Page 6 and 7: 6 ◆ The Brahmaputra trailed acros
Page 8 and 9: 8 ◆ yagna fire. This is the land
Page 10 and 11: 10 ◆ “Eesh!” A third chimed i
Page 12 and 13: 12 ◆ And there was a frozen momen
Page 14 and 15: 14 ◆ rose, as if awakening from a
Page 16 and 17: 16 ◆ Pointing an accusing finger
Page 18 and 19: 18 ◆ The boat sloshed through the
Page 20 and 21: 20 ◆ The sky had gathered up a co
Page 22 and 23: 22 ◆ It was early dawn when Dorot
Page 24 and 25: 24 ◆ mahasankha. Ma, Ma Chinnamas
Page 26 and 27: 26 ◆ The woman twisted her finger
Page 28 and 29: 28 ◆ The woman stood there, hesit
Page 30 and 31: 30 ◆ On occasion a bird dropped f
Page 32 and 33: 32 ◆ One of the women took off he
Page 34 and 35: 34 ◆ full crown of hair, the colo
Page 36 and 37: 36 ◆ supported his master. “Thi
Page 40 and 41: 40 ◆ Ramgopal would one day becom
Page 42 and 43: 42 ◆ said the land was not a sacr
Page 44 and 45: 44 ◆ her. Slowly, steadily she wa
Page 46 and 47: 46 ◆ appreciative British cliente
Page 48 and 49: 48 ◆ on the Britishers’ lips. W
Page 50 and 51: 50 ◆ everyone claimed to be volun
Page 52 and 53: 52 ◆ man was just skin and bones.
Page 54 and 55: 54 ◆ On the next full moon night,
Page 56 and 57: 56 ◆ closed his eyes again. That
Page 58 and 59: 58 ◆ “Who came?” The audience
Page 60 and 61: 60 ◆ I t was dawn. Dorothy Brown,
Page 62 and 63: 62 ◆ Dorothy was silent. The well
Page 64 and 65: 64 ◆ “I have also bought Govern
Page 66 and 67: 66 ◆ William asked a second time:
Page 68 and 69: 68 ◆ Such were the times. People
Page 70 and 71: 70 ◆ A middle-aged hunchback push
Page 72 and 73: 72 ◆ the ceiling. Ratnadhar recog
Page 74 and 75: 74 ◆ A couple of sepoys hustled h
Page 76 and 77: 76 ◆ Dawn was just beginning to w
Page 78 and 79: 78 ◆ skulls of men sacrificed bef
Page 80 and 81: 80 ◆ It had been raining since mo
Page 82 and 83: 82 ◆ Who can say, what will happe
Page 84 and 85: 84 ◆ priest, to touch her. If the
Page 86 and 87: 86 ◆ of shlokas. Manobhaba, the M
Page 88 and 89:
88 ◆ A little further, they came
Page 90 and 91:
90 ◆ Shambhu said gravely, “No,
Page 92 and 93:
92 ◆ Manomohan’s family rose we
Page 94 and 95:
94 ◆ with the mountain of matted
Page 96 and 97:
96 ◆ Bidhibala’s father shot ba
Page 98 and 99:
98 ◆ Goroimari busy with repairs.
Page 100 and 101:
100 ◆ was a follower of the godde
Page 102 and 103:
102 ◆ Bidhibala was jolted out of
Page 104 and 105:
104 ◆ how it had lost its way in
Page 106 and 107:
106 ◆ is it written that one cann
Page 108 and 109:
108 ◆ Students from the Sanskrit
Page 110 and 111:
110 ◆ brother’s classmate came
Page 112 and 113:
112 ◆ also take on the mantle of
Page 114 and 115:
114 ◆ He leaned over and whispere
Page 116 and 117:
116 ◆ Ratnadhar walked up determi
Page 118 and 119:
118 ◆ Countless names and address
Page 120 and 121:
120 ◆ Zealous followers of the Mo
Page 122 and 123:
122 ◆ his skin was fair, it was m
Page 124 and 125:
124 ◆ Bidhibala, huddled in a cor
Page 126 and 127:
126 ◆ stopped eating. Maybe the j
Page 128 and 129:
128 ◆ eyes were dazzled. The foot
Page 130 and 131:
130 ◆ satiated for a hundred year
Page 132 and 133:
132 ◆ The full moon rippled on th
Page 134 and 135:
134 ◆ The girl stared at her vaca
Page 136 and 137:
136 ◆ Like every other day, the w
Page 138 and 139:
138 ◆ goddesses: Kamakhya, Mahade
Page 140 and 141:
140 ◆ eyes were bloodshot. His lo
Page 142 and 143:
142 ◆ Ratnadhar ran up to fetch a
Page 144 and 145:
144 ◆ clashing cymbals. The jatad
Page 146 and 147:
146 ◆ committee, they were happy
Page 148 and 149:
148 ◆ Geeta. He had said, “You
Page 150 and 151:
150 ◆ are planning to drag all th
Page 152 and 153:
152 ◆ Mother’s footsteps. The s
Page 154 and 155:
154 ◆ altar, taking deep pulls at
Page 156 and 157:
156 ◆ “Who is that in the boat?
Page 158 and 159:
158 ◆ The month-long Manasa puja
Page 160 and 161:
160 ◆ They wore garlands of flowe
Page 162 and 163:
162 ◆ No, the jatadhari had not c
Page 164 and 165:
164 ◆ attendants. He told them to
Page 166 and 167:
166 ◆ King Rudrasingha’s body l
Page 168 and 169:
168 ◆ A hermit from Gaur was sing
Page 170 and 171:
170 ◆ and droplets of sweat. Occa
Page 172 and 173:
172 ◆ there are for sacrifice. We
Page 174 and 175:
174 ◆ What will he do? Firmly hol
Page 176 and 177:
176 ◆ Who killed Dorothy Brown? T
Page 178 and 179:
178 ◆ the foliage, looking for em
Page 180 and 181:
180 ◆ Meanwhile, the sun was sett
Page 182 and 183:
182 ◆ An awning had been erected
Page 184 and 185:
184 ◆ An agonized call tore from
Page 186 and 187:
186 ◆ The chief priest raised his
Page 188 and 189:
BIO NOTES Indira Goswami, also know
Page 190 and 191:
NEW RELEASES SEEKING THE BELOVED Su
Page 192 and 193:
NEW RELEASES REMEMBERING AMMA by Th
Page 194 and 195:
AFTERWORD Amritjyoti Mahanta Situat
Page 196 and 197:
in the temple. In a television inte
Page 198 and 199:
hurt anybody’s sentiment.” Ther
Page 200 and 201:
sacrifice. But the colonial adminis
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