The Tragedy of Unspoken Love

orever. Devdas's mother was getting very upset. She called her husband an

to Calcutta. He can stay in Nagen's house and finish h

shocked to hear the news. When she got him alone, she hung on

says

e sai

... I'll

e forces

nything. That was exactly what she had wanted to know. Delighted at this turn of events, she hung on his arm again,

managed to send him off to Calcutta, accompanied by Dharmadas. On the day he left, Devdas felt

no one took any notice. She then refused to speak to Devdas. But he called her an

e picked up his portmanteau and with his mother's blessings and her

ay she had quit school, the entire day used to be spent in getting up to all kinds of mischief with Devdas; she had felt there was so much to do and so little time. But now she had a lot of time and hardly anything to do. Some days she'd w

like she had grasped the moon in her hands. She would sit on the

en a couple of months

less; interest seemed to have

er mother and said, 'Mother,

ite surprised

aid, !Yes, I most ce

I ever stopped you f

e walked to school. She went up to her old place and took her seat, calmly and patiently. The maid said, 'Master, don't bea

to Calcutta as well. But he pulled himself up. Parvati saw that the class monitor, Bhulo, sat in his old place on the bench. For a moment she n

r even if she did, she couldn't say much. But Devdas talked a great deal. Most of it was about Calcutta. Then the summer holidays came to an end. Devdas

that it made Parvati

t like taking a walk by the river anymore; instead he would rather take his gun and go hunting. Instead of the tiny minnows, he now wanted to hook the big fish. That wasn't all. He talked of politics, meetings, organizations, cric

ents wrote to him, asking him to come home. Quite unwillingly he packed his bags and headed for his village. The day he a

lcomed him in and s

ng to her and then asked

bly up

nd Parvati lighting the even

Then she touched his feet r

all this

ent. Devdas felt shy too. He said, 'I'll be

ther.' He w

woke up one day to the fact that their little girl was all grown up. Now there was a rush to get her married. This had been the topic of discussion

that time, in their household, only sons' weddings were a cause for worry, not that of a daughter. The custom was to take a bride-price for a girl's marriage and to give it for a boy's marriage. Ev

ughter's marriage. Until then, Parvati's mother had indulged in a distant fantasy

haps that was why Parvati's grandma tried to broach the subject to Devdas's mother, sayi

ot, Aunty? They've grown up toge

Devdas went off to Calcutta. And she was barely eight years old. One lett

athos than derision in that smile. She had seen it all too, and she also loved Parvati.

t this age, when he is still studying. He has always said to me, it was a big mistake getti

may be so, my child. But you know, Paro-God bless her-has shot up a

n't bring myself to say this to him. If I propose a m

secrets. At dinnertime Devdas's mother brought up the sub

her ma

eems to have grown a lot. It would be

oached it today. S

d asked, "Wha

But I can't bring home a bride a trading family l

tly. We can't become a laughing stock. D

o, I won't. But you don't

th and said, 'If I were to do that, this huge zam

Parvati's misery. When talk about this proposal and its rejection reached Nilkantha-ba

ma si

rried. In fact it's the other way round. My daughter isn't bad looking. I tel

ad some claims on her Dev-da. No one had handed those rights to her on a platter. At fi

aked its claim so gen

tangibly until then, at all this talk of l

nce he went to Calcutta and discovered other interests and pleasures, he had sort of let go of her. H

childhood ended youth arrived. At the time who gave marriage a thought? Who knew that the ties of childhood could never be permanent unless they were renewed by marr

lking stick and walked out to the meadows. Parvati wiped her eyes and gazed on him from her window. Thoughts clamoured in her head. She knew they had both gr

to talk to Parvati, to take a good look at her. B

ge, the hustle-bus

ainment were all missi

woman. Parvati too often thought of the fact that Dev-da was now Devdas-babu. These days he seldom we

d say, 'Co

some days she'd be right before him. As he talked to Aunty, she would slowly move away. At night the lamp in Dev

hell she was going through. Besides, what was the point? She wouldn't be abl

she came round sometimes. Earlier the two friends often discussed marriage and the like. The top

Chowdhury, the zamindar of Hatipota village, some twenty miles away in the Burdwan district. Apparently he was very well off and be

t people were unhappy.

was to come from Bhuvan Chowdhury, one wa

ch, his mother came and sat beside him

ed up and a

ey came and saw the bride

rised, 'But I don't even

dower-quite old. But I believe he is w

meal. His mother went on, 'They had want

looke

status, a trading family and our immediate neighbours to boot-

Mother spoke again, 'I did s

did he

able to drag the family name in

n't say an

i's eyes were full of tears and Manorama seemed to have just w

yes again and said,

band you

neither did I dislike him; so I didn't suffer at all. But

nswer. She just

her own and then asked, "Hey

se g

ou

lculations and said

back. She said, 'But... I

, I really don't know how many grooms are nearly forty.

her face and asked

ed again, 'Do

would

smile she sobered up quickly, brought her lips to Mano

nd said, 'Don't make fun of me. Say it now, while you are

just sa

lly is called Devdas, then why

ent out of Parvati's

, 'True. I shoul