Diptesh

Swamiji called Diptesh to his room, when Diptesh entered his room swamiji was sitting in his chair, he asked Diptesh to sit down and then gently asked him if he has made any plans about his future, Diptesh gently sat down with bowed head. Swamiji placed his hand on his shoulder and softly said that he will have to leave the ashram immediately, and go out to face the world on his own, because that’s the rule of the ashram. Swamiji has arranged for his accommodation, and a job, which will look after his needs. He was one of the sweetest, brightest boys of the ashram.The next day swamiji himself took Diptesh to Calcutta to the house where he was going to stay. It was the home of one of his shishyas, upon whom he could have the faith of handing over one of his favourite children.


Mr. Mitra lived with his wife and daughter Tapati, they included Diptesh into their life with deep affection. Tapati was nine or ten years older than Diptesh, she was unmarried, because she had her own expectation from her husband and her parents respected her opinion.


Within a few months Diptesh became an indispensable part of Mitra family. They never made him feel that he was a paying guest. It became Tapati’s job to make his social life easy, she introduced him to the neighbours, friends and took him places. They became indispensable friends within six months. They had a lot in common, there was too much common in them.

Slowly Diptesh started to realize that he is getting attracted to Tapati, she was so gentle and affectionate that he could not resist himself. She seemed to be God’s blessing.Then as if fate, Diptesh laid down with influenza and was delirious, Tapati and her mother stayed by his bedside continuously till he recovered. One night, when Tapati was sitting beside his bedside Diptesh gently expressed his feeling for her. Tapati very tenderly placed her hand on his forehead and said they will discuss it later.


Diptesh recovered very slowly, during this period whenever he tried to discuss the subject with Tapati she just answered in one word, later.


After a month Diptesh and Tapati were sitting side by side in a park, when Tapati gently explained to Diptesh that may be now he thinks that all he wanted in life was Tapati, but when after ten years Tapati’s hairs will turn grey Diptesh will still be in the height of his youth. He will regret his decision then, but for Tapati, he would have become an indispensable part of life. He will want to get free and she will try to hold on to him and as a result both will be miserable.

Diptesh did not said any thing just returned home with her, the very night when Mrs. Mitra came to call him for dinner discovered him lying in bed burning with fever. The family doctor was called, his medicine did not worked at all, specialist was called in, he too was clueless, then he asked to call for a psychiatrist.


The psychiatrist told that he is suffering from some deep shock, tapati told him the discussion she had with him in the evening. The psychiatrist told them that it must be the reason, as Diptesh has lived an insecure life he must have started to cling on all the affection he got from that family. And as he never got maternal care, the instant he started to mix with Tapati he started to dote on her. And before most probably he himself knew, he was crazily in love, this was not a infatuation, it was an obsession, it may or may not last lifetime, then again, that’s the thing with all the relationships.


He asked Tapati to rethink her decision, if only age was the obstacle, after all women love and cherish husbands twenty year older than them for entire life, then why cant men.