SSRDP 2018 Souvenir big

The Gaze of the Goddess

Sumadhura Silver Ripples Durga Puja 2018

Convener’s Message

Sarva Mangal Mangalye, Shive Sarvarth Sadhike
Sharanye Trambake Gauri, Narayani Namah Stute

On the auspicious occasion of Durga Puja’2018, I extend greetings to my fellow SSR residents
and wish them happiness and prosperity. The festival celebrates the triumph of virtue and
destruction of evil. This year we have come together to celebrate Durga Puja for the First
time at SSR. The celebrations have enriched our lives, both young and old, and boost our
cultural heritage.
Our appreciation and thanks goes to all the SSR residents who have spontaneously taken
part in the various programs /events during the Puja celebration days. Our thanks also goes
to all the Support Staff, Security Agency, FM of SSR, MC of SSR for their help in providing a
safe place to perform the puja celebrations.

We are grateful to all the residents who have sponsored numerous activities like
preparation of daily bhog, community lunches, procurement of idol… the list is numerous.
We are also grateful to our advertisers / sponsors and other patrons who have contributed
financially so as to make this event a great success.

As always, the Puja would not be possible without the tireless efforts of all the members of
Durga Puja Committee, Cultural Committee, Infrastructure Committee and above all, the
Volunteers. The Committees and Volunteers put in tremendous effort in making this year
Puja celebrations, a collage of colorful-cultural events, Children’s painting, magic show,
Antakshari, special music from SSR Blues, Dhunuchi Dance, Dandiya, Sindur Khela etc., a
memorable one for all the SSR residents.
It is a matter of pride for all of us that in this nascent stage of first year celebration of Durga
Puja, we are adjudged as best for two categories of events, namely best venue/facility &
best eco -friendly puja under small Puja category by EVENTEX.
We hope you all enjoyed this year’s celebrations.

Durga Puja is also a festival that cherishes the love we feel for daughters in our families.
It symbolises feminine energy, empowerment and determination.
May this be a moment of blessing for all of us and our collective well-being.

Thank you very much.
Ashish Bera

Editor’s Page

Dear Friends

It gives me great pleasure to present the First Edition of IKSHANA, the Sumadhura Silver
Ripples Durga Puja Souvenir 2018.

We took a leap of Faith, kept our belief in Ma Durga, took people along and executed a
flawless fabulous Durga Puja. By the grace of Ma Durga we also won the Sharad Samman
2018 (Small Puja Category) for Best Venue & Facilites and Best Eco-Friendly Puja organized
by Eventex.

As many of you would know, Durga Puja is the biggest and most complex Cultural and
Religious extravaganza in India. It is a heady mix of Fun, Food, Fervor and Festivities. We
were able to plan and execute this in six weeks flat since the entire SSR resident community
supported us with Donations, Volunteerism and most important, Motivation.

It was a vision to perform a homely Durga Puja where the entire community can come
together and celebrate and I firmly believe that we have been able to achieve that. From the
two year old girl who scribbled on the drawing sheet to the eighty year old gentleman who
chanted Durga Shloka, there was something for everybody.

Any successful event has the sweat and toil of men and women behind it. We have been
extremely fortunate to have a wonderful team of committee members, volunteers, patrons
and their families. I wish to also thank the Management Committee, Facility Support staff
and the Security forces as well who have supported the event with logistical support.

We will surely come back next year with an even better experience. Asche Bochhor Abar
Hobe!

Thank You SSR Residents! Your support means the world to us!

Take Care
Surojeet Sengupta

Treasurer’s Report

Work in progress

The SSR Durga Puja Committee 2018

Shri. Ashish Kumar Bera, Smt. Urmi Bera, Shri Abhijit Banerjee, Shri
Abhijit RayChaudhury, Shri Abhishek Verma, Shri Abhijit Mitra, Smt.
Apurbaa Mallik, Shri Abinash Satapathy, Shri Avirup Ghosh, Smt.
Banani Roy, Smt. Barsha Paul, Smt. Debasri Sengupta, Smt. Debolina
Mukherjee, Smt. Debarati Mitra, Shri Gourab Saha, Shri Mridul
Sengupta, Shri Indranil Biswas, Shri Joydeep Mukherjee, Smt. Payal
RayChaudhury, Shri Pramit Bandyopadhyay, Shri Rajeev Ranjan,
Smt. Rituparna Banerjee, Shri Ram Sarangi, Smt. Juthika Pal, Smt.
Shatabdi Saha, Smt. Shilpi Verma, Shri Sibnath Ghosh, Smt. Sushma
Santosh, Smt. Swagota Ghosh, Shri Suvendu Pal, Shri Subhra Roy,
Shri Soumitra Ghosh, Smt. Swati Ghosh, Shri Sanjib Paul, Shri
Surojeet Sengupta.

The SSR Durga Puja Volunteers 2018

Shri Anubhav Srivastava, Smt. Debashree Dhar, Smt. Diptee
Deshpande, Smt. Deepa Swaminathan, Shri Gaurav Jain, Shri Gupta,
Shri Vijay Reddy, Shri Manish, Shri Manish Singh, Shri Manish, Shri
Manikesh Verma, Smt. Neelam Rajeev, Smt. Neha Singh, Smt. Nidhi
Sharma, Smt. Riya Kulshrestha, Shri Ranit Karmakar, Smt.
Roopashree, Smt. Roja Guturu, Shri Raj Patil, Shri Roopesh, Smt.
Sumati Mehrotra, Smt. Srilakshmi, Shri Shobhit Sinha, Smt. Shruti
Dasgupta, Shri Siddhartha Das, Shri Saurav Banerjee, Smt. Sushmita
Srivastava … and many more..

The SSR Durga Puja Jury Panel 2018

Smt. Nupur Basu & Smt. Bharati Hazra (Shankha Dhwani/Dhunuchi
Dance), Smt. Priyamvada Despande & Smt. Deepa Deshpande
(Rangoli), Smt. Deepa Swaminathan (Children Drawing), Shri
Abhishek Verma & Shri Mridul Sengupta & Shri Abinash Satapathy
(Dandiya) and Shri Anubhav Srivastava, Shri Abhishek Verma & Shri
Tarun (Antakshari).

Souvenir Editorial Team
Shri Surojeet Sengupta

Published by
Shri Surojeet Sengupta on behalf of The SSR Durga Puja Committee
2018

Cover page Design
Kumari R Prithikaa, Age 13 Years, (E-601)

Magazine Name Credit
Shri Soumitra Ghosh (D-101)

Disclaimer
The SSR Durga Puja Committee 2018 and the Editor of this souvenir
are not responsible for the content supplied by the various
contributors to the Souvenir. All logos and trademarks of various
sponsors have been published with their permission. All other
logos and trademark used are acknowledged.

Copyright Notice
Use of the Logo and the name without permission is prohibited. No
part of the souvenir shall be reprinted, published or used without
permission of The SSR Durga Puja Committee 2018.

Contact Information:
Shri Surojeet Sengupta, F-502, Sumadhura Silver Ripples, Borewell
Road, Bangalore-560066
Call: 9972007744, 9741701942, 9740501942, 9100024006,
9849488212, 8884978778.
Email: [email protected]

SSR DURGA PUJA 2018: JOURNEY OF THE IDOL

SSR DURGA PUJA 2018 : GLIMPSES OF PUJA

SSR DURGA PUJA 2018: GLIMPSES OF PUJA

SSR DURGA PUJA 2018: BEHIND THE SCENES

SSR DURGA PUJA 2018: DHUNUCHI DANCE & QUIZ

SSR DURGA PUJA 2018: ANTAKSHARI & RANGOLI

SSR DURGA PUJA 2018: CULTURAL SHOW

SSR DURGA PUJA 2018: CULTURAL SHOW

SSR DURGA PUJA 2018: CULTURAL SHOW

SSR DURGA PUJA 2018: KIDS CORNER

SSR DURGA PUJA 2018: KIDS CORNER

SSR DURGA PUJA 2018: SINDURKHELA

SSR DURGA PUJA 2018: SINDURKHELA

SSR DURGA PUJA 2018: DANDIYA NIGHT

SSR DURGA PUJA 2018: DANDIYA NIGHT

SSR DURGA PUJA 2018: MOODS AND EMOTIONS

SSR DURGA PUJA 2018: LAXMI PUJA

SSR DURGA PUJA 2018: FUN AND FESTIVITIES

SSR DURGA PUJA 2018: FUN AND FESTIVITIES

SSR DURGA PUJA 2018: FUN AND FESTIVITIES

SSR DURGA PUJA 2018: FUN AND FESTIVITIES

Travel Blog

Arshiya Khan (D1303)

Winds of the city (Chicago, USA)

As the flight attendant animated the act of survival, in case of an emergency landing of
the aircraft on water, I fastened my dangling seatbelts. The honeymooning couple beside
me sank into each other and I looked out of the window. Frankly, they had not left me an
option out. The aircraft began to gain pace and I craned my neck to catch a last glimpse of
the beauty which lay beneath me now. I was flying back to India. My memories rolled
back to the day my manager had announced the official trip and I had boarded this
aircraft for a journey of unknowns. Wanderlust is always inviting and when your
destination is Chicago, just nothing like it. This was a business trip though. And yet, I
expected it to be different, in a good way of course. This was my first trip to the USA and
as some well-read laureate has rightly stated, firsts are always special. As the remains of
Chicago faded from my sight, experiences of last two weeks rolled in. Experiences, that
will last for a lifetime.

“There is no great difference in reality between one country and another, because it is
always people you meet everywhere. They may look different or be dressed differently,
they may have a different education or position; but they are all the same.”
- The Blessed Saint Teresa

Place : Woodfield Mall, Chicago

I am standing at the entrance of a huge mall near Chicago with a gazillion shopping bags.
A few stray drops of rain splatter over my hair as I step out in the rain and flag down a
black taxi. The vehicle stops in acknowledgement. My friends and I run towards it to grab
the opportunity to get back to the hotel as fast as possible without getting wet which was
a miraculous proposition. In a bid to achieve this mission impossible, I tug at at the
handle of the door with force induced by impatience. It stays closed. The door is defiant
but so am I. I tug harder. Velocity of the rains increase. My patience decreases. I keep
pulling the handle but this time the door opens with a click. A sweet voice from the driver
seat chirps in a hello. I expected a rough voice, flashing anger in response to my manly
door crash attempts. Unexpectedly, the sweet voice apologies for the delay in unlocking
the door. As we wipe ourselves wet, the sweet voice fills us with details of her native and
asks us about ours. She has something about her which attracts people and urges you to
talk to her. In a few minutes she gels up so nicely that one of my friends end up inviting
her for dinner as we get off. As she turns around to decline our offer with utter
politeness, I finally see her face. A wrinkled beauty with a few greys in the hair, this lady is
close to 50. My Indian mind gets to work and I end up getting curious about why a lady at
her age needs to drive in the evenings. Guesses pop up and financial issues gets the
highest vote. All of these inside my Indian mind of course. She laughs and replies " I drive
because I love meeting strangers, listening to their stories and sometimes sharing mine."

Travel Blog

Arshiya Khan (D1303)

And I thought Graham Bell and his successors invented a blinking screen to do this job. She
drives heavy vehicles on lonely roads at odd times of a day to fuel up her passion for making
new friends. A bonus few extra bucks are always welcome while you are at it. Friendly, free
spirited, Absolute Studs! That was the first impression Americans had on me. I met close to
20 cabbies in a course of 13 days I was in the US and I have close to 50 enticing new stories
collected from my encounters with these wonderful people. I met another such amazing
lady the other day. She came to pick us up on our way back to hotel from office. I fastened
my seat belts and wished her a good evening as I clambered in. What followed was a
beautiful conversation. She told us all about Chicago, places to eat and all the touristy stuff,
an average tourist would be dying to know. Extremely cheerful, she kept cracking jokes and
made sure we laugh till we reach the hotel. Grinning at her supposedly last joke, as I jumped
out of the door, I noticed something not so normal. She was specially abled. Her legs could
barely reach the clutch and yet, there she was, manning huge vehicles. Or should I say,
manning life! These were my daily dosage of inspiration which are gleefully glued on my
mind and I know these will be there for a while. I tried all possible means of transport while
there. An assortment of Land, air and water. But meeting new people on the driver's seat
and listening to their fascinating stories of life while crusading the freeways of Chicago still
remains the most favorite part of my journey.

“Yet once you've come to be part of this particular patch, you'll never love another. Like
loving a woman with a broken nose, you may well find lovelier lovelies. But never a lovely
so real.”

- Nelson Algren, Chicago: City on the make.

Weekend is here and I am dying to get out of the office. It's a sultry Friday afternoon and I
am typing away the last part of my work on my laptop frantically. All I want now, is to finish
off quickly, jump into a taxi and rush to Chicago. In an hour, my wish is granted. We are in
the cab and our chatterbox cabby decides to broadcast the micro details of his personal life,
we are least bothered in. Amidst our silent protests, he sets off like the local FM in full pelt.
Boring, boring! I plug in my ear buds and am listening to some great music, and I spot a tall
building, it's head somewhere among the clouds. I am trying to figure out the roof and
admiring the engineering, when I spot another beside it. And another. There is an entire
neighborhood of these seemingly Lego structures, all waiting to get wowed upon. In fact,
there is one just in front of our hotel which is named after the famous (or infamous, can't
decide which) Donald Trump. That seemed to be the tallest one that evening, I reached
Chicago. I stood outside my hotel staring at these dudes for a while wondering at the fact
that how small they can make you feel.

As it grew dark, the view from my room window at the 36th floor of the hotel looked worth
dying for. Lights woke up and the place looked like a bunch of stars have descended on earth
with a mission to light up just this part of our planet. Lake Michigan cut through this volley of
skyscrapers and beautifully reflected the twinkling studded lights. It looked enticing.

Travel Blog

Arshiya Khan (D1303)

Another interesting fact that I noticed about Chicago was that the city had flowering
plants all over. Bougainville sitting pretty on the road dividers, White orchids peeking out
from little shop windows, Crimson roses swaying off in front of dainty houses, lilies smiling
at me from personal gardens. It's very much a flowery affair. Also, this city is squeaky
clean. Just like hundred other Indians, I am also a victim of massive hair fall. Chicago
streets gave me such cleanliness goals that scared of the fact that my falling Tufts of hair
can scar the shining streets, I made sure to look back on the streets every time I walked on
one. If I found any of my tresses (only mine), I made sure I collected all of it in my pocket
and flush them off at the hotel. Considering this intricate regime, I sometimes thank God,
in just 2 weeks. Phew!!

“It's easy to find a beautiful city where you intentionally want to go missing. But, what
happens if your only source of survival in an unknown land decides to follow the suit?”

I am dragging down my colleague, Mr. V, down the street towards Chicago's oldest and the
most popular restaurant, Giordano. I forgot to include 'busiest' to the list of adjectives that
describe this restaurant best. Heads Up – If you happen to be in chicago, you got to try
this. It’s a must have!

Mr. V is tired and does not want to join the wait queue, that is spilling out of the
restaurant door into the streets. But I am adamant and register our names in the wait
queue. An hour later, I am lapping up the gorgeously stuffed deep-dish pizza with as much
gusto as I can. Mr. V thanks me for being adamant since he is able to taste this gourmet
slice of heaven. This is a Chicago special and I was not willing to leave a piece on the plate
for the garbage bins. So, having stuffed up till throat, I decide to pay as the bill arrives. I
open my purse and search for my credit card. No card found! I remember stuffing it into
my jeans pockets. Cursing my habits, I fumble in my pockets and blimey! No card found
again! An alarm bell rang in my ears. I frisked my bag, turned it upside down and shook
out all my stuff into the table. Now, there is a hair brush, two mac lip colors, a bottle of
sunscreen, 2 small bags, a couple of quarters, mint and several hair pins sitting on the
table. Mr. V seems shocked to see the mini world of make up inside my bag. But I am too
preoccupied to explain him the reason why a girl needs to carry these tiny important
things with her. I search for my card under the table, on the floor, go about searching trails
in the restaurant on my fours, recheck and recheck my bag. Finally, I am convinced that I
have lost my card. I am really worried, more because, it was my company credit card. A
greater cause of worry arose out of the fact that anyone can carry out transactions on my
card without my consent because you don't require to enter your pin while shopping in
the USA. It's auto approved. I get tense and start acting like an idiot. Mr. V calms me down
and pays the bill. We head out of the restaurant, but my sensible friend insists I leave my
cell number at the reception so that the guy can contact me in case he finds it. I rush to
the reception and with an expeditious rhythm, ask him if he has found any lost credit card
in the restaurant today. He flashes 12 credit cards at my face and very discreetly, asks my
name. I am shocked. I cannot decide whether to be shocked at the fact how careless
people can get or happy that I am not the lone nitwit in this city of unknowns. I spell out
my name and he starts checking. My bad luck continues to be benevolent to me and we
come to know that none of them is mine.

Travel Blog

Arshiya Khan (D1303)

I leave disappointed but finally the evil satisfaction gains over and I am happy that there are 12
other strangers who have lost their cards today and are somewhere out there, still scanning
Chicago streets looking out for their precious. Teehee!! Anyway, we trace back to several places
and finally reach the place we had just visited before entering the restaurant, thanks to the
sensible suggestion by Mr.V . They are about to close down as I enter. The first person I meet, I
jumble up my words and blabber out my question. The person gives me a look you give when
you see someone who seems fit to get into a mental asylum. Mr. V again saves the situation,
rearranges my words and our suited up guy understands the word 'credit card'. He slides his
hand into his rear pockets and flashes out a silver card. I snatch it from him and check it. It's
mine. I thank God and him equally. Looks like It fell off while I was taking out my phone from
the same pocket where I had stuffed my card, hairpins and a couple of bills. Woops! Since I am
hungry after all the search operation, very casually I suggest Mr. V that we should sink our teeth
into another of those Giordano's cheesy delights again. He picks up a lying stone and aims at
me, while I clutch my card and run for my life.

“I like the feeling of being anonymous in a big city. No one knows me, so it's easy to
remember who I am.”
I am awake and try calling all my colleagues who promised to join me for a walk this morning.
People are fast asleep. So I start off alone. One of the best features of Chicago is that it has
bicycle stands at about every 500 meters all over the place. For a 10$ bill, you can have a bicycle
to yourself for the day. I swiped my card (personal, this time) and picked up my ride. The next 2
hours were probably the best time I had in Chicago. Being alone, sometimes gives you a chance
to see the world in a different shade. I plugged in my ear buds, synced my soul with my favorite
playlist, switched on the GPS and just roamed about the city aimlessly. The kind of crowd differs
in different parts of the day. I saw most of the women joggers in the morning, office goers and
business people in the day time, prettily dressed party animals in the evening and tourists at all
times. Everyone in a bid to get lost in this city. It's a wonder, how exploring an unknown city
with no ideas gives you so much idea about it.

Last in my must see list was the Sears Tower, which was supposedly the highest amongst the
skyscraping community. Viewing point on Sears tower was at a whopping height of 1500 ft. It
takes a combination of lifts and stairs to scale up the height. A lift no. 1 takes you to the 10th
floor. You need to take the stairs to the next floor up and catch the lift no. 2 which takes you to
the peak. Ears pop violently, as I ascend. The speed of the lift is such that it takes less than 30
seconds to scale to such a great height. The lift opens and a stream of sunshine filters in. I face
multiple French windows all around. A few steps closer to these huge windows and I saw
something like I had never seen before. An endless stretch of blue water body. I wondered
which sea was it. It occurred to me a while later that it was in fact our good, old lake Michigan.
The lake is so huge your eyes cannot reach the coast, even when you are standing at a place
1500 ft from the ground level. There's a popular and unique viewing point here. It's a glass
gallery which is transparent on all sides.

Travel Blog

Arshiya Khan (D1303)

You can see the moving vehicles and rooftops of skyscrapers beneath your feet. What
happens if a a loose screw of the glass gets off the hinges or a tiny crack scars the surface?
For a fleeting second, this thought must have definitely crossed the mind of every person
who stands there. It's scary but the experience is amazing. I was able to see the top of the
buildings whose roots were the only thing I had seen and admired when I was on the
ground. The same tall dudes which made me feel so small. It's a wonder, they looked small
enough to be ignored this time. Time for a quick philosophical thought! These buildings are
like our problems. No matter how huge and unsolvable they look initially, they are never as
big as we perceive them to be. It's just a matter of time and our viewing angles which can
make them seem so small that they can in fact be ignored. *pats herself*

“All good things must come to an end. But good experiences are too stubborn to give up.
They dwell in our minds and slowly creep into our souls.”

Although the experience of a staycation in a different country is great, a few days after you
have seen the city and experienced all the good things, you cannot help missing your
homeland, especially food, Not that I am alien to foreign food. Pizza, flatheads, omelets and
burgers are one of the best things to dig in, in the USA but after a few days one cannot help
missing Aaloo ke paratha and butter chicken at lunch. So, when I received my kit of Indian
dinner on my flight back to India after an eon-ish 14 days, I fell on it like a hungry wolf. Hot
Puri and bhaaji seemed to have arrived like an elixir. I could finally understand the feelings of
the two idiot brothers who act weird after chewing the bar in that fivestar ad, because I was
feeling somewhat similar. When I paused and looked at my fellow passengers, I saw that all
the other Indians in the flight seemed to be, in fact a part of the 'Indian cuisine deprived'
fraternity. Everyone, old and young were busy lapping up the remains of Puri and Bhaaji
from their Aluminum foil container.
Stuffed to brim and satiated, I slide up the window shades. A tiny light on the edge of the
airplane wing twinkles out. The western sky had turned dark. It’s too cloudy to see anything.
I close my eyes but a view refuses to fade off. A vast stretch of the blue Michigan, the high-
rise buildings and an enchanting skyline which beckons to me from a clear sky.

Ganesh
Chaturthi

2018

Sumadhura
Silver
Ripples

2018 Ganesh
Chaturthi

Sumadhura
Silver
Ripples

Special Feature

Diptee Deshpande (C103)

Grand welcome to the Great Remover of Obstacles:

Ganesha Chaturthi Celebration, 2018

To continue the tradition that started last year, SSR-ians welcomed Shri Ganesha and
Devi Gauri this year with great pomp and fanfare in a grand celebration spanning 3 days
starting from September 13th to September 15th, 2018.

The “Sthapana” of Lord Ganesha and Devi Gauri was done on the first day of the
celebration, Thursday, September 13th early morning. With an objective to be eco-
friendly and plastic-free, the clubhouse as well as the Mandap was decorated with fresh
flowers and mango leaves to create a positive, attractive and most importantly, a serene
atmosphere. A large number of devotees dressed in festive best, including the staff,
housekeeping and security team of SSR, gathered to welcome and pray to Lord Ganesha
and Devi Gauri. This pretty much set the stage for the festivities that were to follow over
the course of next 3 days.

On the first day, a soulful evening was in store for SSR-ians in the form of “Bhajan
Sandhya” programme. Children (including those as young as 3 years old) recited shlokas,
sang bhajans and devotional songs and confirmed their place in Bappa’s heart

Special Feature

Diptee Deshpande (C103)

Adults weren’t far behind – rendition of devotional songs in multiple languages such as
Marathi, Tamil, Hindi, etc and instrumental renditions of well-known bhajans made their
due mark and received great appreciation from the audience. What really sealed the
evening though was the singing of Hindi bhajans by a small group of SSR ladies who
encouraged the audience to participate in the singing to create a true bhajan-kirtan
atmosphere. The day also witnessed a sizeable number of devotees bringing sweets and
savouries lovingly prepared by them for Bappa and gleefully distributing the same to all.
Some choice food stalls were also arranged where foodies of SSR could indulge their taste
buds.

The next day, and in keeping with Bappa’s joyful presence, a more energetic evening was
planned. Kids and adults presented their own tribute in the form of dance and music.
Various styles of dance were presented from Kathak to Bollywood to semi-classical. The
audience was absolutely entranced and was seen thumping their feet in time with the
dance performances. To pay their tribute, a few performers presented devotional songs
from Bollywood films and given the popularity of such songs, it was very well received by
the audience. The evening ended on rendition of the popular mangal aartis of Lord
Ganesha being sung by the whole hall followed by distribution of the prasadam.

Finally, as all good things must come to an end, the third day – Visarjan - saw SSR-ians wake
up with mixed emotions. Continuing the previous year’s tradition, an “Annadanam”
program was arranged for all residents, staff, housekeeping and security team of SSR on
this day where a meal was served free of charge to all. A large number of happy and hungry
SSR-ians joined in to partake this meal. Soon, as the afternoon arrived, and the cloud-laden
skies also readied to shed a tear or two in farewell to Bappa, the loud cries of “Ganapati
Bappa Morya” were heard all around SSR. A procession of Bappa and Devi Gauri was
carried out in a decorated tractor with full band and play of colours covering the entire SSR
premises. SSR-ians being SSR-ians weren’t ready to bid adieu to Bappa so soon and were
seen rejoicing one last time near the main gate from where Bappa was taken for Visarjan.

This concluded the Ganesha Chaturthi celebrations for SSR in 2018 with the hope that
Bappa and Devi Gauri visit us soon next year and fill our entire premises with their divine
and blissful presence.

Short Story Abhijit Banerjee (G1204)
“ত োমোরি ু লনো ু রম, প্রোন”

শীত ি ত োি, ই.এম বোইপোস ত োতি বোইক রনতে যোরি উলত োডোন্গোি রিতক, গন্তবয পুিতনো তকোলকো ো।বোগবোজোি
তেেোঘোত ি কোতে যেন তপৌেলোম ঘর়িত েন পোঁা চ ো পাঁে োরিশ। সকোল ে োেএপতেন্টতমন্ট আতে হরিনোথ লোরহর়িি
সোতথ। শী কোতল এিকম অদ্ুভ সমে তকউ তিে বতল জোনোরেতলোনো। গন্গোি ঘোত ি কোতে ব লোি তিোকোতন চোতেি কোপ
তশষ কতি স্ট্র্যোন্ড বযোন্ক তিোড ত োতিতপৌেলোম উত্তি তকোলকো োি “বগলো চিন মুেোজী স্ট্র্ীত ”। কোল যেন ত রলত োতন
এপতেন্টতমন্ট রনলোম েন সকোল ে োে এপতেন্টতমন্ট শুতন চমতক তগরেলোম। রকন্তু আসোি তলো োও েো়িত পোরিরন।
আমোতিি মোরসক পরিকো “মোলন্চ”ি প্রথম বেি পুর ি ত আমিো এক ো রবতশষ সংেযো প্রকোশ কিরে। িতে,তলেোে পুিতনো
কলকো োি রশল্পীতিি ব ি মোন জীবন ু টিতে ত োলোই আমোতিি কোজ।

হরিনোথ লোরহর়িি সন্ধোন পোই বোিীন জযোঠোমশোতেি কোে তথতক। পোঁা চেতেি িশতকি বোেলো েোেোেরবিওপি রকেু বই রলতে
তেন জযোঠোমশোই। হরিনোথ লোরহর়ি বোিীন জযোঠোমশোতেি ক্লোশতম । েতেি িশতকিতশষরিতক চরিিোর তন ো রহতসতব তবশ
নোম কতিরেতলন।

বতনরি বো়িীি তেতল, ববঠকী গোতনও রেতলো িোরুন িেল। রনজস্ব যোিোি িল রেতলো “হরিনোথ অতপিো”।বেি িশ আতগ
অবর তযোগোতযোগ রেতলো জযোঠোমশোতেি সোতথ। র রন তবাঁতচ আতেন রকনো জোনত চোওেোেজযোঠোমশোে এক ো লযোন্ডত োন
নোম্বোি এরগতে রিতেরেতলন। োিপি ত োন কতি এপতেন্টতমন্ট রনতেরে। হরিনোথ লোরহর়িি এেন আনুমোরনক রেেোরশ বেি
বতেস। রনতজই ত োন ত োতি বলতলন “যরি আসত চোও োহতল ত োতিি রিতক এতসো, েন োতলো থোরক। তবলো বো়িতলই
তিোগজ্বোলোিো ডোলপোলো তমলত শুরুকিতব, েন সমে রিত পোিতবোনো”। শী ো তবশ োতলোই পত়িতে, োি ওপি আজ
তমঘলো কতি আতে।গরলত ঢু তক বো়িী েুঁাতজ তপত অসুরবত হতলোনো। এক োই ত লো বো়িী, নোম “অর রথ”। তগ েুতল
ঢু কত যোতবো, েরন শুনত তপলোম তিো লোি জোনোলো তথতক এক বৃতেি গলো “তসোজো ওপতি চতল এতসো,ডোনহোত ঝু ল
বোিোন্দো প়িতব, তবোতসো, আরম আসরে”।

বো়িী ো প্রোচীন সতন্দহ তনই, এক ো হলতিত েোপিতেতে, জোনোলোগুতলো হোলকো সবুজ। বোিোন্দোে এতস তচোে জু র়িতে তগতলো,
আমোি পো ু রলি ১রব.এইচ.তকফ্ল্যোত ি প্রোে সমোন। রকেু পুিতনো আসবোব তচেোি, ত রবল, সোমতনই গন্গো তিেো যোতি।শুতন
রেলোম এেোতনই তকোথোও আতে কোশী রমতিি বোরনিে ঘো , যরিও কুেোশোে সবরকেু ই এেন ঢোকো পত়িআতে।

“নোও গিম কচু রি, আলুি িম, রঝরলরপ েোও”, শোলপো োি দুত ো তঠোেো হোত রযরন বোিোন্দোে এতলন োঁা ি বেসহেত ো
পাঁচোরশ েোর়িতেতে রকন্তু শিীি মজবু । মোথোি সব চু ল সোিো, উতটো কতি আাঁচ়িোতনো, তচোতে কোতলোতেতমি চশমো, গোতে
সোিো ুর , পোন্জোরব, োি ওপি কোশ্মীরি শোল। সব রমরলতে তয মোনুষ ো পিি োি আ়িোলতথতক সোমতন এতলন র রন তবশ
েোরনক ো পুিো নী গন্ধ তমতে হোরজি হতেতেন।

Short Story

Abhijit Banerjee (G1204)

“এত ো সকোতল এিকম গিম েোবোি তপতলন তকোথোে?”, তেত তেত ই আরম রজতগযস কিলোম। “আরম এইএলোকোে
আরশ বেিি ওপি আরে, আমোতিি বো়িী এেোতন আতে প্রোে তি়িতশো বেি, বোগবোজোতিি প্রোেসবরকেু ই আরম রচরন।
পো়িোি মেিোতক বতল তিতেরেলোম, গিম, গিম ত তজ রিতে রগতেতে”। হরিনোথবোবুতবশ েোরনক ো মজো পোওেোি রিত
বলতলন। েোওেো তশষ কতি কোতজি কথোে এলোম। আতগইত রলত োতন বতল তিতেরেলোম, োই তবশী সমে লোগতলোনো মুল
রবষতে ঢু কত ।

হরিনোথবোবু প্রথতমই বলতলন “তিতেো আরম েুব তবশী রসতনমো করিরন, বু ু রম আমোি কোতে এতসতেো,ত োমোতিি প্রজন্ম
আমোতিি তেোাঁ জ কিতে এ োত ো োবত ই পোরিনো। োই ত োমোতক আরম সমে রিত িোরজ হতেরে”।
“আপরন রক িতনি অর নে কিত ন যরি বতলন, মোতন আপরন রক নোেতকি ু রমকোে কেতনো অর নে কতিতেন ?“ আরম
প্রশ্ন কিলোম। হরিনোথবোবু সমে রনতলন, োিপি বলতলন “নোেক আরম হইরন, হত ও চোইরন, আরম রেলোম চরিিোর তন ো।
রকেু তনতগটি তিোল কতিরে, রকন্তু যোই কতিরে এক ো আলোিো মোিো তযোগ কিোি তচষ্টো কতিরে।”
“রকন্তু তসইসমে আপরন এত ো ো স্বো ীন োতব কোজ কিোি সুতযোগ তপতলন রক োতব?”, আমোি গলোে রবস্বে লক্ষ্য কতি
হরিনোথবোবু তবশ গরবি রিত বলতলন “পোতবোনো তকতনো, আরম রনতজও রকেু োকো ঢোল োম। আমোি রেতলো যোিো,
রথতে োতিি বযোকগ্রোউন্ড, োই োঁা ়িোরম কিত হেরন। তগো ো বোতিো েরব কতিরে, রকন্তু যো কতিরে োত আমোি প়িোশুতনো,
রুরচি েোপ রেতলো স্পষ্ট। ু রম পুিতনো “উতটোিথ”, “জলসো” েুতল তিতেো আমোি নোম পোতব। একসমে হরিনোে লোরহর়িি
নোতম হতল টিরক রবক্রী হতেতে”।
“আপনোি গোতনি গলোত ো িোরুন রেতলো, রবতশষ পুিতনো প্পো, ববঠকী গোন আপনোি গলোে িোরুন েুলত ো শুতনরে”,
“আমোি রনজস্ব যোিো িল রেতলো- “হরিনোথ অতপিো” । কলকো োে, ম স্বতল, গ্রোতম,গতন্জ অতনক যোিো কতিরে, গোনও
তগতেরে। বোগবোজোি হতলো রবেযো করবেোল ত োলো মেিোি আস্তোনো। আমিো করব গোতনি িলও কতিরে, আবোি আরম
েরবত ও গোন কতিরে। রন ুবোবু মোতন িোমরনর গুতেি প্পো েরবত বযোবহোি কিো হতেরেতলো, পুিতনো কলকো োি ওপি েরব।
আরম দুত ো গোন তগতেরেলোম “কমরলনী তকতনো এত ো অর মোন”, আি “ত োমোরি ু লনো ু রম, প্রোন”। আমোি বো়িী তথতক
রকেু দুতি িোমরনর গুতেি বো়িী রেতলো কুতমোি ু রলত । প্পো গোন প্রথতম গোইত ো পোন্জোব প্রতিতশি উ ওেোলোিো, রন ুবোবু
এতক তশো ন কতি রনতজি কথো ও সুতি বোেোলী এরল সমোতজি তযোগয কতি ত োতলন।”
আমোি কোজ প্রোে তশষ, কতেক ো েরব তনতবো োবরেলোম রকন্তু হরিনোথবোবু বো ো রিতলন - “আমোি এই েরব ত োমোি তকোতনো
কোতজ লোগতবনো, পুিতনো আযলবোম বোি কতি তিতেরে , পেন্দমত ো েরব রনতেো আি আমোি রকেু গোন আতে, পোিতল
েোরপও।”
প্র যোশো রেতলো তেোট্ট ইন্টোির ও , প্রোরে হতলো অতনক। তবশ সতন্কোতচি সোতথ হোজোি োকোি সম্মোনিরক্ষ্নো এরগতে রিলোম
রকন্তু হরিনোথবোবু তিতেও তিেতলন নো, শু ু বলতলন “আমোি নোর থোতক কোনোডোে, গ বেি এতসরেতলো, আমোি কোতজি
ওপি গতবষনো কিত চোে, ওতক রকেু থয রিতেরে রকন্তু েরবি আযলবোম আি গোতনি েো ো হোরিতে তগরেতলো। ত োমোি
কোজ হতে তগতল ু রম যরি কোনোডোি ঠিকোনোে পোঠিতে রিত পোতিো োহতল ওি কোতজি সুরবত হে।”

Short Story

Abhijit Banerjee (G1204)

“অবশযই পোঠিতেো রকন্তু, আরম ওতক কথো রিতেরেলোম। কতব আরে, কতব তনই, শিীিও োতলো তনই”, হরিনোথবোবুি গলোে
রবষোতিি সুি। পোঠোতবো কথো রিলোম, সতন্গ এক ো আবিোিও জু ়িলোম - “আপনোি এক ো গোন রক শুনত পোরি? যরি
তশোনোন োহতল তিকডি কতি িোেতবো”, গোতনি তিকরডি েএ লোরহ়িী মশোই আপরত্ত কিতলন নো। রকেু মুহুত ি ি অতপক্েো,

োিপি িিোজ গলোে শুরু হতলো োি গোন -“ত োমোরি ু লনো ু রম, প্রোন”। ববঠকী তমজোতজি পুিো নী গোন শুনত শুনত
বোইতিি রিতক োরকতেরেলোম। আতস্ত, আতস্ত তমঘলো আকোশ পরিষ্কোি হতি, কুতমোি ু রলি িোমরনর গুতেি সুি, েতেি
িশতকি চরিিোর তন ো ও গোেক হরিনোথ লোরহ়িীি গলোে ন ু ন কতি প্রোন র তি তপতেতে। এই মোনুষগুতলো একরিন চতল
যোতব রকন্তু োতিি কোজ তথতক যোতব। অনয তকউ এরগতে আসতব োতিি কোজতক এরগতে রনতে তযত । প্পো গোন ট্রোন্স মি
হতে একরিন বোেলো ববঠকী গোতনি তচহোিো তপতেরেতলো, আবোি এি তথতকও হেত ো ন ু ন তকোতনো রশতল্পি স্রৃ রষ্ট হতব, সুতিি
জোদুত তমোরহ কিতব বোেলোি মোনুষতক। গোন যেন প্রোে তশতষি রিতক েন এক ো অদ্ুভ কোন্নোে চমতক উঠলোম।
হরিনোথবোবুও রবস্তি চমতকতেন, োিপি রনতজতক সোমতল রনতে বলতলন “বযো ো শম্ুভ সোিোিো আর ম তেতে পত়ি তথতক
এেন হোরজি হতেতে।”

“শম্ুভ তক?” আরম রজতগযস কিলোম ।

“শম্ুভ আমোি তিেোতশোনো কতি, কোল িোতি শিীি ো োতলো রেতলোনো, এ বোি ডোকলোম রকন্তু বোবুি তিেো তনই, এেন এতসতে
। আবোি মতন হে পোলতে উতঠ মশোরি েুলত রগতে পত়িতে। তচোতেও তিেত পোেনো োতলো কতি। তকোনরিন হো়িতগো়ি

োেতব, আমোি আি রক?”

কোন্নোি তিশ ক্রমশ বো়িতে। আমোি কোজ তশষ হতেতে, দ্র ো কতি বললোম “আরম রক আপনোি শম্ুভতক এক ু তিেতবো?“
“তিেতব? োহতল ওতক এক ু সোমতল রিও আি আমোি নোর তক রকন্তু তলেো, েরব পোঠিও, নোহতল আরম শোরন্ত পোতবোনো।”
“অবশযই পোঠোতবো” বতল আরম তবরিতে এলোম।

ঝু ল বোিোন্দোি উতটোরিতক এক ো বত়িো তবডরুম, কোন্নো ো ওেোন তথতকই আসতে। ঘতি ঢু তক তিরে বেি পন্চোতশি একজন
মোনুষ, মোথোে কিম েোাঁ চু ল, তমতঝত বতস মুে রনচু কতি কোাঁ িতে। আমোি পোতেি আওেোতজ তঘোলোত তচোে ু তল একবোি
চোইতলো োিপি আবোি ডু কতি তেঁতি উঠতলো।

ঘতিি একতকোতন এক ো প্রকোন্ড পোলে, কোরুকোযিয কিো তবশ সোতবকী রজরনস। পোরলশ তিেতল তচোে োঁা র তে যোে। সবরকেু ই
স্বো োরবক, তব েোত ি ওপতি তকোতনো মশোরি তনই, োি বিতল রযরন শুতে আতেন র রন আমোতিি েুবই পরিরচ । সোিো ুর -
পোন্জোরব, কোশ্মীরি শোতল রনতজতক তঢতক শুতে আতেন হরিনোথ লোরহ়িী। অরন্তম শযযোে োি মুতে অদ্ুভ প্রশোরন্ত। আসতল
জো রশল্পীিো কেতনো ু রিতে জোননো, িীঘি রবির ি পি োঁা িো র তি আতসন ঠিক সমে বুতঝ। োঁা তিি অনবিয অর নে রিতে
িশিকতক মুগ্ধ কতি আবোি চতল যোন অন্তিোতল।

পোতশই িোেো আতে এক ো পুিতনো গ্রোতমোত োন, মতন হতলো তস োও এবোি তবতজ উঠতব িিোজ কতে - “ত োমোরি ু লনো ু রম,
প্রোন”।