A Life Not Ordinary

Then we were in our graduation. We were excited as the classical singer duo Rajan Mishra and Sajan Mishra were coming to Silchar to perform. We had obtained permission to attend the concert and bought the tickets as well. The tickets were expensive but we were not listening anything as we had missed too many classical music concerts just as my father was always apprehensive to allow us to attend an all night show. But all classical shows were all night. We never wanted to go to any Kumar Sanu or Udit Narayan show. And this time our mother also decided to back us. And there we were. What a show. What a performance. So many years have passed, but still I can hear the sound in my mind. One funny thing about the show was very few people were aware of these world renowned singers. For most of the people, classical music is limited to Ustad Zakir Hussain (Thanks to his hair-do that gave him more popularity than the beats) and Pandit Ravi Shankra (Thanks to his multi-colored life and link with the Beetles). I have come across many people who claim themselves to be great aficionados of classical music, but do not even know the difference between the titles Ustad and Pandit, forget about following the art form regularly. But thanks to my mother who used to read out loud the detailed review of Dover Lane Sangeet Sammelan every year from Desh, the magazine, we were well acquainted with the world of classical music. But to both my mother and our dismay, we couldn't learn music just because of some unsolvable problems. We enjoyed a lot when we went to attend Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma’s concert too.

Since childhood, we grew up in a different world -a world of Tintin, Abol-Tabol, Khagrai, Gupi Gayen-Bagha Bayen, Asterix-Obelix, Kakababu, Santu, Professor Shanku, Feluda and many others who had no real existence on world expect for on the papers or in children's minds. Our house is still full with those hundreds of books that we three brothers and sisters used to fight to read first. I remember, I used to enjoy how people used to react seeing my mother's collection of books.

Though my mother came from a very cultured family (a family that was well known for it's art and culture in the region) and still maintaining her class of taste, I have never seen arrogance or sense of pride in her. She never under-estimates other's choice or ignorance. May be this is the reason my mother is the most popular person in our house. People come to our house to see her. She never imposes her decisions or choice on others. She respects all, which I find sometime impossible for a person to do. All life I have seen people asking my mother various questions like, information on a certain era's literature, the work of certain writer which is difficult to get these days, questions on religion and history, information on music as which song would suit to a certain, some relatives studying on literature coming to ask for reference books and many other queries and of course on Rabindranath Tagore. My mother actually breaths his works. On one hand when she can guide any big Puja with effortless eloquence and can tell you countless stories and anecdotes of Ramakrishna Thakur and Vivekananda, she knows a great deal about the current culture. Ask her about films, and she would describe you her most favorite scene from Rang De Basanti as excited as a teenage girl.

She is the greatest lady I have seen in my life. I have always wished to be like her. I wish I were like her.