Chitta Chire Chaitramas by Momo Saha [Hardcover]

Bahar Bhai stood in front of Chitra’s hospital bed. Observing the girl from head to toe, he asked softly, “How are you, Rangana?” Such an odd question at such an odd time—it somehow suited Bahar Bhai. With a dull ache and a wistful smile, Chitra replied, “I’m always fine.” “Then why haven’t you slept?” At his question, a mischievous thought flickered in Chitra’s mind. Wanting to make the man a bit uncomfortable, she said, “I was waiting for you.” Bahar Bhai smiled. He wasn't one to smile easily. Perhaps he did smile, but no one in Chitra’s household had ever seen it. The fact that Chitra could joke even amidst her pain struck a chord with Bahar Bhai. He replied, “Don’t wait for Bahar, girl. A heart of concrete—rarely touched by emotion. Your unspoken waiting will meet a slow death. You love flowers, don’t you? Why the fascination with thorns?” “To savor the sweetness, a few pricks from the thorns are worth it. And if in the process I get all of Bahar Bhai, then what’s the harm?” “But Bahar only knows how to burn.” “How much does Bahar burn? Like a cigarette, or even worse?” Ah! The girl seemed ready to win this wordplay tonight. Bahar Bhai looked at Chitra’s face, worn thin by illness. In a soft, steady voice, he said, “If Rangana chooses to burn, then perhaps—just a little—I’ll burn less.”