Distant Horizon- Chapter Five

Sefali said: "Let us reach Rampurhat first. Then only we can decide. We will first offer

puja at the temple and then put up in some guest house there for the night. Tarapith is not

a big place. Your father will be able to locate us there easily."

"If you don't mind, can I ask you a personal question?" Sadhika asked Sefali.

"Okay. You can do that. I won't mind anything."  Sefali said expecting some good

suggestion from the ascetic now. What else could she do? She knew that her father in law

would neither take any initiative in resolving the matter nor object to anything she

decided.

"Does your husband behave erratically sometimes? Is he not as attentive to household

matters as he should be?" Sadhika wanted to know.

"I did not find him like that earlier. But of late he has been telling me that it would be

difficult for him to reach Tarapith. That's why he asked his father to accompany us."

"I get a queer feeling about your husband. I don't know whether it is true or not. But

don't mistake me for a tantric or follower of some such occult schools of meditation. I

don't want to acquire any supernatural power. Finding peace is my only objective. I am

Sadhika (meditator) in name only."

"Then why have you renounced normal life and chosen the path of an ascetic locating

your ashram in such a remote corner of the Earth?" Sefali asked her.

"I selected that place only because it is serene and suitable for concentrating one's mind."

"Now, please tell me what do you feel about my husband exactly?"

"I can't tell you that till I am sure of it."

It appeared that Sadhika was more interested in Sayan for she asked him again.

"Sayantan, will you accompany me to my ashram? It is a Saturday as well as new moon

night today. The Goddess may show us some way out of the predicament this night."

"Why do you call me Sayantan, madam?"

"It is simple logic. I deduced it from your face, which explicitly carries the meaning of

your name. Do you know the meaning?"

"No, I don't know that. It never struck me that I should know the meaning of my name.

Please tell me the meaning."

"Sayantan is the adjective of evening. You must have been born in the evening."

"It is true. It is also true that his name is Sayan." Sefali confirmed.

Sadhika said in a matter of fact manner: "It is well and good if you happen to reunite with

your husband at Rampurhat. Otherwise you can pay a visit to my hermitage preferably

before the evening prayers. You have to get down from the train at Sadinpur, which is

next to Rampurhat. My place is several miles to the west of that small railway station."

"The name of that station is ringing some bells in me. I heard that name recently although

I can't recollect it now." Sayan was immersed in deep thought.

Gandevta express reached Rampurhat at 10.20 a.m. Most of the passengers got down

there. They hailed from the city carrying fat bags containing various items of

consumerism including the exotic ones and were bound for Tarapith to spend a nice week

end there. Those were moneyed people who went there to wash off a part of their sin

accumulated over a period of time. They offered puja to the Mother Goddess and

bolstered the local economy by inducting fresh capital every week.

It was not known whether the Goddess was pleased at their vagrant display of coarse

money power. Even when they went back there was no sense of remorse that could be

ascribed to a change of heart triggered by induction of sublime reverence in the presence

of the Mother Goddess. They remained largely unaffected by any spiritual influence and

returned repeatedly to the Mother Goddess in search of some magic touch that would heal

them of their maladies.

The train had a scheduled stop of almost one hour at this place. A change of guard took

place here. Sayan, his mother and grandpa prepared to get down. Sadhika remained

seated because she would get down at the next station. She told grandpa: "If your son has

sent any message for you, it will be available with the ASM on duty. Otherwise you can

come back and accompany me to my ashram. I can conveniently accommodate all of you

there. That place is not as congested as Tarapith. Mother Goddess graces the temple there

also with equal benevolence. It is difficult to know Her intention. Let us see!" Thereafter

she closed her eyes in deep circumspection.

Sayan and others disembarked.

There was no message at the ASM office for them. They kept on standing at platform

number one for some time. There was no vacant bench there either. So they were

compelled to enter the canteen. Sayan was hungry but unwilling to eat now because of

the uncertainty that engulfed them. His grandpa bought three bottles of cold drinks for

them.

Grandpa said: "Shall I inform Sadhika that even the ASM office is not ware of anything

regarding Shyamal?" Sefali stopped him. She did not like Sadhika from the very

beginning. She said: "We are bound for Tarapith only. Why should we change our plan

based on some unknown woman's advice?"

The TTE's of Khana junction were in the canteen. They were worried when Sayan told

them that till then there was no news of his father. The fellows behaved so nicely now

that Sayan was surprised. They told him: "Write down your father's name and

designation on this piece of paper. We will get the name announced over the public

address systems of all stations between Howrah and Rampurhat."

Sayan most willingly agreed to their request.