ROYAL BENGAL TIGERS’
CLUB
Written by: - ARINDAM SAIN
Disclaimer
The entire story and its
characters are entirely fictitious.
Any resemblance of the
characters or the storyline with
any living or dead person
is purely coincidental.
EPISODE – 01
Roland:- Sir, why have you called me in
Calcutta to meet you at your office? Do you need any emergency help from my
side?
Houghton:- Yes, Roland, I need your help. I
have already talked with Mr. Samuel, the Major General of Gwalior province. You
have to take a transfer to Calcutta. Samuel has no problem in releasing you
from Gwalior province. At present, you are in charge of Bikrampur
administrative block, right?
Roland:- Yes, Sir, you are right. But, Samuel
Sir never discussed with me regarding this issue. Suddenly, why do I need to
take a transfer to Calcutta?
Houghton:- Look, Lieutenant Roland. At
present, Calcutta comprises of three major administrative blocks, out of which
Sutanuti is the main one. Sutanuti has the highest number of population among
the 3 blocks and moreover, the entire block is around 876 square Kilometers. At
present, Lieutenant Beadon is in charge of that Sutanuti block. Sutanuti
administrative block has 12 villages under its jurisdiction. Out of those 12
villages, the village of Rampurhat, Jairampur, Ganeshtala, Bhaduribagan and
Simulganj are becoming dangerous for us. Have you heard about the
notorious Prafulla, Dinesh, Badal and Shyamal?
Roland:- Oh! Yeah, I have read about them in
‘The Statesman’ newspaper last week only. Shyamal has been arrested recently.
Shyamal used to supply the arms and ammunitions to all the Indian rebels.
But, no one has any clue about the hide-outs of Prafulla, Dinesh and Badal.
Houghton:- Our intelligence team are very much
sure that these rebels have a very strong hold in those villages of Sutanuti
administrative block. Recently, our police forces have raided a portion
of Jairampur village. From 3 houses, we have got around 17 revolvers and 58
bombs.
Roland:- Is Mr. Beadon sleeping?
Houghton:- No, not at all. Mr. Beadon is a
very efficient lieutenant. But, the biggest problem is that he is not a cruel
man. He has a sound character and is too much liberal towards the poor Indians.
That’s why, despite having the information about those extremists’ hideouts, he
is not taking any action against them. Even I have heard from the secret
sources that he is having an illegal affair with an Indian girl, Shivani.
Shivani works as a maid-servant in the Sutanuti administrative block office,
where Mr. Beadon stays.
Roland:- Oh! I see. These Indians are now
trying to control over Mr. Beadon by hooks or crooks.
Houghton:- Do you have any objection to take
the charge of Sutanuti block?
Roland:- No, Sir! I am very much interested to
take the charge. I assure you that within the next six months, those Indian
rebels will stop thinking about their freedom struggle.
Houghton:- Good! I liked your attitude. I
could have selected anyone, but, I selected you because last year, you played
such a game that all the rebels in and around Gwalior surrendered in front of
the British force. Even Samuel always talks about your great administrative
skills. You are an excellent lieutenant to get a promotion by next year
itself. Anyway, we have already sent a letter to lieutenant Beadon. He
will be transferred to Ghaziabad administrative block, which is looking quite a
peaceful zone nowadays. You can take the charge of Sutanuti administrative
block by next Monday.
Roland:- Thank you, Sir. If I need
any help further, I will surely get in touch with you.
******************
Beadon:- The high command has sent a transfer
order for me. I have to take the charge of Ghaziabad administrative block by
next Monday. But, before that, I need to go to England. My mom has sent a
letter that my son, Bob is terribly ill.
Shivani:- Your wife, Clara has left you. Then,
why are you so bothered about them?
Beadon:- Clara has divorced with me, but that
does not mean that I will forget my son. My son has not committed any sin. Why
should he suffer? After all, I also have some responsibilities as a father.
Shivani:- I will surely miss you. I have
satisfied all the previous lieutenants who were posted in this Sutanuti
administrative block. But, no one was a better human being than you.
Beadon:- What will you do with a good human
being? Either you keep on satisfying lieutenants here to earn money for your
family or just stop working here and get married to a good man.
Shivani:- Then, why don’t you
marry me, dear?
******************
Prafulla:- Listen to me, everybody. Mr. Beadon
has been intentionally transferred from Sutanuti. I understand the ploy
of the British high command. They want to make our freedom struggle tougher.
But, we will not stop our rebellion. We have got information that a special
train from Muzaffarganj will enter Calcutta tonight. Before entering the
Calcutta station, the train will halt at Burdwan junction. We will attack the
train just a few meters before it enters the junction. Within 10 minutes, we
have to break the wagon and loot all the arms and ammunitions.
****************
Kepler:- Sir, Welcome to the Sutanuti
administrative block office.
Roland:- Excuse me! Who are you?
Kepler:- I am the Inspector – In- Charge of
Sutanuti, Sir. I am Kepler.
Roland:- Oh! You are Mr. Kepler. Yeah,
Houghton Sir mentioned about you once. Mr. Kepler, what’s your problem? Why
can’t you arrest those Indian rebels who are fighting for their
independence? I think that there is a serious problem in the intelligence
department of the Sutanuti Police force.
Kepler:- Sir, the problem lies elsewhere. All
the information gets leaked. That’s why; when we raided the hideouts of those
rebels, they fled beforehand. Not only have that, they even removed all their
arms and ammunitions from their hideouts. They also had the prior information
about the train carrying arms and ammunitions for our British force.
Roland:- Hmm… who gave the information
to those rebels regarding the train? Who is that spy? By the way, is there
any maid-servant working here whose name is Shivani?
Kepler:- She left the job just the
previous night of the day when Mr. Beadon left this office. Who knows, maybe!
Roland:- Maybe! What? You are hiding something
from me. Come out clean.
Kepler:- Many people are saying that Shivani
got married to Mr. Beadon and both of them left for England.
Roland:- No, that’s not possible. Mr. Beadon
boarded the ship alone only. There was no Indian girl with him.
Kepler:- Maybe, who knows! Mr. Beadon has kept
Shivani in a secure place. Then, once he comes back from England, he will take
her to Ghaziabad administrative block office.
Roland:- Are you creating a fairy tale in
front of me, Mr. Kepler?
Kepler:- I am not saying anything, Sir. People
are saying those things. Maybe, those are all rumors.
Roland:- But, still, we cannot sit back and
relax. Maybe, Shivani was the main informer for those rebels, when Mr. Beadon
was in charge of this block. If you find Shivani anywhere, just arrest her and
bring her to me. I need to interrogate her. Maybe, she knows the exact hiding
places of Prafulla, Dinesh and Badal.
******************
Shashi:- Hey Rishi! I have seen a new game
just a few minutes ago. All the British officers are playing a new type
of a game on the field of Sutanuti administrative block office campus. I
just entered inside that area to clean the drains. Raghu uncle was with me. My
mom is ill today. That’s why; I went to clean the drains on her behalf. I was
just amazed to see that game. They were playing with a rounded shaped object
and were kicking it with their legs. You cannot touch that object with your
hands while playing. Only the man standing inside a goal post can hold that
object with his hands.
Rishi:- Wow! Hey Shashi, tomorrow, I will also
go with you inside that office area. I know a secret route to enter that area.
You enter the area from the main gate after security check. I will enter from
the backside, where some of the bricks of the border walls are broken. If
anyone sees me, then I will say that I have also come here to clean the drains.
We will watch the game. We will also found out where those rounded shaped
objects are kept. We will steal one of them.
********************
Charles: - Oh! My God! Where is the other
football? Roland, come here. See, what has happened? Someone has stolen a
football from here.
Roland: - What? How is it possible? Ramdin,
hey Ramdin.
Ramdin:- jee saabji. What happened?
Roland:- Someone has stolen the football from
here. Try to figure out the thief. Within 24 hours, I want back the football;
otherwise, you will be fired.
*****************
Kaushik:- Prafulla daa, now, I think that we
should form an organization to fight against the British on a legal basis also.
You planned to open a swadeshi club, where all the lawyers will also become a
part of it. We cannot wipe out the British people totally by fighting with them
with arms and ammunitions. We have to prove it legally to the world that the
East India Company people are treating the poor Indians as their slaves. Then
only, the political leaders of the other countries will support us to achieve
the Indian independence.
Prafulla:- I have tried a lot to open that
kind of an organization or a club. But, the British people know our game plan
very well. For the third consecutive time, the registration of our club has
been cancelled. When I sent a request for our ‘Swadeshi Jagaran Samity’ Club,
the British people had objection about the name of that club. Again, next year,
I changed the name of our club as ‘Naba Bharatiya Yuva Sanghatan’ and requested
for its registration. Then also, a British lawyer said that we are planning to
form this club to tempt the Indian young generation people to fight against the
British force. This year, I changed the name of the club as ‘Royal Bengal
Tigers’ Club’ and sent it to the higher committee for its registration.
Mr. Beadon was also in favor of getting it registered. But, all went in vain.
Mr. Roland with his armed forces raided our club house and got it sealed by
alleging that our club house is a place, where we keep our arms and
ammunitions. That’s why; we have now shifted ourselves from Ganeshtala to
Bhaduribagan. Bhaduri babu is a very nice person. His grandfather,
Mohandas was a great zamindar of Sutanuti. But, under the British rule, the
successors of Mohandas lost their power of the existing zamindari system.
Bhaduri babu is now 57 years old but still looks so young and healthy.
Vikash:- Prafulla daa, there is a bad news for
us. Policemen have found the dead body of Shivani from a pond of the Nakulganj
village. Dinesh daa and Badal daa have already gone to the spot in disguise to
see the dead body.
*******************
Surendra:- Sir, why have you whipped my son
Rishi for 30 times. What kind of a punishment is this?
Roland:- He deserved it. Had he not got this
punishment, he would have never learned that stealing is a heinous act. He
stole a football from our office. How dare he?
Surendra:- He is a small boy, Sir. You could
have whipped for once only. You have whipped him for so many times that his
condition is very critical now. He cannot even walk by keeping his spinal cord
straight. He cannot sleep while lying down on the bed. You could have told me
that he has stolen an object from your place. Then, I would have punished him
and returned that object to you. By the way, my son has not stolen a golden
jewel or money. He has stolen a rounded shaped object, which has hardly any
value at all.
Roland:- What? What do you say? This football
has no value! My goodness, what the hell do you know about this football? This
football is entirely made of leather. This costs around 150 bucks. You people
don’t even earn 150 bucks in 1 month and you are saying that it is not a
precious thing. The entire Yorkshire club football team has come here to spend
their holidays. Even I play for the Yorkshire club football team whenever I get
time. When a football got stolen from my office, I felt ashamed in front of my
teammates.
Surendra:- I don’t want to hear all those
lectures about a silly game of football. You have beaten up my son brutally,
that’s why, I have come here to request that don’t repeat those actions in
future. Mr. Beadon was not at all a cruel man like you.
Roland:- Ha ha ha…Oh! My God! I have to learn
about humanities from you such Indian slaves and please don’t comment anything
bad about football. You such Bengalis are fit for playing those bullshit games
like Kabbaddi and Kusti (Wrestling) only. You people can never play football.
You are lucky enough that I have not slapped you yet. Now, just get lost from
here.
****************
Durga:- I have consoled myself but my parents
are inconsolable. Still, I cannot accept the fact that my elder sister, Shivani
has committed suicide. The post-mortem report says that she has drowned herself
in that pond out of depression. She was pregnant and was about to give birth to
a baby of Mr. Beadon after few months. But, Mr. Beadon refused to marry her.
That’s why, she killed herself.
Arindam:- I was also there at the spot,
where the dead body of your elder sister was found. Mr. Kepler came there
with his policemen and ordered to send the dead body for post-mortem. Believe
me, Durga, there were some scratches on that dead body. Also, some portions of
her clothes were torn. Even Badal daa and Dinesh daa were also there. They
noticed the same thing. But, none of us opened our mouth in front of Kepler.
Had we done that, then Kepler would have got an opportunity to play tricks on
us by any means. Badal daa and Dinesh daa were in disguise and Kepler does not
know me, as I am yet to get listed on Police records. Accha, Shivani knew
swimming?
Durga:- Yeah, of course! She always used to
bath while swimming in our pond only.
Arindam:- Hmm…it is very difficult for a
person to drown himself if he knows swimming. I smell a rat. I think that the
real post-mortem report of Shivani has been either suppressed or tampered. But,
who has done that and why?
Gopal:- Hey, Arindam and Durga, just listen to
me. Today at 5 PM, Prafulla daa has called a meeting behind the Kali temple of
Simulganj. Be there on time.
****************
Roland:- Why did you do that, Mr. Kepler? The
girl was not giving you any access, that’s okay. That was her personal choice.
She was in love with Mr. Beadon. So, what’s wrong in that? You were jealous of
Mr. Beadon, I know that. But, why you gave the punishment to that girl? Mr.
Beadon left Sutanuti block office on a Saturday morning. On that Saturday night
itself, you raped her. After that, you killed her out of fear and drowned her dead
body in a pond of Nakulganj village. The biggest blunder that the girl did was
to live in her ‘maid –servant’ room inside the Sutanuti administrative block
campus even after Mr. Beadon left that place in that morning. You have also
changed the entire post-mortem report. I have that information also. Had
Shivani not been an informer for those Indian rebels, then I would have
immediately kept you behind the bars. Discipline is discipline. You cannot
break that. But, in this case, I will suggest you to resign from your job and
start your journey towards England. By the way, why you tried to kill Ramdin by
using your policemen?
Kepler:- Tried to kill! Ha ha ha…Ramdin has
been killed by now. He was the only witness of Shivani’s rape and murder.
Roland:- No, Mr. Kepler, Ramdin is still
alive. I have got the information from my own intelligence sources that he is
badly injured, as a bullet has been shot at his right arm. He is lucky to be
alive but not so lucky for you, Mr. Kepler. Ramdin was last seen near the
Hatiara jungle which is at the outskirts of Sutanuti block. If by chance,
Ramdin stays alive and tells all the truth to those Indian rebels, then Mr.
Kepler, I cannot give you the assurance that I will protect you from them
because you are also a criminal in the eyes of law. So, it is better that you
get out of India as early as possible. There is a ship on this Thursday which
will start its journey from Bombay port. Today is Monday. So, it is better that
you start your journey towards Bombay by tomorrow morning. There is a train to
Bombay which will start at 7.15 AM tomorrow from Calcutta station.
****************
Prafulla:- Due to excessive bleeding, Ramdin,
the caretaker cum security –in-charge of Sutanuti administrative block office
has died. But, before dying, he told the villagers of the Hatiara jungle that
Shivani has been raped and murdered by Kepler.
Arindam:- Yes, I was also having doubts about
that post-mortem report. Now, everything is crystal clear. Prafulla da, we
should file a case against Kepler. We should also charge a case against him for
changing the post-mortem report.
Prafulla:- Yes, we can surely do that but it
will be too late for us, because as per the secret informers working under
Dinesh, Mr. Kepler has already planned to travel to Bombay. We have time till
tomorrow morning. Within this time, we should kill Kepler at any cost to take
the sweet revenge. Shivani was an asset for us. She always used to give us
valuable information by keeping her own life at stake. She was also a freedom
fighter like us. Tonight, we will kill Kepler.
Durga:- Prafulla da, I will do the job. I will
take the revenge of my elder sister’s murder.
Prafulla:- But, you have never fired
with a pistol before. No, no, no, I cannot take that risk. By chance, if you
miss the target, then you will be in serious trouble. You are already in the
final year of graduation. Your elder sister stopped studying after class VII
due to poverty of your parents but she used to earn money from those bloody
British people for her family members only. She had a dream that one day her
younger sister will become an established person in our society with a
graduation degree.
Durga:- What’s the point in getting a
graduation degree when your motherland is getting ruled by some bloody British
people. Give me a pistol, Prafulla daa. I will kill Kepler tonight.
Prafulla:- No, no, it will be a huge
risk for us. We can’t take you on that mission.
Badal:- Prafulla, give her the pistol. Let her
take the sweet revenge. If she can kill Kepler, then the soul of Shivani will
rest in peace.
Prafulla:- Ok, let us take that risk. But,
Durga, there will be a backup team for you. If you fail to kill Kepler, our
boys will be there to do that. Now, listen to our plan very carefully. Tonight
is the last night for Kepler in Calcutta. As he has planned to start his
journey to Bombay tomorrow morning, so for the last time, he will surely visit
the Qotah of Bijli Bai. Bijli is the No.1 top class baiji of the Sovabazar
baiji para as of now and Kepler is one of her regular and rich customers. As
per our secret sources, Kepler will enjoy her last night in Calcutta at Bijli
Bai’s Qotah. Now, look at the map. The Bijli Bai’s Qotah is at the lane
No.2 of Sovabazar. Kepler usually comes there in a horse-pulled cart (Tanga).
Durga will be standing just beside the entrance of Bijli Bai’s Qotah in the
disguise of a sex worker. The moment, Mr. Kepler will get down from his tanga,
Durga will fire at him. If Durga fails, then Rakhal, Sujoy and Dhananjay will
do the job. They will be hiding at the lane No.3, which is at the right hand
side of the lane No.2.
****************
Houghton:- Hello! Roland. Is everything going
alright in Sutanuti. Today, in the newspaper, I have read that Kepler, the
Inspector-In-Charge of Sutanuti has been murdered. What is this going on?
Roland:- Sir, Mr. Kepler resigned from his job
on the day before yesterday only. Now, Mr. Dave is the Inspector-In-Charge of
Sutanuti. Maybe, someone had some personal grudge on Mr. Kepler, that’s why, he
has been murdered. Anyway, Sir, Mr. Dave has already started investigating on
this matter. I will keep on giving you the updated status regarding this
investigation.
***************
Dinesh:- Well done, Durga! You were spot on.
You shot one bullet only and that too on his forehead. One bullet was enough to
kill Kepler, though; Dhananjay fired another 3 bullets at his chest while
running out from that Sovabazar Baiji para.
Prafulla:- There is a letter from Bhaduri
babu. He wants to discuss about an important issue tomorrow afternoon at his
Bhaduri Bungalow.
***************
Prafulla:- Bhaduri Babu, you have called three
of us to meet you here. What’s the matter?
Bhaduri Babu:- Please take your seats. I need
to discuss about a serious issue. Last week, a poor boy of Bhaduribagan
was brutally whipped by Roland. Even he made abusive statements to the father
of that victim. After that incident, I met Roland at his office. It was a
humiliating day for me.
**************
Roland:- Yes, tell me! How can I help you? You
wanted to meet me, right! By the way, can I have your identity please?
Bhaduri Babu:- I am the grandson of
Mohandas, who was once a great zamindar of Sutanuti.
Roland:- Oh! Yeah, yeah, now I understand who
you are. You are still having control of your ‘Bhaduri Estate’ in Sutanuti. You
are lucky enough that your estate has not been seized till now by the British
High Command.
Bhaduri Babu:- How can they seize our estate?
They made an agreement with my father Jatindas that we have to pay a yearly
grant of 3000 bucks to the British High Command to keep that estate under our
control.
Roland:- Wow! So, you still have enough money
to pay such a huge grant on a yearly basis. Very soon, I will increase your
yearly grant to 4000 bucks. Don’t worry about that. What’s your good name?
Bhaduri Babu:- My good name is Devdas.
Roland:- Ok, now tell me the reason for coming
here.
Bhaduri Babu:- I am very much concerned
and hurt by hearing that as an able lieutenant of Sutanuti, you are
ill-treating the Indians of Sutanuti. How can you whip a poor boy for 30
times for such a small issue? I have also heard that you made a statement that
all Indians are slaves. Maybe, the Indians do not know how to play football,
but for that reason, you have no rights to make such abusive statements. Even
you have told Surendra that he is lucky enough not to get slapped by you. What
kind of a behavior is this? Earlier also, there were many lieutenants in
Sutanuti. They were not a racist like you. You must apologize for your
behavior.
Roland:- From which angle, you are
regarding my statements as a racial one. I have said nothing wrong. And how
dare you order me to apologize in front of those bloody slaves? Mr. Devdas, you
are not a zamindar now. Your ancestors have surrendered their powers in front
of us. You such brats of zamindar family are just puppets now. We always make
you dance on our own wishes. By the way, if you co-operate with our
administration to arrest those Indian rebels, then I can even reduce your yearly
grant by 500 bucks.
******************
Bhaduri Babu:- I want to form a football club
for the Indians. I want to prove Roland that Indians can also play
football. If the Bengali footballers can beat those British footballers
in their own invented football game, then nothing can be a better revenge than
that, for this insult.
Dinesh:- Bhaduri Babu, have you gone crazy!
Roland made some abusive statements and for that reason you want to form a
football club for Indians. Indians don’t even know how to play football.
Bhaduri Babu:- Yes, I have gone crazy. How
dare Roland make such a statement? I am also a son of zamindar family. I have
not learned to bow my head in front of anyone.
Prafulla:- Ha ha ha…now, when someone has
regarded you as a slave, you understood the poor slavery conditions of the
Indians. Now, you are talking like an Indian freedom fighter. Till date, you
regarded these British people as your friends.
Bhaduri Babu:- All British people are not bad.
Mr. Beadon is still one of my good friends.
Badal:- Bhaduri Babu, a rose plant has thorns
and flowers, but, there are some people like you, who take their entire life to
differentiate the flowers from the thorns. When Dinesh, Prafulla and I
came out of the Congress party, everyone criticized us. But, today, three of us
are a terror for the British government. One day will come, when our secret
armed forces will wipe out the British people from India.
Bhaduri Babu:- Once upon a time, our
great Mahatma Gandhi said, ‘An eye for an eye leaves the world blind.’
Dinesh:- We also respect the ideology of
Mahatma Gandhi but if you keep on following that ideology, then India will
never get independence in the next 100 years also. To kill a poison, you need
another poison. If British people are the thorns of India, then Indians have to
act as thorns to pick out and throw out those British thorns from India.
Bhaduri Babu:- Only a mere 15% of the
population in India will be willing to take up arms in their hand. The rest of
them follow the non-violence policy only. If we can instill a sense of
patriotic spirit within the people of India, then the inclusive independence
can be achieved. That’s why; I want to form an Indian football club. Prafulla,
your attempts to form a patriotic club for freedom struggle has failed for the
third time, but, no one will put objection if you attempt to form a patriotic
football club. Mr. Richards is the President of EICFF (East India Company
Football Federation). I know him very well. I will meet him soon to discuss
about my new football club.
Badal:- But, what kind of help do you want
from us?
Bhaduri Babu:- Just give me some swadeshi
players from your ‘Swadeshi Andolan’ group. That will be enough for me.
Prafulla:- Ok, that we will do. But, who will
coach those players?
Bhaduri Babu:- Santosh is the son of my
childhood friend Shantanu Roychowdhury. Santosh had studied law in London. In
his college life, he was a fantastic striker for his college football team.
After the death of Shantanu, 6 months ago, Santosh came back to India and
became a famous lawyer of the Calcutta High Court. For last 2 years, he has
earned great reputation as a criminal lawyer in London. Santosh has promised me
to provide football coaching to all the players of my new football club.
***************
Roland:- Mr. Dave, have you got any clue about
the murderer of Kepler?
Dave: - Sir, everyone has heard the firing
round but no one has seen the suspects.
Roland:- This is the problem in India. When an
Indian gets killed, you will get at least 10 eye-witnesses, but, when a British
person gets killed, no one sees anything. That’s why; I hate these
Indians so much. Anyway, Dave, if you don’t get any evidence regarding the
murder of Kepler within a week, then just put the case into the back-burner.
Already, a young Indian lawyer, whose name is Jagdish has filed a case against
Kepler on the charges of rape, murder and false post-mortem report of Shivani.
If the Kepler murder case remains open, then probably, that bloody Indian
lawyer will get a chance to prove that Kepler was a criminal. If that happens,
then the Indian rebels will start getting support from the Indian common
public and that will be dangerous for us.
***************
Shambhu:- Ei, what do you want? Why are you
roaming near the main gate of this ‘Bhaduri Bungalow’ at this odd time? It is
already 12.30 AM now.
Arindam:- I want to meet Bhaduri Babu. It is
very urgent. Bhaduri Babu….Bhaduri Babu…
Shambhu:- Ei, Bhaduri Babu is sleeping now.
Come and meet him tomorrow morning only. Just go from here. I am the security
guard cum lathial of this Bhaduri Bungalow. If you do any further nuisance out
here then you will get a hard beating from me.
Bhaduri Babu:- Ki hoyeche re, Shambhu? Who is
shouting outside the main gate?
Shambhu:- Babu, a young man wants to meet you
now.
Arindam:- Bhaduri Babu, I am Arindam. I am one
of the friends of Radhanath. Radhanath has been arrested by the policemen. You
have to go with me now at the ‘Red Road Police Station’ to bail out Radhanath.
***************
Roland:- Oh! So, Radhanath is your son. My
goodness! The son of a zamindar family is now visiting the bars.
Bhaduri Babu:- Why your policemen have
arrested my son? What is his fault?
Roland:- It is a crime to beat any policeman
and the culprit will either be jailed for 1 year or to be fined 3000
bucks.
Bhaduri Babu:- Ok, I am ready to pay that
amount to bail out my son.
Roland:- I know that you are a very rich
person, but, in this case, you don’t need to bail out your son. We will release
him free with a good gesture after few minutes only.
Bhaduri Babu:- Wow! I am surprised to see your
kind gesture towards an Indian despite you being a racist English man.
Roland:- Ha ha ha…no, no, Mr. Devdas Bhaduri,
I am not so a good person to do such a favor to any bloody Indian.
Actually, on the basis of the complaint made by Lily, the bar singer cum
dancer, I am going to release your son. Lily has filed a complaint against
Dave. Dave was trying to molest Lily and was even forcefully trying to take her
home to enjoy her flesh. Radhanath came to her rescue and then there was
a fight between Dave and Radhanath. Dave was totally drunk but was smart enough
to lodge a complaint that an Indian has attacked him. After all, Mr. Dave is
the Inspector-In-Charge of our Sutanuti administrative block. I don’t know why
all the Inspector –In-Charge of this Sutanuti administrative block are always
pervert in nature. Anyway, as a lieutenant, I can’t compromise with law. I have
suspended Mr. Dave for 3 days. But, after 3 days, when he will come back on
duty, I can’t assure you that Dave will not try to play some tricks on your
son. So, Mr. Bhaduri, please take care of your spoiled brat.
***************
Bhaduri Babu:- Chee…Chee…Chee…You have left me
nowhere to stand in front of that bloody Roland. Really, I have taken a wrong
decision by not marrying any other woman after your mother’s death. You were
only 7 years old when my beloved wife, Sharmistha died due to a brain stroke.
You are nowadays going to those English bars of Park Street. Ok, even if you
are visiting those places; just drink alcohols, gossip with your friends, enjoy
the musical ambience, just hit the dance floor and come back home after that.
Who told you to fight with a British Policeman?
Radhanath:- Dave was not in his uniform, when
he was drinking inside the ‘Saxon Bar’ of Park Street. He was touching Lily all
the time on her sensitive body parts. He even pulled her towards him to give
her a kiss. He showed her some amount of money and requested her to go with him
to his house to spend the night. Lily rejected the proposal. Dave became angry
and forcefully started pulling Lily. At that point, I lost control of myself
and pounced on Dave. Everything has a limit, Dad.
Bhaduri Babu:- Why are you so worried about
others’ problems? She is a bar girl. She came into this profession by selling
herself and you wanted to save that girl. What a foolish boy you are!
Radhanath:- Lily is not that type of a girl. I
know her very well since my school days. She is a destitute. She grew up in an
orphan house (Ashram) of Swami Omkarnath. After the death of Swami Omkarnath, 6
months back; no one took any initiative to run that orphan house. Lily had to
live by herself. No one gave her any work. She was always a good performer as a
classical dancer and a singer in any cultural program of our school. She
utilized that talent to earn money inside that ‘Saxon Bar’. She joined that bar
two months back only. I don’t visit that bar to drink alcohols only but
also to watch her singing and dancing performances. In our school days, she was
my friend only, but, now, she has become my girlfriend.
Bhaduri Babu:- Chee…chee…chee…You have no
respect towards your family prestige and status. Don’t forget that you are my
son. You are the son of a zamindar family. A son of a zamindar family can have
a bar girl like Lily as a sex-keep, but she cannot become his wife. The
daughter of my friend Nipendranarayan of Bishnupur has just completed her
graduation. When you were a kid, I promised Nipendranarayan that you will get
married to her daughter, Nilima, when she will become a young lady of 21 years.
Radhanath:- I don’t care about your bullshit
promises, family prestige and status. If you want, you can even kick me
out of your house, I don’t care. I also have the blood of this zamindar family
within my body. I don’t bow my head in front of anyone; not even in front of
you, dad. I will marry Lily at any cost.
Bhaduri Babu:- I think that you have consumed
too much alcohol tonight. Go to sleep, son. If possible, I will talk to you
tomorrow morning. Good night.
***************
Bhaduri Babu:- Radhanath is going beyond my
control now. Moreover, I fear that Mr. Dave will try to attack my son. My son
is such a fool that he has fallen in love with that bar girl. Radhanath will
again visit that ‘Saxon Bar’ and this time, if again any clash takes place
between Radhanath and Dave, then one is surely going to die. Please try to give
protection to my son. I even ordered Shambhu to act as a bodyguard of
Radhanath, but, Radhanath refused to take any bodyguard with him. Radhanath
visits the bar daily with his two close friends; Arindam and Sujoy.
Badal:- Hmm…don’t worry, Bhaduri Babu, we will
provide protection to your son. We will give pistols to both Arindam and Sujoy.
They are in our ‘Swadeshi Andolan’ group only. If Mr. Dave tries to kill
Radhanath, then Arindam and Sujoy know how to deal with that situation. They
have already been trained for last 9 months. But, I think that in this case,
the real cause of the problem is Lily. If we can remove Lily from that ‘Saxon
Bar’, then automatically, any further clash between Dave and Radhanath can be
avoided. Don’t worry; I will deal with this matter.
****************
Badal:- Namaskar, Tulsi ji…kaisi hain aap?
Tulsi:- I am fine. How are you, Badal ji? It
is a pleasure that you have come to our poor office room.
Badal:- Frankly speaking, I came here to see
your office room only. You have opened a ‘Self – Help’ group with some poor
swadeshi women in this Triptinagar village. Tulsi ji, you are really doing a
great job for the poor women of this rural area.
Tulsi:- The credit goes to our Mahatma
Gandhi. Two months back, Gandhiji started a movement to ignore the clothes made
by foreign companies. Gandhiji wants each and every Indian to wear the clothes
made by the Indians in the Indian factories. You will not believe it, Badal ji,
our ‘Khadi Sangha’ has already opened around 101 centers all around India. Even
our center is getting huge response from the customers. Now, in our ‘Khadi
Sangha’ unit, there are only 15 workers. We want to recruit some more women in
our unit.
***************
Tulsi:- Namaskar! Lily behen. I am Tulsi from
the ‘Khadi Sangha’ unit of Triptinagar. Are you willing to join our
‘Khadi Sangha’? Actually, your boyfriend, Radhanath has requested me to provide
you a secure job in our ‘Khadi Sangha’.
Lily:- But, Radhanath never mentioned about
that to me. Anyway, I am fed up with this job of a bar girl in ‘Saxon Bar’.
Yes, I am willing to join your ‘Khadi Sangha’ unit. After all; my
boyfriend has referred my name to you. I don’t want to make him angry or sad by
rejecting your proposal.
***************
Richards:- I am very happy to hear that you
want to open a football club for the Indian players. There can be no better
news than this for me. As a President of EICFF, my job is to spread the love
for the game of football to each and every nook and corner of India. Already,
the game of football is very famous in all the European countries. Even
the people of the Latin American countries, who are getting ruled by either
Spaniards or Portuguese people, have started playing football. If you can
transform your new football club into a successful football club, then the game
of football will start gaining its popularity in all the other Asian countries
also.
Bhaduri Babu:- Now, tell me about the
procedures to register a football club under EICFF (East India Company
Football Federation).
Richards:- Well, Mr. Bhaduri, there are
certain norms and regulations regarding the registration of a new football club
under EICFF. First of all, the club should have at least 14 footballers, who
should be permanently employed in that club for at least 1 year with a signed
and valid contract. The 14 players should be paid a basic salary per month plus
a variable fee on the basis of per matches played. A football club should have
a registered office with a President/ MD, a Cashier/Chief Accountant and a
Marketing Coordinator/ Secretary. A football coach should be hired/ selected by
the Secretary or the football players with the final consent of the President
of the club. A club should have their own football ground which is not less
than a 90 meters in length and a 40 meters in breadth. The initial registration
fee for a new football club under EICFF is 10,000 bucks. After 3 years of its
registration, the club officials have to pay an amount of 1,000 bucks per year
to EICFF which will be kept as deposit money by the EICFF to invest for the
infrastructural improvement of that particular club whenever it is
necessary. I will come down to your place to personally check all these
aspects and then only, I can approve the registration of your football club
once you pay the registration fee.
Bhaduri Babu:- Sure, sure, why not! You
can come down at my ‘Bhaduri Estate’ at the last weekend of this month. Within
2 weeks only, I will complete all the formalities. After the registration, will
my club footballers be eligible to play in the ‘Queen Victoria Diamond Cup’
tournament of this year.
Richards:- At present, there are only 12
football clubs in India and it will become 13 after the registration of your
football club. Your club will be the first Indian football club on Indian
soil. In other clubs, all the eminent British personalities like lawyers,
brigadiers, generals, policemen and others play football. There is not a single
Indian footballer playing in those clubs. Only 8 football clubs are eligible to
participate in the ‘Queen Victoria Diamond Cup’ tournament. Every year, the two
teams securing last and second last positions in the tournament get relegated
and the two new teams are included in their spot for the next tournament. In
the last year tournament, the ‘Bombay Dockers’ and the ‘Tuticorin Port Trust’ football
team have been relegated. In this year’s tournament, I have to include another
2 new teams. Now, the problem is that there are 3 teams to fight for those 2
vacant places of the tournament. The ‘Mysore Masters’ and the ‘Himachal Hulks’
clubs are the two football clubs which have got registered under EICFF
two years back but never got the chance to participate in the tournament. There
will be a qualifying league tournament among the three new teams including your
new club. Your club footballers have to defeat at least one of these two teams
or both to qualify for the 5th ‘Queen Victoria Diamond Cup’
tournament. In the previous 4 tournaments, the ‘Yorkshire Youngsters’ and the
‘British Bulldogs’ have won it for 2 times each. By the way, Mr. Bhaduri, I
forgot to ask about the name of your new football club.
Bhaduri Babu:- The name of my new football
club is ‘Royal Bengal Tigers’ Club(RBTC)’.
******************
Arindam:- The day before yesterday, I went to
your house and asked your mother about you. She told me that you are staying at
your maternal uncle’s house nowadays. Why is it so?
Durga:- I am very much scared at present to
stay at my parents’ house. Even I am having sleepless nights while thinking
about that incident. I am still wondering that how have I pressed the trigger
spontaneously to kill that culprit. On that day, I came out of my parents’
house by telling them that I am going to stay at my maternal uncle’s house for
1 week. After shooting Kepler, I went straight to my maternal uncle’s house.
Arindam:- You never told me that you have a
maternal uncle. What is his name?
Durga:- He is my sweet Jagdish mama. He
is just 5 years elder than me. He is more like a friend to me rather than just
a maternal uncle. He will get married to his girlfriend Shila within this year.
My sweet mama is a swadeshi lawyer. I have told him everything. Right now, he
is staying alone in his own apartment at Shivrampur. He has filed a case
against Kepler. After all, he used to love his niece Shivani very much.
Shivani was just 1 year younger than my Jagdish mama.
Arindam:- Hmm…Jagdish has done a good job by
filing a case against Kepler. By the way, your mother has how many brothers and
sisters?
Durga:- My mother has three elder sisters and
two younger brothers. After the death of my maternal grandpa and grandma,
Jagdish mama came out of Pritampur village. My elder maternal uncle, Jyotirmoy
is still living in that village with his wife and children.
Arindam:- Ha ha ha…then let me tell you one
thing that I know your Jagdish mama very well as he often comes to meet
Prafulla daa and Dinesh daa at our secret meeting places. But I was not aware
that he is your maternal uncle, he he he….I have never interacted with him
directly at those meetings but he is a good guy with lots of knowledge about
International Law. Our freedom fighters badly need some helping hands
from some patriotic lawyers like your Jagdish mama.
Durga:- Accha, what you did in these 7 days.
Haven’t you missed me, dear?
Arindam:- Yeah, of course, I missed you. I was
not having the residential address of your Jagdish mama; otherwise, I would
have met you there only.
Durga:- Everyone is whispering that you are
having some ‘intu-pintu’ (affair) with the daughter of Amritlal. Nowadays, you
are having lunch with Kamini in your office canteen. Is it true?
Arindam:- Aah…there is nothing between us.
Kamini completed her graduation last year. She was looking for jobs in
different companies but failed to crack anywhere. So, she decided to join his
father’s company. She joined our office last month only as a Trainee. She is
learning about writing articles, editing, printing, report collection and daily
news compilation from me.
Durga:- Dekho…ami otho sotho bujhiney…jaa
rotey taar kichu toh botey….From now on, you will not go for lunch with her at
the office canteen. It is my order.
Arindam:- You are not believing me! If you
don’t believe me, then there is no point in having a love relationship with me.
It is as simple as that. If you are so concerned about me, then why you went to
maternal uncle’s house without even telling me about that. For 7 days, I have
not seen you. Naturally, I felt bored and sad. That’s why; I spent some time
with Kamini. She is a nice girl and very friendly. We have nothing beyond that
friendship relationship within us.
Durga:- Oh! So, you want to say that out of
your sight means out of your mind. All the boys are same. They don’t have
patience in their love relationship.
Arindam:- aah…Why are you feeling so insecure,
sweetheart? I was yours and will always remain yours.
Durga:- But, I can’t tolerate any other girl
in your life. I will give her a nice beating if she falls in love with you.
Arindam:- Uff..baapre baap…satyi tomar
naam Durga botey…Now, stop this discussion. Let us eat ‘Jhal-muri’ (Bengali
Bhelpuri) and watch the sunset while sitting on the bank of this Hooghly River.
****************
Houghton:- Hello Roland! Is it the right time
to talk to you?
Roland:- Yeah, yeah, Sir, carry on. You can
call me anytime. I am ready to take your orders at anytime of the day. But,
Sir, nowadays, you are not operating from Calcutta? I visited your Calcutta
office. Your security personnel said that you are now operating from Midnapore
town hall.
Houghton:- Yeah, yeah, that’s true. Actually,
three years back, I bought a land in the Midnapore town. I am now constructing
a house on that land. After my retirement, I will settle down here with
my family members. Basically, Midnapore town is a place of elite and highly
educated Bengali people. Therefore, this town is a very peaceful place to live
in. Many local people are demanding to change the name of this Midnapore town
as Kharagpur. The East India Company Railways (EICR) officials are also
planning to make this town a locomotive center like Durgapur. Anyway, just
forget that topic. I called you to tell you that in this coming Sunday, Mr.
Curzon and Mr. Dalhousie will be reaching Calcutta and will be staying at the
‘Victoria Palace’ of Esplanade area. Mr. Hastings, the present Viceroy of Calcutta
will receive Mr. Curzon and Mr. Dalhousie at the ‘Garden Reach Dock’. Queen
Victoria is very much impressed with the administrative track record of Mr.
Curzon and Mr. Dalhousie as a Viceroy of Calcutta. Mr. Curzon remained Viceroy
of Calcutta for 9 years and Mr. Dalhousie was for 4 years. But under their
reign, Calcutta city, the dream city of Job Charnok became a second London in
terms of architectural beautification and healthy green environment.
That’s why; Queen Victoria wants to dedicate a Park in the name of Mr. Curzon
and the entire commercial hub of Calcutta in the name of Mr. Dalhousie. Mr.
Curzon and Mr. Dalhousie will come to Calcutta to open the Curzon Park and the
Dalhousie Square respectively for the public of Calcutta. All the head office
branches of the commercial banks in and around Calcutta will get shifted to the
Dalhousie Square now. Roland, I want a full-fledged tight security in
Calcutta city. Especially, keep strict vigilance on the Sutanuti
administrative block, which is just at the north-eastern corridor of Calcutta.
Roland:- Don’t worry, Sir. The security will
be tightened. But, I also need help from Mr. Quixote, the lieutenant of
Sonarpur administrative block and Mr. Marcos, the lieutenant of Joka
administrative block.
Houghton:- Don’t worry; they have already been
instructed about it. Also there is a party on that day in the evening, at the
ball room of ‘Victoria Palace’. Be present there at the party.
**************
Bhaduri Babu:- I went to meet Mr.
Richards at the EICFF Headquarter in Midnapore town. He wants to check all the
aspects before approving the registration of our football club. He will come
down to our place after 2 weeks. Within 2 weeks, you have to form a team of 14
players.
Santosh:- Yes, I will do that but I need a
person who can help me out to select good players from Sutanuti.
Bhaduri Babu:- Arindam will be the right
person to help you out because he works as a sports columnist cum junior editor
in ‘Amritbazar Patrika’. Amritlal is the owner of that Bengali daily newspaper.
Every year, an Annual Sports Event takes place in Sutanuti. Arindam writes
reviews on each and every game played in those sports and also about the
players participating in it. So, he knows all the pros and cons of any player
in Sutanuti. He will surely help you out in selecting the players. Don’t worry
about that.
Santosh:- Accha, Bhaduri Babu, who will
be the Cashier and the Marketing Coordinator of our club?
Bhaduri Babu:- My grandfather Mohandas had
younger brothers; Mainakdas and Mriduldas. Bappaditya is the grandson of
Mriduldas. Bappaditya is one of the best accountants in India. He is currently
working in the ‘Hawkish Audit’ company at Cossipore. He is eager to take the
role of a cashier in our club. On the other hand, Dwijendralal is my childhood
friend. For 20 years, he worked in ‘Bengal Bank’. He took retirement last month
only. At the time of his retirement, he was the Senior Manager of ‘Bengal
Bank’. Unlike me, Dwijendralal was always a sports lover and was good in
athletics in our school days. Dwijendralal will be the marketing coordinator of
our club. Even you will be surprised to know that the management of ‘Bengal
Bank’ has decided to sponsor our club. The only thing we have to ensure from
our side is that in the jersey of our football club, there will be a logo of
‘Bengal Bank’.
***************
Lily:- You could have told me straight on my
face that you don’t like to see me as a bar girl. Then I would have left that
job much before. What is the point in telling your views about me to me by
using Tulsi ji.
Radhanath:- Tulsi! Who is this Tulsi? I don’t
know any Tulsi ji.
Lily:- Now, don’t try to act smart in front of
me. You are playing fool with me. You have requested Tulsi ji to provide me a
job in her ‘Khadi Sangha’ unit and now you are telling a lie in front of me.
Why are you not straightforward in your approach towards me? I am your
girlfriend, Radhanath. Try to understand that. When you hide something from me,
I feel insecure when I come to know about those hidden views.
***************
Sujoy:- Ha ha ha…for a silly reason, you have
quarreled with your girlfriend. How funny, it sounds! Then let me tell you the
real truth. Badal daa has requested Tulsi ji to provide Lily a job in ‘Khadi
Sangha’. Your father did not want you to start fighting again with that bloody
Dave.
Radhanath:- Oh! I see. So, you people have now
become slaves in the hands of my father.
Sujoy:- Radhanath, after all, he is your
father. Whatever he is doing, he is doing for your betterment only.
Radhanath:- These are all eye-wash. Frankly
speaking, my father hates Lily. Anyway, I need to go and meet Lily to tell her
the real truth. I don’t want her to remain in any illusion or wrong perception
about me.
*****************
Houghton:- Welcome to the party, Roland. Come
with me; let me introduce you to Mr. Curzon, Mr. Dalhousie and Mr. Hastings.
Sirs, May I have the privilege to introduce Mr. Roland in front of you.
At present, Roland is the lieutenant of Sutanuti administrative block.
Hastings:- Oh! You are Mr. Roland. Yeah, I
heard about you from Samuel. He mentioned about you for quite a few times. You
were in charge of Bikrampur administrative block, right?
Roland:- Yes, Sir. I was in Bikrampur a few
months ago.
Curzon:- So, young man. Are you enjoying your
administrative tenure in Sutanuti? I have heard that nowadays Sutanuti has
become a hub for Bengali rebels. How are you dealing with that matter? You have
been transferred from Bikrampur to Sutanuti, for a special purpose, right?
Roland:- Yeah, I am trying my level best to
arrest them, Sir, but, somehow, those rebels are getting support from the local
people of Sutanuti. That’s the biggest problem for me.
Dalhousie:- Hey, Roland, you are now talking
like a coward. Come on, man, you are an excellent lieutenant of our British
Government in India. Do you know why we, the British Generals have been
able to rule over India for more than a century till date? India is a country
which has so many diversified cultures, communities and castes. That’s why; it
is very easy for us to implement the policy of ‘Divide & Rule’. Break the
unity of the Indians in the name of their different cultures, communities and
caste. Remember one thing, that this Bengali class people are the smartest
and the most intelligent people of India. We made Calcutta as the capital of
India to get control over the brains and the hearts of India. A famous scholar
has rightly pointed out that, ‘What Bengal thinks today, India thinks
tomorrow’.
Hastings:- Ha ha ha…That’s why, we broke the
Bengal into two halves a few years back. We sowed the poison of hatred and
communalism among the Hindus and Muslims of Bengal. We even tempted the Muslim
people of Bengal that the British government is willing to create a separate state
for Bengali Muslims only if those Bengali Muslims back out themselves from
those ‘Quit India’ and ‘Swarajya’ movement. Bengali Muslims of East Bengal
either killed or kicked out the Bengali Hindus from East Bengal after looting
their land. After the Bengal partition, the power of Bengal was greatly
reduced, but, again slowly and steadily, the Bengali rebels are getting united.
Roland, just divide those Bengalis again in the name of caste and community,
otherwise, these Bengali rebels will start pouncing on the British government
like Royal Bengal Tigers of the Sundarban delta.
Curzon:- Yeah..Nowadays, the Bengali people of
West Bengal are known as Ghotis and the Bengali Hindus who have been kicked out
by the Bengali Muslims of East Bengal are known as Bangaals. Point to be noted
that those Bangaals are treated as refugees in West Bengal. Roland, just play
the tricks to break the unity among the Bengalis in the name of Ghotis and
Bangaal. These Ghotis and Bangaals will start fighting among themselves. The
more they engage in bloodsheds, the more the Bengali freedom fighters’
‘Swadeshi’ movement weakens.
Roland:- Sirs, I think that we have divided
the Indians on so many grounds of communalism till date, that we are left with
no other grounds of communalism to divide them further. Rather if we try to
sub-divide the Indians further in the name of communalism, then it will
automatically back-fire to the British government only. But, still, I will try
my level best to divide the Bengalis in the name of Ghotis and Bangaals.
Houghton:- Yeah, Roland, we have full
confidence on you that you will succeed in that. Come on; already the
music is on inside the ball room. Everyone has started dancing after having
several rounds of drinks. Roland, you need to chill out now.
**************
Roland:- Excuse me, young lady. Can I hit the
floor with you? My name is Roland.
Daisy:- Oh! Sure, why not! I am Daisy.
Roland:- I have never came across a sweet
looking lady like you in any of these kind of parties.
Daisy:- Thanks for the compliments! Generally,
I don’t like to attend parties. Today, my dad requested me to come to this
party to meet Curzon uncle and Dalhousie uncle.
Roland:- What’s your dad’s name?
Daisy:- I am daughter of Mr. Hastings.
Roland:- Oops! Sorry! I was not aware of that.
Daisy:- That’s ok. My dad is the Viceroy of
Calcutta. I am not the Viceroy of Calcutta. You are Lieutenant Roland, right? I
have heard your name. Even I have read several articles in ‘THE STATESMAN’
newspapers about your administrative skills in Bikrampur administrative block
which is under the Gwalior province. You are very handsome and you are
good at dancing too.
Roland:- Thanks for the compliments! You look
like an Indian girl but you still look so pretty. Generally, I hate Indians.
Daisy:- Actually, my mother was an Indian
woman. Her name was Daalia. She was the 3rd wife of my dad. She
died 7 years ago due to a deadly viral fever. Do you have any girlfriend ?
Roland:- I had one in the past. After the
break-up, I started hating girls. To me, all girls are same. They are selfish
and they always love the wallet of their boyfriends rather than loving their
romantic hearts.
Daisy:- All girls are not alike. Five fingers
of your palm are not alike.
Roland:- Yeah, I know that and I hope that all
girls should never become alike. Are you single?
Daisy:- Yeah, of course, I am still single and
ready to mingle. But, why you asked me this question?
Roland:- No, I just asked. There was no other
intention behind it.
Daisy:- Do you believe in love at first sight?
Roland:- It depends on the quality of the eyes
of the beholder and the precious object that is getting viewed by those eyes.
Daisy:- All that glitters is not gold. Are you
not skeptical about glittery objects?
Roland:- I don’t search for a golden
jewel in jeweler’s shop but I do search inside the coal mines with a torchlight
to get a hidden sparkling diamond.
*****************
Curzon:- Hey, Hastings, how old is your
daughter now?
Hastings:- Yeah, she is 22 years old now. Why?
What happened?
Dalhousie:- Nothing so serious, but I think
that your daughter has got someone very interesting in this party. Look at your
daughter there on the dance floor. She is dancing with Roland. Both of them are
looking great. I can assure you that they can be a perfect match for each
other.
Hastings:- Roland is a good guy. I have no
objection at all. Let the water flow down the mountains and take its own course
to reach the sea of love.
Curzon:- Ha ha ha…in this old age, you are
becoming a romantic philosopher. Oh! My goodness, Hastings, you should retire
from your Viceroy post of Calcutta and start writing romantic novels now, ha ha
ha…
*****************
Santosh:- So, you are Arindam! Hmm…it is nice
to meet you! I am Santosh Roychoudhury.
Arindam:- Yeah, yeah, I have got all the
information about you from Bhaduri Babu. Now, tell me, how can I help you out
in selecting the players?
Santosh:- What games are generally played in
the Annual sports of Sutanuti?
Arindam:- Hmm…Athletics, Wrestling, Swimming
and Kabaddi.
Santosh:- Fantastic! Just make a list of 12
players consisting of 3 best players from all these games. I want the list
tomorrow. After getting that list, I will ask you several questions and you
have to answer my questions correctly.
Arindam:- What! You are sounding very funny to
me! I have never heard that a lawyer has become a coach of any sports team.
Anyway, I will surely give you the list of 12 players by tomorrow afternoon.
______________________________________________________
EPISODE – 02
Arindam:- Here is the list of 12 players. Just
go through it.
Santosh:- Hmm…let me see the list. The names
of the 12 players are: - Gosthopal, Manna, Chuni, Habib, Iliyas, Krishnendu,
Pradip, Thapa, Manohar, Haradhan, Sujoy and Bhunia. Ok, now tell me briefly
about each of them, to get a rough idea about them before starting the football
training.
Arindam:- Rough idea about them! Ok, let me
try. Gosthopal is the best sprinter of Sutanuti. Manna is good in high jumps.
Manna is a good singer and also displays his acrobatic skills in the
‘Shib-er-Gajan’ festival of Sutanuti. Chuni is expert in marathon race and he
has so much stamina that he can even run on the streets for 3 hours without
stopping for a second. Habib is a son of a butcher. His father was killed in
the communal riot during the Bengal partition. At present, Habib looks after
that meat shop in Karimganj village. Habib is the No.1 wrestler of Sutanuti. He
can throw away a person with his one hand only. Iliyas is the son of the maulvi
of the mosque in Selimabad village. Iliyas is not only good in wrestling but
also in kick boxing. Krishnendu is the best stick swinger (lathial). He can
even block a knife thrown at him by swinging his sticks. His eyes are very
sharp. Pradip is good at long jumps and relay races. Thapa hails from a poor
family of North Bengal. His father came to Calcutta in search of a job, but
later settled down in Sutanuti as a poor farmer only. Thapa is good at climbing
rocky cliffs and trees. He is good at sack races and hurdles. Thapa also has a
terrific stamina like Chuni. Manohar is the best body builder of Sutanuti. Even
the British Police officers once asked him, ‘Hey, Manohar, what do you eat
daily? Your body is a piece of art.’ No one has ever been able to beat him in
the ‘tug-of war’ games. He has a record of pulling a rope singlehandedly beyond
the target, where 10 men were pulling the rope from the other side.
Haradhan is a lanky guy but surprisingly has lots of strength in his body. He
has a record of eating 150 rasogollas in a ‘Bou-Bhath’ (Bengali wedding)
ceremony. He is a good swimmer and a diver too. He can stay under the water of
a pond for 2 minutes without using any oxygen mask. Sujoy is the fastest
swimmer of Sutanuti. He can cross a big pond within 2-3 minutes. Bhunia is the
laziest boy of Sutanuti but whenever he becomes excited to do any work, he does
it much faster than anyone. His father is a fisherman. Even he is also a
fisherman. He can even catch fish by diving under the river waters. I don’t
know how he does that but that’s a talent he possesses. He can dive in the
river in any style. He loves to dive with many poses. That is his time-pass, he
he he…
Santosh:- Ok, all the guys are physically fit
to play football. But, I told you to include best persons from all the games
that are played in the Annual sports of Sutanuti. You have not taken any best
player from the Kabaddi games.
Arindam:- Oh! I forgot to consider the
game of Kabaddi. Anyway, you have got 12 players. That is enough for you,
right!
Santosh:- Ha ha ha…I think that you are scared
of the game of football. That’s why; you are trying to escape from me.
Arindam:- Sorry! What are you trying to say?
Santosh:- Boss, I am a lawyer. Before
taking any case, I am bound to do a detailed study about it. I have collected
the lists of all the activities that took place in the Annual Sports of
Sutanuti last year. You were the captain of the Kabaddi Team of Jairampur
village and Radhanath was the captain of the Kabaddi Team of Bhaduribagan
village. The final match was between Jairampur and Bhaduribagan. You had the
last laugh.
Arindam:- Ha ha ha…yeah, it was a very tough
competition, though we won it by 5 points.
Santosh:- You and Radhanath are also in my
team. But, I will keep Radhanath Bhunia and you in the reserve bench. If anyone
gets injured in the main team, then only you will get the chance to play.
Arindam:- As you wish! Ultimately, our team
has to win all the matches. I will be happy to sit in the reserve bench of a
winning team rather than playing matches for a losing team.
Santosh:- Day after tomorrow, just bring all
these 13 guys with you at the Bhaduri Bungalow at 3.30 PM. Mr. Richards will be
coming on that day to inspect our club. Don’t be late to reach there.
****************
Richards:- My goodness! Your estate is very
big. In the middle of your garden, there is a large ground, ha ha ha…Good,
good…so; here your boys will practice football. That’s great. You have really
maintained your garden well.
Bhaduri Babu:- Actually, this garden was
created by my grandfather Mohandas. Many of the big trees that you are seeing
in and around the garden were planted by my grandfather only. The small club
house that you are seeing now was at that time a stable only. My grandfather
had two horses. Every day, he used to roam around the village while
riding on either of those horses. I was a little kid, when he died. After his
death, all the horses were sold by my father. After that, no one domesticated
any horses here. So, I transformed this stable into a small club house. This
part of the garden is named after my grandfather’s name only.
Richards:- Yeah, yeah, that I can make out
from the name written on that signboard. The name of this part of the garden is
‘Mohan Bagan’ and your grandfather’s name was Mohandas Bhaduri. Ok, I am
totally satisfied. You just have to deposit the registration money within a
week. Accha, let me give you the tentative fixtures of your matches. On
the 3rd Monday of next to next month, you have a match against
‘Mysore Masters’ at the ‘Midnapore Town Football Ground’ and on the 4th Friday
of the next to next month, you have a match against ‘Himachal Hulks’ at the
‘Tamluk Army Field’. EICFF will not bear the expense of travelling to and fro
in this case.
******************
Houghton:- Hello! Roland, what is going on, in
Sutanuti now?
Roland:- Everything is going fine, Sir. Why?
What happened?
Houghton:- Recently, I came to know from a
Bengali person that yesterday a Bengali article has been published in the
‘Amritbaazar Patrika’ newspaper, where it was written that some Bengalis of
Sutanuti have created the first Indian football club on Indian soil. Even
it was written in the article that those Indian footballers are ready to take
up any challenge and are very much confident to win the ‘Queen Elizabeth
Diamond Cup’ tournament of this year.
Roland:- Ha ha ha…Sir, I know that today is 1st April.
Therefore, don’t try to fool me. Who is that writer who has written all those
craps in that Bengali daily newspaper?
Houghton:- Hey, Roland, I am your boss. I
remain busier than you throughout the day. I don’t have ample leisure time to
do all these jokes with you.
Roland:- Oops! Sorry, Sir! I was not meaning
that way.
Houghton:- Take this matter seriously. If this
football team wins the tournament, then that victory will not remain confined
to football grounds only. Probably, you are not as experienced as me; that’s
why, you are not able to see the bigger picture of it. Do anything, but, this
team should not win this tournament at any cost. That’s an order. If they win
the tournament, then I will transfer you from Sutanuti. It is as simple as
that. By the way, you wanted to know the name of the writer, right? His
name is Arindam. Now, do whatever is needed to be done in this regard.
*****************
Santosh:- Guys, our club has got registered
with the EICFF. We have only 40 days in our hand to learn the game of
football. We will start our training from tomorrow. I want to see
everyone at this ‘Mohan Bagan’ ground everyday sharp at 3.30 PM.
Remember, one thing; that we are going to play football for our Bengali pride
and prestige. We have to prove to the British people that Indians can also play
football. Therefore, as a coach, I will not force you to learn football, but
you people will force me to make you learn football. Don’t hesitate to ask me
even a silly question about football. Sometimes, silly questions have
intelligent answers, which will ultimately help us to formulate new strategies.
So, go back home now. See you all tomorrow.
******************
Santosh:- Football game has some simple rules
and regulations. A rectangular playground is divided into two halves by joining
the middle points of the two lengths by a straight line. The middle point of
that straight line is known as center. A football match starts by kicking the
ball kept at that point only. Before any football match, there is a coin toss.
Whichever team wins the toss will have a first kick at the ball and their
captain has to select a side of the playground. Each team has 11 players and 3
substitutes. On both ends of the ground, there is one goal post each. Your job
is to kick the football inside your opponents’ goal post at any cost. Each time
the ball goes into your opponents’ goal post, you earn a goal. Whichever team
scores more goals than their opponent team wins the match. The entire game of
football has to be played by feet only. You can also use your head to give
headers, but you cannot use your hands or arms to play this game. If you touch
the football with your hands or arms incidentally or accidentally, it is
regarded as a foul. If you tackle, push, pull or kick your opponent players
illegally, then also it is regarded as a foul. For each foul committed, a
referee will show you a yellow card. If you see two yellow cards in a match,
then it is equivalent to a red card, which means that you are suspended for
that particular match and the next match too. So, always play fair
football.
Gosthopal:- How can the referee see whether
someone is fouling or not? He will be sitting and monitoring the match from one
end only.
Santosh:- No, no, unlike in other games, in
this case, the referee will run with you, he he he…So, be careful from his
sharp eyes. The referee will not shout at the top of his voice to give any
decision. He will just blow his whistle. Always remember that he will point his
hand towards the direction where the ball should go. Suppose, you have
committed a foul to your opponent player, now, the referee will point his hand towards
your team’s goalpost to give a free-kick to your opponent team. There is
another small rectangular area in front of the goal posts. That is known as
penalty box. If you commit any foul inside the penalty box, then your opponent
will get a penalty shoot-out. In a penalty shoot-out, a player will kick
the ball directly to the opponent’s goalkeeper without any obstruction between
them. In a free-kick, generally, 3 -5 players of the opponent team form a human
wall in front of you.
Manna:- Who is this goalkeeper?
Santosh:- There will be a player who will
stand in front of the goal post. He is the only person in the team who can hold
the ball with his hand. His job is to block the ball from going inside the goal
post. But, if the goalkeeper grabs the ball with his hands outside his
penalty box, then it is regarded as a foul.
Chuni:- Ha ha ha…So, a goalkeeper has a
‘Laxman-Rekha’.
Santosh:- Nothing like that. A goalkeeper can
also come out of his position and play like a striker, but, it always proves to
be a huge risk for his team. Accha, when the ball goes out of the ground, then
there is a ‘throw-in’, where one has to throw the ball with his hand inside the
ground again. If the ball goes out from any of the lengths of the ground
after touching your leg, then the ‘throw-in’ is awarded to your opponent team
and vice-versa. If the ball goes out from the breadth of your opponent team’s
side of the ground after touching your leg, then your opponents’ goalkeeper
will take a goal-kick but if the ball goes out by touching the legs of your
opponent team players, then your team gets a corner kick. Corner kick is taken
from the corner of that side of the goal post where the ball went out of the
touchline. There is another concept, which is known as ‘offside’. If a player
receives a moving ball ahead of his opponent team defenders in the opponent
team’s area, then it is regarded as ‘offside’ and you cannot score goal from an
offside position.
Habib:- Defenders! What is meant by defenders
here? Is it a football game or a battle, he he he…
Santosh:- Ha ha ha…ok, ok, let me tell you the
different types of roles a footballer has to play in this game. There are four
types of roles for a footballer: - Striker, Midfielder, Defender and
Goalkeeper. Strikers are always positioned in and around the opponent team’s
penalty area. Midfielders are the game-makers of any football match. They
rule in the central regions of the ground. Defenders are the players who need
to stop or tackle the opponent team’s strikers from scoring goals. Basically,
defenders act as a support for the goalkeeper who has to ultimately save the
goals. Now, there are certain strategies to distribute the players in the
ground. For example, when I say, 5-3-2, it means that 5 players will play in
the defensive position, 3 players in the midfield region and 2 players will act
as strikers. 5-3-2 is a traditional defensive style football, but, there are
other strategies also, which you will come to know gradually.
Iliyas:- So, ultimately, 11 players need to work
hard to put that ball inside the opponent’s goal post. Oh! That is a very easy
game to play.
Santosh:- No, it sounds easy, though it is one
of the toughest tasks to put that ball inside the net. Coordination and
cooperation are the keywords here, because every individual will be blocked at
every moment. So, to proceed towards the opponent’s goal post, you have to keep
on passing the ball to each other and move forward. It is like a relay
race where you have to either start running or passing the ball whenever you
get it on your legs. But, when you are near the goal post of your opponent
team, don’t hesitate to take the shots on goal.
Pradip:- What is the duration of each football
match?
Santosh:- It is a game of 90 minutes, divided
into two halves. That is, in the first half, you have to play for 45 minutes.
Then there will be a break for 15 minutes. After that, in the second half, the
teams will change their sides in the ground and the play in the second half
will be for another 45 minutes. Now, if no winner emerges in those 90 minutes,
then there is a penalty shoot-out. In the penalty shoot-out, 5 players of
each team will take shots at their respective opponent’s goalkeepers. If no
result comes out, then there will be a coin toss. Whoever wins the toss, will
win the match. In European countries, this rule has been changed. There is a
concept of ‘Extra-Time’, after the 90 minutes of play. In the ‘Extra-Time’, the
two teams will play for another 30 minutes to decide the winner between them.
If no result comes out, then there is a penalty shoot-out. Now, after the 5
penalty shots from each team, if no result comes out, then the penalty
shoot-outs will continue till a winner emerges. This is known as
‘Sudden-Death’. The concept of coin tossing after the penalty shoot-outs has
been discarded in the European football. Gradually, EICFF will also implement
this rule in the football tournament of India also. But, for the time being,
remember that if you are not getting a goal in the 90 minutes, then you are heading
for a penalty shoot-out. Winning a match in a penalty shoot-out requires less
skills and more good lucks. Now, let me tell you about who will play in
which positions? Gosthopal, Manna, Chuni and Habib will play as strikers.
Krishnendu, Pradip and Thapa will play as midfielders. Manohar, Iliyas and
Sujoy will play as defenders. Haradhan will play as a goalkeeper. In the
reserve bench, Bhunia, Arindam and Radhanath will be the substitute goalkeeper,
defender and midfielder respectively. We will play our game in either 3-3-4 or
5-3-2 formation. Now, wear all your jerseys. In every jersey, your names are
printed. The color of our jersey is half green and half maroon. Also don’t
forget to put on your boots which are kept inside the club house.
******************
Habib:- This is the first time, I have put my
legs inside a boot. Uff…it is not fitting properly. Oh! No, I cannot walk
properly. Forget about playing football by wearing the boots.
Sujoy:- amar toh already phoska pore
gachey. The boots are so heavy for our legs.
Gosthopal:- I am also not liking these boots.
I am not able to sprint properly. I can run faster with my bare feet.
Arindam:- Is it mandatory for us to play the
football by wearing these heavy boots? If is it so, then after seeing the
condition of you people, I am 100% sure that we will lose all the football
matches. You people cannot even walk properly after wearing these heavy boots.
How can you people run after the football?
Haradhan:- Let us go and tell our coach that
we will play the football with our bare feet only, no matter what happens.
**********************
Bhaduri Babu:- How is the practice going on?
Everything is ok, naah?
Santosh:- No, there is a slight problem. All
our players want to play football with their bare feet. They are saying that
those English company boots are too heavy for them to handle.
Bhaduri Babu:- Let them play with bare feet.
Where is the problem?
Santosh:- All their opponents will play
football by wearing those heavy boots. It will be very risky for our team
players to play with their bare feet.
Bhaduri Babu:- So, make their feet as strong
as iron.
********************
Santosh:- I have no objection if you want to
play football with your bare feet, but, in our practice session, we will play the
game of football with the dried coconut shells (Sukhno Daaber Khola) instead of
leather football for 2 weeks. If you play with these dried coconut shells, your
feet will become stronger day by day. I want everyone to have your feet as
strong as iron to sustain the pressure of your opponent’s boots.
*******************
Lily:- What happened to you? Why are you
limping?
Radhanath:- Uff…don’t ask me, Lily. I
don’t know from where my dad has got this football coach, Santosh. He is making
us play football with the dried coconut shells. All my bones in my feet have
swelled up. He is making our feet strong. Only the game of Kabaddi is best
suited for me.
Lily:- Ha ha ha…Kasto na korle ki aar kesto
paaowa jaaye, sona…
Radhanath:- Dhaath…now, don’t give all these
lectures to me.
Lily:- I can prescribe you a medicine for your
feet. Crush the leaves of ‘Genda flower’ (Ganda phool) tree to extract juices
from it. The juices of the leaves of Genda flower trees are good to kill pains
and every morning, don’t forget to chew the leaves of ‘Tulsi’ tree. Even you
can extract the juices of Tulsi tree leaves and mix it with a cup of milk to
drink it.
Radhanath:- Ok, ok, I will try out those
things to keep myself healthy and strong. Now, open up your lap, I need to put
my head on your thighs to have a nice nap in this romantic moonlit evening, he
he he…
*******************
Roland:- Hey Dave, there is a guy whose name
is Arindam. He is from Sutanuti only. Recently, he is writing some articles
based on sports and nationalism in the ‘Amritbazar Patrika’. Try to find out
who is this guy. I need to take special care of him.
Dave:- Ok, Sir, don’t worry about it.
******************
Motilal:- Sir, I know, who is this Arindam? He
has a girlfriend. Every day, during evening hours, he sits with her girlfriend
on the bank of the Hooghly River and enjoys his romantic time with her.
Dave:- Ok, come with me. I need to see that
guy once.
*****************
Durga:- Ei, have you noticed something? We are
sitting here and those two Policemen are staring at us. I am feeling very
scared now. Are they suspecting me about that incident?
Arindam:- Dhaath…chup chap badam bhaja
khaccho…khetey thako…let them stare at us. Who cares about them?
Durga:- Oh! No, they are coming towards us.
Dave:- Is your name, Arindam?
Arindam:- Yes, my name is Arindam. Why? What
happened?
Dave:- We have got the information that you
are writing about Indian nationalism in a Bengali daily newspaper. Your
articles are provoking the young Indians to fight against the British
government. We are warning you. Don’t write any such articles on Indian
nationalism in future. You are writing about a sport, that’s ok. Your article
should only mention about the sports. Don’t try to use sports in a wrong way to
infuse hatred among the Indian youths towards the British government in the
name of Indian nationalism.
*******************
Roland:- What’s the matter, Dave? What
happened? You called me to come at your ‘Sutanuti Police Station’.
Dave:- Sir, this is Motilal. He is one of the
constables of this police station. Motilal, just tell Sir, what has happened
this morning?
Motilal:- Sir, generally, I come to duty
during 8.30 AM. I always have a constipation problem. That’s why; I drink three
bowls of Musur dal before going to sleep at night. I don’t have a proper toilet
room in my house. Generally, I go to the bushy areas of our village to release
all the solid wastes of my large intestine. Recently, I am suffering from
piles. That’s why; nowadays, I am using the toilet of this police station,
where there is a nice system. You can just sit on that system and read
newspaper while your excretory process is going on.
Roland:- Oh! My God! You talk so much nonsense
that I am feeling like having a bad smell in my nose. Come to the point. What
has happened?
Motilal:- Yes, Sir. I was just on my main
point only. When I was busy in releasing all those things from my large
intestine, someone threw a chocolate bomb from the ventilator of that toilet
room. I was just literally stunned after hearing the sound of that chocolate
bomb inside the toilet room. Just after few seconds, a small stone was thrown
from the ventilator with a white paper wrapped on it. I came out of the Police
station to search for the suspect but found no one. Sir, someone wanted to kill
me. This is a very serious issue.
Dave:- Yes, Sir, Motilal is right. Also,
something is written in that small piece of white paper. But, it is written in
Bengali.
Roland:- Motilal, do you know Bengali?
Motilal:- Yes, Sir.
Roland:- Then just read it and tell me the
meaning of it.
Motilal:- Sir, it is written here, ‘Peepilka r
pakha orey moribaar taurey…saabdhan’….
Roland:- What does that mean?
Motilal:- It means that an ant starts flying
with the help of its wings when it is about to die after some moments. Beware!
Dave:- Beware! Beware of whom? Who is the ant
here?
Roland:- Something is wrong somewhere. Hey,
Dave, have you found out Arindam?
Dave:- Oh! Yes, Sir. I have already given him
a warning also. He will not write any article again.
Roland:- Who told you to give a warning to
him? I have some other plans for him. You are such a fool. Don’t warn or
threaten any Indian in Sutanuti now. If they can kill Kepler then they can do
the same thing to you also. We have to play such a game where the snakes will
die and not a single bullet will be wasted. Tell Sylvester, the lawyer of
our department to file a false legal case against Arindam on the charge that he
is writing articles which is provoking the young Indians against the British
government.
*******************
Prafulla:- Ha ha ha…really, our Durga is
Durga….there is no doubt about that. She threw a chocolate bomb inside the
toilet room of the Sutanuti police station through a ventilator, he he he…
Badal:- Arindam is in trouble now.
Roland has filed a case against him. We have to talk with Jagdish now.
Dinesh:- Why do we need Jagdish to settle the
case? We will break the legs of Sylvester, if he goes to the Calcutta High
Court on the hearing day. If the lawyer is not present on the hearing day,
automatically the case has no value at all. It will get dismissed.
Prafulla:- But, still, we can’t take the risk
of legal procedures. Tell Jagdish to handle this case as a defense lawyer for
Arindam and also make sure that Sylvester cannot reach the Calcutta High court
on the hearing day.
Badal:- Have you read the ‘The Statesman’
newspaper today. Calcutta High Court has passed a new amendment that a Ghoti
tenant cannot charge more than 10 bucks per month as rent to any of his Bangaal
customer. Also, a separate bill has been passed where Bangaals will have
several quota for getting jobs and other facilities. As the Bangaals are the
refugees of Calcutta, that’s why, the British government is helping them so
much. That’s really good. This British government is now taking care of the
Indians.
Prafulla:- You are a Bangaal, that’s why; you
are happy. But, think of a Ghoti tenant who has done so much expense to
construct a house. He has spent so much but when he will give his house on rent
to a Bangaal, he cannot charge more than 10 bucks. What kind of a rule is this?
Why there will be a separate job quota for the Bangaals? The British people
have done the Bengal partition, then why the Ghotis will become the scapegoats
in this regard. I am damn sure that there will be some agitations from the
Ghotis in front of Calcutta High Court and Sutanuti administrative block.
Dinesh:- For your kind information, Prafulla,
already the agitation has started. Moreover, in many parts of Calcutta, some
major clashes have taken place between the Ghotis and the Bangaals, where 11
people have died and 53 are badly injured. Badal, don’t think that the British
government is taking special care of the Bangaals. Basically, they are now
trying to break the unity among the Bengali Hindus so that they can rule in
India for years after years.
********************
Dave:- Sir, the recent amendment from the
Calcutta High Court has worked. Already, the Bangaals and the Ghotis have
started fighting against each other.
Roland:- Ha ha ha…that’s why; I took so much
pain to get that bill signed by Mr. Hastings, the present Viceroy of Bengal.
But, the clashes are taking place in Calcutta only. The fire needs to spread
everywhere, especially in Sutanuti. Dave, do one thing. There are several
Bangaal colonies or refugee camps near Rampurhat village. Tonight, just burn
those colonies very secretly and utilize some of our constables to spread the
rumors that the Ghotis have burned the houses of Bangaals out of jealousy and
racism.
*******************
Santosh:- Bengal is burning now. Already, 84
people have died in the clash between the Ghotis and the Bangaals in Bengal. I
request all of you to maintain unity in your team. Is there any Bangaal in this
team? The person who is a Bangaal, please raise your hand. Wow! There are no
Bangaal players in our team. All are Ghotis. Thank God! At least for the time
being, there will be no clashes in my team. Ok, guys, we have just 1 week left
for our first match. Today, we will play a practice match for 1 hour at a
stretch. Each side will have 7 players each.
******************
Jagdish:- Your honor! This case has no meaning
at all. A columnist of a newspaper has written, ‘India is getting ruled by the
British people for more than a century and the Indians are yet to play
football. That’s why; Indians have decided to form their own football club and
declare a war against the British footballers.’ Point to be noted, your honor,
it is clearly stated in the article that the war will be declared against the
British footballers, but not against the British Government. In another
sentence of the article, it is written, ‘These Indian footballers will infuse
the patriotic spirit among the Indian young people if they can win this
tournament against the British football teams. The British government has to
appreciate this spirit in the near future.’ Now, you honor, I don’t find any
word of hatred against the British government in this entire article. I
don’t know why Mr. Roland and his departmental lawyer Mr. Sylvester have filed
a case against Arindam. Moreover, Mr. Sylvester is absent on this hearing day.
Judge Johnson:- Mr. Roland, where is your
lawyer?
Roland:- I have no clue about what has
happened to him. I need some time to find out why he is absent today. I request
you to give us a date for another hearing.
Judge Johnson:- Mr. Sylvester has sent a
letter to us. In that letter it is written that he fell down from the
staircases yesterday and has been admitted to St. Mary Hospital. He took
this case as per your request but after going through the details of this case,
he found nothing wrong in the article. That’s why; he has requested to dismiss
the case completely. Therefore, taking all the conditions into account, the
Court has decided to dismiss the case and Mr. Roland, in future, if you file
any false case like this against anyone, then the Calcutta High Court has the
full right to take legal actions against you.
Roland:- I will surely take note of that, your
honor. Thank you, your honor.
********************
Prafulla:- Ha ha ha…well done, Dhananjay. Mr.
Sylvester will never dare to file any case against us. After all, he does not
want to die at this young age. But, you could have broken his one leg only. You
broke his two legs with a bamboo stick, my goodness!
Dhananjay:- Don’t worry, Prafulla daa…he will
take at least 4 months to become completely fit. By that time, many things will
change in Bengal, he he he…
Prafulla:- But, who wrote that letter that was
sent to the Judge Johnson?
Dhananjay:- I broke Mr. Sylvester’s legs only,
not his hands. He wrote the letter with utmost care after seeing the pistol in
my hand. Kaushik and Vikash were also having pistols in their hands, he he he…
*******************
Richards:- I came to meet you. I am Mr.
Richards, the President of EICFF. You are the Chairman of this ‘Akash-Baani’
radio center of Calcutta, right?
Mullick:- Yeah, I am. Tell me, what can I do
for you?
Richards:- Recently, as you may be aware of
the fact that an Indian football club has been formed by Mr. Devdas Bhaduri.
Mullick:- Yeah, yeah, I have read an article
about it on the Bengali daily newspaper ‘Amritbazar Patrika’. So, what?
Richards:- I want all their football matches
to be relayed live on your ‘Akash –Baani’ radio center. Don’t worry; if we get
impressed by the quality of your live relays, then EICFF will be signing a 3
year contract with your radio center. Your radio center will be our official
transmitting/ broadcasting partner for 3 years. In this case, your radio center
will not have to pay anything to us to get the rights for live relays; rather
we will pay you for 3 years.
Mullick:- But, why are you doing such a favor
to our ‘Akash-Baani’?
Richards:- I am not doing any favor to your
radio channel. I am just doing the marketing of football in India. Almost
70% of the people in India have a radio in their house. If we can do the live
relays of all the matches of ‘Royal Bengal Tigers’ Club’, and if they win
even a single match, then automatically, the young Indian people will start
playing football in their own villages or localities.
Mullick:- Ok, not an issue. Our representative
Chinmoy will be there in all the venues to do the live commentary.
Houghton:- Hello, Roland! Tomorrow, there is a
football match between ‘Royal Bengal Tigers’ Club’ and ‘Mysore Masters’. Are
you coming to watch that match at the ‘Midnapore Town Football Ground’ at 2.30
PM?
Roland:- Sir, are you asking me a question or
are you indirectly requesting me to be present there at the venue as a
spectator?
Houghton:- You are a very smart boy to
understand my language. I am also going to watch that match. Let us see how
these Indian footballers play the game of football against the mighty ‘Mysore
Masters’ team.
****************
Prafulla:- Now, we have got enough arms and
ammunitions with us. Tomorrow, we are going to loot the ‘Imperial Bank’
branch of Ahiritola. We have got information that the branch is having around 3
lakhs rupees in their safety vault. After looting the money, we will
distribute it among the poor people of Sutanuti. We will start getting support
from all these poor villagers and even they will join our ‘Swadeshi Andolan’
group thereafter. Gopal will enter inside the bank and start talking with any
one of the clerks about how to open a savings account. Dhananjay will
enter inside the bank as a customer to stand in any of the queues in front of
the cash withdrawal counter. Vikash, Kaushik, Rakhal and Badal will be roaming
outside the bank. The moment they will hear the firing inside the bank from
Gopal and Dhananjay, they will kill the security guards and enter inside the
bank to start the looting. The Bank Manager Paritosh Babu is a nice person, so,
you people don’t need to fire at him but you must tie him tightly on a chair
with a rope. Dinesh and I will be ready with a stolen 4-wheeler outside the
bank.
Rakhal:- What about Sujoy and Arindam? Are
they not included in this mission?
Badal:- Both of them are somewhat shaky in
these things. We have kept them in our group because they are directly
connected with a Bengali daily newspaper. Moreover, they are busy in practicing
football. Tomorrow, they have a football match.
*******************
Commentator Chinmoy:- Good afternoon to
all our listeners. This is Chinmoy from ‘Akash –Baani’ radio center of
Calcutta. At present, you are hearing the live relay of the football match
between the ‘Royal Bengal Tigers’ Club’ i.e. RBTC and the ‘Mysore Masters’ i.e.
MM. Gosthopal, the captain of ‘RBTC’ and Marcos, the captain of ‘MM’ have
shaken hands together. The ‘MM’ team will take the first kick. The match has
started. Oh! Straight away, the ‘MM’ players have started fouling the ‘RBTC’
players. Iliyas has been fouled. But, the referee has neither shown any
card to the ‘MM’ player nor has he offered a free kick in favor of ‘RBTC’.
Gosthopal has got the ball. He is sprinting with the ball from the right flank.
He has crossed two defenders of ‘MM’ and now he has entered the penalty area of
‘MM’. He gave the pass to Manna. Manna passed to Habib. Habib is dribbling and
is able to beat the left back defender of ‘MM’. Habib chipped the ball towards
the central area of the penalty box. Chuni gave the header. Oh! My
goodness, that’s a goal. Chuni has scored a goal with his fabulous header to
completely stun Lancer, the goalkeeper of ‘MM’.
*******************
Commentator Chinmoy:- Already 25 minutes has
passed in this match. The ‘MM’ team is trying their best to score the
equalizer. Marcos got the ball. He has beaten the three defenders of ‘RBTC’.
Marcos has taken his dangerous left –footed shot. The lanky Haradhan
dived to his left side. Wow! What a save it is, indeed! Marcos is stunned to
see that kind of a save from an Indian goalkeeper. The ball went out for a
corner. Brett has taken the corner kick. Larry has received the ball and gave
the pass to Marcos. Marcos is about to take the kick. Oh! He failed to do that
because Sujoy made a sliding tackle and Manohar cleared the ball. Krishnendu
received the ball. He is keeping the ball in possession. Now, the three
midfielders of the ‘RBTC’ are passing the ball among them and trying to make a
game out of it. Thapa gave a fantastic pass to Habib. Habib has taken his
left-footed shot. Baah! Fantastic! His long shot has entered inside the goal
post of ‘MM’.
*******************
Commentator Chinmoy:- Only 5 minutes left to
end the 1st half of this match. ‘RBTC’ has got their first
corner kick. Manna is going to take the corner kick. He has taken a swinging
kick with his right foot. Gosthopal received the ball with his chest and has
taken a shot towards the goal post. That’s a goal! Lancer hardly got any clue.
The ball went inside the goal post like a bullet. After the 1st half
of this match, ‘RBTC’ team is leading by 3 goals.
*****************
Roland:- Hi, I am Roland, the lieutenant of
Sutanuti. You are really doing a great job, but you need further appreciation
in your job in monetary terms. Just keep these 100 bucks from me.
The Referee of the match:- What for are you
giving me this money?
Roland:- In the 2nd half,
you have to control this football match. Do whatever you feel like, but
at the end of the day, this Indian team should lose this match. Just keep this
money with you. No one will come to know about this financial transaction.
The Referee of the match:- Then there is no
problem to accept this small token of appreciation from your side. Don’t worry;
the Indian team will not win this football match at any cost.
****************
Houghton:- Hey, Roland, where were you for a
while? You were not at your seat.
Roland:- Oh! I just went to freshen up myself
a little bit. It was an emergency ‘nature-call’.
Houghton:- Oh! I see. Now watch the 2nd half
of this match. This Indian football team is really playing classic football. I
am impressed with the way they are playing. They will surely increase the lead
against the Mysore team in this half.
Roland:- Sir, the game is not over yet. You
cannot underestimate the Mysore team. They can bounce back in this match at
anytime. You never know! The match is not over yet.
Houghton:- Ok, let us see, which team plays
better football in this half.
****************
Commentator Chinmoy:- Already 10 minutes of
the 2nd half has passed. Oh! Someone has fouled a striker of
‘MM’ team near the penalty box area of ‘RBTC’ team. The referee has given
free-kick in favor of the ‘MM’ team. Brett is going to take the free-kick.
Oops! It was deadly shot for Haradhan. The ball swung to its right direction
and the ‘MM’ scored their first goal.
****************
Commentator Chinmoy:- 65 minutes has passed in
this match. The score is 3-1 now. Oh! No, the ‘MM’ team footballers are
appealing that Iliyas has touched the ball with his hand. The referee has given
another free-kick in favor of ‘MM’. Now, Marcos is going to take the free-kick
with his left foot. Haradhan is beaten again. This time, the ball went inside
the top-left corner of the goal post. The ‘MM’ footballers are expert in
converting their free kicks into goals.
****************
Commentator Chinmoy:- 76 minutes has passed in
this match. ‘MM’ team is playing counterattacking football now. Denzil is
now sprinting with the ball. It is one-to-one for him now. Iliyas failed to
tackle Denzil. Haradhan gave a charge to Denzil. Denzil fell down and the ball
went out for a corner. Oh! No, the drama is on. The referee has shown a red
card to Haradhan for illegally charging Denzil. ‘MM’ has been gifted a penalty.
Lancer, the goalkeeper of ‘MM’ is going to take the penalty. Santosh, the coach
of ‘RBTC’ is now going for a substitution. He is taking off Iliyas and sending
in Bhunia, the substitute goalkeeper of ‘RBTC’. Can Bhunia save the penalty?
No, Bhunia failed. Lancer has scored the goal and the score is now 3-3.
****************
Gosthopal:- Guys, what is the problem in our
defense line-up? Why you people are fouling too much? Look at our condition
now. We are down with 10 men and the score is now 3-3.
Manohar:- We are not fouling anyone. These
players of ‘MM’ are falling down on the ground on their own and appealing to
the referee. Also, there was no ‘hand-ball’ at all. Iliyas received the ball
with his chest only. Haradhan has not touched the legs of Denzil but the ball
only. Denzil fell inside the penalty box by himself. Either the referee
is a fool or a very smart person to play fool with us.
Gosthopal:- Ok, ok, now, we cannot play
football against the referee. Just do the defense well. Pradip and Thapa, you
people play in defense line now. But, during counterattack, both of you have to
sprint well to act as a back-up to Habib, Manna, Chuni and me.
*****************
Commentator Chinmoy:- Only 3 minutes left in
this match. Both the teams are trying to get their winning goal. Gosthopal has
got the ball. He is sprinting with the ball. What a dribbling! He has great
skills; there is no doubt about that. He has taken a shot at the goal. Wow! The
ball has entered the goal post. ‘RBTC’ has got a goal. No, no, there is a
slight mistake in my commentary. The referee has given offside signal and the
goal has been cancelled. The score remains 3-3 now. Lancer has taken the goal
kick. Marcos received the ball and gave the pass to Brett. Brett passed it to
Denzil. Pradip and Sujoy tried to tackle him but failed. Denzil passed the ball
to Brett now. Brett has entered the penalty box of ‘RBTC’, but, Thapa cleared
the ball with a sliding tackle. Brett is lying down inside the penalty box. The
referee has gifted a penalty in favor of ‘MM’ team. Thapa has been shown the
yellow card.
*****************
Thapa:- For what? For what reason have I been
booked, Sir? I have not pushed Brett. I just cleared the ball with a sliding
tackle. Brett fell down on the ground by himself.
The Referee of the match:- Don’t argue with
me, otherwise, I will show you the second yellow card and you will be out of
this match.
Manna:- Calm down, Thapa, calm down.
Concentrate on the match.
Thapa:- What is the point in concentrating on
football. This is not a game of football. This is a mockery in the name of
football. This referee has given 4 bad decisions against us and you are telling
me to concentrate on football.
Gosthopal:- Ei, Thapa, we are no one to talk
about the referee’s decision. Calm down.
*****************
Commentator Chinmoy:- Lancer is going to take
the penalty shot. Bhunia has been beaten again. The ‘Mysore Masters’ team
has won this match against the ‘Royal Bengal Tigers’ Club’ by 4-3. They
came back from behind to get a spectacular victory.
*****************
Roland:- Sir, I told you earlier that you
cannot rule out the ‘Mysore Masters’ Team.
Houghton:- This Indian team lacks discipline.
They were fouling their opponents too much.
Roland:- Just excuse me, Sir. I need to talk
to someone in the reserve bench of ‘Royal Bengal Tigers’ Club’ team.
****************
Roland:- Hi, Arindam. Your name is Arindam,
right. I saw you sitting in this reserve bench. I was sitting in that right
portion of the gallery only. I saw your name printed at the back of your
jersey. So, I decided to shake hands with you. On the hearing day at Calcutta
High Court, I got no chance to communicate with you. So, your team has lost the
match. It is so sad. Had you not been sitting in this reserve bench, your team
would have won the match, he he he…isn’t it so, Mr. Arindam? Indian street dogs
should never dream of living inside a palace. Indian street dogs like you
should remain on the Indian streets only.
Arindam:- Mr. Roland, every dog has its day. I
am waiting for that special day only.
Roland:- That’s the problem with you such
Indian street dogs. You people dream too much. But, the irony is that you such
dogs can only bark rather than biting anyone.
Arindam:- Then you are talking about a British
Bull dog like you. British Bull dogs bark more and never bite. The more the
Indian street dogs bark, the more they bite. Just wait and watch, Mr. Roland.
It’s a challenge to you from my side.
Roland:- Oh! Really! Then I accept your
challenge and congrats to your team for losing the first match. If you lose in
the next match, then you all have to wait for another one year to get qualified
for the ‘Queen Victoria Diamond Cup’ tournament of next year. Take care of
yourself, Arindam. See you again.
*****************
Durga:- What happened to you? Your mood is
totally off today. You are talking less and thinking more. What’s the matter,
dear? Do you know something? I have passed the final exam of my graduation. The
result got declared today only. Hurrah! I have completed my graduation. Now, we
should think about our marriage. Almost all the girls in our college have
either got married or planning to get married within this year.
Arindam:- Uff….just leave me alone at this
moment. Marriage, marriage and marriage; don’t you have any other topic now. We
have lost the football match today after doing so much hard work and that
bloody Roland is telling me that a street dog should remain as a street dog.
You just get lost from here. I don’t want to talk with you now.
Durga:- Baah…you are angry on Roland and you
are scolding me. Roland is himself a bloody British Bull dog, that’s why; he
regards everyone as a dog like him. Just forget about him.
Arindam:- No, no, I don’t forget my enemies so
easily unless I teach them a lesson. We need to win the next match at any cost.
Durga:- Hmm…that’s a problem with you such guys.
If you cannot accept defeat in a football match then there is no point in
playing football. Try to accept a defeat sportingly and then only you
will get the courage to come back and win the next matches.
*****************
Bhaduri Babu:- I am not at all happy with that
referee. He was taking biased decisions. A player is falling down on the ground
on his own and the referee was regarding it as a foul. What kind of nonsense is
this?
Richards:- Yeah, yeah, I have also noticed
that. I will suspend that referee from this tournament. Don’t worry; I
will make sure that these things don’t get repeated in future. It’s an
assurance from my side.
*****************
Beadon:- Hello! Bhaduri Babu, I have read in
the newspaper that you have formed a football team of your own and they have
lost a match yesterday against the Mysore team.
Bhaduri Babu:- Yeah, yeah, it is true. But, at
present, my team players are still in the trauma of that defeat. They still
cannot believe that they have lost that match. The confidence levels of my boys
are down and out now. I don’t know whether they will be able to win the next
match or not.
Beadon:- I will be visiting a wedding ceremony
of one of my friends in the St. Cathedral Church of Calcutta on this Sunday.
Can I come down to your place and have a talk with your team players?
Bhaduri Babu:- Yeah, yeah, sure, sure,
anytime. You are one of my good friends. You can come down here at anytime.
****************
Beadon:- There is no point in getting
disappointed. Just regard it as a bad luck. Come back in the next match
like royal Bengal tigers. Do you people know where you went wrong? In the 2nd half
of that match, you were defending your 3-0 lead and that proved suicidal. No
matter, whether you are trailing or leading in a football match, never play
defensive football. I don’t care what your team coach, Santosh has told to you
people. I believe in one thing and that is, ‘Offence is the best
defense’. I have no sympathy for you people or Indians because I am a British person.
But when someone tries to learn football, I am always there to help them. In my
college days, I used to play football. I have never got that ultimate success
as a football captain of my college team. In every tournament, we played well,
but always ended up as a runner-up. That’s why; when any team loses any
football match after playing better football, it stings within my heart.
I always ask the question to me, ‘What really went wrong that despite a good
performance, they are not the champions? What extra thing is required within
them to make them champion?’
Pradip:- Then tell us, what extra thing is
required within us?
Beadon:- You people require to create the
hunger for goals under your belly. No matter; how much goal you concede, don’t
care about that. Keep on attacking your opponent for 90 minutes. Football is
not all about body strength, skills and kicking power but also about mind game.
The more you attack them, the more they crumble under psychological pressure. I
want to see you people in the final of the tournament. Best of luck to you
people. If you reach the final, then I will visit Calcutta again to watch that
final match.
*********************
Houghton:- Hello! Roland, what the hell is
going on now, just under your nose? Today, those Indian rebels have looted
around 3 lakhs rupees from the ‘Imperial Bank’ branch of Ahiritola. What are
you doing, boss? What happened to that Kepler’s murder case? Have you found out
the hide-outs of Prafulla, Badal and Dinesh or not?
Roland:- Yeah, I am trying my level best, Sir.
The biggest problem is that we are not getting any evidence or eye-witness in
this case?
Houghton:- I think that somehow, you are
scared of these bloody Indians. Come on; Roland; you are a lieutenant. Just
imagine that you are standing in a war front where you cannot afford to lose
the war against your enemies at any cost. If you are not getting any evidences
or eye-witnesses, then do some expenses from our department. Declare a reward
of 5,000 bucks to that person who will be able to tell you about the murderer
of Kepler. Start the ‘third-degree’ interrogation on Shyamal, who has been kept
inside the Barrackpore jail. His mother is seriously ill now. Tell Shyamal that
if he can provide us the information about the hide-outs of Prafulla, Badal and
Dinesh, then we will provide all the expenses for his mother’s treatment.
********************
Dave:- Sir, we have got an eye-witness for the
Kepler’s murder case. He is demanding his reward now.
Roland:- Ok, request him to tell the description
of those murderers in front of Mr. Andrew. Mr. Andrew will make the rough
sketches of those culprits. If the culprits get arrested, then we will give him
the reward of 5,000 bucks.
Dave:- Ok, Sir. Another thing, Sir! Shyamal
has told us everything. Prafulla, Dinesh and Badal have two secret hide-outs.
One is at the back-side of the Kali Temple of Simulganj village and another one
is just behind the leather factory of Bhaduribagan. We have also got the
information that sometimes those three rebels visit the Bhaduri Babu’s house
also.
Roland:- Install some policemen in civil dress
outside the main entrance of ‘Bhaduri Estate’. I always had a doubt that
Bhaduri Babu knew all those rebels very well. But, we cannot touch Bhaduri
Babu, as he is a reputed person and has lots of British friends also. Do one
thing. I think that they have kept their looted properties somewhere behind the
Kali temple of Simulganj. There is a small forest behind that desolate Kali
temple. Basically, that place was once a haven for dacoits. Maybe, they all are
hiding there only. Tonight, take around 50 policemen with you and enter inside
that forest. If they don’t surrender, then just gun them down.
********************
Houghton:- Bravo, well done, Roland.
Roland:- Thank you, Sir. Actually, all the
information that we received were authentic ones. Prafulla, Badal,
Dinesh, Rakhal, Gopal, Vikash and Kaushik have been gunned down in that haunted
forest of Simulganj village. But, one culprit is missing. His name is
Dhananjay. We have lost our 34 constables. The encounter was on for 5 hours.
Those culprits had a huge stock of arms and ammunitions. Dave is critically
injured and is fighting for his life at the St. Mary hospital. On the other
hand, we have arrested Durga, the murderer of Kepler. She is the younger sister
of Shivani. Her maternal uncle, Jagdish filed a criminal case against
Kepler. Mr. Beadon is helping Jagdish now. Last week, Mr. Beadon came
here in my office with an ‘order-letter’ from the Calcutta High Court to collect
the original post-mortem report of Shivani.
********************
Judge Johnson:- Taking all the points into
consideration, the Calcutta High Court hereby comes to the conclusion that
Shivani was brutally raped and murdered by Kepler. That’s why; Durga has taken
the revenge by killing Kepler. But, as per the law, no one has the right to
take the law in his or her hand. Therefore, the Calcutta High Court declares
Durga as a criminal and as per the Criminal Act; she will be jailed for 12
years instead of a lifetime imprisonment.
*******************
Radhanath:- Console yourself, Arindam.
Everyone has tried their level best to save Durga, but this British government
is too cruel for us.
Arindam:- I never expected that Durga will
commit suicide inside the Calcutta Jail by taking a rat poison. I met her last
week and told her that I am ready to wait for her for another 12 years, but,
somehow, she was totally looking depressed. All is going wrong for us now.
*****************
Richards:- Congratulations! Your team has
qualified for the tournament. Last week, your team defeated the ‘Himachal
Hulks’ by 1 goal. Prabir scored the winning goal in that match. After
that victory also, you were keeping your fingers crossed. But, the good news is
that the ‘Mysore Masters’ team has also defeated the ‘Himachal Hulks’ by 2
goals. So, both ‘Mysore Masters’ and your club have qualified for the
tournament. Now, let me give you the fixture of the tournament. There are
8 teams in this tournament. The first four matches of the 1st rounds
are: - A1) ‘Liverpool Lions’ Vs ‘British Bulldogs’; B1) ‘Yorkshire Youngsters’
Vs ‘London Lads’; A2) ‘Manchester Monsters’ Vs ‘Royal Bengal Tigers’ Club’; B2)
‘Mysore Masters’ Vs ‘UK Underdogs’. The winner of A1 will clash with the winner
of A2 and the winner of B1 will clash with the winner of B2 in the Semi-finals.
The two winning teams of the semi-finals will clash in the final match of the
tournament. Your club has the first match on 12th July against
‘Manchester Monsters’.
**********************
Houghton:- Hello! Roland, what am I reading
the ‘The Statesman’ newspaper today? Dave has been killed, is it true?
Roland:- Yeah, it is true. Yesterday at
around 11.30 PM, Dhananjay entered inside the St. Mary hospital in the disguise
of a male compounder and fired 6 bullets on the forehead of Dave who was
fighting for his life while resting on bed No. 23. Dhananjay has been gunned
down within the next 5 minutes by the policemen who were installed in that
hospital.
Houghton:- Hmm…Prafulla and his men have been
gunned down. The news have spread everywhere in Bengal. Roland, please tighten
the security in and around Sutanuti and be careful. These Bengali people are
expert in counterattacks. Take care.
**********************
Bhaduri Babu:- All our Indian freedom fighters
are getting gunned down by the British policemen. I don’t know when we will get
freedom. Prafulla and his friends have helped me a lot, but, I have done
nothing for them.
Radhanath:- Don’t worry, Dad. Our Prafulla
daa, Badal daa, Dinesh daa and all their friends have died like martyrs. We
will not let their sacrifice go in vain. We will wipe out the British people
from India very soon. Our win against the British footballers will act as a
fuel for our swadeshi movement.
Bhaduri Babu:- Radhanath, if the ‘Royal Bengal
Tigers’ Club’ team wins this tournament, then I will accept your girlfriend
Lily as my daughter-in-law.
Radhanath:- Thank you, Dad. I promise you that
I will not let your prestige down. I came to know that Roland humiliated you
and that’s why; to show him what Indians can do, you have formed this club.
Dad, don’t worry, we will surely win this tournament.
****************
Kamini:- For how many days, will you remain in
a depressed mood like that? You have grown your beards by so much. You are not
talking with anyone. Your smile has disappeared. If you keep on living like
this, will Durga come back to this earth from heaven? Try to forget
the past and concentrate on your present life.
Arindam:- I am trying my level best to forget
about Durga.
Kamini:- Ok, then don’t try to forget her.
Just keep her memories within you and focus on the football tournament. If you
can win this tournament, then it will surely let her soul remain in peace. You
loved Durga too much. That’s why; the more you try to forget her, the more you
will remember her.
*****************
Commentator Chinmoy:- Good afternoon to all
the listeners of ‘Akash-Baani’ radio center of Calcutta. I am Chinmoy and you
are listening to the live relay of the 1st match of this ‘Queen
Victoria Diamond Cup’ tournament. It is now 2.30 PM in the Calcutta Maidan.
Today, the ‘Royal Bengal Tigers’ Club’ (RBTC) will clash with the ‘Manchester
Monsters’ (ManMon). In this match, there is a slight change in the ‘RBTC’
squad. Iliyas and Pradip are badly injured and have been replaced by Arindam
and Radhanath respectively. Haradhan has come back again in this squad. He was
ruled out in the previous match because he was shown the red card in the 1st qualifying
match against ‘Mysore Masters’.
******************
Commentator Chinmoy:- 29 minutes of the match
has passed. Just 3 minutes ago, the ‘ManMon’ team scored their first goal.
Beckham of ‘ManMon’ scored that goal from a long distance with his fabulous
swinging right-footed shot. At the moment, Thapa gave a back-pass to Arindam
who is playing in the left –back defense position. Arindam is keeping the
ball in possession and took a long shot towards Habib. Habib received the
ball and gave a pass to Manna. Manna is showing his skills with his right foot.
He has entered inside the penalty box. Seaman, the goalkeeper of ‘ManMon’ is
charging towards Manna, but Manna has given a fine cheeky touch to the ball to
angle it towards the right corner of the goal post. Wow! The ball has gone
inside the goal post. Manna has scored the equalizer.
****************
Commentator Chinmoy:- In the 79th minute
of the match, the ‘Manmon’ team got a corner kick. Beckham took the shot and
Rooney gave a header to give the lead to ‘ManMon’ by 1 goal again. Now we
are in the 88th minute of the match. The ‘RBTC’ team badly
needs to score an equalizer; otherwise, they will be out of this competition.
Krishnendu is running in from the right flank. The ‘RBTC’ team is now
playing the ‘all-out attacking’ game, as they have nothing to lose at this
moment, but to gain only. Only 1 minute is left in the match. Krishnendu
chipped the ball towards the penalty area. My goodness, Arindam has entered the
forward line now. He has received the ball and swung to the other direction to
pass the ball to Gosthopal. Gosthopal has taken a shot at the goal, but, Seaman
punched the ball in the air. The ball is still in play. Thapa has received the
ball and has taken a half-volley kick. What a goal it is indeed! Thapa scored the
equalizer just 39 seconds before the ending time of the match. The score is now
2-2. We are heading for a penalty shoot-out.
****************
Commentator Chinmoy:- Both the teams have
taken 3 penalty shots each. The score is now 3-3. If no result comes out
in the last two penalty shots for each team, then there will be a coin toss.
Till now, Manna, Chuni and Gosthopal have scored the goal in the penalty
shoot-out for ‘RBTC’. Linekar of ‘ManMon’ team is now going to take their 4th penalty
shot. Oh! Haradhan has saved the shot. Linekar did a blunder by taking the
penalty shot in a straight line without angling it in any corner of the goal
post. Now, Thapa is going to take the next shot for ‘RBTC’. Thapa is a cool
customer, but alas, his shot went above the goal post. Rooney is going to take
the last penalty shot for ‘ManMon’. Oh! What a shot from Rooney! The ball was
travelling like a bullet, but it was not enough to beat Haradhan. Haradhan made
a superb dive at his left side to save that goal. The score is still 3-3. Now,
Krishnendu is going to take the last penalty shot. All eyes are on Krishnendu
now. If he cannot score the goal, then there will be a coin toss. Can
Krishnendu create a history here? He is looking much tensed at the moment.
Krishnendu has taken the shot. He just gave a sweet touch to the ball which
entered the top left corner of the goal post. Seaman wrongly dived on his left
side. The ‘RBTC’ team has entered the semi-finals of this tournament and they
will play against the ‘Liverpool Lions’ on 22nd July on this
same venue.
****************
Mayuri:- Excuse me! Are you Arindam?
Arindam:- Yeah, I am. Why?
Mayuri:- I wanted to meet you. I have
been knocking your door for past 5 minutes or so. Why were you not opening it?
Arindam:- Oh! I was reading a book and fell
asleep on my chair only. Sorry for that. But, who are you?
Mayuri:- Can I come in? It is raining heavily
outside. Please!
Arindam:- Yeah, yeah, come in. Not a problem.
Mayuri:- There is no one in your house? Are
you staying alone in this room?
Arindam:- My father died when I was 9 years
old and my mother expired 2 years back. I am the only child of my
parents. I am still unmarried. That’s why; I am living alone in this
house. That’s none of your business. You tell me, what do you want? First of
all, what is your name? Who are you?
Mayuri:- I am Mayuri. I got released
from Sutanuti Jail 5 days back. I was in the cell which was just beside your
beloved Durga’s cell. I got your name and address from her only. She always
used to talk about you. We became good friends inside the jail. She also showed
me your black & white passport size photograph that you gave her.
Arindam:- Can you tell me why she committed
suicide inside the jail by taking a rat poison?
Mayuri:- It was not a suicide but a homicide.
Tiwary and Jha are the assistant-jailer and security guards respectively of the
women’s cell of Sutanuti jail during night hours. The prisons for female
prisoners are at an isolated part of the entire jail area. It is at the south-eastern
side of the jail whereas the cells for male prisoners are at the north-western
side of the jail. All new woman prisoners are tortured, sexually harassed and
raped by Tiwary and Jha in their initial stages. Later, it becomes a common
thing inside the women’s cells. On 4th July, you went to meet
Durga. Roland saw you. On that night, around 12.30 or 1 AM, Roland entered
inside the women’s cell office and asked some questions to Tiwary.
*********************
Roland:- Can I check the visitors’ register
book?
Tiwary:- Yes, Sir! Why not? You can check it.
Roland:- Today at 5.15 PM, Arindam came to
visit Durga. What connection does Durga has with Arindam?
Tiwary:- Maybe, Jha is the right person to
give you the answer to this question because he has a bad habit of hearing all
the discussions during the visiting hours. Ei, Jha, idhaar aao…Saab wants to
know something from you.
Jha:- Haan boliye, saab…
Roland:- How Durga is related to Arindam?
Arindam came to meet Durga today, right?
Jha:- Right, Sir. Sir, Durga and Arindam are
love-birds.
Roland:- Oh! I see! Why you people are not
doing anything on Durga? Durga is going to stay here for 12 years.
Tiwary:- We will surely do…We hardly leave any
woman prisoner.
Roland:- Nobody should get any proof of that.
After all, she is the girlfriend of one of my rivals.
***************
Arindam:- Why you people have not complained
to anyone that you people are getting sexually harassed day by day inside the
jail?
Mayuri:- We had complained many times. Even a
female lawyer, Sarada came to our rescue. She filed a case against the jailers.
But it was of no use. The Calcutta High Court wanted proofs or evidences which
were not there with us. Our case got dismissed. Unlike in European countries,
in our India, we do not have any human rights commission and our country is not
an independent country also.
Arindam:- They have also done the same thing
with your, right! Then why they have not killed you? Why they have killed my
Durga?
Mayuri:- I stopped shouting and protesting
against them because there was no use at all. Everybody used to hear our shouts
and passed comments, ‘you people are criminals and you are pointing fingers at
jailers that they are criminals. How funny it is indeed!’ Your Durga wouldn’t
have been killed, had she not did a blunder by saying, ‘You people have raped
me. Wait, I will tell my maternal uncle Jagdish all about these things. He will
come to meet me day after tomorrow. My Jagdish mama will drag both of you to
the Court. I will not leave both of you, once I come out of jail. You people
mixed a sleeping pill in my food. Then, you tied my hands and legs and then you
people did all those things. Cowards! If you have courage, then come and fight
with me without tying my hands and legs. I will kill you people.’ After hearing
these things, Jha and Tiwary did not utter a single word. After half an hour,
as usual, they pushed the dinner thali inside the cell. Durga ate that dinner
and died after few minutes. Jha and Tiwary mixed rat poison in the dal curry of
that thali. Durga was shouting with pain, ‘Help, help me, I am panting for
breath’. Suddenly, Jha and Tiwary started shouting, ‘Arrey re…re…Kayedi No. 204
has eaten rat poison to commit suicide. Jaldi ambulance ko nikaalo…isko
hospital mein daakhil karna parega…’ Durga died inside that cell only and the
post –mortem report of Sutanuti Police confirmed that Durga has committed
suicide by mixing rat poison in her dinner thali because she was depressed with
herself. It is also mentioned in the report that she used to keep a packet of
rat poison inside her clothes while staying inside this jail because she was
also an Indian rebel. Every Indian rebel keeps poisons with them. If the
Policemen torture them too much during ‘third- degree’ interrogation, then they
eat those poisons to die like martyrs without giving any secret information to
the British government. This was the master-plan of Roland only. According to
him, the snake has died and not a single bullet has been wasted.
Arindam:- I will take the revenge.
Mayuri:- I will help you in taking the
revenge, but, you will not kill Tiwary and Jha. I will kill them. The first
night, when they raped me, I promised to my soul that after coming out of jail,
I will kill them.
Arindam:- Ok, done, but, don’t kill Roland. He
is my prey. By the way, for what criminal act, you were in the jail?
Mayuri:- I killed my husband 6 years ago
because he sold my elder daughter and killed my younger daughter. I am a woman
of Santhal tribal community. I was forcefully given marriage at the age
of 13 years with a man who was 33 years elder than me. Even my own father was 3
years younger than my husband. Everyone in my husband’s family was expecting
that I will give birth to a boy child, but alas, I gave birth to a girl child.
There the problem started. My husband started feeling depressed. When my elder
daughter was 7 years old, my husband sold her to a brothel owner for 5,000
bucks. I objected to that, but nobody came in my support. Then my husband
requested me to become pregnant again to give birth to a boy child. But, alas,
again, I gave birth to a girl child and this time, my husband beheaded my girl
child in our tribal village only. The very next day, I beheaded my husband and
fled from there. After 25 days, I was arrested by the Policemen and the
Calcutta High Court ordered to jail me for 5 years.
Arindam:- So, what will you do now? Where are
your parents?
Mayuri:- I am already dead for them. They have
closed their house-doors for me. I have nowhere to go. I am just looking for
some jobs to earn my living.
Arindam:- I have a friend cum colleague whose
name is Sujoy. His parents died when he was just 7 years old. His elder
sister, Mitali who was just 5 years elder than him, took care of him. Two years
ago, in a train accident, both Mitali and her hubby died but their only son,
Raja survived. Thereafter, Sujoy is looking after his sweet nephew. Sujoy is
still unmarried and has kept an ‘aaya’ (home-nurse) for Raja. But, everyday,
when Sujoy comes back home, Raja complains about the bad behavior and callous
attitude of that ‘aaya’. Sujoy is now fed up of that ‘aaya’ and is looking for
someone who can really take care of his nephew well. So, Mayuri, can you do
that job?
****************************************
Arindam:- Sujoy, her name is Mayuri. She is
looking for a job. She is willing to work as an ‘aaya’ in your house.
Sujoy:- See, I am no one to recruit her. Yes,
I will pay her but whether she will be the next ‘aaya’ or not, that depends on
Raja’s decision. Wait, let me call Raja. Raja…Raja…ektu edike sune jaah
toh…dyakh ke eseche…
Raja:- Ki hoyeche, mama, ke esechey…
Sujoy:- She is your Mayuri maasi…She will
remain in this house to take care of you. Is it okay for you?
Mayuri:- Come here, Raja. I have brought some
chocolates and toys for you.
Raja:- O maa…your smile is so sweet. Thanks
for this gift. Mayuri maasi, stay in this house with me. I hate Savita maasi. She
always scolds me. Promise me, Mayuri maasi, that you will not scold me?
Mayuri:- No, no, I will never scold you. Every
day, I will give you new types of chocolates.
Raja:- Yeah…mama…she is very good. She will
stay in this house from now on.
Sujoy:- As you wish, Raja babu…Mayuri, you
will stay in that room from now on and please do take care of my nephew as if
she is like your son only.
Mayuri:- Sure, Sujoy saab…
Sujoy:- Don’t call me, saab…Just call me,
Sujoy.
Arindam:- Baah…then the problems of both ends
have been solved. Accha, I need to go to the office now. It is already 9 AM
now.
Sujoy:- Ha ha ha…so, come on, my dear
colleague, let us proceed towards our ‘Amritbazaar Patrika’ office.
*******************
Arindam:- How will you kill Tiwary and Jha? Do
you have any revolver?
Mayuri:- No, I am a Santhal woman. I have made
some arrows. Those arrows are poisonous arrows. Every night, both of them enjoy
drinking inside the local ‘Madan Bar’ before going for their night duties.
Generally, they are fond of local hard drinks like Mahua, Cholai, etc. The
‘Madan Bar’ is on the Barrackpore Road. There are large bushes all around the
Barrackpore Road. I will hide myself in one of those bushes. Once they come out
from the ‘Madan Bar’ to board in their police jeep, I will kill them with my
arrows. I am very much skilled in archery. I hardly miss any target.
********************
Sujoy:- I think that I have started falling in
love with Mayuri.
Radhanath:- Hai Ram…you are falling in love
with an ‘aaya’ (Home – nurse), chee…chee…chee…shame on you.
Sujoy:- Oh! You can fall in love with a bar
girl, and that is ok!
Arindam:- Ei, ei…now, don’t fight among
yourselves for these silly reasons. Everyone has their own personal life. One
should neither interfere in it nor pass any comment about it. By the way,
Sujoy, do you know the history of Mayuri?
Sujoy:- Yes, yes, she has told me everything.
She was in jail because she killed her husband. She has done the right thing.
Her husband was a demon.
Radhanath:- Go ahead and marry her.
*******************************************
Houghton:- Hello! Roland, who killed Jha and
Tiwary? Any idea!
Roland:- Tiwary and Jha had many enemies, I
think so! Maybe, they had quarreled with someone in that ‘Madan Bar’. That bar
is on the Barrackpore Road and the area is a tribal area. Maybe, some tribal
people have killed them. I really don’t know why Tiwary and Jha used to visit
those local bars, despite drawing a high salary from our Police department.
Houghton:- Keep strict vigilance on tribal
areas also. You never know, these tribal people can also start helping the
Indian rebels. Accha, there is a bad news for you. The ‘Royal Bengal Tigers’
Club’ has entered the semi-finals and they have a match tomorrow at the Maidan.
Roland:- It hardly matters to us. Our
‘Yorkshire Youngsters’ have also qualified in the semi-finals. We will play
against the ‘UK Underdogs’. Our match is at the same venue on the day after
tomorrow.
_________________________________________________
EPISODE – 03
Commentator Chinmoy:- Good afternoon to
all the listeners of ‘Akash-Baani’ radio center of Calcutta. You are listening
to the live relay of the 1st semi –final match of ‘Queen
Victoria Diamond Cup’ tournament from Maidan. The match will be played between
the ‘Royal Bengal Tigers’ Club’ (RBTC) and the ‘Liverpool Lions’ (LivLio). In
the RBTC team, Gosthopal and Manna are not playing in this match due to their
injuries. Iliyas and Pradip have replaced their places. Thapa is the standing
captain of RBTC in this match. The match has started now.
******************
Commentator Chinmoy:- 44 minutes of the 1st half
has passed, but, still the match is goalless. The ‘LivLio’ got 4 golden chances
and the ‘RBTC’ got 5 golden chances to score goals, but alas, both the team
players have failed to convert those opportunities. Many of their shots went
out of play after hitting the bars of the goal posts. The referee has blown the
whistle for the half –time. Let us see if this match becomes an interesting one
in the 2nd half or not.
******************
Commentator Chinmoy:- 86 minutes of the match
has passed. This semi-final match is turning out to be one of the boring games
of this tournament. Both the teams are playing safe football. Moreover, the
‘RBTC’ team is suffering a lot in its forward line due to the absence of
Gosthopal and Manna. Habib and Chuni are not getting enough support and they
have been marked superbly by Anderson and Robinson, the two great defenders of
‘LivLio’ team. Anderson and Robinson are twin brothers. It is very difficult to
differentiate them by their looks. The only way to differentiate them is by
looking at their jersey number. The jersey number of Anderson is 26 and that of
Robinson is 43. Oh! I am talking about Anderson and now he is sprinting with
the ball towards the ‘RBTC’ goal post. Actually, it is a counterattack
from the ‘LivLio’ side. Anderson has taken a right footed shot from a
one-on-one situation. Haradhan failed to tackle Anderson. The ball has hit the
right bar of the goal post but unfortunately went inside the goal post too.
Only 3 minutes left in this match. The ‘LivLio’ team is now leading with 1
goal. Thapa is having a discussion with his team players. Maybe, he is telling
them to go for ‘all out attack’ in these 3 minutes. After the center kick, the
ball has been received by Sujoy. There is no one in the defense area of ‘RBTC’.
All went up. Even Haradhan is now standing out near the border of the penalty
box. Sujoy is sprinting with the ball and gave pass to Krishnendu. Krishnendu
is taking too much time with the ball. The ball has been snatched by Gerrard,
the midfielder of ‘LivLio’. Arindam charged at Gerrard’s left leg to snatch the
ball. Arindam was lucky enough for not being booked by the referee. Now,
Arindam is sprinting from the left flank. He dribbled the ball on his right and
gave a small back pass to Habib. Habib chipped the ball on his right side
towards Iliyas. 10 men of ‘RBTC’ are now in and around the penalty area of
‘LivLio’. Can they score the equalizer? Only 2 minutes left in this match and maybe
another 2 minutes extra as injury time. Iiliyas has been tackled and the ball
went out for corner. Thapa is going to take the corner kick. The corner kick
was a ground shot only. But, Pradip has taken a deadly shot at the goal post.
Fabien, the goalkeeper of the ‘LivLio’ team just punched at the ball. The
danger is not yet over for ‘LivLio’. The ball is still in play. Oh! It’s a
goal. The ball got hit at the Sujoy’s right leg and went inside the goal post.
Sujoy was surprised to see that but it hardly matters how the goal comes.
Ultimately, you want to score a goal. Sujoy has accidentally scored an
equalizer. He is overjoyed and dancing all the way. But, the game is not over
yet. The linesman has declared 3 minutes of injury time. Now, the ‘LivLio’ team
is playing ‘all-out attacking’ football also. Oh! Kramlin, the striker of
‘LivLio’ team took a shot which could have almost gone in. The ball just kissed
the top bar and went out. Haradhan is lucky this time. Only 79 seconds left in
this match. Haradhan has taken the goal kick. Radhanath received the ball and
straightaway without wasting any time has taken a long shot at the goal. Oh! My
goodness, what a shot! What a goal! Radhanath has scored the winning goal of
this match by taking a terrific shot from a distance of 26 meters from the goal
post. Fabien tried his level best but the ball was out of his reach as the
Radhanath’s right footed shot was a classic out-swinger. Only 5 seconds are
left. The referee is going to blow his final whistle and yes, it is indeed. The
match has ended with full of high-voltage drama in the last 5 minutes of the
match. The ‘RBTC’ club has reached the final. In today’s match, Iliyas is the
man of the match as he was the game-maker for ‘RBTC’ for 90 minutes.
*****************
Roland:- Are you alright, Sir? I have read in
the newspaper that an Indian rebel hurled a bomb at your 4-wheeler to kill you.
Thank God, you have survived !
Houghton:- Yeah, I have survived
luckily. The Indian rebel who hurled a bomb at my car is only 16 years old. His
name is Kashiram. He has been arrested and the Calcutta High Court is going to
order the decision of ‘Hanged till Death’ very soon. I always thought
that the Midnapore town is a very peaceful place to live in. But, the Indian
rebels are also present here. I really wonder that from where they get such a
courage and spirit. Those two words of Bankimchandra’s ‘Anandamath’ book works
like a magic for them. Whenever these Indian rebels utter the words ‘Bande
Mataram’, all the other Indians start shouting those two words and then they
unite together to rebel against the British government. Even nowadays, the
Indian rebels have started shouting, ‘Jai Hind’ and ‘Inqalab Zindabad’. By the
way, today your team played the semi-final match, right? Have your team won or
not?
Roland:- Yeah, yeah, we are through to the
final to clash against that bloody Indian club. Ha ha ha…what a name of that
club, ‘Royal Bengal Tigers’ Club’! What a mockery! Those pussy cats regard
themselves as tigers.
Houghton:- Don’t underestimate them, Roland.
In their first year itself, they have been able to reach the final. That is
itself a credit for them, no matter, whether they lose or win the match. But,
your team has won for the last two times. If your team wins the tournament,
then it will be a hat-trick. When is the final match?
Roland:- It is on 29th July at
Maidan. I hope that you will surely come to watch that match. Even Mr. Hastings
and Daisy are also coming to watch that match.
Houghton:- Oh! I totally forgot about Daisy.
Roland, congrats to you as Mr. Hastings has accepted you as his future
son-in-law. The engagement is on 28th July at the Victoria
Palace, right? I have already received the invitation card from Mr. Hastings.
By the way, Roland, are you free on 26th July?
Roland:- Yeah, I am free on that day. No
appointments have been scheduled for me on that day. Why?
Houghton:- I have kept a small marriage
anniversary party at my newly constructed house. My two little daughters and my
wife have come to India. My elder son is in England only. He is too busy in
England with his job to get time to visit India. This will be our 25th marriage
anniversary.
Roland:- Wow! That’s great, Sir. I will surely
attend that party.
**************
Arindam:- Hey, Rishi, I came to know from
Sashi that you know a secret route to enter inside the Sutanuti administrative
block office campus. Can you tell me that route, please? If you tell me
that route, then I will give you the chocolates, books and a small football
which I am holding in my hand.
Rishi:- Aah…uncle, that is not a secret route,
but it looks secret only. Some portion of the boundary walls at the backside of
the Sutanuti administrative block campus have broken due to heavy rainfall and
storms. The portion of the wall which is broken cannot be seen by anyone very
easily because there are large bushes in front of it. One day, I was passing by
that road adjacent to the boundary walls at the backside of the Sutanuti
administrative block campus. Suddenly, I felt the nature call and went towards
that bush to perform it. Luckily, I discovered that some bricks have broken and
there is a gap in the boundary wall. A man can easily go inside that gap, if
that man is not so fat.
Arindam:- Ok, now it is dusk time. Can you
show me that gap?
Rishi:- Sure, sure, come with me.
*****************
Mrityunjay:- I am Mrityunjay, the younger
brother of Dhananjay. I am a member of ‘Akhil Bharatiya Swadeshi Sangha’
(ABSS). Our office is at Manicktala. Tilak, Sukhdev, Bhagatram and Ramprasad
are also the members of ‘ABSS’.
Sujoy:- That’s ok, but, what help do you want
from me?
Mrityunjay:- My elder brother promised our
‘ABSS’ that he will give some amount of money that has been looted from the
‘Imperial Bank’ of Ahiritola.
Sujoy:- But, those money have already been
distributed among the poor villagers. Whatever was left after that is with me
only as I am the cashier of ‘Swadeshi Andolan’ group. But that amount is
not too much also. I have only 79,105 bucks in the treasury of ‘Swadeshi Andolan’
group. But, as Dhananjay was associated with us and if he has promised to
pay to your ‘ABSS’, I don’t have any objection to that. I will give you his
share to you. It is coming around 26,358 bucks. But, I will provide
you the money on one condition.
Mrityunjay:- Yeah, tell us, what condition do
you have?
Sujoy:- On this week itself, you have to start
the ‘Bharat Chorho’ (Quit India) movement. Gather all the Indian freedom
fighters and start the campaign from the College Street area and start marching
towards the ‘Shahid Minar’ of Esplanade. If the British Policemen charges lathi
on your people, don’t just wait and watch like the followers of Mahatma Gandhi.
Just counterattack the policemen, no matter, what happens after that.
Tilak:- Sujoy ji, we are ready for that. But,
our ‘Quit India’ should not remain confined in Bengal only. The movement should
spread like a fire in all parts of India. Sukhdev, Bhagatram and Ramprasad and
I are not Bengalis; but Indians only. If we get enough funding and other
supports from the ‘Swadeshi Andolan’ group that was formed by Prafulla daa,
then we will surely be successful in our movement throughout India.
Sujoy:- Ok, done. We will fully support your
‘ABSS’. We want freedom of our motherland at any cost within the next few
years.
*********************
Roland:- Patrick, you will now act as the
Inspector-In-Charge of Sutanuti. Take this job as a challenge, though almost
all the Indian rebels of Sutanuti have been gunned down, but, still, you should
be more alert and vigilant rather than being complacent.
Patrick:- Yes, Sir. I promise you that you
will not get any chance to complain about my work.
Roland:- Yeah, that’s should be the spirit.
Now, go to your room. Balaram, the security-in-charge cum caretaker of this
Sutanuti administrative block will take you to your living room and your office
room also. Just go with him. I will be going to Midnapore town tomorrow morning
and will come back the day after tomorrow. After coming back from there, we
will discuss about some new plans to tackle the Indian rebels in the Sutanuti.
Patrick:- Sure, Sir. As you wish, Sir. I will
be waiting for that discussion.
**************
Hayden:- Hello! Am I speaking to Mr. Richards,
the President of EICFF?
Richards:- Yeah, yeah, speaking. Who’s this?
Hayden:- Sir, I am Mr. Hayden, the
Controller-In-Charge of ‘British Government Sports Governing Council’ (BGSGC).
Currently, I am in Calcutta to take care of the Maidan ground.
Richards:- Oh! After the retirement of Mr.
Collingwood, you have taken the charge. That’s great. I am yet to meet you. You
must visit our EICFF headquarter in the Midnapore town, if you get any time in
the near future. Anyway, tell me, why have you called me up?
Hayden:- Sir, as the ‘RBTC’ club have reached
the final, the people from all over Bengal and its neighboring areas are
very much eager to buy the tickets of that match.
Richards:- That’s a good news. What’s the
problem in that?
Hayden:- See, at present the price of tickets
are 7 bucks for stall and 15 bucks for gallery. The Maidan is having a seating
capacity of 30,000 people. But, we are expecting that around 32,000
people may turn up to see the match. The craziness to watch this match is at
the peak now. Even we are getting calls from Kumilla, Chittagong, Khulna,
Sylhet, Jorhat, Dispur, Dhaka, Gangtok, Ghatshila, Darbhanga, Jamshedpur,
Dhanbad, Balasore, Cuttack and Agartala for the tickets. These areas are
not under proper West Bengal, but still the Bengali people of these areas want
to watch the match. I have a plan to increase the business of both ‘BGSGC’ and
‘EICFF’.
Richards:- Wow! Really! Please tell me about
your plan.
Hayden:- If we hire some agents in and around
the Maidan ground, who will buy around 60% of the total tickets from us, then
it will be a profitable for us. We will hire those agents with the
condition that they have to pay the 50% of their profit to us and the remaining
is theirs. We will print around 35,000 tickets. Don’t worry; I will make five
temporary galleries to increase the total number of seats to 34,000. Now,
out of these 35,000 tickets, 15,000 tickets will be for the galleries
only. If we hire 10 agents, then each agent will be allotted 900 gallery
tickets and 1200 stall tickets. If these agents sell each ticket at double the
original price, then we will earn 50% of [(900*7) + (1200*15)] = 12,150 bucks
extra from each of them. After selling tickets to those agents, we will also
earn 24,300 bucks from each agent. So, for the sale of 60% of total tickets, we
are earning (2, 43,000+1, 21,500) = 3, 64,500 bucks in total.
Richards:- hmm…that’s a great plan to be
executed. Accha, do another thing. The rest 40% ticket that will be with us
only, will be sold at 10 bucks for each stall ticket and at 20 bucks for each
gallery ticket. Therefore, from these 40% tickets, we will earn [(6000*10) +
(8000*20)] = 2, 20,000 bucks. All total, we will be earning (3,64,500
+2,20,000) = 5,84,500 bucks, which will be shared in 70:30 proportion within
‘EICFF’ and ‘BGSGC’. So, ‘EICFF’ will earn the revenue of 4, 09,150 bucks and
‘BGSGC’ will earn 1, 75,350 bucks. Just open the counter from tomorrow morning
itself. Mr. Hayden, due to your plan of selling the tickets in black, the
revenue of EICFF will increase by at least 15% from this tournament this year.
I must appreciate that you have a fantastic and intelligent brain, Mr. Hayden.
Keep up the good work like this in future also.
*******************
Arindam:- Don’t worry; for each valuable
information about Roland, I will give you 100 bucks. Is there any valuable
information about Roland at present?
Balaram:- Ok, then listen to me.
Tomorrow morning, Roland will head towards Midnapore town and will come back at
the day after tomorrow. Also, let me also tell you another thing that on 28th July,
Roland is getting engaged with Daisy, the daughter of Mr. Hastings at 9 PM. The
engagement party will take place inside the ‘Victoria Palace’.
Arindam:- Hmm…Thanks Balaram. Now, keep these
200 bucks with you. You deserve the extra 100 bucks. Just keep it.
********************
Santosh: - Tomorrow, we are going to clash
with the defending champions ‘Yorkshire Youngsters’. Tomorrow is an
important day for us. We have come a long way to reach the final of this
tournament. We have struggled; we came back from behind and we fought for our
pride. At the end, we have won all the matches. We have to win one more match
to lift that cup. As we have won all the previous matches, it does not
guarantee that we have played the best football so far. For those victories,
don’t become complacent. If you are complacent then surely it will degrade your
performance in the final match. Always make your mindset in such a fashion that
it should always say, ‘We have played better football so far but not the best.
The best performances are yet to come.’ The team which can handle the pressure
and keep themselves as cool as cucumber in the final match of any game always
becomes the champion. Your opponents will do sledging; they will even try to
bully you unnecessarily to make you people angry. Don’t respond to all
those tricks and refrain yourselves from committing any foul. Don’t lose
your concentration on the game of football in the final match, no matter what
happens. I have seen many good teams losing in the final match because they
lacked concentration in the game. In the final match, play the mind game. Don’t
play traditional and defensive football that you people displayed in the
semi-final match. Stretch out and capture the entire field and then force your
enemies to succumb in front of you. The problem with you people is that you are
limiting your own territories. In football, no footballer has any fixed
position. According to the situation, all the footballers need to play
different roles. When you are leading by 2 goals and playing defensive
football, then the strikers also need to provide support to the defense line.
On the other hand, when you have to score goals to win, then the defenders need
to act as flying strikers. In this team, the biggest strength lies in the
midfield area, but our defense line is very weak.
Sujoy:- We are trying our level best.
Santosh:- You people are doing a blunder
by following the opponent’s strikers. Don’t do that. Once your opponent team
coach understands that, then they will add two more players from the midfield
area to the forward line to add pressure on your defense line-up. Follow the
ball and keep an eye on the support players of the strikers. Spread out in the
defense line in such a manner that it forms a virtual maze for your opponent
strikers. In this final match, we will play in the formation: -
2-1-2-3-2.
Gosthopal:- What kind of formation is that?
Santosh babu, please tell us in details. I can sense that you have some superb
plan for the final match.
Santosh:- Then listen to me carefully. Pradip
and Krishnendu cannot play the final match due to their knee injury. Haradhan
is down with a serious viral fever. So, he will be unable to play in the final.
Therefore, we don’t have any player in our reserve bench to go for the
substitution. That’s why; I want you to play in this formation in the 1st half
to save your energy. In the 1st half, we will play ‘ball
–possession’ football. Sujoy and Arindam will act as the two pillars for
Bhunia. Sujoy will be at the right back and Arindam at the left back. Manohar
will play like a connector between the midfield and the defense line. Side
–by-side, he will be the main stopper and will signal the two intermediary
players, when to go up and when to come down.
Manna:- Who are these intermediary players?
Santosh:- Intermediary players are the linkers
between defenders and midfielders. Radhanath and Iliyas will do the job here.
The other 3 midfielders will act like game-makers. Their job will be to handle
the ball well and create opportunities for the two lead strikers. Chuni, Habib
and Thapa will play that role. Gosthopal and Manna need to stay at their
position to convert any opportunity into goals. Now, we will start our practice
session in this formation only. We will not practice on 28th July;
that is the day before the final match. On that day, you need to relax yourself
and don’t think too much about the outcome of the final match. The more you
think, the more you are pressurizing yourself. Be cool and play the final match
without any tension. Automatically, your performance will improve on that
day. Come on, make two teams and start the practice match.
****************
Amritlal:- Go and take the interview of Mr.
Hayden. He is the mastermind behind all these things. For him only, the tickets
for the final match are getting sold at double the original price.
Kamini:- But, dad, I have not taken any
interview before. Can I handle it?
Amritlal:- That hardly matters. First
interview will be somewhat a tough one for you but after that you will not feel
tensed in taking any interview. Don’t call me dad in the office. I have told
you earlier also. Call me as Sir when you are in my office. Accha, don’t argue
too much with Hayden. He may react very aggressively after hearing your
questions.
****************
Kamini:- Sir, there is a serious allegation
against you that you are doing business in the name of sports. You have taken
the decision to sell the tickets at double the price. Even you have hired some
agents to sell the ticket in black. Some eminent persons of Bengal are
even eager to file a case against you regarding this matter. How will you react
to it?
Hayden:- All these allegations are baseless.
We have no agents who are selling the tickets in black. Rather these agents are
acting like distributors only. They are distributing the tickets to different
sections of people at original price only. Maybe, some agents are
charging 5% more than the original price as their commission. That’s all. And
if we have doubled the price of the ticket then it has been done to bear the
expenses for constructing the temporary galleries for the spectators. We are
using hi-fi quality bricks and mortars for those galleries. So, there will be
huge expenses in it. By the way, Miss Kamini, who is the Chief-in-Editor or
owner of your newspaper? I am really angry with the ‘Amritbazaar Patrika’. Till
now, they have published three articles where it is clearly written that I am
bringing corruption in the game of football. I want to meet the owner of your
company.
Kamini:- Sure Sir! Anytime, you are welcome to
visit our office. The name of my boss is Amritlal.
***************
Amritlal:- Look, Mr. Hayden, the truth is
truth and ultimately it triumphs at the end. No matter, how much craps you say
in front of me, I know what kind of ‘black business’ you are doing by selling
those tickets in black. I will not stop publishing the articles about this
scam. Let the people of Bengal know the truth. Already after reading our
articles, two of your hired agents have been beaten by the public of Bengal and
at the end, the agent had no other choice than to sell the ticket at 1 buck
more than the original price only. Can you see my white hairs and beards?
I have not painted it white but these became whitish in color due to my
experience in the media industry. Therefore, don’t try to threaten me. At the
end of the day, you will be in serious trouble and I will get another spicy topic
to publish it in my newspaper. The sale of my newspaper will increase
automatically.
Hayden:- Oh! I am sorry for my rude behavior
with you. You seem to be a very hard nut to crack. Why not! After all, your
Bengali daily newspaper is the No.1 newspaper in West Bengal and East Bengal.
How much will you take?
Amritlal:- Now, you are showing your real
character. Sorry, Mr. Hayden, I don’t accept bribes.
Hayden:- Have I told you that I am trying to
bribe you? I am just keen to give you a gift or a token of appreciation for
your good work as the Chief –in-Editor and owner of ‘Amritbazar Patrika’
newspaper. Look, Mr. Amritlal, this is India! Here people will shout about
corruption or scam after reading the media reports or articles but after few
days the public will forget everything. So, what’s the point in fighting
against the corruptive people like me? Ha ha ha…I hope you understand my words,
Mr. Amritlal. Don’t worry; I will give you more than enough. The transaction
will be secure and secret as it will be done under the table only.
Amritlal:- Ok, if it is more than enough for
me, then I have no problem in accepting your gift. After the transaction, I
promise you that not a single article will get published about you and your
corruptions.
*****************
Houghton:- Welcome to our marriage anniversary
party, Roland. Come with me. Let me introduce you with my wife and daughters.
Roland:- Oops! Sir, you are looking like an
injured soldier now. There is a bandage in your right leg and left arm. Also I
can see some scratches in your face.
Houghton:- I have survived! That is the best
thing for me! I was in the back-seat on that day. Generally, I sit in the front
seat, beside my driver. But on that day, luckily I sat at the back. A constable
was sitting beside the driver. He has died. Kashiram threw the bomb directly at
the constable. Had I been sitting at the front seat, I would have been dead by
then only. After the incident, my wife is very upset and is willing to go back
to England. Aah…here comes my wife. Her name is Mary and they are my two
daughters; Charlotte and Collin. Both of them are studying in St. Xaviers
School now.
Roland:- Your daughters are very sweet. By the
way, what is your son doing in England?
Houghton:- My son, Mandrake has become
one of the top entrepreneurs of England at the age of 23 years only. His
company has now become a leading bull in the London Stock Exchange. Come on;
let us have some drinks while sitting on the balcony. Let the others party and
dance.
******************
Roland:- Cheers! Sir! Your newly constructed
house is really good. The ambience in front of this balcony is just too silent.
There is a pin drop silence out here. In Sutanuti, I cannot spot so many stars
in the night sky, but here in Midnapore town, I can see a clear night sky.
There are so many stars in the night sky tonight.
Houghton:- Hmm…I understand that after seeing
a fantastic moonlit night in this calm ambience, you are missing Daisy here.
Don’t worry; just after 1 day, both of you will get engaged and then after a
week or so, she will become your wife. After marriage, who knows, maybe, you
will become the next Viceroy of Bengal. I was never lucky to get married to a
daughter of a Viceroy.
Roland:- Sir, are you dissatisfied with your
job?
Houghton:- It is not dissatisfaction, but,
somehow I have lost my motivation in my job. I have been serving under East
India Company for around 16 years, but yet to get an opportunity to become a
Viceroy of any province. Maybe, I don’t know the skilful art of buttering. I
got promoted from a lieutenant to an Administrative General 7 years ago.
Hastings got promoted to an Administrative General just 3 years ago and last
year he became the Viceroy of Bengal. I am not jealous on Hastings. He is a
nice guy. But, I am somewhat dissatisfied with the High Command of East India
Company. When I got attacked by Kashiram two days ago, no one from the High
Command contacted me also to know whether I am alive or dead. It was Hastings
only, who has sent some additional 15 security guards for me. What does
that mean? It means that I have no value for the East India Company High
Command. Then what’s the point in serving for them!
Roland:- Sir, You are sounding emotional
tonight. I always had the impression that you are a very tough man.
Houghton:- Yeah, I am a tough man. As my
subordinate, you have always seen my toughness, but, side by side, I am also a
human being. When I see my family members, I can feel the existence of
humanities within my heart.
Roland:- I am not understanding the meaning of
your statements, Sir.
Houghton:- Anyway, just leave it. You are yet
to become a family man. That’s why; you will not understand these feelings
now. What’s your future plan, Roland? I mean to say, that, will you take
the risk to stay in India with your beloved Daisy after the marriage.
Roland:- No, I want to go back to England
after my marriage with Daisy. India is becoming a very dangerous place for us.
Indian rebels are now attacking us every now and then. I hate these Indians.
Houghton:- Indians also hate us. There
are enough reasons for them to show hatred towards us. Our British government
has always treated the Indians as slaves. Had the British government given the
equality status to all the Indians like the Mughals and the other ancient
rulers did in India, then these Indians would have never taken up arms in their
hands? Let me tell you that Mr. Hastings is also going to retire from his post
and Mr. Canning will be succeeding him. Mr. Canning is a cunning man but doesn’t
regard Indians as slaves. In his tenure as the Viceroy of Madras, he has
created many job opportunities for the Indians. Even the Indian women of Madras
province got some kind of social empowerment under him only. Anyway, I am
feeling sleepy now. Your room is on the right side of this balcony. Have a nice
sleep, Roland. Good night.
Roland:- Good night, Sir.
******************
Kamini:- Please open your mouth. I have
something for you to eat. This is the prasad (holy sweet) of the Kali puja that
I performed at the Kalighat today morning.
Arindam:- Hmm…ok, let me eat it.
Kamini:- I have also brought a tabeez (holy
string) for you. You just tie it in your right arm. If you tie it in your arm,
then you will surely win the final match.
Arindam:- Dhaath…jatto sab, faltu jinish…I
don’t believe in all these superstitions. You keep this tabeez with you only.
Good performance on that particular day is what actually matters, not these
prasads or tabeez…uuh…
Kamini:- These are not superstitions. These
are our faith in God. Uuh…you will not understand these things. While
performing the Kali puja, I prayed for you only and you are now scolding me…You
are a very bad boy.
Arindam:- Uff…tai naaki…tumi amar janyo
prarthona korley…aaha re…bekaar samay nasto korle…Kalighat mandir e tey giye…he
he he…because I am an atheist.
Kamini:- Sudhu ki ami…You have no idea. When I
went inside the Kali temple of Kalighat, there were many devotees who came from
different parts of Bengal. They were performing the Kali puja and uttering,
’Hey Goddess Kali, you give us the victory of Royal Bengal Tigers’ Club Team
against the British team in the final. If our Indian team wins the match, then
we will slaughter 21 goats in front of you and distribute the mutton curry as
the prasad of Kali puja to all your devotees’.
Arindam:- Are you saying the truth or just
cooking up a story?
Kamini:- I swear in the name of Goddess Kali.
I am telling the truth only. You don’t have any idea about how much
expectations the Bengali people are having towards the ‘Royal Bengal Tiger’s
Club’ football team. They also want to see their favorite football team winning
against the bloody British people.
Arindam:- Hmm…I understand their feelings. We
have to give our best on that day.
Kamini:- Ei…let us go and sit behind the bush.
Everyone is looking at us while passing by this place.
Arindam:- So, what? I have always smooched and
hugged my Durga while sitting at this very same place. This bank of the Hooghly
River is the ideal place to do romance. Maybe, I think that the people are
looking at you because they have always seen Durga sitting beside me at this
place. Maybe, these people are thinking, ‘Who is this new girl sitting beside
Arindam?’
Kamini:- Dhhuth…oto soto tomar analysis ami
suntey chaaina….I am always a very shy and introvert type of a girl. I feel
very odd when someone keeps on looking at me.
Arindam:- Your character is totally opposite
to that of Durga. Ok, ok, come on, let us go and sit behind that bush only.
*******************
Kamini:- I am feeling more comfortable in this
place which is behind the bush. No one can see us from the street. Now, you can
do anything to me. I will not feel uncomfortable.
Arindam:- What do you mean by the word,
‘anything’? And by the way, why should I do anything with you? You cannot
take the place of Durga.
Kamini:- I don’t want to take the place
of Durga but…
Arindam:- But!…but, What? Come on; you are on
the verge of telling something to me. Speak out.
Kamini:- Can’t you read my eyes? Do I need to
tell everything with my mouth?
Arindam:- I have read your eyes much before
than you expected me to read it. But, the biggest confusion lies with me only.
Still, I don’t know whether I love you or not. I don’t know whether you are
just acting with me or you have true love towards me.
Kamini:- How did you find out that Durga truly
loved you?
Arindam:- The case of Durga is totally
different. We never proposed to each other, but still we loved each other like
anything. Our friendship began in our childhood. Hardly there was any secret
between us. Both of us knew everything about each other. We used to fight with
each other on every alternate day to fall in love again on the very next day…he
he he…But, the irony is that she is no more in my life.
Kamini:- Jut stop talking about Durga. I am
feeling depressed now. She is no more, so just forget her. I can also love you
as much as Durga did.
Arindam:- Wow! My goodness! Am I your first
love?
Kamini:- Yes, you are my first love. That’s
why; I was so jealous on Durga.
Arindam:- Hmm…Durga was also jealous on you.
Maybe, she would have given you some hard beatings in this evening, had she
been alive, he he he…
*******************
Bhaduri Babu:- The forthcoming final match is
a very important match not for me and my club members but also for the Indians.
You will not believe me, Mr. Richards. Till date, I have received around 1,500
letters and greetings cards, where all the fans of ‘Royal Bengal Tigers’ Club’
have wished the entire team, ‘Best of Luck’ for the final match. Even people
have sent rasogollas, jalebis, nalen gurer sandesh and other sweets packets to
us.
Richards:- Yeah, I can sense that. Can I eat
one rasogolla? Please don’t mind. But I really love this special sweet of
Bengal.
Bhaduri Babu:- Ha ha ha..Why only one? Eat as
much as you can. Our fans have sent around 25 rasogolla bhanrs (sweet pots)
each containing 50 rasogollas. I have distributed all those rosogollas to
our villagers but still 2 bhanrs are remaining, he he he….
Richards:- No, no, I will eat two
rasogollas only. Actually, I am a diabetic patient but cannot control my
temptation towards rasogollas.
Bhaduri Babu:- Ha ha ha…yeah, rasogolla is
always a special sweet indeed if you can maintain its quality brand in its
taste and size. Anyway, it’s a pleasure that you have come at our club house
and enjoying rasogollas, ha ha ha…. But, suddenly, why have you come here?
Richards:- I came here to give you a special
ticket. We have constructed a special gallery for the VIP (Very Important Persons).
There are only 50 seats for VIP gallery. I am giving you four VIP tickets. You
can watch the match with your family members.
Bhaduri Babu:- Ha ha ha…you made me
laugh. I have only one family member and that is my son, Radhanath. He
will be in the field only. Anyway, I will keep these 4 tickets with me. Mr.
Beadon was asking for tickets to me. By the way, Mr. Richards, who is the
referee of the final match? I hope that the referee will be a neutral one.
Richards:- Don’t worry about that, Bhaduri Babu.
Mr. Charlie Churchill will be the referee of the final match. He has the first
name of Charlie Chaplin and the surname of Sir Winston Churchill, but the irony
is that he has got the character of Adolf Hitler. He is so strict that he has a
record of showing 9 red cards in a football match. Ultimately, the match got
abandoned, he he he…After that match, we have requested him to lower down his
degree of strictness a little bit. In the next match, he showed 3 red cards.
Till date, there has been not a single final match of ‘Queen Victoria Diamond
Cup’ tournaments where at least a player has not seen a red card. Thanks to Mr.
Charlie Churchill. I can only request you to tell your boys to play safe and
ethical football, he he he…
******************
Hastings:- Ladies and Gentleman! May I have
your attention please? Tonight, I declare Roland, the lieutenant of Sutanuti
administrative block, as my future son-in-law. My daughter Daisy is getting
engaged with Roland tonight. Both will wear the engagement ring from each
other. Ladies and Gentleman, please give a good round of applause for this
young love-birds and wish them a very happy married life in the future ahead.
Now, all of you can enjoy the drinks and foods. If you want to dance also, then
the ball room is open for all of you till 12.30 AM.
******************
Roland:- Hey, sweetheart…come on, let us
dance.
Daisy:- Tonight, I am very happy, Roland. I am
still thinking…like how it happened so quickly. I fell in love with you at the
first sight. And tonight we have got engaged with each other. I always used to
search for my dream man. I always tried to fall in love, but was unsuccessful
in so many cases. But, I never tried to fall in love with you, it just
happened automatically…So surprising, it is indeed!
Roland:- Daisy, love is an accident, not an
incident. But, in this accident, a person never gets physically injured but
mentally, because he/she always loses his/her heart to his/her beloved
one. Sweetheart, I want to settle down in England after our marriage. I
hope that you will not be having any objection to that.
Daisy:- Wherever you go, I will follow you,
dear, because I love you. Anyway, my dad is also going back to England after
his retirement. But, suddenly, why are you so keen to go back to England? What
is wrong in India?
Roland:- England is more peaceful than India.
You can live peacefully as a family man in England. After all, England is our
motherland.
Daisy:- England is not so peaceful nowadays.
Adolf Hitler is always threatening to destroy England. I have also heard
that Hitler is willing to help the Indian rebels too. By the way, dear,
both India and England are my motherland. But, I have spent more time in India
than in England. Anyway, I have no problem to live with you in England after my
marriage.
***************
Commentator Chinmoy:- Good afternoon to all
the listeners of ‘Akash- Baani’ radio center of Calcutta. I am Chinmoy
Chattopadhay, the commentator of ‘Akash-Baani’. You are now listening to the
live relay of the final match of the 5th ‘Queen Victoria
Diamond Cup’ to be played between the ‘Royal Bengal Tigers’ Club’ (RBTC) and
the ‘Yorkshire Youngsters’ (YoYo). The YoYo team is the defending champion.
They have been winning this tournament for the last two years consecutively. What
an ambience it is indeed in this Maidan ground! Almost all the spectators are
supporting their favorite RBTC team. All the supporters are waving the ‘Green
& Maroon’ flag. Some people are even dancing with the mask of a tiger in
their face. After all, they have come to support the Royal Bengal Tigers’ Club
only. In this final match, the chief guest is our honorable Viceroy of India,
Mr. Mountbatten. Mr. Richards and Mr. Mountbatten are shaking hands with
the players of both the teams. Even Mr. Hastings and Mr. Dalhousie have also
come to watch this final match. They are sitting in the VIP gallery. Mr. Beadon
is also there with his family members and sitting beside Mr. Devdas Bhaduri.
The match is about to start now. Mr. Churchill, the referee of this match is tossing
the coin. Gosthopal, the captain of RBTC team has won the toss and will take
the first kick at the center. Roland, the captain of YoYo , is shaking hands
with Gosthopal. Mr. Churchill has blown the whistle. The match has started.
****************
Commentator Chinmoy:- Already 15 minutes has
passed in the match. This match is turning out to be a very competitive one. No
one is leaving a single inch. Till now, not a single player has been able to
take any shot at the goals. Everyone is trapping everyone within a certain
area. The main battle is happening at the midfield area. Oh! Butcher, the
midfielder of YoYo is sprinting with the ball from the right flank. Arindam
gave a deadly charge at the ball. Butcher fell down and talking in slang languages
to Arindam. But, it was a fair tackle. That’s why; the referee gave the
‘throw-in’ signal in favor of YoYo. Lots of sledging and bull fighting is going
on from the YoYo team players but the RBTC players kept their cool and keeping
the ball in their possession. Till now, RBTC is having 76% ball possession of
the match, but, why they are not going for full-fledged attack is still a
mystery! This is a final match. Even 1 goal is enough to create the pressure on
the trailing side. Habib has snatched the ball from a YoYo defender and
has taken a long shot, but, Harris, the goalkeeper of YoYo saved it with a
decent dive at his right side. Harris is one of the best goalkeepers of
England. He has played for the England football team last year. At present,
Seaman is the main goalkeeper of England team. Oh! Roland is sprinting through
the right flank and Arindam is running beside him. Arindam is not tackling him
but guarding him in such an angle that Roland is unable to take any shot at the
goal from that angle. The ball went for the goal-kick. Oh! No! Some war of
words is going on between Roland and Arindam. Oops! Roland has pressed on
Arindam’s bare right foot with his boot. The referee is now running
towards Roland.
***************
Arindam:- Look, Sir! What he has done! He
pressed on my leg with his boot.
Churchill:- I am giving you a warning, Mr.
Roland. Next time I will show you a red card.
Roland:- Oh! Sir! Arindam is just doing a role
play. If they cannot bear our boots, then who told these bloody men to play
football with their bare-feet? He is saying abusive languages to me.
Arindam:- Sir, Roland has started that. When
he failed to take the shot at the goal, he said a slang language to me.
Churchill:- I am warning both of you. Next
time, if I find any trouble, I will show both of you the red cards. Be careful!
****************
Roland:- Guys, listen to me. These bloody
Indians are playing ‘ball possession’ football and trying to waste the time of
the 1st half. They are keeping their stamina in reserve to
pounce upon us in the 2nd half. Just play in the formation
3-3-4 and spread out as fast as you can, the moment our goalkeeper takes the
goal kick. Play ‘touch and go’ football in utmost speed. Give the passes in
zigzag manner in certain angles. If we can do that, then we will surely break
their traps to score goals.
*****************
Commentator Chinmoy:- Both Mr. Turner and Mr.
Santosh are looking very tense at this moment. Mr. Turner is the coach of YoYo
team and Mr. Santosh is of RBTC. 43 minutes has passed in this match, but still
the score is Nil-Nil. Till now, RBTC has got 6 corner kicks and YoYo got
none. RBTC has got 3 free-kicks and YoYo got none. But still, RBTC has not
scored a goal. RBTC need to convert these opportunities into goals. In the
meanwhile, Paul, the striker of YoYo team got the ball. He passed the ball to
his right direction to Gary. Gary without receiving the ball just chipped the
ball towards Roland who is sprinting from the left flank. Roland has taken the
shot with his left foot without wasting any time. The ball hit the right bar of
the goal post and went in. Bhunia has nothing to do in this case. This is the 3rd goal
for Roland in this tournament. He is the top goal scorer in this tournament
now. The referee has blown the whistle to end the 1st half.
After the 1st half, the RBTC team is trailing by 1 goal. There
is a shocking silence in the Maidan ground. All the supporters are looking at
each other and discussing among each other about where RBTC really went wrong.
RBTC team played well in the 1st half. They played much better
football than they played in the semi-final. But, somehow, the RBTC team has
failed to convert their opportunities. On the other hand, YoYo got only one
chance to score a goal and they converted that opportunity. They really have
bull’s eye. Can RBTC come back in this match or YoYo will lift the cup for the
third time? To know more about it, just stay tuned to our ‘Akash-Baani’ center.
I will be back after 15 minutes of break.
****************
Santosh:- Have you people forgotten to take
corner kicks and free kicks? You people got so many chances that any other team
would have scored at least 3 goals till now. Arindam, Sujoy and Manohar; you
people failed to defend them!
Manohar:- Santosh Babu, for 43 minutes, they
got no chance to score a goal. But, somehow, I am really surprised to see them
breaking our traps.
Santosh:- They have understood our strategy.
That’s why; they are passing the ball from one end to the other at one touch.
Even a fraction of a second counts here. Do one thing. In the 2nd half,
play in the formation of 2-2-3-1-2. Now, you people need to play ‘touch and go’
football. Don’t waste your time in receiving the ball and keeping it in your
possession. Try to understand the mind game. They are leading by 1 goal.
Therefore, their natural tendency will be to defend their lead. Therefore,
either they will play in 5-3-2 formation or 4-3-3 formation. You people have
not wasted all your stamina in the 1st half because you people
played very slow and ball possession football. Now, play the speedy football
and attack them continuously. They will counterattack. But, make sure that
their strikers should fall in the trap of ‘offside’. Sujoy, you will not leave
your defense position. If they counterattack also, don’t go forward and charge
them. Just make them run inside our penalty area and then force them to create
a difficult angle for themselves. Manohar and Arindam, you need to go up and
down a lot faster and play the trick that you are about to tackle a striker,
though you will not do that unless there is an emergency case. I hope that you
have understood what I am trying to say. Always induce the fear factor among
the opponent’s strikers that they will be tackled. That fear factor will force
them to give wrong passes inside our penalty area. I am wishing best of luck to
all of you for this 2nd half. Give your heart out and don’t be
tensed about the outcome. Just relax and play the game with cool head.
******************
Commentator Chinmoy:- 77 minutes have passed
in this match. RBTC team is still trailing by 1 goal. But, the way they are
playing in this match, really deserves some appreciation. I have never seen
RBTC team playing such a speedy football in this tournament. Gosthopal took two
dangerous shot at the goal, but Harris saved it. Manna and Habib took one shot
each at the goal but of no use. Harris saved those shots also. Harris is
becoming the real thorn for RBTC. The defense line of YoYo is not so strong but
the goalkeeper Harris is too good for the RBTC players. In this tournament,
YoYo is yet to concede any goal, which means that Harris has maintained the
record of ‘clean-sheet’ in all the matches of this tournament. Can
the RBTC players beat Harris?
*****************
Commentator Chinmoy:- Only 6 minutes left in
this match. RBTC is still fighting to get that equalizer. YoYo team players are
now wasting time by passing the ball among themselves. Basically, YoYo is now
playing total defensive football because they know that if they can waste
another 5 minutes or so, they are going to lift the cup. Habib has
snatched the ball from one of the midfielders of YoYo and passed the ball to
Chuni. Chuni is dribbling the ball. Oh! Boy, this is not the time to show your
skills but to score the goal. Chuni gave the pass to Manna. Manna chipped it
towards Iliyas at the left flank. Iliyas missed to capture the ball. Luckily,
Arindam was there as his backup. Arindam is cruising with the ball in the left
blank and centered the ball towards Manohar who is running in from the Central
midfield region. Manohar received the ball with his right leg and dribbled the
ball with his left leg and has taken a shot. What a powerful shot! Harris
judged the angle of the ball rightly but was beaten by the speed of the ball.
Really, the fraction of a second counts in football. Just listen to the roar of
the crowd. The crowd of the Maidan is alive again. The crazy Bengali supporters
are now dancing with joy. They are hugging each other. There are spontaneous
smiles all around. Manohar, the defender, never even thought of scoring a goal
in this tournament and what a moment to score for his team! In the meanwhile,
Simon and Gower are kicking Manohar at his back out of frustration. There is a
chaos inside the ground now. Now, it is the fight between the Indians and the
British. The British footballers are yet to accept that they have
conceded a goal. Thapa, as usual, the angry young man gave a tight slap on
Simon. Oh! My goodness, is Simon alive after experiencing that tight slap on
the face? Yes, luckily, he is alive! But, Mr. Churchill has shown red cards to
Simon, Gower and Thapa. YoYo is down with 9 men and RBTC with 10. Oh!
Sujoy has tackled John, the striker of YoYo team inside the penalty box. Sujoy
has been shown the red card and YoYo has got a penalty. Roland is going to take
the penalty shot. Can he score the winning goal? Oh! Dear! What a save by
Bhunia! The ball was travelling at a high speed towards the top left
corner of the goal post. Hardly have I seen anyone saving that kind of a shot!
Bhunia has saved a stunning shot and stunned Roland. Roland is still staring at
Bhunia and maybe wondering how a man on earth can save such a fantastic shot! I
was praising Harris a little while ago but I doubt that Harris would have also
failed to save this shot. The RBTC team players know what Bhunia has done for
their team. They are giving a pat on his back. Only 2 minutes left for
the match. The injury time is for 2 minutes. So, in total, both the teams have
4 minutes to score the winning goal. Roland is still shaking his head out of
despair because he knows what he has missed. In the meantime, Manna gave a pass
to Iliyas. Iliyas just forwarded the ball to Habib. Habib is a very strong man.
One YoYo defender just fell down with a slight body touch from Habib. Habib is
running with the ball. Another defender to beat; he has beaten him. Now,
it is one- on-one. Habib has taken the shot. Oh! It’s a bad luck. In the last
moment, Harris stretched his leg on his left side and the ball went out for a
corner kick. 69 seconds left in the match. Gosthopal is going to take the
corner kick. He has taken the corner kick. The ball has swung a little bit.
Chuni gave a fantastic header but it bounced back after hitting the left bar of
the goal post. Arindam has received the ball and has taken a left –footed shot
at the goal. Can you believe it! Arindam angled the ball so well that it was
out of reach for Harris. Arindam has scored the winning goal for RBTC. Oh! The
two defenders of RBTC have scored the goals for RBTC. What a time to score the
goal! The referee has blown the final whistle. Just hear the roar of the Maidan
crowd. I am feeling as if both the Durga Puja festival and the Kali Puja is
getting celebrated today simultaneously. On one hand, I can hear the sound of
fire-crackers and on the other hand, people are dancing with the tune of Dhak,
Kansor Ghanta and Dhol. Even they are performing ‘Dhunuchi Dance’. Wow! Even
the Indian constables who work under the British government are dancing with
joy. They have forgotten their profession today. They only know that they are
Indians and the Indian footballers have defeated the British footballers.
******************
Commentator Chinmoy:- The award ceremony has
started. Bhunia has been awarded the man of the match award and Roland got the
best player award of the tournament for scoring the highest number of goals in
this tournament. Now, Gosthopal and his team members are going to lift the
‘Queen Victoria Diamond Cup’. What a moment it is indeed! They have created a
history. Spectators who have come here to watch the match have witnessed a
glorious day of Indian football. This day will be remembered years after years
as a golden day of Indian football. The winning team got an award of 1,
00,000 bucks and the runner-up team got 50,000 bucks.
******************
Roland:- I am really sorry about my behavior
towards you. You have really proved that you are an Indian zamindar.
Bhaduri Babu:- Mr. Roland, I am so happy today
that I have forgot all your bad behaviors towards me. I should thank you, Mr.
Roland. Had you not behaved so badly with me, I would have never formed this
Indian football team. Anyway, you have understood your mistakes, I am very
happy to hear that.
*****************
Beadon:- Hey guys, I am very happy today. I
promised you people that I will come to watch the final match if your team
qualifies for the final. Really, you people played like real royal Bengal
tigers. You people came back from behind and emerged as champions.
Gosthopal:- You also deserve some credit, Mr.
Beadon. Had you not told us about the essence of playing attacking football all
the time, we would have always played the traditional defensive football only.
Are you not alone today? Are you here with your family members?
Beadon:- Oh! Yeah! I have patched up with my
wife again. She is my wife, Clara and he is my son, Bob. They have come to
India to spend their holidays. We will start their journey towards England from
Calcutta port on 19th August. I am also planning to
resign from this job and settle down in England with my family members. I will
be resigning on 12th August.
Bhaduri Babu:- Mr. Beadon, you have to come to
my ‘Bhaduri Bungalow’ on 15th August because one that day, my
son, Radhanath will get married to Lily. Not only have that! Also Arindam and
Sujoy are going to marry Kamini and Mayuri respectively on that very same day.
I invite you and your family members in that wedding party.
Beadon:- Sure, sure, why not!
*****************
Houghton:- Roland was so depressed after that
final match that he has committed suicide. He has taken too many sleeping pills
to commit suicide. Now, Mr. Mayo will succeed him. Mr. Wellesley will be
succeeding me.
Hastings:- Yeah…Mr. Canning will reach
Calcutta tomorrow only. I am not concerned about those things. I am happy to
retire from this job, but, I am very much depressed about the death of Roland.
Daisy is still looking inconsolable, though, time heals all wounds.
Houghton:- Yeah, it’s so sad. I never expected
a strong guy like Roland to commit suicide due to a defeat in the football
match. Actually, he could not accept the fact that an Indian football team has
defeated them. He always used to hate Indians like anything. Anyway, I will be
boarding the ship to England on 5th August. When is your ship?
Hastings:- It is on 5th August
only. You are going in the ‘Vikings’ ship, right?
Houghton:- Oh! Yeah, yeah…then I will see you
there on the ship only. Goodbye for now.
*****************
Mayuri:- Arindam, it is so sad for you that
Roland has committed suicide. Before you could kill him, he killed
himself. Arindam, you got no chance to take the revenge.
Arindam:- Ha ha ha…oh! Really, is it so!
Mayuri, I was surprised to see Roland on the Maidan ground during the final
match. I was damn sure that Roland will die before that match, but, it did not
happen. Thank god! He died after the match. At least, no one will doubt his
death as a murder.
Mayuri:- What? I do not understand anything.
Arindam:- Balaram is the son of Ramdin. After
Ramdin’s death, Balaram got the job but he had anger on the British people
because of his father’s murder by Kepler’s people. Balaram also hated
Roland too much but for the sake of earning money, he was doing his job as a
security – in-charge of the Sutanuti administrative block campus. I utilized
Balaram. I took all the information from Balaram. Shashi, who lives in my
neighborhood, told me about Rishi. I found out the secret route to enter the
Sutanuti administrative block campus. Balaram even told me that Roland suffers
from sleeping disorders and always drinks at least 3 pegs of scotch after
dinner. After drinking the scotch, he always takes one sleeping pill and goes
to sleep. I did not ask about this information to Balaram, but he gave this
information on his own. That’s why; I gave him 100 bucks extra. On 26th July,
Roland went to Midnapore town to attend the marriage anniversary party of
Houghton. On that night, I entered inside the Sutanuti administrative block
campus from that secret route. Balaram intentionally kept the back door
of Roland’s house open for me to enter inside it. I entered inside
Roland’s bedroom and found that there is a refrigerator, where 3 big bottles of
‘1786- Royal Vintage’ scotch is kept. Out of the three bottles, one bottle was
half filled, which means that at present he is drinking scotch from that bottle
only. At the topmost slab of the refrigerator, there is an ice-tray. The
ice-tray has 20 small slabs. I opened the drawer of his bedroom. I found two files
of ‘Slumberdose (500 mg)’ tablets. Last month only, this ‘Slumberdose’
tablets got banned in Europe due to its side –effects and it is a very strong
sleeping pill. If you take one pill, then you will have a deep sleep for at
least 10 hours. 4 tablets of ‘Slumberdose (500 mg)’ are more than enough to
kill a person. I bought 20 tablets of ‘Slumberdose (500 mg)’ from different
medical shops. I have not bought the 20 tablets from a single medicine shop
because then I would have been under the scanner of that medical shop owner. I
crushed the 20 tablets into granules and mixed it with 500 ml of water to make
a poisonous water solution. On 28th July, when Roland was
enjoying his engagement party at the ‘Victoria Palace’, I went inside his
bedroom of Sutanuti administrative block office campus and threw away all the
ice-cubes of the ice-tray in the wash room. Then I filled the ice –tray with my
poisonous water solution and kept the ice-tray inside the refrigerator again.
Then I opened the drawer and took out 3 tablets of ‘Slumberdose (500 mg)’ and
dropped it inside that scotch bottle which was unsealed. I was expecting that
Roland will drink on the night of 28th July, but, maybe, he
drank so much in his engagement party that he came back to his place and went
to sleep. I was hiding myself to see the silent death of Roland. But, alas, on
that night, he just went to sleep without touching the scotch bottle. On
29th July, after getting defeated by us, Roland has surely drunk too many pegs
of scotch with those ice cubes. If he had taken 4 ice cubes on a large peg of
scotch, then it is more than enough for him to die. The investigation team had
come to the conclusion that Roland has committed suicide by taking excessive
sleeping pills. Roland believed in the theory of ‘Kill the snake without
wasting a single bullet’. I just applied his theory on him only.
Mayuri:- But, how come the investigation team
has not got your finger print or boot print in any of the objects that you have
touched inside Roland’s house.
Arindam:- I went inside his room by wearing
gloves on my hand and with my bare –foot only. I made sure that my feet are dry
when I am entering inside his house.
Mayuri:- Really, Arindam, you have used your
brain as your weapon rather than using revolvers.
Arindam:- I could have killed Roland by using
a pistol, but, then I would have suffered the same fate like Durga or Prafulla
daa and his friends…That’s why; I killed Roland by using Roland’s strategy
only.
*****************
Richards:- Wow! This wedding party is looking
like a festival. Mr. Bhaduri, I have a good news for you. RBTC club has been
declared as the first National Football Club of India. You will not
believe me. Already, we have got requests from many businessmen from Bengal.
They also want to open their own football clubs. Bengali Muslims are demanding
for a separate football club. Even the Bangaals want their own football club.
One day will come when Calcutta will have so many football clubs that there
will be a ‘Calcutta League’ tournament in Calcutta.
Bhaduri Babu:- Ha ha ha…that is good for
Indian football only.
Richards:- Well, there is a complaint against
your club. Mr. Ramesh, the No. 1 environmentalist of India has filed a case
against your club that you people are using the name of an animal in your club.
Also, you people are using the logo which features the face of the royal Bengal
tiger. The Calcutta High Court has sent a letter to me and requested me to
request you to change the logo and the name of your club.
Bhaduri Babu:- Hmm…if this is the case, then
we will change our club name as ‘Mohan Bagan’ and our logo will be the
‘Traditional Bengali Boat with a mast’ (Paal –tola nouka). Don’t worry
about that. Just enjoy the wedding party. Within a short while, Mr. L.K.
Saigal, Ramkumar Chattopadhay, Noti Binodini & Co. and Ustad Bismillah Khan
will be arriving at the party. They will perform live on our stage.
Purohit Purushottam:- Arrey, Bhaduri
Babu, boli lagno jeh boye jaaye….bor koney der ke daakun….subho kaajey deri
kiser….
Bhaduri Babu:- haan haan…oi toh oraa
asche….ei, all the girls and women are requested to do ‘Ulu Ulu’…please do ‘ulu
ulu’….
Richards:- Wow! I have never seen a Bengali
wedding before. It is really nice to watch.
Beadon:- Mr. Bhaduri, please don’t mind! My son,
Bob wants to eat more rasogollas. He has already eaten 12 rasogollas.
Bhaduri Babu:- Arrey, Mr. Beadon. Eat as much
as you can. Just enjoy. Tonight, the people of entire Sutanuti province have
been invited to eat here. The eating procedure will continue for the whole
night.
******************
Madhusudan:- Hello, Santosh! This is
Madhusudan Dutta from London. Congratulations, Boss….You don’t know what you
have done as a coach! You have proved that Bengalis can also beat the British
footballers. Boss, I never thought that a lawyer like you is also a great
football coach. Even Rabindranath has remarked that this victory is the first
important stepping-stone to achieve the freedom of India within the next few
years. Bengal has got its independence from the hands of British people on that
historical 29th July itself. Well done, Santosh! You are really
a royal Bengal tiger.
Santosh:- Thank you, Madhu daa…I just gave
them some useful tips. Ultimately, they are the ones who performed in the
field. All my boys are the real royal Bengal tigers. They came back from behind
to pounce on the British people.
******************
Bose:- Namaskar! I am Bose and he is
Rashbehari. We have heard about your ‘Royal Bengal Tigers’ Club’ football team.
That final victory in the football ground is not confined to that football
ground only but this is also the victory of our struggle for freedom in a
global sense and it has created a sense of nationalism in the hearts of
millions of Indians. I and Rashbehari have decided to form a
nationalistic party whose name will be ‘Royal Bengal Tigers’ Association’. We
want you people to join our party. We will also form an armed militant force of
our own to counter against the British forces.
Arindam:- That’s great! All our boys of ‘Swadeshi
Andolan’ and ‘ABSS’ will surely join your party. Already, the British
people have felt the power of Bengali people. That’s why; they are so scared
now, that they shifted the capital of India. One week earlier, Calcutta was the
capital of India. Now, they have made Delhi as their capital and shifted all
their headquarters there from Calcutta. They feared that if those headquarters
remained in Calcutta, then those offices would have been captured by the Indian
freedom fighters of Bengal. Delhi is situated in a much secure geographical
location than Calcutta. So, it will not be so easy now to capture all the main
offices of British government in Delhi. Will we ever get freedom of our
motherland?
Rashbehari:- Don’t worry; Mr. Canning has
promised to give the administration of around 40% area of South Calcutta in the
hands of Bengali people. Mr. Canning believes in ‘live and let live’,
which is a good sign for achieving our freedom.
Bose:- If these British people have shifted
their headquarters from Calcutta to Delhi, then we will march towards Delhi to
capture all those main offices of British government and for that we have to
form our own armed militant forces, where the ‘Royal Bengal Tigers’ like you
people will be recruited. Jai Hind.
Arindam:- One day, we will surely get the
independence of ‘Akhanda Bharat’ and for that , the victory of this
“ROYAL BENGAL TIGERS’ CLUB” cannot be ignored in the pages of Indian history.
JAI HIND.
___________________________________________________
THE END
