T3 শারদ সংখ্যা ২০২২ || তব অচিন্ত্য রূপ || 26য় Jhilam Adhikary

T3 শারদ সংখ্যা ২০২২ || তব অচিন্ত্য রূপ || 26য় Jhilam Adhikary

PRINCESS

On puja days I used to be a Princess. On puja days, I never had to walk a step, His feet were too weak to walk. While mom stayed at home, Like a chariot or palanquin Fit for the princess and the king, We always reserved an auto. And with each pandal we crossed I would take a photo Of everything, other than him. People swimming in flashing lights And just us on the shore Going inside the pandal though Was never what we went for, There was ghugni and phuchka Ghoti gorom and faluda Balloons and cotton candy That I would bring back home. On Puja days Gas balloons were only 20rs back then And 280rs wasn’t a lot to spend But no other father On the same puja day Would have bought 14 balloons For his spoilt little daughter, But he did, with no regrets For on every balloon, I had put my finger. On puja days, I used to be a princess I would wear the most beautiful dress And he would wear a new fatuha And he would take me To eat the most delicious dishes, At the tiniest crowded hotels And I would go to buy jewels, At the world’s biggest melas In our reserved rikshwa. I used to be a princess So I wouldn’t wear a muffler And he would insist That I should or else I would catch a cold As my shoulders were bare, But it never happened And yet on every outing, without forgetting, He asked me the same thing And I used to wonder why. I used to be a princess But I was too big and chubby So the fancy carnival rides were not for me But on puja, My dad would ask the nagordolna wala specifically To just let me ride his ride While everyone else just watched, Because for him the puja was mine alone And it had to be special. Now the regime has ended And no more big boxes of boti kebebs That he would get for us, There has never before been A pandal hopping without him And the essence of puja is dark and gritty And the huge gates of light Would look tiny fireflies And no scent of food Would make me hungry on the street again. From now on, every year I would just be an ordinary human For no one in this world Even the billionaires in their billion dollar castles Can make me a princess again. For my King is gone And he would never return And we would never again eksathe Berobo thakur dekhte. We would never again eksathe Jabo rikshate jol kada periye. We will never again eksathe Chaler papor kine, niye jabo barite. We will never again eksathe Jabo hatu hatu, kulfi khete khete Biye barir moto light lagano Oi choto choto khali goli diye. We will never again eksathe Hindi te golp korte korte Cinemar dialogue bolte bolte Deri kore bari phire Boka khabo shei maj raat e.