A Short story by Parthapriyo Basu

Odd man out

Mitu was almost running through the commuters rushing towards Haora station, as he intended to catch the 6-35 pm train to reach home. Today, he had one 3- period practical class during the last part of his college hour. Sir insisted on doing the entire work in final sheet within 5-30, but somehow, in a hurry he missed a letter in the title of the work and even finishing it within 5 pm he had to re-do it. That made him some compulsive delay. He had to complete his work with necessary correction and submit it to Sir, as he waited in the teachers’ room for signing his and some other students’ final work. After getting it signed he rushed out from the college premises in order to catch his train, the bus delayed a lot because of traffic congestion along Mahatma Gandhi Road. Finally, when the bus reached the three-point junction between M.G. Road and Strand Road, he got down from the bus because it was completely stuck among variety of vehicles of which a few were stubborn cargo carrying carts and cargo vans. Traffic police were not present over there for the time being. So, he got down from the bus and rushed towards Haora station along the historical Haora Bridge through the rushing crowd who had the same destination. He had grey check shirt at the top and dark grey old jeans at the bottom and a pair of sandals. His backpack contained the necessary papers and books and the sheets of papers were rolled inside a plastic case hanging from his left shoulder. It was an early winter evening. The dusk was coming down like a drop-curtain all over the surroundings. The boats and launches plying through the Hugli River already switched on their lamps, though the lack of solid darkness made them less glowing. Suddenly, two powerful fore arms grabbed him tight from back, the fingers of one hand pressing his chest muscle and the other held his genitals tight. Mitu could not move further though he fought to get himself released from the captivity of the two hands. The man behind him did not allow the release and the pressing hand from his chest held his right cheek and turned him towards the man. He was a man of robust health who turned him towards himself and pressed the lower part of his body against his. One or two rushing persons of the crowd noticed it casually and did not bother to interfere. The man was pushing Mitu towards the iron fencing of the bridge. Mitu observed that the man was guarded by another person of similar stature and they did not bother about the crowd in their surroundings. Mitu with his all forces held the top of the metal fencing and bit the person’s wrist strongly. The man immediately released him and he ran through the crowd.

Tears were running down his brownish cheeks. Such incidents were almost regular. He understood that some people followed him and followed his tracks. How could he escape such ruffians. The only fault or misfortune he had was his girlish attitude and movements. Though he was identified as a boy at birth, with growing ages of boyhood and adolescence, he developed girlish attitude and behavioural patterns even after having a boy-like voice. He had already fled from his usual route to Ballyghat station from Sealdah by Dankuni local. He was following the via Haora route to Uttarpara which made his return journey of longer duration and almost everyday he had to give false excuses to his parents about traffic jam, missing of scheduled local trains, delaying of uptrains etc. Such a situation had started from the last week, as he was compelled to avoid the Sealdah route. He could remember the mocking and cruel faces of his new and unwanted acquaintances who were waiting in two small groups at Sealdah station for him. They were recognized Hijras who escorted him to their ‘Khol’ in order to make him a recognized Hijra. The other day when he was returning home from college, suddenly he was surrounded by about eight of them who pushed him casually through the crowd of Sealdah station and managed to take him to Sealdah south section. They forced him to board on a Lakshmikantapur Local and took him to their ‘dera’ in the suburbs of South 24Parganas. Initially, he thought that he would run fast and outrun them as soon as he could get a chance, but, the idea was in vain. They did not release his hands for a single moment and four of them made such gestures as no fellow passengers dared to intrude, though from those passengers’ expressions of eyes he could understand that they were guessing a kidnap. Moreover, on his way to Sealdah south section, for a split second he was shown a Kanpuri dagger by one of the Hijras in order to make him understand that if he tried to flee away, the person would stab him with that. So, he was afraid. Finally, he was taken to their abode and was introduced to an elderly woman or a transgender who asked him to pay two hundred rupees every week to her and he would be allowed to reside in the ‘khol’. That woman lived in a three-storied building. Then he was taken to a slum-like residence being a long room where a place was to be allotted to him. He was also shown a dirty bathroom and a privy.  Somehow, he checked his urge for vomiting with effort. When he understood that he was totally trapped, his brain worked fast suddenly, faster than them. He said to one of his fellow members of the group,

‘It’s okay with me, but I haven’t brought any belongings with me, as I was not ready to come here. I’ll bring my necessary articles including garments etc. tomorrow and will start living with you. So, I have to go back to my home today. I give you my words that I’ll come tomorrow.’

Mitu returned home late that night and was scolded by his father very harshly, as he always remained in tension whenever Mitu went outside or to his college. The next day, when Mitu boarded down from Dunkuni local at Sealdah station, he was very cautious as he already avoided the scheduled local train, he used to take for his coming to college daily. Still, he made very cautious steps inside the crowd and look through them sharply, if he could locate any one of the group which escorted him that day. Finally, he could locate two of them at a considerable distance and slowly returned backward inside a train compartment. From there he had hidden himself behind various groups of crowds until a Dankuni local was announced to depart. He silently boarded the train and returned home. Ma asked him,

    ‘Why have you returned without going to college?’

Mitu answered,

    ‘My stomach isn’t well. I am feeling pain. Today, I had only two theory classes for Honours,    other classes are for pass subjects. I’ll get the notes from my friend. So, I thought, better I should return home with this stomach pain.’

Mother asked him why did he take his usual lunch then. He said,

    ‘I didn’t have the slightest idea that it would happen to me.’

From the next day Mitu avoided the Sealdah route. Truly speaking, his name was Mitun, which was supposed to be a boys’ name, but Mitun himself used to call himself Mitu secretly, as to him Mitu was a female-name. Everybody knew him as Mitun except for he himself, who admitted himself as a female in disguise of a male outfit. He dreamt that one day he would have female breasts, vagina and other necessary female organs in his body.

The name Mitun was also no safety for him at all. When he was in class seven, one Sunday he thought that he should know the meaning of his name.  He asked his mother,

     ‘Ma, what’s the meaning of my name?’

Mother replied,

     ‘A name is simply a name. It’s an identity. It is assigned to someone so that he or she can be recognized by that. Otherwise, how can we separate one from others?’

Mitun was not satisfied. He secretly asked his grandmother,

     ‘Tham, can you tell me what is the meaning of my name?’

      She said,

       ‘First promise me that you’ll not disclose it to your parents that I have told you anything about your naming.’

Adolescent Mitun became interested and promised accordingly. Then grandma disclosed,

        ‘When you were born, your grandpa was still alive. He named you as ‘Mithun’. But your mother Sarama opined that Mithun was not a good name, as the same spelling had an adult meaning. She thought of some other common names. In the meantime, before your Rice Ceremony was held, your grandpa died of a cerebral stroke. Before the Ceremony, your father Sushanta told your mother that as his father wished to keep your name Mithun, and Sarama was on the contrary to that, why shouldn’t the name be modified as Mitun. This way, he compromised between his dead father and living wife. Sarama didn’t say anything against it. That way your name was derived.’

Mitun was surprised to know the mystery behind his name. Later, he checked the Bengali dictionary and discovered that the word Mithun also indicated a sexually united couple.  He could still remember the wild face of Rajuda who was his senior by three years in school. Mitun was then in class eight. Rajuda used to tease him saying that Mitun was his wife. One day, he suddenly tried to cuddle him in the school corridor, when it was solitary at the end of the tiffin-break. But another day it exceeded the limit Mitu could bear. That day he was coming fast to reach his class, as there would be the hit of the Sports in the school-ground after tiffin-break. The corridor was empty. A few boys, particularly the participants, had already gone to the ground. Boys like Mitun were delighted to have an early departure that day. He thought that after observing the event for an hour or so, he would be leaving the school that day. That would be an early leaving, much earlier than other days. All of a sudden, Rajuda and three other boys of his class appeared in the corridor. Mitun was shivered at the bottom of his heart. He tried to pass them alongside the wall. The moment he thought that he had crossed them, he was pushed from his left side and he found himself inside a vacant room where there was not a single student present. Rajuda and three other boys of his class also entered the room immediately. They were laughing. One of them pushed the doors closed behind him. Mitun was immediately alarmed inside. He stood up and protested,

      ‘I’ll call the teachers. I’ll call Head Sir.’

Raju laughed and said,

     ‘Call all of them one by one if your voice reaches the Sports ground from this second storey amidst announcements for Sports.’

Mitu understood the graveness of his danger. Raju told him,

      ‘Don’t worry. I’ll just open your shirt and pant and cuddle you lovingly. That’ll be our Mithuna sign in the zodiac. Why don’t you like it my dear wife?’

Saying so he held him close. Mitun started shouting. To release him from Raju’s hands, he tried to scratch his arm. Raju became fierce. He shouted,

      ‘You bitch, I’ll tear you apart.’

Mitu managed to hold one of his hands and bit it strongly. Raju yelled with pain and released him instantly. Mitu jumped up and rushed open the unlocked doors and ran as fast as he could. 

He reached home running and gasping. Sarama asked him,

     ‘What happened? Why have you come running?’  

Mitu could hardly tell his mother the exact situation. Somehow, he described the incident in brief with broken words and running tears. Sarama held him tightly in her bosom. She also had tears in her eyes.

At night Sarama told everything to her husband. The next day Sushanta didn’t go to his office. He went to the school and complained about the whole incident mentioning the names of Raju and his associates to the headmaster. Headmaster Shekhar Roy Barman said,

     ‘I’ll see into the matter and investigate whose fault it was.’

He also advised Mitun not to come to school for the last two months of the current session and also advised to be careful about himself. Sushanta was surprised with such a decision. Later, he went to the police station, but the duty officer said,

      ‘Until we get a complaint from the headmaster, we cannot proceed. That’ll be an offensive act.’

Mitu understood that the entire world was against him. He was an abused child of his parents. Since then, his fight started, not to speak of the days of initial scolding and slaps he received from none other than his parents, particularly when he refused to go to the playgrounds to play football with the boys of his locality. His parents couldn’t accept that he had girlish behaviours. He understood that he would have to fight for the entire life.

  When Mitu reached the head of the scheduled platform, the Bandel Local left the station about one minute before.