Matir Gaan!

It was a Monday evening, Akash was returning from his office in the Karunamoyee to Jadavpur bus. He was already pretty exhausted because of the office pressure so while returning to the crowded bus he was taking a nap.

Suddenly he felt a cold touch of a hand on his left shoulder. He immediately woke up to saw a man who was in his late 60’s standing and carrying an “Aktara” and was wearing a saffron dhoti with a saffron kurta which was torn at many places and had been stitched using various colours of thread. Akash shifted and let the old man sit. The man later got comfortable and thanked Akash.

Akash was a techie by profession but had been a music enthusiast since childhood. He had a special indulgence in folk music. Akash tried talking to him.

Akash: “Apnar naam ki?”

Man   : “ Naam diye ki jai chena?”

Akash never expected such a reply from this man. Though later the man laughed and introduced himself as Hari Das Baul. As the conversation further proceeded Akash came to know about him more. That he stays in a Baul Ashram named Bannabagram. Then Akash conveyed his interest in Baul songs. Hari da laughed again and said in a sarcastic way   “ Mati Chara Matir Gaan!”. Akash felt embarrassed at the moment and had already set this thing in his mind that in the very next vacation he is traveling to Purba Bardaman to learn more about the Baul culture and its songs.

Akash didn’t have to wait for long to plan a trip he got a two-day holiday during the puja and he immediately went to Bannabagram. Over there the place is in the interior and so he had to walk  3kms. He got tired when he reached there and asked for water from the person who came out. He got the water splashed the water on his face and drank the rest of it and returned the glass the man replied with “Ekhane oto jol nei je khabar jol nosto kora jabe”. Akash recognized his voice and turned back to see Hari da. Akash immediately smiled and said “Matir khoj ei ekhane asha” . The next challenge for Akash though Hari da came and asked Akash to stay with them only if he was ready to adjust to their style of living. It all started with eating rice on a Bamboo leaf to drinking water in Earthen clay-made glass. Though it was new for Akash he kind of enjoyed it. At night when they slept on the floor, Hari da said to Akash

“ Kal sokal e berobo chotai (6 AM) toiri theko kintu.”Akash set the alarm and then tried to sleep.

The next morning Akash woke up at 5 AM because he could not sleep due to excitement. Hari da woke up at 5:30 AM tuned his ‘Aktara’ and then at 6 AM in the morning they went out to practice in the outdoors. Akash was in his blue shorts and blue kurta. They practiced together for the whole day and Hari was the one singing and Akash sat down and played the music with the ‘Ghoongru’ and admired Hari da’s vocal texture.

In the evening while Akash was leaving Hari da gifted him a Saffron coloured dhoti and kurta and said in Akash’s ears “Ami cheyechilam tumi ekhane asho ar amader sathe theke Baul sangeet ta sekho tai sei din oi kotha ta bolechilam. Amake bhul bujho na”.   There were tears in the eyes of Akash and touched Hari da’s feet as he realized that he got the best teacher or mentor and an ideal all in this person named Hari da whom he could always look up to all throughout his life.