Chapter one: The Train Journey
Kajol.
Don't stick your neck out. It's full of coal dust here.
Sit.
Come here.
Don't fidget now. You'll catch a cold.
Is there something in your eyes? Let me see.
Silly boy.
Kajol, it's time for dinner. Want to eat?
No. Later.
Dad...
Go then. You're all grown up now!
No, I feel scared.
Come.
Ugh!
Dad, please don't go anywhere.
Go.
Such a braveheart.
Dad, are you there?
I'm right here, Kajol. Hurry up now.
Tea? - Huh? What, Sir?
Tea. - Ah.
Here you go, Sir.
How long does the train halt here?
About fifteen minutes, at the most.
Here you go. - Thank you.
Mind your step, Sister.
Sir, which way is coupe No.1? - The next one.
Thank you.
Bimalendu!
Apurbo'da!
Oh no... I was going to fetch water.
I have some. Take from me.
But... What are you doing here?
Taking my sister to Kashi (Benaras).
Leela?
Leela: My dear pirate... Found your secret treasure yet?
Leela is here!
Here, in this coupe?
Come, let's meet her! - Apurbo'da...
Haven't you heard about her?
No...
What happened?
Let's talk in my coupe.
Please come.
And then?
It doesn't end there, Apurbo'da.
I'm telling you because you're a childhood friend of hers.
My sister left her husband's home.
The husband was always a drunkard.
And then...
He got involved with a Jewish lady.
Used to bring her home at night often.
And you know my sister. She hailed a taxi.
Came back to our residence.
With her little daughter.
Her husband came a couple of months later.
Under the guise of taking her for a movie.
He took the daughter away to Jabalpur for good.
Never gave her back to my sister.
And then it was Sister's turn.
She eloped with a man. My elder brother's friend.
They lived together for about a year.
She came back a few weeks ago.
It was just her...
Revenge.
She just needed an excuse.
And your mother? - She is in Kashi.
Last week...
Sister's husband passed away in a distant town.
The daughter is with our mother now.
My sister is going there to see her.
I don't know...
If she is...
If she is destined to...
Meet her child.
Why?
What happened to Leela?
Her heart is very weak.
The body has its limits too.
Why would it endure so much stress?
Took her to new surroundings, for some fresh air.
It didn't help.
She isn't even supposed to move around anymore.
You know, she's always been stubborn.
She told me...
She may be dying.
But she must see her child, one last time.
So, I couldn't refuse her.
Sister, look who is here!
Apurbo!
I never imagined to meet you in this lifetime.
Come on, Leela...
Why would you say that?
Off to a new adventure, are you?
Dhumalgarh Estate.
I got a job there.
Headmaster of the royal school.
Hence, the first class...
Courtesy of the king.
Thank God for that.
You both continue.
I'll go get some rest in your coupe.
The kid is alone after all.
The kid?
My son.
Kajol.
You got married, Apurbo?
Won't you introduce me to your wife?
She's no more.
She passed away during childbirth.
How long has it been?
Long ago.
Sister, call me if you need anything.
There's water in the flask.
Keep the windows drawn... - Stop monitoring me. Go.
See you.
Could you open up the window, Apurbo?
I feel suffocated.
Do you remember our childhood days in Burdwan?
Why wouldn't I?
Of course I do.
You and your mother lived over there...
At that room in the corner.
I would come over. And your mother...
Why didn't we meet in all these years? And now...
Do you still paint, Leela?
You used to paint so beautifully.
Remember, you wanted to go to Paris to learn painting?
In each of us...
A child has lived.
And a child has died.
A child of promise.
Who never grew up.
Leela.
Are you feeling unwell?
Do you still write? Or is that habit done away with?
A while ago, I put some money in, to publish my novel.
Hasn't received the best of responses so far.
Aparna's jewelry is still mortgaged with a jeweler.
Can't afford to bring it back.
Trust me,
one day, your books will make you famous.
Will you...
Remember me then?
Will you take me somewhere, Apurbo?
Where to?
Anywhere.
To your 'Porto Plata'?
Remember what you used to say?
One day, you'll find a wrecked ship to rescue!
And bring us gold from it!
I think you had...
Read it in a book perhaps.
You still remember all of that?
I'd ask you, "And how will you go there?"
You would reply,
"I'll buy my own ship and set sail on the sea!"
Won't you set sail?
Do you feel it, Apurbo?
I've crossed the expiry date.
Isn't it futile to continue taking the medicines now?
Tell me something?
What?
What's the point of living anymore?
What nonsense! - Please tell me!
Leela!
I'm serious, Apurbo!
I just want to see my little girl one last time.
I have no more dreams left.
What do people say about me?
Tell me the truth.
I don't know about others.
You know what I feel?
I feel great respect for you.
You deserve it more than anyone else.
Why did it turn out like this, Apurbo?
This isn't how it was supposed to be...
Leela...
Those old times...
Give them back to me! I want to start again...
Can you hear the sound of time, passing by?
Its chariot galloping to the infinite
Churning heartbeats as it surges through galaxies
Piercing through the eternal dark, the cry of the stars
My friend
Time, as it rushes away It entwines me in its nexus
Carrying me in its reckless chariot
Setting out on a gallant journey
It carries me far... Far away from you
It seems, I have crossed a thousand deaths
To reach the brink of a new dawn
The chariot carelessly flutters an old name of mine...
There is no coming back
If you ever see me again someday
You won't know it's me
Farewell, my friend
Adieu...
Chapter two: Kashi (Benaras)
Saints: Hail, Lord Shiva!
Praise to the Lord of time and space!
In the heart of the Holy Ganges,
this morning brought me something new.
Death, in a new form.
It appears as if, this temporal circle of life and death...
Is an intricate art, being performed by an Almighty artist.
He who knows...
The turnings of life. From one life to another.
Sometimes, blending in.
Sometimes, breaking away.
Melding it all... Into one genius piece of art.
The art of creating the grand circle of life.
Through the vision of my mind, I have seen it all...
Thousands of years ago,
this little lad may have been born in the ancient Egypt.
Within the dense wilderness of papyrus,
on the sun kissed shore of river Nile,
born to a poor family...
A mother, a sister, a father and a brother...
Even friends...
Where he whiled away the sweetest days of childhood.
And then, maybe he was born again.
On the banks of Rhine.
Under the cool shelter of cork, oak, birch and beech trees.
In the ancient mansion of an affluent family.
Within the ornate medieval times...
He had the prettiest of ladies for friends.
Another thousand years later...
Maybe the same lad will return to this earth, once again.
And then, will he ever recall... The life he has, this time!
Or, who knows?
He may never return to this earth again...
The star that brings us the first moment of sunset...
From a distant land of celestials.
Maybe, amidst that unknown circle of life...
He shall be born, anew!
I feel, even I have kept coming back.
Travelling from one life, to another.
From one death, to another.
A path of time spread over my vivid past and future.
I could see it before me.
Journeying through the flowery pathway of life and death,
a soul... weary, yet content. What a lovely voyage it is!
In happiness.
In youth.
In life, in benediction.
In sadness, in sorrow and in peace.
I am a soul, travelling through many an existence.
Walking the infinite distance, on roads new and unknown.
This boundless blue sky. Their unending galaxies.
The amazing Orion.
The constellations.
The Great Nebula of Andromeda.
A parallel universe.
Spread over thousands of centuries...
My walkway!
Dad! The sky here is so vast! Have you noticed?
The sky is the same everywhere, son.
If you're done counting stars, can we go back to the hotel now?
No.
I keep losing count!
Please, Dad, let's sit for a little longer?
As you wish.
'The primeval, physical, mental and spiritual realm'
'Just as the Sun adores them all'
'We meditate, so that the effulgence'
'Illuminates our intellect as well'
Hail, Lord Shiva! Hail, Shivshambhu!
He, who resides in us all!
What a surprise, Apurbo Babu!
Shankar Babu!
A surprise indeed! - Yes.
Didn't expect to see you here!
From the dense forest of Amarkantak to the Dashashwamedh Ghat of Kashi.
Yes, I have been on a quest.
It has been ten years now.
This is where my wanderlust began.
And now, I've visited all the pilgrimage sites of India.
Aren't you a globetrotter? Don't look the religious kind.
I was out, looking for the meaning of life.
Rather, searching myself in the joy and sorrow of innumerable people.
Wanted to explore the collective consciousness
of this ancient civilisation.
And did you find it?
Africa, South America, Europe and the Middle East...
Twenty years.
And then, Kashmir to Kanyakumari, for ten years.
If only I had wings, like Pegasus!
Every time,
I hear the 'Gayatri Mantra' and the Azan blend together,
a question stirs me up.
'Om Akhanda Mandalakaram'
'Vyaptam Yena Characharam'
'Tadpadam Darshitam Yena'
'Tasmahi Shri Guruve Namaha'
I bow to the Supreme creator.
My reverential teacher.
Who revealed to me, that truth...
Which is unfragmented, infinite.
Timeless divinity.
And which pervades the entire universe!
Infinite, absolute.
'Bismillah-arRahman-arRahim'
'Al hamdu Iillahi Rabbil Al-ameen'
I bow to the merciful Almighty.
The Lord of this infinite universe.
Thousands of years apart. Thousands of miles apart.
Different country. Different race. Different civilisation.
Even the language is different.
But then, the basic truth remains the same!
How strange is that!
And all of this suspicion, the hatred, the enmity...
On what basis, Apurbo Babu?
'Really, Seleucus, what a strange country this is!'
So you must quote the prophet from Nazerath,
'Father, forgive them.'
'For they do not know what they do!'
Do you remember that evening, Shankar Babu?
The tiny shack in Vindhya forest.
Eating 'Littis', hearing Ojha'ji recite the 'Ramcharitamanasa'.
The jungle in its dense graveness.
I'm going to Java. Why don't you join me?
We'll visit the Borobudur temple. And Mount Salak!
Tropical rain forest!
There's no place like it! You love the jungle, come!
Me?
I couldn't...
Kajol.
You'll fall off. Come here.
Dad...
Come.
You know how it is.
My hands are tied, I'm a father now.
Excuse me. Hello, Sir.
There used to be a school here, would you know where?
A school?
I don't think so.
I've been living here for almost a decade now.
That won't do. It must've been around twenty years ago.
Basak Babu...
Huh?
Come on, Haradhan! Stop irritating in the middle of the game.
This gentleman is asking something.
Huh... What do you want?
You see...
Would you know where the school used to be?
Of course.
Over there...
See the house with the white paint?
The school used to be there. It belongs to a rich merchant now.
It's got a narrow entrance. And then you go up.
Right!
There was a tiny water tank too!
Yes, you are right!
It was Ananda Babu's school.
Ananda Babu...
He passed away, around...
Twenty years ago.
And once he passed away, the school closed down soon after.
How do you know so much?
I used to study there, in childhood.
We left this place after my father passed away.
Ah.
Okay, bye.
Thank you.
Checkmate.
You lose!
Looking for someone, Sir?
We used to live here way back in childhood.
My father died in that room.
Please have a seat. There's a bench there.
I'll get you some water. The boy must be thirsty.
Oh no... Thank you.
We were just passing by.
[Girl recites playful rhyme]
Who can defy destiny, son?
She washed off her hands. Left her daughter with me.
How long will I live?
What after that?
Why?
Your elder son is there. Bimalendu is there.
My elder son... He's hardly there.
Four years.
He never even looked out for me in the last four years.
Whether I am alive or dead...
And my younger son?
He's been obsessed with India's freedom struggle.
This is how they are paying me back.
Khuki has taken after her mother...
Looks as innocent as Goddess Lakshmi.
But, son...
How will I marry her off?
When people learn about her mother...
You know how it is...
Times are changing, Bou-Ranima.
Why worry about marriage now?
Let her study. Let her know the world.
And then maybe...
Good morning, Apurbo Babu! I knew I'd find you here.
Good morning,
Where are you off to? - Sarnath.
My European friends are here...
Archaeologists and excavators.
They invited me over. Why don't you come along?
Would've loved to go. But we are leaving Kashi today.
Today itself?
You see, this visit wasn't planned.
I must reach the Dhumalgarh Estate soon.
We will be back by evening. Come along.
Explore the history of India! Come on, I insist!
Did you consider my proposal?
Have you been to the 'Mountain of the Moon'?
Yes, son. - But how did you go to the moon?
It's not really on the moon, you see. It's in the African continent.
'Mountain of the Moon!'
How tall are the hills? - Huge!
Not hills, they are mountains! Mighty tall!
I too want to go there! - Of course you will!
Once you've grown up! It's in a far off land.
Very far? - Really far.
Kajol.
Be a good boy. Go, play over there.
Be a good boy, I'll get you sweets. - I swear! I won't be naughty!
You really will buy me sweets?
Good boy! Now go, play.
[Speaks Russian]
Um... Hello, what is your name?
Um... Name?
My name...
Is Mr Amitabha Kumar Roy!
Okay. My name is Anastasia!
[Speaks Russian]
What a good boy you are!
[Speaks German]
Pardon? - Mr Shankar...
We're really, really grateful for all your help.
Everything you've done for us! Thank you so much!
Pleasure is all mine, Herr Müller.
We are also indebted to you.
For unearthing the forgotten roots of our ancient history.
Yes... She is the mother of all civilisations!
True. - Carry on.
From what I know of you,
you're not cut out for a regular headmaster's job.
The Greater India is calling out to you across the oceans.
An artist like you must go there.
Most people lack the depth of perception.
But you are special, unique... Do I have to remind you that?
I do realise it, Shankar Babu.
Awaken your senses, look around, Apurbo Babu!
It's just numerous, spineless skeletons all around us...
The result of tragic foreign rules that's lasted for centuries!
It's time for a renaissance, Apurbo Babu!
You can't deny it!
Step out.
Save yourselves from this secluded, superstitious, treacherous living!
To understand the real India, one must travel beyond it!
Then you must return to wake up the age old, sleeping Vesuvius!
I really desire so, Shankar Babu.
I have an earnest desire.
To go, explore... Java, Bali, Sumatra!
The aisles of the Pacific.
Africa!
Then, write about them in my novels. But...
No ifs and buts. Look.
Thanks to my adventurous past,
I'm well off... At least for this lifetime.
Well, well...
There you go, Mr Shankar, do I smell a new adventure?
I wish to see...
The cradle of the Indus Valley Civilisation, Rakhal Babu.
Anytime. Just telegram me.
I will make all the arrangements for Mohenjo-Daro.
Thank you. - Welcome.
Look here.
What is the point of all the wealth?
If I don't use it for the right causes?
Come with me, Apurbo Babu. I will show you the entire world!
The Europeans have their own version.
But you must have your own... An Indian's version!
Then you paint it with the vibrance of your imagination!
The unending Savannas of Uganda and Kenya!
The jungles! The tropical rainforests of the Far East.
Amazon! Galapagos!
I need some time to ponder.
Very well. Take your time.
I'm returning to Kolkata tomorrow.
The ship for Java leaves on the twelfth of next month.
And... You know where I live in Calcutta.
Dad...
You want to have some?
Try, it's really sweet!
Kajol.
Come here.
What is it?
If I leave you behind, can you manage on your own?
What if I leave you at your Grandpa's?
Planning to go to the Mountain of the Moon?
Without me?
One goes to the west. Another, to the east.
Now you show me, which way do we go?
Don't be naughty, son. You'll get hurt.
Look at the boy. He is sitting quietly.
Oh mother, this is good.
Sir, how long for Howrah station?
Another couple of hours.
Dad...
Don't do that.
Ice-cream...
Chapter three: Calcutta
Don't fidget now..
Kajol's education will be taken care of, there.
The Padre will recommend him
to the Headmaster of the missionary school.
I can't thank you enough. - Please don't bother.
Though, we'll have to make a detour.
Because, the war has begun.
The seas aren't safe anymore... Japanese submarines. Therefore...
Therefore?
We've to trek.
We'll start after the 'Durga Puja', post autumn.
Through Assam... The Khasia hills. Then Burma. And finally Siam.
'Khasia hills' from the book; 'The Mythical Treasure?'
Right!
'The Mythical Treasure!' - Hmm!
Treasure of the ancient Kings!
Gold coins from thousands of years ago.
Treasure of the Roman Emperors!
Emperors? - They ruled over half the world!
The mightiest dynasty. The Caesars!
And this one... From Emperor Alexander's reign!
His empire spread from the far land of Greece to our Punjab, in India!
These are priceless!
How did you... I mean, how did you acquire it?
And this one is Aztec gold!
'Over the mountains Of the moon!'
'Down the Valley of the Shadow!'
'Ride, boldly ride, '
'The shade replied'
'If you seek for Eldorado!'
Radio: 'This is London.'
'You will now hear a statement by the Prime Minister.'
Churchill: 'I am speaking to you...'
'From the cabinet room of 10 Downing Street.'
'This morning, the British Ambassador in Berlin, '
'handed the German government, a final note...'
'Stating that unless we heard from them...'
'By 11'o' clock, '
'That they were prepared at once,'
'to withdraw their troops from Poland, '
'a state of war would exist between us.'
'I have to tell you now, '
'that no such undertaking has been received.'
'And that consequently, this country is at war, '
'with Germany.'
Beggar: Please give us some starch to feed on.
Please give me something to eat...
Please, please!
At least some starch for the kids...
Tagore: 'The idea of freedom to which India aspires...'
'Was based upon the realization of spiritual unity.'
'It is India's duty to be loyal to this great truth.'
'And never allow it to be extinguished'
'by the storm of passion breathing over the present-day world.'
Bose: 'The fight for freedom that we have begun, '
'we must continue with it, until we have achieved it fully!'
I stumbled upon a sudden realisation today.
Great literature is only born from human suffering.
The Czar's rule in Russia... The extreme winters of Siberia...
The oppression, superstition, poverty...
Great authors like Gogol, Dostoevsky...
Gorky, Tolstoy and Chekhov... this is what inspired them all!
I can clearly imagine...
During the cursed times of slavery,
an innocent little kid is enslaved...
From his quaint home in Africa...
Estranged from his loving parents in the most inhuman manner...
He is then sold off to a slave market, in a foreign land.
Never to see his parents again.
Hurry up!
Never to see his siblings.
His story; spread across many, many countries.
The poverty, the oppression, how he wept in solitude...
The remarkable experience that fate had befallen him,
if only, he could pen it all down...
The sublime silence of the African horizons...
Would be his inspiration.
The illusion of a utopian motherland
Would adorn his dreams ...Never to be fulfilled
How unfortunate for the literary world...
That they endured it all...
And passed away, in silence.
King George VI: 'In this grave hour, '
'perhaps...'
'the most fateful in our history, '
'I send, to every household of my people...'
'Both, at home. And overseas...'
'This message.'
'Spoken with the same depth of feeling for each one of you, '
'As if I were able to cross your threshold'
'and speak to you...'
'Myself.'
'For the second time in the lives of most of us, '
'We are...'
'At war.'
Sister: Apu, want to eat guavas?
Apu: Want to go, see the train? Come on!
Father: Son, did you read the sacred epics?
Sister: Where are you? Apu: Where are you?
Apu: I'm right here! (The old aunt sings a lullaby)
Mother: Lunch is served. Come, have your meal, son.
Mother: It's getting cold.
[The old aunt sings a lullaby]
Mother: Always loitering in the wild! Apu: Ha ha ha!
Mother: Dugga... Sister: Yes, Mom...
Father: I failed to be a writer. But you must fulfil your destiny.
Kajol...
What?
Come here.
Please come.
You haven't eaten anything since morning?
Wait, I'll go buy some milk and bread.
Take rest. You have fever.
Give me the money. I'll go, get it.
Big boy!
The shop is close to the busy street.
You mustn't go alone.
Wait.
I'll get it.
Come on, Dad. You don't have to go!
Give me the money. I'll surely manage.
Please Dad...
No wandering, okay?
You promise? - I swear, I won't.
I'll buy the food and come back right away!
Go then.
The milk-can is in the kitchen.
'Vande Maataram' (I bow to you, Motherland)
'Vande Maataram'!
British, quit India!
Go back, British dogs!
'Vande Maataram'!
Go back, British dogs!
'Vande Maataram'! - 'Vande Maataram'!
'British, leave India.' - 'Leave India, leave.'
Go back, British dogs!
Halt!
Go back, you bloody niggers! Or I'll order them to shoot you.
'Vande Maataram'!
Go back, British dogs!
'British, leave India.' - 'Leave India, leave.'
Fire!
Kajol!
The British are firing, run!
Hurry!
Run!
Apu'da! - Dad!
Bimalendu!
'Vande Maataram'!
Won't you eat, Dad? - I will, son.
Let me fry you some more doughs.
Apurbo Babu.
Apurbo Babu, are you home?
Kajol, finish your food. I'll be back.
Okay?
Greetings! - Radhikacharan Babu!
What a pleasure! Please come inside!
Please have a seat.
Give me a minute. - Sure.
Kajol, wait here like a good boy.
It's someone from work. I will be back right away.
Don't fiddle with anything here. Okay? Now eat.
Here you are, Apurbo Babu!
You're a rare sight these days!
Nowhere to be spotted near the publishing hubs of College Street!
I had gone to Kashi.
I wasn't keeping well after coming back.
Ah.
That's why the registered letters kept coming back to me.
I hope... Your health is fine now?
Yes, Sir. Since yesterday.
Hmm.
So...
Any luck with my book?
That is precisely why I came to you!
You've hit the bull's eye!
The first edition is sold out!
We'll print the second edition, this month!
Wait...
I owe you a little fortune.
One, two, three, four...
Five, six, seven, eight...
Nine, ten. Yes.
The royalty money. A hundred rupees.
Here.
And...
And your autograph on the receipt. - Yes, sure.
Count the money, please.
I don't know how to thank you!
Had you not risked publishing my book...
No one else was convinced.
It's the result of your genius and my good fortune.
Fine.
You see, Apurbo Babu...
I've greyed here, in the publishing business.
By God's grace, I am a good judge of talent.
So, tell me... Writing anything new?
Um, Sir, I'm going to Java next month.
Java!
I've a few plots in mind. - That's wonderful!
People like you must see the world!
It widens your knowledge scape, opens up your world view!
Do one thing, Apurbo Babu... And, please don't refuse.
Since, you're travelling to Java...
The monthly journal we publish... Why don't you...
Write a travelogue for it? As a series.
Please do not refuse.
Consider this an advance. Twenty rupees.
Come on, keep it!
I don't know how to...
You don't need to thank me. I do love literature.
But I love my business, no less.
Radhikacharan Mittir never bets on the wrong horse.
See you around.
Come over to my office once, if you can.
Sure. I'll come tomorrow itself. You have been so kind...
You must continue writing. You are good...
I know my way out.
Bye.
Kajol.
Kajol?
How about a fowl cutlet from the English eatery?
Dad...
Dad... Can you solve a riddle!
A riddle? Try me...
Tell me.
From my home, I let out a cry A cry that reached far and wide
What is it?
Um...
A bird's tweet?
Ah, you're wrong!
It's a conch shell! It echoes far and wide!
You don't know anything, Dad!
Where did you learn all this from?
Grandma taught me.
I know another one. Tell me. - Okay.
A tiny trinket, a bright jewel The world's most precious gem!
The gem treasured by all... Kings and merchants
My dear son, 'Kajol' (kohl) - Oh come on...
Kajol.
Want to go to our ancestral village?
Our ancestral home.
Nishchindipur. - Where is that, Dad?
It's very far. - Very far?
Far, faraway!
Chapter four: Nishchindipur
Boy: Go away! Run!
Girl: Catch it! Stop!
Who are you, Mister?
What is your name?
I'm Gouri. This is my brother.
Sister, look, aeroplanes!
See you around, Mister! - Go home safe.
(Prays to the Basil tree) Tulsi, you are the holiest of holies
I worship you every day
Harbour me in my afterlife
Tulsi, you are the holiest of holies
I worship you every day
Harbour me in my afterlife
Tulsi... - Ranu'di?
Remember me?
You are...
Aunt, please get me some water?
What took you so long?
Here, sister in law. - Yes.
It's been ages. I should've cooked you, your favourite dishes.
But alas...
Such is my luck.
We've been selling off our assets, just to survive.
Why bother, Ranu'di.
At least I'm fortunate to meet you after all these years.
You should marry again, Apu.
Sister, quiet now. Let him eat peacefully.
Serve him more fish curry. - Sure.
No, thank you.
Apu dear,
I didn't know this was your plan.
Had you not sponsored me, I wouldn't be back from Kashi.
To my ancestral home.
I wish to die here itself.
Have a long life, dear brother.
Prosper.
Little boy, be fast asleep The night is deep
Oh the looters are here
The birds have eaten up all the yield How must we pay them now?
Little boy, be fast asleep The night is deep
Oh the looters are here
The birds have eaten up all the yield How must we pay them now?
The grains are gone No veggies either
How to pay the tax?
Looters, please come back later Please wait for the new yield
Here.
- Give.
Who will sit here and do this?
Okay.
Now,...
The kid is exactly like Apu. Isn't it, elder sister?
Daddy!
Stop fidgeting! The water is spilling all over me!
Went for a walk in the village? - Yes, it's all changed so much.
Do you remember, Ranu'di? - Huh?
We used to play in this courtyard all the time!
You, me, my sister. Shotu, Nyera...
Yes.
Shotu. - Yes.
Give Apu some coconut water.
He must be thirsty.
Yes, Sister.
Erm... Apu...
Your uncle's orchard is mortgaged with me.
I have planned to sell it.
But if you buy it out...
It belonged to your family after all.
Mom really wanted to.
She mentioned it even in her last days,
"Get back our orchard, Apu."
Prepare the papers.
Praise the Lord! Sister, did you hear that?
Wait, you little rascal!
Look at the boy! How will I stop him now?
Aparna.
My elder sister was still a kid.
She's still lying there, resting eternally.
Salutations to Lord Krishna!
I bow to you, Lord Hari Lord Krishna
I bow to you, the mightiest of Jadavas
I bow to you in all your forms Dear Krishna
I bow to you, Kesava!
I bow to you, Lord Hari You are Lord Krishna-The Jadava
You are Lord Jadava, Lord Madhava I bow to you, Kesava!
I bow to you, Lord Hari You are Lord Krishna-The Jadava
You are Lord Jadava, Lord Madhava I bow to you, Kesava!
You have many names: Gopal, Govinda, Rama, Srimadhusudan
The beholder of mountains, the favourite of the celestial maidens
A charmer personified
You have many names: Gopal, Govinda, Rama, Srimadhusudan
The beholder of mountains, the favourite of the celestial maidens
A charmer personified
Incarnated as Srichaitanya, Nityananda and Sriadwaityasita...
The Lord of the Vaishnava sect The creator of the Holy Bhagwat Geeta
Incarnated as Srichaitanya, Nityananda and Sriadwaityasita...
The Lord of the Vaishnava sect The creator of the Holy Bhagwat Geeta
Lord Bhattaraghunath, the eternal, the infinite
We worship you in many names and forms
Lord Bhattaraghunath, the eternal, the infinite
We worship you in many names and forms
I bow to your feet, O Lord I pray to you
I'm scared to take Kajol with me.
It's an unknown land.
He is so little.
What if we get into trouble...
I could leave him with Ranu'di.
These are my own people. My own place.
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Chant in the name of Lord Krishna
Chant in the name of Lord Rama
Chant in the name of Lord Krishna
Apu.
You owe me something.
What is it, Ranu'di?
You wrote an unfinished story in my notebook, back in childhood.
Remember?
Ranu'di!
You still have that notebook?
Finish the story this time around.
Fine then.
I'm a published author now.
Won't keep that story unfinished either.
But how come you saved the notebook until now?
You know why?
I knew I'd meet you one day.
And then you'd complete the story. I knew it.
Chant in the name of Lord Hari
Chant in the name of Lord Krishna
Chant in the name of Lord Hari
Chant in the name of Lord Krishna
Hail to all your incarnations, Lord!
[People chant the name of Lord Krishna]
Smoking that rubbish again?
Stub it.
Stop smiling! Throw it away!
If only you had a strict wife to control you.
My dear brother... Think about yourself now.
You should remarry, for the sake of your son.
How long with this wayward life?
I can't even imagine to replace Aparna, Ranu'di.
Why waste an innocent girl's life?
It's fine like this.
Besides, you are there for Kajol.
You're like a mother to him.
He's taken a real liking to you.
Don't put it like that, brother.
Your elder sister, Dugga would have done the same.
So, where's our brat?
Haven't spotted him since morning.
He's gone to offer prayers at the 'Durga Puja'.
I asked Shotu to take him.
He is a city lad.
He must see 'Durga Puja' in the countryside; where he hails from.
Let him cherish it.
Apu, do you remember? The year I got married...
The year before that.
The British band was playing at the immersion procession!
Me and Dugga danced our hearts out!
We went dancing all the way!
And Mother gave me a thrashing when I returned home.
Aunt... Your mother. She saved me from her! Otherwise...
Seven spelling mistakes in the very first page!
Listen,
Want some tea?
I asked Shotu to get some, for you.
With the piousness of sandalwood and flowers
Oh Mother of the world, salutations to You!
Please accept our offerings!
Pray with your hands folded.
Oh Goddess of auspiciousness
Oh consort of Lord Shiva
We take refuge in You, Oh primordial Mother Goddess
Salutations to You
What happened to your husband?
The 'cholera' disease went rouge in the villages that year.
My husband...
Was a freedom fighter and a social worker.
He went to the Muslim locality to tend to the ailing patients.
As fate would have it, he too succumbed to the disease.
After a few months, Anu... My daughter too passed away.
She had small pox.
It's been eight years.
Seems like yesterday.
She was born on the day of 'Annapurna Puja'.
So I named her after the deity.
Anu.
Still can't forget their faces...
Neither can I, Ranu'di.
Mom...
Dad...
My sister...
Aunt...
Aparna.
Life hasn't stopped.
But they are not here.
One day, me and you too will be no more.
Even then, life will flow on.
Imagine...
Centuries later...
On this day...
What would it be like, here?
A dense forest... Or a modern town?
This house won't be there.
These trees...
The pond...
This village. The people.
None of it will be there.
A new civilisation.
New people.
A new era.
How beautifully you gather your thoughts.
This is a new Apu.
Our little Apu has grown up.
Don't you visit your in laws'?
Lost all ties, is it?
I'm not interested in their properties.
My husband's brother used to visit earlier.
To take me back home.
I'm a woman, you see. I could understand it very well.
His intentions weren't noble.
He didn't marry. Lives an indisciplined life.
Um... I've heard he was a regular at the brothels...
Hence, I avoided him.
Soon, he gave up. Stopped pursuing.
I'm happy in my brother's world.
You know Shotu since childhood.
So pure and naive.
He's always been like that.
Like husband, like wife.
This household rests on my shoulders now.
I have lost my own nest.
This is all I have now.
Ranu'di...
I will soon be travelling abroad.
Maybe for a year or more.
Can I leave Kajol with you?
Will you take care of him, for me?
Apu, what's the rush? Wait...
Aparna.
Our feelings, our hopes...
Our dreams and aspirations.
That's what life is all about.
These things light up the little moments with joy.
Life is a grand romance.
The more you live it, the romance grows on you.
Happiness and sorrow... Hope and despair...
What a roller coaster adventure for the soul! Priceless.
To fathom, you must delve deep and seep it in.
Kajol...
Kajol?
Kajol...
Kajol.
Kajol! I've been looking out for you, for long!
Won't you go to Aunt Ranu's place?
My silly little boy.
Why are you sitting here alone? There could be snakes here.
Aren't you scared?
Did you come here looking for a bird nest?
Kajol?
What happened?
Kajol?
Dad, don't leave me alone! I feel scared without you...
I won't leave you, my dear son.
I won't ever leave you.
Stay well, son.
Take care. Send a postcard when you reach.
Kajol, seek blessings from her. - You have my blessings, son.
You're my little Krishna. - Bye, Ranu'di.
Bless you, brother. Stay well.
I've packed you some dry food for the road.
Take care, my boy. - Kajol...
Come here!
Kajol...
Come here.
Dear wife, hand it to me.
This is for you.
You're going abroad with your father.
You'll get to see so many new places!
There's so much to know!
But you mustn't forget your roots.
This is your village. This is your country.
Your home.
And we all are your own people!
Wherever you are, come what may...
Always remember, at some corner of this wide world,
there lies a tiny village.
And there is a tiny house in that village.
Where, your family awaits you, son.
They will always wait for you.
God bless you, son. May you win over the World!
Do come back... Apu.
Chapter five: Khasia Hills
Aparna, we're camping at the Khasia Hills now.
On our way to the Far East.
I am indebted to you forever.
I have my dear son because of you.
I named him, Amitabha. After Lord Buddha.
Wherever you are, pray for him...
So he becomes as enlightened as his namesake.
Your child.
Our child.
Kajol, come, I'll read you something.
'Rabi Babu'... Rabindranath Tagore.
Do you know, he has written the 'Gitanjali'?
He translated it to English as well.
He was awarded the Nobel Prize for that.
'Song Offerings'...
Let me read you a passage. Listen.
'The traveller has to knock at every alien door.'
'To come to his own.'
'And one has to wander through all the outer worlds, '
'to reach the innermost shrine at the end.'
'My eyes strayed far and wide, '
'before I shut them and said, '
"Here art Thou!"
'The question and the cry.'
'Oh where!?'
'Melt into tears of a thousand streams.'
'And deluge the world with the flood of the assurance!'
'I am.'
This sky illuminated by the Sun and the stars
This world, full of life
Amidst this effervescence I have found myself
I have found my place And hence, overwhelmed
My song awakens It rises to fill up the sky
Cadenced by the swing of the endless time
At the feel in my pulse of the rhythm of creation
The source of my life, the rush in my blood
Is dwindled by it all
And hence, overwhelmed My song awakens
My song awakens To fill up the sky