It had been a few months since Kalyani had come to the Aibheel Tea Estate after their wedding on May 18th. She sat in the verandah, listening to the chirping birds and smiled to herself as her eyes fell on a pair of sparrows that trailed each other as if playing a game of tag. She had come to love these mornings where nestled among nature, surrounded by the verdant tea bushes was the Dangee Bungalow. she would wait for her husband to return from his kaamjaari for breakfast. The pulsating tuk-tuk of the rickety scooter too now felt like music to her ears. She would welcome Swapan and then see to the breakfast arrangements while he went in for a quick wash.
The verandah of Dangee Bungalow (Aibheel)
“Swapan, breakfast is ready!” she called out and waited on the breakfast table.
“What is taking him so long?” Kalyani wondered and decided to check on him. To her amusement, she found him upside down with his white kaamjaari shorts and tees camouflaging against the wall, feet pointed towards the ceiling and his thick black hair forming gentle waves on the wooden floor. Kalyani gaped at him as he rolled down from his position and with a lightly cupped palm set his coconut-oiled hair into place.
“Sirsanasa, is my favourite yoga pose,” he explained and Kalyani got accustomed to this little morning routine. She learnt about his passion for sports from the senior Assistant Raja Durga Prasad – Swapan was a goalkeeper for the Dooars Football Association, loved cricket and was an expert in badminton! But besides that, he was also an enthusiast of films and an ardent admirer of Dev Anand. They would frequent Pampa Cinema in Malbazar for their weekend getaways with their colleagues.
Perpetually early for the movies, on Sunday morning they bought tickets for their colleagues, for 50 paise each. Swapan knew that his Bada Saab and Memsaab, Bibek and Alo Banerjee loved the last row of the balcony. In 1975, the “special features” that Pampa Cinema offered were unmatched. The semi-bald armrests of the rexine seats appeared old as they reflected the style of classic cinemas of the early '60s and '70s, not to mention the roaches and bugs on their seats. But all of it was more than compensated for by the movie “Guide” starring Dev Anand.
During the intermission, the bachelor of the group Ajit Sen commented, “Swapan da has a remarkable resemblance to Dev Anand!” to which Swapan cocked his head, pouted his lips and slid effortlessly into the role of Dev Anand. If hairstyles had hearts, Swapan's had to be the most stylish. His waves of combed-back hair gave him great height and added volume to his personality. He was a glorious blend of Dev Anand from Bollywood and Gregory Peck from Hollywood.
The movements of his hands flowed just like Dev saab, and his dialogue was buoyant and intended to be like his favourite star. He went on to list each of Dev Anand’s films and that he had not missed a single one.
“Really?” exclaimed Neeta Razdan.
“Not just that, this is probably the fifteenth time he is watching Guide,” quipped Kalyani taking a bite of her crunchy toast and hot omelette.
“15?!” asked Suresh Sharma. The friends were astonished. His love for the Silver screen was evident from his enacts.
“In front of the screen, I subconsciously immerse into the world of the main character exploring solutions with him, and my conscious brain enjoys the surreal experience with Dev saab," Swapan said combing his slick wavy hair back with his fingers.
“Who is your hairdresser, Swapan?” teased Aruna Sharma.
“Earlier I used to visit Uttam Kumar Salon in Nagrakata. You know, the one named after the famous Bengali actor? But now I visit Smart Salon here in Malbazar.”
“I must say, they style your hair well!” winked Vicky Razdan
“Oh, this!” Swapan laughed, “I styled this myself!”
Kalyani, always one to add something interesting, said, “let me tell you the secret,” as she began narrating her husband’s love for Sirsasana. Though Swapan claimed that it was solely to stay fit for sports, she was convinced that one of the main reasons he practised it was to maintain his hairstyle!
They had a good laugh before settling back in for the remainder of the movie, engrossed in the dialogue between Dev Anand and Waheeda Rehman and the melodic tune, “aaj phir jeene ki tamanna hai…aaj phir marne ka irada hai..."
The Duttas
