Devdas Page #2

I was just joking

I was joking too

My prodigal son returns a lawyer.

But no let up on the mischief?

Babu-ji...? (=Father)

- He left for his chambers early...

something urgent.

- I know, I know

Complaints every day!

Dev and Paro never went to school.

Dev caught smoking

All day tramping around the village

with that Paro

Not another moment

for you in this house

The day I left,

he wasn't at home

This day I return,

he still isn't here

You know, the British government

is knighting him

I see!

- And he'll be so glad to see you

Really?

- Glad he is, at work

In my home, fathers welcome sons

returning home after years...

with arms outstretched.

- Same here, child

Come to me, my darling

I told you to get me

a nice foreign watch

Have you brought it?

No, but I bring fortuitous times

Look...

over here... but I can't even

make out clearly

They use only paper?

- And sometimes, not even that

I never shook hands

What are you upto?

Give my box back to me

Give it to me

What's happening?

- Nothing

Watching Devdas?

How do you find him?

I'm not telling.

- Tell me...

how do you find him?

- Like a fool

What did he say when he met you?

- I didn't show him my face

Swear that by your mother?

- I swear

Poor thing, must've been pining.

- Let him pine

Don't make him suffer so

Else, he'll come peeping

around the door...

and ask me,

Kaki-Ma, is Paro in?

Only in the moonlight

he gets to see my face

Card three and I win.

- Damn

Lost by a whisker.

- You always lose by a whisker

Kumud, so what if he wins once?

- Wrong, today's Shubhankar's day

No one else wins, here comes Paro

but she can't win either

You bet?

- Beware! She'll loot you

Well Paro, what have you brought?

- "Shondesh" for Devdas. Ma sent it

Where's Devdas?

- The London-returned gentleman?

Where else but in his room,

training his binoculars on London?

Saw? Earlier, she'd greet you first.

Up she climbs, our beauty...

straight for Devdas.

- One too many a sweet message

What brings the Moon down to Earth?

- To take your breath away

What are you doing?

- Seeing how good my guess was

Accurate?

- Could never be wrong

How come?

- Known you for ages

What's this?

- Platter

I know. But what's on it?

- My excuse

Shondesh for me?

- See for yourself

Empty...?

- That's the excuse, silly

Goodness!

What a temper!

You make a fine example

of how to lose temper

You're the same

You too, are just

like you were

Like what...?

- Unsophisticated

Naturally, after all,

you're London-returned

London's a big city, isn't it Dev?

- London's entirely different

Great personalities, great debates.

Huge thoroughfares, huge edifices

London's Trafalgar Square,

pigeons, doves...

The Queen's Palace

And milling crowds,

everywhere

Londoners live in a world

of their own

You too?

Of course

You are so silly

Say, you never missed the village?

- Never, never, except...

when I was fed up of the food at

the hostel, I missed Ma's dishes

And back in London,

when someone screamed at me...

I was reminded of my father.

No one else

On evening walks, I contemplated

Dharamdas and his buggy

On sleepless nights,

grandmother's gentle pat

Nothing else

Dev... and...

And...?

- I...?

Never. Or was it once...?

No, you never came to mind, Paro.

- I never came to mind...?

Matters that come to mind

are matters that matter. But...

you don't matter, Paro.

- True Dev, only you matter

5 letters, 5 times a day. How many

times did I read them each year?

And how many times in ten years?

- Multiplied by...?

18,250 times.

That's how much you matter...

and ten years to the day, I have

kept alive the flame I lit for you

How many hours has it been burning?

- If I were to count...

87,600 hours. So much you matter,

every second I remembered you

How many seconds to a day?

- I know, I'll tell you...

You're bad at arithmetic

There were times when I missed you.

- When...?

Whenever I breathed

For them, reminiscences,

those who can be forgotten. Silly

So effortlessly you counted off

those seconds?

Without as much as a thought

to every passing second...

that carried me away?

In the flame of the lamp that

you lit, it was I who burned

Pity

Shall I tell you what's

on my mind for sometime?

Two names on your mind.

Paro and Devdas

Mr Landlord! How did you figure out?

Kumud was saying, Dev and Paro

are upto new antics

For hours they stare at each other

through binoculars

Shondesh is her excuse for

coming over. I don't like it

And Sumitra is daydreaming

of Paro's wedding to Devdas

Daydreams never come true.

Neelkanth married an actress

Disgraced himself. In an alliance

with a disgraced family...

am I to bring

my family to ridicule...?

Right, but you know Sumitra.

She shoots off her mouth

What if she storms in someday

proposing an alliance?

The answer will be "no"

- Why will the answer be no?

A knight and a landlord. And the

roof over our heads is leaking

Leaking...?

Even my postal address has changed.

- Really...?

Neelkanth Chakraborty,

Old Mansion

What's lacking in our Paro?

She's pretty, she's literate

I only got to spread the word.

Tens of boys will be ready...

to pay a bride-price for Paro.

- Really?

Yes. You are worrying too much

Someday we will get a proposal...

from them. You'll see

Till then, I leave you to

your musings. I'm off for my nap

Mr Landlord! Have a care!

Your old mansion is crumbling

Broke my back

All this jewellery! All for me?

- You will give me a grandson

Won't I give you something?

Badi-Ma has opened up her

treasure trove. Loot her

I must!

Badi-Ma! How exquisite!

I must wear this

No, that one isn't for you.

- Then, for whom?

For my Devdas' bride.

- Let's see

Give it all away to Devdas' bride!

I want none of this

Here's your elder daughter-in-law

And everyone's all agog about

someone who's yet to come

Nice bracelet, isn't it?

It'll look great on your arm

In my father's house

maids wear bracelets like these

Then consider yourself a maid,

right Badi-Ma?

Yes! I'm maidservant in this house.

My brother-in-law! Always after me

You're making a mountain out

of a molehill. I was joking

If you disapprove, I won't even marry.

- I hate being ridiculed

Why rib her all the time?

Badi-Ma you could've said yes...

if only to please her. You know

her nature. And she's pregnant

And you've brought her to tears.

Now I got to placate her. Woe betide

No matter how much honey you add,

neem is always bitter

How do you like this bracelet?

Just like you. Exotic.

- Whom are you giving it to?

You want to see?

Take this.

- And do what?

Look through it. This bracelet

is for whoever you see in it

Goodness! Sumitra?

Is she the one? Are you mad?

- Yes, but not entirely. Look up

That's Parvati.

- Nice...?

Yes nice, but I see her every day.

- Do you see her as my bride?

Wretched girl!

- Now what's up?

Staring at me through binoculars!

- Goodness

She's gone hiding.

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