The Secret of the Barendras

Indrajeet Bagchi stretched out in the back seat of their Toyota Innova as their father drove out of the busy Kolkata Streets to head out into the highway for Berhampore. He and his sister Abanita had to accompany the family to their ritual winter holiday to Berhampore where the family would gather and reminisce the family’s roots in neighboring Bangladesh and how they were forced to migrate to Kolkata after partition in 1947. His father had excitedly told him about a great uncle returning from a visit to Rajshahi and the new discoveries he had made. Indrajeet didn’t expect much except a few more new stories about how their ancestors had diversified from Land ownership to River piracy along the Padma River.

Abanita was a little more fascinated about the Barendra land and the sparsely available history of Barendra Brahmins. She was more cautious and avoided long drawn argument with her parents and other elders whenever she and her brother brought up the topic that the Barendra Community was dying out. The elders would express their wishful dreams about a new resuscitated unified Bengal. But she admitted to herself everytime she googled how little information was available.

Getting clearer and wider roads, the Innova purred through the kilometres gently and soon it was time to stop at a roadside eatery for lunch. After a sumptuous lunch they drove on and Bagchi senior was pleased to have achieved his target when he drove into the outskirts of Berhampore by 8PM.

They reached their pleasant typical Bengali two storey family villa and found another 11 people already there. After a great reunion accompanied by the youngster’s touching the elders’ feet and the elders hugging each other, they sat down to a traditional Bengali dinner of Luchi Maangsho, Rice, aloo Dum and fish fries. Inderjeet and Abanita met up with 4 cousins their age and discussed new Video games, android applications and the latest gadgets in the market.

A little later, the family met in the large living room and hot cups of tea were served. Indrajeet was introduced to the great Uncle who had returned from Rajshahi. Surendra mohan Sanyal had looked after himself well and didn’t look his seventy four years. Gradually the entire family gathered around him and listened intently to what he had to say.

“I’ll start from the beginning. “Surendra Mohan had noticed the bored expressions of the 6 youngsters at the prospect of yet another lecture. We are Barendra Brahmins, originally known as Pundra going back to the time of Chandragupta Maurya whose head priest cum astrologer Bhadrabahu belonged to this region. The word Barendra itself means Rainmaking magic and our ancestors certainly had some knowledge. Our fatherland was also known as Janakbhu and the Gupta dynasty also originated from here. The common surnames of the Barendras are Sanyal, Lahiri, Bagchi, Maitra, Chakladar and other surnames such as Choudhury, Chakrabarty and Bhattacharya which are actually granted titles. The other sect, Radhi Brahmins, lived southwest of the Ganges in this area right down upto Kolkata. All the Chatterjees, Banerjees, Mukherjees, Gangulys are all Radhis. These are surnames corrupted by The British to make them easier to pronounce. So a Priest (Upadhyay) from Chattogram became a Chattopadhyaya and had it shortened to Chatterjee.”

“Dadu” Tapashi interrupted excitedly. “Bandhs are river embankments. So priests of these areas would be Bandopadhyay shortened to Banerjee, Right?”

“Good. You’re getting the hang of these surnames”. Surendra Mohan nodded. “well” He went on. “The Barendras settled on the eastern part of the Ganges centred around Rajshahi and gradually bought land and became Land owners or Zamindars. But the Padma river gradually played havoc and the land owners found their land being eaten up by wild meanderings of the Padma though the Hoogly branch flowing through Kolkata was not so much affected. Our Ancestors gradually took to the river by first patronising River pirates but often turning pirates themselves along with large scale fishing.”

“Pirates from Priesthood and Magic?” Subhendu Lahiri was surprised. “Yes. But they were good people and helped both the poor and needy as well as the local Rajahs. Our ancestors arranged looting of British supplies along with movement of drugs and arms. Here’s where our ancestry gets embroiled in conspiracy. This started form the 1800s after British activity increased in the area. The Padma was the lifeline of travel and Pirate groups such as the Bijanas, The Sandars and the Goynas reigned supreme. Though most of them were decimated and their Landlord sponsors jailed, these groups regrouped and are active even today”

“How did you learn so much ?” Abanita was fascinated. She had been imagining pirates sponsored by her ancestors pillaging and marauding the River Trail.

“Did you know there is a Barendra museum with a library within the campus of Rajshahi University which exists even today?” Surendra Mohan smiled at the stunned faces of his audience. “And I visited it” He added with a theatrical whisper. “What’s more, Rajshahi University is still known as Barendra Vishwavidyalay today.”

There was an excited pandemonium of questions asking what he had found. Indrajeet and Abanita’s Grandmother cackled she had known most of this and had tried narrating the stories earlier but no one had taken her seriously. Abanita adoringly reminded her grandmother she had taken them seriously and even remembered the anecdotes.

Surendra Mohan paused as an after dinner round of Sweet Sandeshes were served. Made of Jaggery, they tested heavenly. There was a pause as everyone relished the sweets and thought over all that they had learnt.

“I found records of ancient pirates’ inns along the Padma. Some of them are on the Indian side. We can see them tomorrow.” Surendra Mohan’s proposal was met with excited squeals of “I want to go!” Indrajeet’s father sniffed the air. “I smell a storm coming. Where do you want to go?

“Nirmal Char.” Surendra Mohan said. “There is a small meander of Padma between Nusipur and Char Durgapur where it rejoins the main River. Nirmal char is on the other side though still in India.”

He broke up the conversation and asked the chosen youngsters to be ready early the next morning. The 4 youngsters Abanita, Tapashi, Indrajeet and Subhendu whom Surendra Mohan had agreed to take along were excited and hardly slept the night.

THE VOYAGE

They were awake at six and ready to move after a short early breakfast. Surendra Mohan was glad they were able to start before seven in the morning and his Scorpio took off. He drove fast as they had a good 200 Kms to cover. The youngsters were excited and discussed the revelations their Great Uncle had made during last night’s family gathering.

“Dadu, you had said the British were running arms and drugs” Indrajeet recalled. “Arms I can understand. But Drugs?”

“Yes Drugs.” Surendra Mohan braked and swerved to avoid a cow chewing cud contentedly in the middle of the road. “ The East India Company originally came to India and concentrated primarily in the Eastern sector because they wanted to grow Opium, Hashish and Ganja cheaply for supply to the inns along the Silk route which started from North China, continued on the other side of the Himalayas right upto Istanbul.” The youngsters were fascinated as Surendra Mohan went into the story of the Silk secret, the paper money and coal secret, all originating from China, that Marco Polo first discovered and revealed to the Western World. The British did not think he was crazy but kept walking into a stone wall every time they tried to unravel these secrets, particularly how silk is made.

Abanita was stunned how a simple fact of silk being made from Silk worms took so long for Europe to learn. “But why the drugs, Dadu?” “To Corrupt the Camel drivers carrying the silk from China for sale in the west.” Surendra Mohan was worried about a pending storm with dark cumulonimbus clouds piling up in the North west and hoped the storm would not be severe enough to affect their planned expedition along the Padma. “ The British surreptitiously arranged for drugs, alcohol and women to be supplied to the inns to intoxicate and dull the drivers in the hope that some day they would reveal the secrets they were looking for. The Chinese came to know about these schemes of the British and they issued several warnings which went unheeded. “He paused as they reached the river’s edge and smiled as he saw his contacts wave and walk up to them. “And that finally led to the Sino English wars also known as the Opium Wars” He finished, turning towards his great nephews and nieces.”

Meanwhile, the two men had walked up and greeted Surendra Mohan. “The Boat is ready, Sir”. They pointed ahead.

“Boat?” The girls squealed in excitement. “Oh Dadu.” They ran up to hug him in excitement.

The man called Ahmed Ali spoke up as they walked to the makeshift jetty. “Sir, there is a storm coming.” He sniffed the air “But the storm should get blown westwards and we shall be going south eastwards”

“So not to worry.” Surendra Mohan sighed in relief. Indrajeet had a call from his father, asking for them to return at once. He assured his father with what Ahmed Ali had told him about the storm drifting westwards but promised they would return early.

The boat was waiting and Ahmed would be the boatman. “We are near Nasipur and shall sail to a small river island with a lone temple.”

“Near Char Durgapur.” Surendra Mohan had taken a map out of his pocket. “The Kali temple is in the middle of this small island. It is named Kalipada Dwip. Named after Kalipada Maitra, our relative.”

“But why go to this small island?” Subhendu wrinkled his eyes but could not spot the island. They boarded the boat. “These are the same 12 oar boats used for over 500 years in this area and still used by pirates. “The other man Jeet Nag had spoken up. He seemed tense and his eyes were shifting. He and Ahmed p. ushed the boat with their poles and set off into the small Meandering tributary of the mighty Padma. The boat took off immediately and they were surprised at the speed of the current.

“It’s probably due to the coming storm.” Nag spoke up and then looked at Ahmed.” You may not be accurate about the westerly shift.” He looked towards the looming clouds. ”It’s coming our way.”

“Anyway, we’ve almost reached Kalipada Dwip.” Surendra Mohan was looking at the small island looming up. The small temple and its courtyard took up most of the island and it was deserted. He was looking at the swirling waters of the river with surprise. Even the 2 boatmen looked surprised. “I have never seen this rivulet so turbulent” Remarked Ahmed, drawing his shawl around him as the breeze started to get cold. He coiled up the rope and drew the boat alongside the small makeshift jetty as they touched Kalipada Dwip. The Children were cold and huddled together. Surendra Mohan was the first to jump ashore and helped the children out. The 2 boatmen were not happy to be asked to remain in the boat and subsided in the small cabin in the middle of the boat, grumbling about the weather.

“Something about this island you discovered in Rajshahi?” Abanita Enquired. They walked up the ancient rock cut steps and entered the tiny temple courtyard. Sure they out of earshot of the boatmen, Surendra Mohan nodded to Abanita.

“I Have a secret to reveal to you” He told the children who drew up close to him in a small circle. “This must be strictly between us for the moment. I didn’t reveal anything to our family and neither to those two.” He indicated the 2 boatmen sitting in the boat.

“I have been doing a lot of research in the Barendra Research centre in Rajshahi. I was able to locate our ancestral home in Hazrapukur. I even found 2 retired Professors from Barendra college and I stumbled upon a stunning secret.”

“Secret?” Indrajeet felt himself getting excited. For the first time, he felt a sense of pride being a part of this fascinating community of which so little is known

Surendra Mohan led the children to the inner sanctum of the Shiv Temple and began examining the walls near the Shivling. The inner chamber was small and the five of them could just stand shoulder to shoulder inside. It was dark inside and 3 of them switched on their mobile torches.

“Look. Near the West End.” Subhendu pointed at chiselled writing in old Bengali script. “Is it a Dhadha?” Tapashi, excited, used the Bengali word for riddle. “Something like that”. Surendra Mohan was slowly reading the chiselled letters. “There should be an underground passage opening SOMEWHERE HERE that goes under the 2 branches of the Padma and comes out in Rajshahi in the cellar of the Sanyal Rajbari.”

The children were beside themselves in sheer excitement. “I never thought we set out this morning on a treasure hunt” Subhendu remarked.

“Who said anything about a treasure?” Surendra Mohan’s eyes twinkled. “Though the old scrolls mentioned the underground passage from Kalipada Temple being used by the Barendras to escape British search parties. This temple is only for show; a decoy.”

“Is there some treasure in the temple or in the passage, Dadu?” Abanita persisted.

“Not sure.” Surendra Mohan walked to a small room behind the temple atrium .” There should be an entrance. Maybe some kind of trap door that leads to the passage.”

He and the children scraped aside the gravel and dirt but did not find anything.

Look, there’s a kind of well outside.” Indrajeet pointed to a disused well outside. “It’s the best place to disguise a secret passage.”

“Hmm” Surendra Mohan agreed as they walked up to the well. “There is actually no need of a well in a river island when there is abundant water supply all year round so you may be right, Indra.”

It was an odd well. No pulley or even an attachment nor any bucket with a rope to draw water. They noticed metal steeples along the side and an arrow marking downwards on the side they were standing on. But they were disappointed to find dark brackish water.

The storm suddenly started an there was a severe gush of wind. The 2 boatmen had run up to the temple courtyard and were shouting anxiously to Surendra Mohan.

“Sir Sir! Severe Storm. We have to leave at once.”

Surendra Mohan nodded as the children looked up to him beseechingly for some more time.

“No” Surendra Mohan Grimly pointed towards the boat. We have to leave at once. Can’t get stranded here. Who knows how long the storm will last. What will I answer your parents?”

THE STORM: BLOWN TIMELESS

They rushed out towards the moored boat as the storm began to intensify amid loud claps of thunder and flashes of violent forked lightning. Surendra Mohan looked back to see Nag glancing curiously down the old well and then turning back towards them.

They got into the boat, Nag leaped in as Ahmed began pulling the boat towards the west shore. The deceptively mild river was looking like a violent sea. The boat was seized by the mighty current and pushed southwards at breakneck speed. The boatmen pushed their passengers into the tiny cabin in the centre and took up positions at the bow and stern and tried to frantically steer westwards.

Surendra Mohan was really worried and wondered if he should have waited till the storm subsided. There was a sudden gust of wind and their boat nearly overturned. The girls screamed in terror and all five of them were holding tightly onto each other. It began raining. Surendra Mohan peeped out from their cabin and was shocked to find both their boatmen missing. Had they been blown overboard? They saw flashes of light from the west bank and a warning signal. “May be the BSF.” He murmured. “A warning from them?” Tapashi ventured cautiously. “We’re near the international border” Indrajeet remarked. He had been studying the google map of the region on his cellphone. “I hope we don’t get blown into Bangladesh.” Surendra smiled and shook his head though that was his own apprehension as well.

The Storm took a turn for the worse. Indrajeet and Subhendu picked up heavy rows from the floor of the boat and tried valiantly to steer the boat to a side. They were drenched in the heavy rain. When small lumps of hail began to fall, Surendra Mohan sternly led the boys into the cabin. “don’t want to lose you like those 2 fellows!” He shouted above the noise of the rain and storm. “I’m in enough trouble with your parents.” He led them into the small bamboo cabin which was groaning under the stress of the storm. They hoped it wouldn’t fall apart. The boat was tossed and turned mercilessly and they had lost all sense of direction. Only Surendra Mohan was carrying a passport with a still active Bangladeshi visa. There were violent flashes of lightning accompanied by ear shattering thunder claps. The air was electrostatically charged and their hair stood on end. “Electric Salon” Remarked Tapashi, making them all laugh and relieving the tension of braving the storm.

After what seemed an eternity, the storm began to ease off and the boat began to settle down into a slow drift. The sun peeped out from the receding clouds and began to send out radiating bands of warm light. They came out of the cramped cabin that had been their lifeline and were amazed by how much the river had widened. “Oh my God.” Surendra Mohan Shrieked . We’re in the main Padma river. I’m sure we are in Bangladesh!” He pulled out his mobile phone but there was no signal. The mobile phones of the children did not have any signals either. The time on their mobile clocks showed 11AM though it appeared to be early morning. Had they been drifting all night?

PIRATES !

They saw a steamer pass by. The children watched the British flag in surprise and noticed Europeans on the deck and a few Indians. They went speeding by as Surendra Mohan pushed himself and the children inside their bamboo cabin.

“Did you see the white people wearing strange garments?” Abanita kept peeping out at the passing steamer. The women wore gowns and the flowered hats that were worn almost a century ago. The men were also strangely dressed. The Indians all wore dhotis and kurtas. Surendra Mohan was also surprised and glad they had kept out of sight. He was cautious they attract minimum attention until they were back in familiar waters.

There was a chorus of blood curdling yells suddenly. In their preoccupation with the steamer, they had not noticed a boat with ruffians on board. There were 12 oarsmen in a slightly bigger boat than theirs. The men in front had beards, were turbaned and were brandishing swords and their voices came in clear. “Jai Maa Kali!”

“Pirates of the Padma!” Surendra Mohan yelled in panic as he grabbed an oar and began rowing furiously. Subhendu grabbed an oar and began paddling on the other side as the boat had begun to veer sharply to starboard. Their effort was futile as the pirate boat gained on them rapidly. They now understood why the Steamer had moved so fast; it was to escape these pirates.

The pirate boat drew up and banged the side of their boat as 2 men leapt aboard. Cowering under the gleaming swords, Surendra Mohan saw no point in putting up a fight and raised his hands. Slowly 4 men came on board. Their faces were gleaming. They had a long black tika streak down their foreheads and gleamed at the 5 cowering figures menacingly.

The first man who appeared to be the leader took a long look at Surendra Mohan and children and burst into a roar of laughter. “Arrey Khudu! He Guffawed. “Only a dadu and some kids!”

The language was heavily accented Bengali. Slowly all the pirates came on board and stared at the 5 of them in amazement. One of them pulled at a smart watch on Tapashi’s wrist. “What kind of watch is this?” He asked the others. The Pirates stared at what they saw as strange garments. They seemed puzzled by the Jeans they were all wearing.

“Where are you all from?” The Pirate leader asked.

Surendra Mohan cautiously replied they had come from Berhampore than added they had lost their way and asked where they were now. “Lost?” The leader roared with laughter again. “You’re only 50 Kms from that side. We are near Rajshahi.”

“So we are in Bangladesh.” Indrajeet remarked.

Two of the pirates pulled him by the collar. “What Bangladesh?” One of them said roughly. “Berhampore is also Bangladesh!”

“No” Tapashi spoke up bravely. “Berhampore is in India?”

“India? Bangladesh?” The Pirate leader scratched his head. He pointed at Tapashi and roared with laughter again. “Arrey Khudu. This is a girl.’ Wearing jeans and with a low hair cut, They thought she was a boy. Subhendu started to giggle but stopped as Tapashi shot him a fierce glare. The pirate Lieutenant named Khudu came up. He was a short stout lad. “What kind of strange clothes are these?” He looked at his captain. “Dada, we wasted our time. We should have attacked that Firangee ferry”

The pirate leader was staring at them curiously.

“No. We did the right thing. There’s something very strange about these people; their language, their dress”

“What do we do with them?” Khudu was looking at their meagre belongings. The Girls didn’t seem to be wearing much jewellery either.

The leader made a decision. “Stay with them and tether their boat to ours. We take them to Rajababu.” He called out to his rowers on their boat. “Head for Shyampur-Belghoria!” He hollered

The five of them were taken back to their bamboo cabin, tied and blindfolded rather roughly. They whispered uneasily to each other and were curious who Rajababu was. “Belghoria in Kolkata?” Subhendu recalled the leader’s directions.

“There’s another Belghoria near the outskirts of Rajshahi” Surendra Mohan shook his head. “Don’t say anything that may give us away. For God’s sake, keep your mobile phones hidden. There’s something funny going on here. Where did these pirates come from?”

An Angry pirate head peeped in “Ay chup. Kete debo.” They subsided after the threat of being cut up.

They felt the boats speeding up and turning due east. Surendra Mohan was worried and wondered where they were being taken.

A little later, they hit shore and they heard the loud voices of the pirates. They came in and took their prisoners out. They were helped out on shore and led up the path. They broke into a brisk walk and kept pushing the children walking in a double file as they slowed down. Surendra Mohan admired the girls for their courage and the brave face they put up. After what seemed like an hour, they were taken into a house, made to sit down and they heard some of the pirates leaving.

IN THE COURT OF THE BARENDRA KING

They heard a large door opening and cries of “Joy, Raja Moshai! ”

Their blindfolds were taken off and the five of them blinked at the sudden light. They found themselves in an opulently decorated hall and a stately man sitting on what looked like a medieval throne. Surendra Mohan was puzzled why the Raja seemed familiar and could not remember having met him.

The pirate leader was kneeling on the floor and explained how he had found these 5 people and asked for forgiveness if he had done wrong in bringing them to His Majesty’s court.

The Raja indicated everything was alright, asked the leader to untie the visitors and then asked the scattered courtiers to leave and shut the doors.

He smiled and beckoned to them to come up to him near his seat. His smile was very warm, almost fatherly and the five of them felt themselves warming upto him. Indrajeet felt himself becoming emotional, like he had been in the presence of his grandfather many years ago. He didn’t know why but he wanted to touch the Raja’s feet in Pronam.

He asked them to introduce themselves and Surendra Mohan briefly described their background and their residences and occupation in and around Kolkata. The Raja listened benignly though he occasionally registered a surprise. He turned to Surendra Mohan. “You seem to be the oldest. Where and when were you born? It is good you are all Barendra Brahmans but why did you settle in the Rahr land?”

Surendra Mohan explained their families had to move west after partition, eight years before he was born.

“Partition? What partition?” The Raja was surprised. “Eight years before you were born?” He stared at Surendra Mohan. “When were you born?”

Switching to the Bengali calendar, Surendra Mohan quickly made some calculations and told the Raja he had been born during the month of Phalgun in the year 1363.

The Raja lost his smile and his forehead creased in sudden anger.

Are you taking advantage of my good nature to joke with me? You mean you haven’t been born yet?” He Thundered and clapped loudly. Two guards armed with spears immediately opened the doors from 2 ends and rushed in and took their position on both sides of the King.

Indrajeet had been looking around the hall and spotted a calendar near an ornate side table. He saw the year 1327 and pointed out the calendar to Surendra Mohan whose face paled. “1920?”

“Yes. So What?” The Raja was still angry and thought the strange visitors were playing a prank, “What is the present year according to you?” Surendra Mohan had a quick huddle with his grand siblings. All four of them were scared and puzzled as the realisation of what had happened began to settle in. “Did we travel back in time?” Indrajeet asked what was on their minds. “Is this 1920? Did a time warp occur during that storm?”

“Well?” The Raja’s authoritarian voice thundered at them.

Surendra Mohan spoke up. “I don’t know how much you will believe us, Raja Babu.” He stuttered as his next words made the Raja’s eyes go round. “We live in the year 1427”

“Nonsense. I never heard such rubbish.” A Priest had come in and he looked at the visitors for a long moment. He whispered something in the Raja’s ears. But the Raja had had enough for the day and he beckoned to his guards to take them to his karaghar.

The 5 visitors were led out and taken to the dungeons in the basement. The guards unlocked a well furnished room and brought in more beds to accommodate the 5 of them.

2 women brought food and water. The delicious spread of ethnic Bengali food was mouthwatering and they wolfed down the rice, vegetable and fish dishes and sweets. The women and guards were looking at them in amazement, especially the 2 girls. Another woman came in sarees and asked the girls to change into them.

Finally the plates were cleared and they were left alone. Abanita still couldn’t fathom the realisation they were in 1920. “No wonder our mobile signals are not working” She sighed.” The other things are beginning to make sense; the strange accent of the pirates and the people in the Raja’s area, why they were surprised when we mentioned partition.”

“The matter is serious.” A brooding Surendra Mohan interrupted. “Fine we are in 1920. But we need to get back to our timeline. None of us are even born yet, neither is anyone from our family. The longer we stay here, the more disruptions we will cause in the Space Time continuum.”

Subhendu had been studying Quantum Physics so he could understand at least something of what was going on. “What are you thinking so deeply?” He nudged Tapasi.

“The Rajamoshai.” Her forehead was wrinkled in deep thought. “Looks very much like the ancestor in your Dum dum family home drawing room portrait, Dadu?” She pulled out her cellphone. “I think I even have the picture in my phone.”

They all looked at the portrait which appeared on the screen. They enlarged it and the man in the centre was certainly the Raja. “My God. That’s my great Grandfather Jugal Pratap Maitra!” Exclaimed Surendra Mohan. That’s him with 2 of his sons and 2 daughters with their families. It was a grand family portrait of 18 people including children most of which would be the great grandparents of you children.” He looked at the children. “Rajamoshai must think we are crazy. They wouldn’t have heard of time travel. this portrait may come in handy”

At that moment, there was a gong and the guards announced the arrival of the Rajamoshai.

He came in with a gentle smile but looked a little worried. He sat at the head of the small table and asked the others to sit as the guards brought in more chairs

“Sorry about my anger back in the darbar” He began. “But what is this about your time matter? You say you are all barendras but your language sounds different”

“Rajamoshai” Surendra Mohan began.” Please hear us out first. We will explain everything. We are ourselves surprised how we reached here.”

Speaking slowly but distinctly, Surendra Mohan described how they had arrived, being accosted by pirates along the way. He then drew a timeline, telling Rajamoshai about important events that had happened upto the beginning of 1920 and then went on to describe other major and Indian events yearwise. The Children interspersed with tidbits of information. Rajamoshai nodded to acknowledge he knew about the Jalianwala Bag massacre of 1919.

“There will be another world war nine years from now, Dadu.” Abanita told the Raja.” After Germany and Japan’s surrender in 1945, India will become independent another 2 years later”

“But the land of the Barendras will be divided into East Pakistan and then become a Muslim Nation called Bangladesh” Indrajeet added.

Rajamoshai was quite disturbed at this. He got up and began pacing around the room. “I cannot even comprehend this. “He spoke more to himself.” You come up with a fantastic H.G. Wells story about time travel. Then you start with weird predictions about the future. But then, there is talk of independence already. Will it take that long? 1947? Can you prove this”

Subhendu suddenly recalled vital PDF files saved in his smartphone. “Yes, Dadu.”

Rajamoshai stared at the smartphone in amazement. “What is this device?”

Subhendu and the children took turns to explain to the Raja how the mobile phone evolved. They took pictures of the King and showed them to him. Rajamoshai was fascinated that all of them had this device. Subhendu remembered, then accessed his PDF files of Newspaper clips of India’s independence, the world Wars, the dropping of the Nuclear bombs over cities in Japan, the New York world trade centre attacks of 9/11. Rajajamoshai listened in silence. They went on to explain technological development over the years, about Einstein, Nicola Tesla, Edwin Hubble. They showed him Voyager pictures of the Distant planets and Hubble telescope images of the Milky way and the Andromeda Galaxies.

“Why are all of you calling me Dadu?” Rajamoshai asked suddenly.

“Because you are my maternal Great Grandfather Jugal Pratap Maitra.” Surendra Mohan said quietly. He asked for Tapashi’s cellphone and opened the picture of the family portrait. “Look, you are there in the centre. That’s your daughter Swapna Bala, my grand mother. My mother Lakkhi is the little girl sitting below.”

“Yes, I am Jugal” Raja Moshai was still examining the picture. “I look much older”

“Yes, Dadu” Tapashi spoke up. This picture was taken in 1948 after you all migrated to Baruipur near Kolkata. She calculated and quickly added “1355”

“Swapna Bala is upstairs right now. She isn’t married yet. Perhaps she would like to see her grandchild and great grandchildren.” Rajamoshai had a faint trace of sarcasm in his voice.

“No, I don’t suggest it” Surendra Mohan said. “Subhendu, you explain.”

Subhendu tried to explain the time loop, time travel and the space time continuum in as simple language as he could. Indrajeet, Abanita and Surendra Mohan added bits and pieces. Rajamoshai listened very attentively. “Seeing us may cause Dida to go into a deep shock.” Said Subhendu at last. “The less she and anyone here knows about us, the better. Any reaction from anyone here may cause a parallel timeline to form that may alter the course of history forever. “

“Any disruption may result in us never being born and that may cause a parallel Universe to form and disrupt space-time permanently.”

“Most interesting. I’m beginning to understand a little.”Rajamoshai was shaking his head in disbelief coupled with sheer amazement. “You have to be sent back to your time. But how?”

“Dadu.” Tapashi spoke up. Rajamoshai looked at her, raising his eyebrows.” We need to know more about our ancestry. What it is now? There is very little information in our timeline, whatever little our grandparents tell us, that too in the form of legends.”

Rajamoshai smiled and began narrating the history of the Barendra community with pride. He started with their fatherland Janakbhu and how the Barendra Zamindars were Kings. He described how the arrival of the British disturbed the Barendras and how they were persecuted. Surendra Mohan and the children nodded when Rajamoshai mentioned the Partition of Bengal in 1905 and how strong protests from the Barendra community had resulted in a partial rollback in 1911. Their eyes grew round when Rajamoshai mentioned how the local kings trained and sponsored pirates to loot the British steamers. They were happy to know that the kings had amassed a fortune with this loot and used it judiciously for their subjects and for the development of their community. They were trying to establish Rajshahi as an Educational hub

“Did you keep something in a tunnel under the Padma coming out under Kalipada Dwip on the western branch of the Padma?” Surendra Mohan asked his ancestor suddenly.

“You know about it?” Rajamoshai spoke up. “We just began digging a tunnel to go under the Padma. A safe place to keep the loot from the British search parties. But how do you know about this?”

Surendra Mohan smiled and told his ancestor how they had deciphered the writing on the temple in Kalipada dwip and had found the passage exit under the well flooded. “Hmm” Rajamoshai was deep in thought. “So the tunnel won’t work. We’ll have to do something else” He looked at his descendants. “ From what you’re telling me, our community is virtually finished in your time; individual families living out their lives in isolation. Our Barendra land will be divided and become a Muslim country” He smiled at them as a germ of an idea began to form in his mind. “But I can change that and bring a positive change in your space time continuum. But let me take care of that . Now We need to send you back to your time. But how?” Rajamoshai was deep in thought as he rang a bell and ordered the answering guard to bring in the Court Astrologer; Rajjyotishi as he was called. The dimunitive astrologer rushed in and prostrated himself at Rajamoshai’s feet. At an order from his lord, he took out his Paanji (Almanac) from his tunic and began reading and making some calculations with his fingers. Surendra Mohan and the children were dressed in Royal Zamindari attire and did not attract any further attention with their strange garments. All Their mobile phones and digital cameras with chargers were hidden.

The Astrologer finally spoke up. “I don’t know why you are looking for a storm but there is a massive atmospheric disturbance tomorrow evening. May be a cyclone.”

“We are in luck” Rajamoshai said. “Look, this is what I plan. We take you to Chapai Nawabganj and you board a boat and go north upto Farakka. If you go in the opposite direction to that you took when you came here, I am hoping that a similar storm will take you back to your time. Is Farakka in your country after 1947?

The visitors nodded. Rajamoshai stood up and asked them to get some rest and they would start the next morning. He reached out to them and they rushed into his waiting arms. He was stately and a reassuring father figure. They smelt a subdued fragrance from their ancestor which was not like any perfume they knew but it was pleasant. The Raja bid them goodnight and the visitors retired for the night.

BACK TO TIME: THE EPIC CROSSING

Early the next morning, Surendra Mohan and his grand siblings were ready at the crack of dawn. They had put on their original clothes but wrapped themselves in shawls.

They had an early breakfast and Rajamoshai appeared at their table, looking slightly pleased.

“There’s a storm coming.” He sniffed the morning air from the window. “Hope it will guide you back. I called 3 Barendra Rajas last night and we had a long discussion. I think you will be in for surprise when you return to your timeline.”

“What are you planning, Dadu?” Tapashi asked affectionately.

“Space time continuum, Remember?” Rajamoshai reminded them with a smile and they all laughed.

Rajamoshai led them to the main entrance. There were 4 men who had been selected to escort them to the river’s edge.

“You won’t come with us?” Abanita felt bad.

“No, Beta.” Rajamoshai hugged them all very affectionately. “Go, my children. We may never meet again. But your coming has given me a new direction to preserve our Barendra community for ever.”

The coming storm was beginning to build up and there were fierce clouds coming from the South east. Surendra Mohan and the children were led out and they broke into a brisk walk, 2 men leading from the front and two from the rear.

Surendra Mohan observed the streets of the town outskirts as they were escorted to the river’s edge. The roads were wide but not paved. He recalled his visit to the city in present times and was surprised to note little had changed except a few highrise buildings in the 21st century. The breeze began to chill and intensify as they reached the river’s edge. They were slightly scared to see the mighty waves. The men led them to a small makeshift jetty where a boat almost similar to the one they had come was moored. The lone boatman got off and helped them aboard. He showed the boys how to navigate. One of the 4 men whispered in the boatman’s ears and he nodded and backed off. The 5 men bade them goodbye and pushed the boat into the waters.

Surendra Mohan was glad the storm was blowing upstream and helped the boys steer the boat in a north north westerly direction that would take them into the meander stream where Kalipada Dwip stood. “Familiar routine!” shouted Indrajeet over the deafening roar of the storm as the boat was gripped and shoved in the direction they wanted to go. Surendra Mohan was glad that the wind took them upstream and not downstream into dangerous waters near Daulatdia where this River met another fierce river the mighty Brahmaputra. Still, this storm was also very violent and the 2 boys were thrashed and tossed about . Surendra Mohan called them into the small bamboo cabin similar to their earlier boat and they huddled together, braving the storm. There was fierce rolling thunder after blinding flashes of lightning . Suddenly, without warning, a large paddle staff was blown into the cabin and knocked them unconscious. The Boat was tossed on and on while all 5 of them were unconscious.

“There was a sudden commotion while several men in uniform were splashing water on them and gently shaking them awake. Subhendu was the first to open his eyes and looked at the security forces in uniform. “Indian Army! Ye hey !” He gurgled groggily. He touched the lump on his head as his eyes slowly shifted into focus. The others were waking up slowly and the Border Security force men removed the heavy paddle staff which had smashed the tiny cabin and had knocked them unconscious. “We saw you drifting after the storm” One of the BSF men said. We thought no one was on board. Then we pulled up close and saw you all unconscious. Your boat was almost near the border. “Kolkata” Surendra Mohan , who had taken the brunt of the impact had survived due to his fit body. “What day is it?” He saw his cellphone signals returning and most of the others were starting to get calls. He saw the date and time on his cellphone and was relieved to note only 4 hours had elapsed since they had taken off from Kalipada Dwip. He answered the series of calls from his family members and even from the local Police Station.

“Only 4 hours?” Tapashi was scratching her head, wincing at the sudden stab of pain from her wounds. “ But we spent the night in Rajshahi.”

“100 Years in the past.” Scoffed Indrajeet sarcastically. ‘And met a long dead ancestor. Think anyone will believe this crazy story?”

“This remains within us.” Surendra Mohan warned them. “Not a word to anyone, not even parents or close friends. We don’t want to be taken to psychiatrists and shrinks for having lost our minds.”

Surendra Mohan and the children were taken ashore and they found their Scorpio and drove back to Berhampore. They were met by an indignant barrage of elders and even 2 policemen who came down after the local thana was informed they had returned. They had carefully rehearsed what to say and they stuck to their story of having crossed the rivulet to Kalipada Dwip and being stranded there due to the storm. Surendra Mohan kept getting strange vibes and began looking at the opulence of the antique furniture. Had it always been there or he was just beginning to notice it? He saw that the children had also noticed and were nudging each other.

The police wanted to know why they went to Kalipada Dwip as there was nothing there. The children started to mention the temple but Surendra mohan gestured them into silence.

They excused themselves and walked around the house. There was a touch of opulence and elegance in all the rooms. They went down to the garage and stared in amazement at the Mercedes and the Audi parked with uniformed chauffeurs.

The same question struck all of them. “Did Rajamoshai.....” Abanita began and they all nodded in silence.

“The future has already changed.” Indrajeet remarked. Wonder what else we will find when we return home to Kolkata. “Thank God our fathers will be driving back” Tapasi smiled. “We wouldn’t know where our homes are.”

Their mother had come by and heard Tapasi’s remark. “Homes?” she stared in surprise. “Have you all forgotten where we even live? You must have had amnesia and must see a doctor. You don’t remember our rajbaari in Chandernagore where we all live together?”

Even Surendra Mohan was surprised. He waited until Tapasi’s mother left and gathered the children around him. “It appears Rajamoshai changed the entire course of the Barendras. See, even the Kali Temple at Kalipada Dwip isn’t there because it was never built. Wonder what else waits for us in kolkata.”

They walked around the house and stopped at a family portrait they had missed before. They suddenly noticed Rajamoshai wearing a crown and they even noticed what looked like a cellphone in his hand and he was smiling at the portrait. Surendra Mohan sniffed and they could all get the faint whiff of fragrance they had got from Rajamoshai.

At the dinner table that evening, Surendra Mohan and the children noticed a change in the conversation. Indrajeet and Tapashi’s parents were talking about their companies and a chain of hotels across Europe. The children’s eyes grew round as there was a unanimous agreement about spending the next summer holidays at the family resort in Zurich.

After dinner, Indrajeet and Abanita walked up to their father as he taking a stroll on the terrace. They asked him about their property and what their family was doing. He stared at his children in amazement. “You know you have been acting strange and disoriented ever since you returned. But I’m glad you’re both showing interest in our family at last.”

He then proceeded to tell him about how the Barendra community migrated to India after partition but some went to Europe and set up a Swiss bank account and use some of the fortune to open universities and hostels all over Europe. There were companies and hotels. Their father proudly informed his children that the Barendra community was one of the richest in the world.

Armed with this revelation, the four children had a conference with Surendra Mohan. “It all happened in the night we landed up in Rajshahi.” Tapashi remarked. “Did we really change the course of our history?”

Subhendu summed it all up. “Rajamoshai believed us and must have re invested all that family fortune. He knew from us what was going to happen and while we were sleeping, he changed all his plans.”

Surendra Mohan shook his head in amazement. “We‘re all tired.” He looked at his watch. “We all leave tomorrow. God knows what else we will discover when we reach our homes.”

The children went to bed, surprised to discover they were dead tired.

They would wake up to an exciting discovery of finding out a new present.