Abhijit Chakraborty

 

The last Look 

Abhijit Chakraborty 

 The father is now lying on the bed and Sagarika is standing just beside his bed watching the last drop of her water fall on the emotional ground of her heart. The family made up their mind , Satyen biswas would never be the same. This is not their apprehension, but somehow they felt the losing of the beloved would result in losing forever. He stares at the open window of the house in a gloomy, clumsy manner as they feel he is at the edge of his last sight. Satyen stares at the mountain a few metres away from his house. Peeping through the open window his eyes go to the cradle which is still hanging from the banyan tree, where he and his two daughters and one son often were hanging with spree in the middle of the day when the sun kissed the top of the mountain and bathed their bodies. But five years after the marriage of his youngest daughter, Sagarika, he hardly felt the same vigour which was supposed to cherish. 

      He raises the hands towards Sagarika. She catches it as it is spread towards her. She held the hand and asks , ''Baba, would you want to go over there?'' Father stares at her.The eyedrops tell her all expressions in a way that Sagarika sobs in her dupatta, Coming back to her room, she is searching for her camera which her father purchased for her almost a decade ago when she stood first in Secondary exam for her school.  After giving her the camera, her father told, keep this with you and when you are out of sight of the mountain, you should remember those photos which could be clicked by you during your time staying over here. Sagarika clicked photos - may be forgotten to count how many these were, but all are dear to her. 

- Dada, where is my camera? 

- Why? What you need to do?

Before answering the question , her brother has seen his sister has already left with the camera. Taking the camera standing in front of the mountain, instantly Sagarika's mind turns the wheel backward to almost twenty years when his father often took them to the top of the mountain which is always peeping through their door. Her father took the camera and asked Sagarika to take the picture of the mountain during the space of the changing time where it reflected the change of the brightness according to the changing of the position of the sun.  Her father always insists on taking the picture of the mountain, so today in this moment Sagarika stands over there. The brightness turns into mild shade at the end of the day. The red rays of the penultimate light of the day kisses the mountain range and evaporates the last tiredness of the day into a fog. sagarika takes her camera , setting it up to take the picture, suddenly a slice of cloud makes the brightness into faded darkness. Despite all the willingness to take the bright picture of the sun,she atlast takes the picture which is available now. She runs towards the shop to make it printed cand comes back with a big picture under the envelope. 

Sagarika's father is closing his eyes when Sagarika calls him, - Baba , baba ! 

He opens the faded eyes of staring at her, Sagarika turns the picture out from the envelope and gives it to him. Whether he has seen the picture or not, but he smiles and moves his trembling hands on the picture of the mountain and smilingly closes his eyes. He is not moving now. Sagarika again calls- Baba ,Baba! 

Her brother is sitting just beside their father. He runs his hands on the face of his father, takes the hand, and declares- it is over. Sagarika puts the picture of the mountain on the breast of his father before bidding him goodbye.  The darkness suddenly shadows their faces, so nobody will notice who is crying.