Translation of Rabindranath Tagore's ছুটি ঃ Vacation

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A sudden idea crossed the mind of, Fotik Chokroborti, the leader of the boys. A huge sakhua* log was lying down for turning into mast by the side of the river; it was being decided that all of them would roll down. The boys in a body approved this proposal thinking about the astonishment and annoyance of the owner of the log at the time of his need.

            When they were preparing to do the task attentively, just at that time Fothik’s younger brother, Makhonlal solemnly sat on that log; the boys, to some extend became crestfallen to see his indifference.
            Having approached near to him, one of them slightly pushed him with fear, but he had not swerved even a little bit; this premature wise man was thinking about the inanity of every action. Having approached towards him, Fothik with a roaring voice said, “Look, you will be beaten! Get up this moment.”

            After hearing this, he moved a little bit and then permanently occupied the seat. In this situation, it was Fothik’s responsibility to slap on the cheek of his brother instantaneously; if he wanted to save his royal honor- he dared not do it. But he pretended, if he wanted, he could teach him a good lesson, but he had not done so, because a better game than the earlier one had hit into his mind, and it was more amusing. He proposed to roll down the log along with Makhon.

            Makhon thought that there was pride in it, but   he and others even did not understand that there was danger in this worldly pride. The boys were rolling down the sakhua tree grid in up their loins “push down yeah, bravo young men”.

* Shawl tree in Bangla

            As soon as the log began to roll down, Makhon’s solemn- pride along with premature knowledge had fallen down on the ground.

            The boys were satisfied to gain the expected result at the beginning of the game, but Fothik somewhat became busy. Just then, having arisen from the ground Makhon flinged into Fothik and began to beat him blindly. Having scratched on Fathik’s nose and cheek, he started for home with tearing eyes. The game recessed.

            Having extracted some grasses, sitting on a half sunk boat he silently began to chew the roots of those grasses. Just at that time, a foreign boat came in the harbor. A half aged man came out of the boat with black moustache and hoary hair. He asked the boy “Where is the Chakrabortys’ abode”. The boy answered while chewing grass, “There”. But, nobody understood where he was indicating. The gentleman again asked, “Where?”

            He replied, ‘Don’t know’. Having replied, he began suckle the juice of grassroots. The gentleman then took help from others and started for the abode of Chakraborty .

            Immediately, having approached to Fothik, Bagha Bagdhi told “Brother Fothik, mother is asking you to come”.

 Fothik replied, “I won’t go”.

            Bagha forcefully took him into his lap and started for home, Fothik began to move his hands and legs in futilety.

            As soon as his Mother saw Fothik, she furiously said, “Again, you have beaten Makhon”.

            Fothik replied, “No, I have not beaten him”.

            “Again, you are lying!”

            “I have never beaten. Ask Makhon”.

            When Makhon was being asked, he supported the previous complaints and said,’ yes, he has beaten’.

            Fothik could not tolerate this anymore. Having approached towards Makhon rapidly, he slapped on his face and said, “Lying again!”

Mother instantly budged Fothik and heftily thudded on his back, Fothik pushed away his mother.
Mother shouted, “How dare, you raise your hand on me”.

Just as that time, having entered inside home, that half aged man said, “What is going on among yourselves?”

            Being astonished with delight, Fothik’s mother said, ‘oh Goddess, here is brother, when have you come.’ Having said this she bowed her head for blessing.

            Long ago, brother had gone to west for job purpose, by this time Fothik’s mother had given birth to two children, they had quite grown up, her husband had died, but she had not met him for once. After a long time, Bishoromborbabu  had come to see his sister. Some days had been passed with exhilaration. Eventually, it was time to say farewell. Before taking farewell, Bishoromborbabu   inquired about his sister’s sons study and mental growth. In reply, he heard about Fothik’s intractability, negligence to study, and Makhon’s quietness, modesty, and inclination to study.

            Her sister says, “I am being extremely exasperated by Fothik”.

Having heard this, Bishoromborbabu proposed to take Fothik with him to Calcutta and educate him under his observation. The widow had accepted his proposal easily.

            She asked Fothik, “How is this Fothik, Will you go to Calcutta with uncle’?

            Having leapt, he answered, “Will go”.

            Though mother did not have any problem to  bid adieu Fothik, because he always remained anxious- someday he might shove away Makhon or lacerate  his head or might perpetuate  some other accidents, but to some extent, she became disappointed to see his over excitement for taking farewell.

            He made his uncle restless by asking, “What is the day of his departure?”, “when will he go?”; he could not sleep because of excitement. At last, because of over delectation, he gave his rod, kite, and spool, everything to Makhon with absolute right of inheritance for his enjoyment.

            Having reached uncle’s home at Calcutta, at first, he conversed with his aunt. It could not be said, whether aunty became inwardly glad to see the unnecessary expansion of the family. She, herself had been maintaining her family with her three sons, there might arise the possibility of a sort of upheaval within the family, if suddenly an uneducated, unknown rustic boy of village was being set free. Bishorombor was being aged enough, but he did not have the slightest commonsense.  Especially, there is no other nuisance like a boy aged thirteen or fourteen. Neither he does have elegancy nor can be useful for any work. Neither he can arouse affection nor his company is quite exciting. He does not speak a full sentence and shows precociousness when he talks. Suddenly, he becomes indecently taller without maintaining the measurement of dresses; people even consider this as his audaciousness. Suddenly, he loses his elegance and the sweetness of voice of his childhood, people cannot but consider it as offense. Many mistakes during the time of childhood and youth can be excused, but even the normal and inevitable mistake at this age seems intolerable.

            He himself also understands that he is not adjusting anywhere in the world; for this he always remains ashamed and seeks forgiveness for his existence. But, at this age the seeds for getting more affection are being cherished in the mind. At this time, if he gets affection or develops friendship with that of the man, then he is always being grateful to him. But, nobody dares to give him affection because they consider it indulgency. So, his look and nature has become a dog without a master.

            Hence, in this situation except the lap of the mother, any other unknown place seems to the boy hell. He feels the pricking of the thorns   at every step, when he finds disaffection around him.  At this age, he begins to think that the womenfolk are the greatest and rarest   creatures of heaven. Ergo, he is unable to tolerate any negligence from them.

             Disaffection of aunty had been reflected in the eyes of his aunt pricks Fothik’s the most. If aunt suddenly told him to do a task, then he used to do more than the task---at last, for quelling his aunty had told him, “Have done much, have done much.  You should not have done this anymore. Now go and mind your own business. Go and study for a while.” Then, aunt’s needless care had been seemed to him as extreme inhumane injustice for his mental growth.

             Disaffection at home, even then there was place to take breath. Having confined four walls of house hold boundaries, he always used to remember about village.

            That field, where he used to wander by flying a large gaudy kite; that riverside, where he used to wander indolently   by shouting ‘taire naire na’ and conversing in his own tone; that narrow river in which he used to jump into it for swimming anytime of the day, those groups, mishaps, freedom, and after all that oppressive – unjust mother were used to attracting his mind.

            A kind of unreasonable love like animals- only a blind wish to get closer, merely inexpressible  perturbation without espying, like a boy who only  screamed  heartily ‘mother mother’ during twilight- these were only  being concussed in the mind of that ashamed, funky, lathy, tall, and unprepossessing boy.  There was no other boy who was as mindless and inattentive as him in the school. He used to look at the teacher like a stupid, when a question was being asked. When the master began to beat him, he used to tolerate it silently like a donkey which is weary of load. When the boys got break for playing, he observed the distant rooftops standing beside the window; when one or two boys were being viewed for playing something for a short moment on the sunlight of midday, his mind became solicitous.

            One day, after much endeavor and mustering enough courage, he asked his uncle “Uncle, when will we go to the mother”.

            Uncle replied, “Let’s have the vacation.”  In the month of Autumn, there will be a vacation of veneration, it is far away.

            One day, Fothik had lost the books of school. He could not even prepare his lessons so easily; furthermore after losing his books, he had become completely helpless. The teacher began to insult him extremely.  The situation had turned into such, as his cousin brothers feel ashamed to acknowledge the relationship with him. In his insult, they felt more amuse than the other boys. Being intolerant, one day Fothik could not but tell his aunt, ‘I have lost books’. Having showed anger by frowning her eyes, his aunt said, “Well done, I cannot buy you books five times in a month”.

            Having said nothing, he had come away- he became so brood by thinking that he was spoiling the money of other; his abjection and indigence made him so humble.

            On that night, having come back from school, he felt headache and trembling. He felt that the temperature of his body was going to rise.  He had realized that if he would suffer from illness, he would irritate his aunt unavailingly. His aunt would view this disease as unnecessary and unwanted exasperation and he could feel it. During disease, this worthless, queerish, and   stupid boy could not get care from anybody of the globe except his mother; he was feeling shy of expecting this.

            Next morning, Fothik could not be seen.  Having searched around the houses of neighbors, he could not be traced.  Moreover, on that night, it had been raining cats and dogs. Hence, people had been drenched in vain of searching him. At Last, having not found him anywhere, Bishoromborbabu had informed police.

            After all day long, at evening, a car had arrived and parked before   Bishoromborbabu’s home. Even at that time, it had been raining incessantly; there had been created knee deep water on the street.  After getting him out from the car, two policemen brought Fothik before Bishoromborbabu. His whole body had been wet and covered with mud, his face and eyes had been turned into blood-red, he had been shuddering. Being taken him almost in his lap, Bishoromborbabu took Fothik inside home.

            Having seen him, his aunt said, “Why, why we have to suffer for other’s son. Send him, send him to his home.” In fact, because of perturbation, she had not eaten well all day long, even had pothered with her sons without any reason.  

             Fothik started crying and said, “I was going to the mother, they have brought me back.”

             Temperature of the boy was going high and high. He had been dementing all night long. Bishoromborbabu had come back with a doctor. Having opened his blood-red eyes for once and astoundingly looking at the beam,   Fothik asked, Uncle have I got vacation?’

            Having wiped out his eyes with handkerchief and kept Fothik’s thin and warmth hand on his hand, Bishoromborbabu sat near him.

Fothik started grumbling again and said, “Mother don’t beat me, mother. Truly, I have not done any wrong.”

            Next day, having gained consciousness for a short time, Fothik looked around the room with perplexity. Being disappointed, he silently lay down turning his face towards wall.

            Having understood his feelings, Bishoromborbabu whispered in his ear, “Fothik , I have sent to bring your mother.”

            Even the next day went away. The doctor told anxiously and lugubriously that the condition was very awful. Sitting beside the sickbed in dim light, Bishoromborbabu was waiting every moment for the arrival of Fothik’s   mother.

            Fothik had been saying like sailors, “One fathom, ho, two fathom, hoo o o o” When the sailors came to Calcutta, they had to come some course through steamer, the sailors were used to measure the depth of water by throwing hook; Fothik was measuring the depth of water in the same tune of them and setting out for the boundless ocean, the boy was not getting the bottom by throwing rope.

            Just at that time, having entered inside the room like storm, Fothik’s mother started to mourn loudly. Bishoromborbabu desisted her mourn after much effort, having stumbled on bed, she bawled, ‘Fothik, my darling, my jewel.’

            Having answered easily, Fothik said, “Ae”

            Mother called him again, “Oh Fothik, my darling.”

            Without noticing anybody, Fothik turned his face on the other side and said mildly, “Mother, now, I have got vacation, now I am going home.”