Pair of Blue Eyes: Abdus Samad, translated into
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Hey dear— I am not going to tell you a story today, instead I will be telling you something really personal, an intimate issue. I am sure that you will get bored listening to it. You might not say it out loud out of curtsy, but you will definitely be murmuring to yourself- “What on earth has he started whining about! My own problems don’t seem to end. These days I am not even sure if I will be able to make it home at the end of the day. Exactly, when and in which moment terrorists’ explosives would go boom, who knows! I barely survived 10/30. Wasn’t i a Thursday? The day of Sadin’s issue? Right in front of our office gate, there exists a 2 3 incessant rainfall of the monsoon season leading to heavy floods. For instance, the day before yesterday, I purchased lady’s finger-okra for eight rupees (per 250 grams), yesterday I got it for ten rupees, and I wonder how much will it cost today! There seems to be no way of figuring out what exactly is going wrong. And this fellow over here……!” Nonetheless, I will still share this predicament of mine. All these times I had only shared light-hearted tales with you. And I am sure, because of this, there is no way that we haven’t built a slight mutual liking for each other. And I strongly presume that, for the sake of this very liking, you will listen to what I have to say with a bit of patience. Won’t you? Won’t you listen to my plight?
After rambling for so long, I believe that you will definitely seek some tolerance to listen to me, out of kindness. I know this very well and I look forward to this moment. So, listen- I had lunch at Ganeshguri dhaba today. Tandoori rotis, Chilli Chicken and some rice. I sat at a table near the window. I have been there several times before. The food is quite good. But it was exceptionally good today. I relished two piping hot tandoori rotis with half of the Chilli Chicken and had the remaining half with rice. I looked across the street through the window as I was delightfully munching my food. Just like that; viewing pedestrians, vehicles… On one instance, a bus arrived from Khanapara. As the bus came to a halt, a nine-to-ten year old boy started shouting at the top of 4 Ah! I didn’t feel like eating anymore. The rice seemed to go cold. It appeared to me as if I even forgot how the chilli chicken that I was having a while ago, tasted like. I let out a sigh and went towards the basin to wash my hands. I paid the bill and left. And listen. It didn’t just occur to me today. I cannot give you an exact count of how many times I have been experiencing such a thing, ever since I began to have some understanding of the world around me. I can only tell you about a few of such occasions. One afternoon, as I was having lunch at home, the doorbell rang. I went towards the open window to have a look as to who it was. It was a beggar. When I saw him, he was withdrawing his frail and trembling hands away from the bell. I turned away. The pair of eyes I witnessed at the dhaba appeared again, this time at the doorstep of my own home. The rest is the same as today. I lost my will to eat. 5
Another day, as I was eating, I had the same experience when I saw the boy who
came to deliver the gas cylinder at our house. His ribs were prominent like the ridges of a
carambola.
And on one day.....no, leave it. I won't go on rambling about the same things now. Rather, I'll
tell you certain things about the time when I was a child, when I was quite ignorant. During And the more starved the eyes looked, the more I felt joy, and I held a sense of pride. I would gulp down more and more of the delectables, intentionally, for those eyes to see. And.... I need not say anymore. I am sure that along with your annoyance, there is some curiosity added to it at this moment. And you will want to know whose eyes they are? How are they linked to the boy in the city bus, the beggar and the gas cylinder boy? And why am I irritated by the emergence of those eyes often while I am eating? That’s a valid question. After listening to my jabbering for so long, it's normal for you to be left with such a question. Let me get to the point now. I don't want to keep you curious and excited for long. Listen— 6 ****
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