All the beautiful daughters of Mara by Ashok Aatreya (beach books .TXT) 📖

short but very important achievement and meeting of his life-time…and within this brief span Anand won the heart of this highly sophisticated established cultural two member family of Bombay.Mr Puzo and his daughter Mira both liked his company…the young boy Anand was really given a warm welcome and was assured by the most senior sculptor that he should always feel free to come their home… he felt very fortunate …rather astonished by behavior of a person of such high stature in Bombay…When he was moving to Goregaon by local train. He was also thinking about that parallel journey which he had already undertaken…perhaps he was passing through a gripping drama of life…In his heart he had no malaise for anyone but he was surrounded by a fog-bound situation from his head to toe and finding no easy escape from this…Will he be able to start a totally new episode of life from the pious and progressive city of goddess Mumba..?
Anand was mainly interested in his future now but he had the ready made memory to germinate seeds of lust and feeling of days spent with Shaheen and Sonal…It was not so long since no one of them had the opportunity or guts to rewind or renew the past in the changed circumstances. It became a matter of sentiments and loftiness. Both were isolated and immature being and their ripeness was far beyond the physical needs. Sonal was extremely sensitive but at the same time intelligent enough to hold her feelings within herself…and that part of her personality kept Anand in touch with her…at least mentally, as visiting his old city was not possible under the new circumstances.…Both of them maintained the fire burning and their intimacy utterly balanced in it’s unchaste way…As a matter of fact he was physically in Bombay but his heart and mind remained with Sonal…It became more deep after he had to face a very tough time in Shaheen’s affair.
He knew that Bombay was a wonderful city of lovely people... The people from all walks of life from different parts of the country travel towards Bombay in search of their bread and butter. They make this place their final settlement and grow in horizontal and vertical directions for betterment of living
-Anand’s friend Chopra came to Bombay ten year early with his uncle and started his independent business in the line of Aluminum utensils and within these years became a big businessman and was married to a girl from Bikampur..It was a chance that Mrs Chopra knew Sonal as they both studied together up-to middle school level and after marriage they had to leave studies…She had a faint memory of her school day’s friend Sonal…and when Anand talked about visiting her old famous Haveli in Chhabeeli Ki Ghati Mrs Chopra immediately recalled her memory and told him that she was very close friend of her…Her memory was so sharp that she told Anand that Sonal opposed her early marriage and did not take meals for three days but when her grand father assured her that she will be sent to her husband’s house after Gauna (after four years) then only she agreed to marry some school teacher. Mrs Chopra remembered to have attended her marriage also but after her marriage she came to Bombay with Mr Chopra who wanted ‘Chat mangani pat byah’, an early marriage with her.
.Anand and his old friend Chopra enjoyed talking about old days life in Bikampur…Chopra was only knowing about his involvement with Shaheen.and later developments and problems associated due to her pre- marital pregnancy of Anand’s child…although he never discussed this matter with his wife, since he thought it might un-necessarily create wrong impression of his school days only intimate friend….Soon Anand got one paying- guest accommodation in Andheri and shifted there …although he remained in touch with his friend Chopra…obviously because of his two fold relations, intentions and pretensions…. One …purely on being intimate with his old friend Chopra, second…to feel himself emotionally close to his old love Sonal…remembering her often through piece-meal gossips with Mrs. Chopra…her intimate school day’ friend. He also tried to know where about of Shaheen but unfortunately he found no proper clue or connection to open the dead-lock…At one or two times he wanted to contact Soni, his GajnerPalace Hotel friend…but he was informed about Soni’s leaving the job, from the hotel only few days back, besides that, he left no address with the hotel staff….So temporarily her old memory gone in the cold store of Anand.


23/EMERGENCE OF NEW ANAND

Anand’s new adventure was literature art and theatre…and Bombay developed his new image, identity and personality on these aspects of life…He was a good student of Fine-Art and also started writing poetry and short stories in established Hindi and English journals and magazines…During his student life he was seriously involved in theatre as a critic and regular column writer of art activities of Bombay for a well- known Hindi weekly published from New Delhi. That all, brought him closer to Mr Puzo, daughter Mira his first big contact of Bombay.
His one more charming discovery was Mrs Khanna’s café’ Sarovar at famous Jahangir Art Gallery. The café’, its lady owner and the informal ambience added wonderful colours in his creative life and leanings. As he remained a student in J.J for two years, he had the ambition of meeting people of art field , visiting Samovar almost regularly he felt himself a part of that community of artists, writers, journalists and lot many persons connected with culture.The Samovar became the metaphor for a generation of this community. Anand enjoyed his best afternoons of Bombay in the raining seasons …still remembering garam doodh and jalebi of Samovar. Actually Café’ became the fond memory of lot of struggling artists. Writers and journalists shared the bonding of belonging to one particular creative community.
He also put his first pencil drawing exhibition outside Jahangir Art Gallery on the outside space close to Samovar and his entire work was purchased by some Parsi lady Mrs Daroowala. She was wife of a shoe-merchant who also owned two big show rooms of Bata Company in Kalaghoda area. That lady visited his exhibition on the very first day and liked the ‘softness and light and shade effects of his very different and outstanding unconventional pencil drawings.’ Those words of the lady touched his heart and he formally thanked her for her precious opinion about his art…
‘But I am not going to buy any single piece of your drawings…each one is very costly’…but then after a pause she told him.. ‘I will take home your total frames…definitely with paintings’…and then without giving him space to think she opened the zip of her purse and after handing over her signed cheque book she told Anand to fill the price of all his drawings.
Her total style of talking…and dealing with him in interesting dramatic way impressed Anand and he returned the cheque-book to lady,requested herself to decide for any 'reasonable price'…The deal was over in ten minutes. It was Anand’s historical day to win him his ever first buyer in Bombay…But that was not the end game. She told him further-‘If you intend to work on oil I can help you in procuring the best art material from U.K, and for you free of cost…but again it will be conditional…You will have to leave ten percent income as donation for one ‘Senior Citizen’s Home’ being set up by our Parsee community in Udwara in Gujrat…where we have our oldest fire temple.
His Pencil Work was a success as it was sold as hot cakes on the very first day of opening of exhibition ‘Waiting’…Perhaps people liked the theme and innovation both of his Pencil work. The reviews were also artist-friendly. His work of pencil were appreciated as ‘final and finished art and not as the preparatory stage of conceptualization….there was a feeling of romance mixed with nostalgia. and in addition telling something about direct happening world,’ His subject of pencil sketch was local and main railway stations of Bombay .It’s running and waiting transit life of travelers ,coolies , ladies ,old and young persons, couples all traveling in another train of thoughts parallel. Anand’s another novelty was in choosing of a coolly forinauguration of his exhibition. The coolly was from Bandra Terminus where he got down on the first day from Bikampur and his eyes were busy in searching for some one.
On the closing day Mrs Daroowala gave him another surprise. When he handed over her all his works, she told him- ‘Now I want to tell you two things .Hope you will honor my words…First, I want to return to you all your pencil work…
‘What happened madam? You don’t want to purchase them..?
‘No artist saab…out of these paintings I want you to pick upback your one Bandra drawing as gift taking a promise, you will not sale this to anyone in your life time…and then the second commitment…keep this brief case I have brought for you…don’t think there is any smuggled article inside. ..Open it Anand.’
When Anand opened the brief case he was overwhelmed to see unbelievable treasure of basket full of brand new foreign color tubes, paint brush of different numbers and a small golden diary…the first page of diary read---My best wishes for your next exhibition..
….Next evening after his wonderful deal, when Anand reached Jahangir Art Gallery he was in very good spirit, stepping on the front stairs Mira was before him…he flashed a smile…but in the next moment he was surprised and sad to hear news from Mira…Anand Mrs Daroowala is no more…she died of heart attack…her demise is jumpy.
Anand could'nt beleive it! He had decided to meet Mira's father at afternoon time when I got free from his class… but then he thoufgt to meet him in the evening…he wanted to take his blessings…as he had sold his drawing the very first day…but then he thought he would rather meet him tomorrow…tomorrow is Sunday also.’Anand told Mira about all that running in his mind.
‘Yes tomorrow he will be absolutely free as he has finished one big assignment. I have told him about the sale of your work .He was happy too.’
‘And I wanted to give you treat also…but unfortunately …’
‘Oh don’t bother for treat…we go towards Gateway of India. I will have my favorite Chanajorgaram there…’
‘It's a good idea. I always enjoy the Gateway of India. It is a fantastic sight…It always reminds me of the majestic architectural imagination of British…their important entry point in India.
Anand usually come there alone on foot from his School and thinks about his past days crises and wants to get rid of negative feelings but that day for the first time he came with Mira whom he did not know much…He was neither interested to know much beyond routine formal relation nor Mira had tried anything to dig about him although their contacts were not recent.
‘Anand what you intend to do after your diploma- She asked him.
‘I have not yet decided…but I have faint idea of touching the land of revolutionaries in the remote tribal area’s of my state where my Grand father engaged his life fighting against British and their agents , rulers of erstwhile princely states. ’Anand became little bit sentimental in telling that. He had recently received the telegram of his Nana’s death.
‘So you belong to a family of revolutionaries?
‘Not exactly., my background is feudal…only my Nana- grand father took side of revolutionaries…and in his youthful day’s left his family and joined hands with them…He died in jail even after the country got freedom. he even fought against the new lords of our democracy.’
‘Quite sad that such a person had to see that day…’Mira then became silent…
Anand too was in grip