Princep Ghat in Kolkata, a metropolitan city of Eastern India, was a haven for peace lovers. Boat rides, strolls along with the bank and food stalls pulled people. Far away from the chaos, it was the apt choice for almost everyone. The ambiance acted as a balm for tense nerves. Once a week visit refreshed Somdutt to great lengths. Too much work mentally and physically exhausted him. Money was not a problem now. Circumstances got him into this dark spot of crime but he knew how to feel good about life. Sitting all by himself observing families at Princep Ghat had their joys, questions, regrets, and smiles too. Occasional small talk with strangers was no big task for him ever. Lush greenery in the backdrop of the Hooghly River always helped him to deflect and reflect. It was a very hard childhood to cope with in the first place. A drunkard father is a let down more so when all he thinks of is booze. Shirking responsibilities of raising a motherless child was common knowledge for locals. Somdutt had to work in dhabas, small roadside hotels, to fend for himself and his dad from the age of six. Twenty years of struggle landed him in bad company. Guidance from parents paves a way for children. Survival pushed him to do things that clouded the judgment of what is wrong or right. This ghat was his refuge. It had all that he craved for. Freedom, revelry, serene atmosphere, possibilities, and hope.

His lean and lanky avatar with average features helped keep unwanted attention at bay. He was a healthy man mostly thanks to the filth he stayed with over the years. Being immune was natural and he was not a womanizer either. Love did not knock on his door nor did he ever allow it to come near him for reasons. He opted to stay alone by choice. The lesser the baggage, the fewer are things to deal with later. The slums of Kolkata taught him a lot and he wanted to rise above the murky waters at all costs. For the world, he was employed as a security guard in a porsche mall of Kolkata but he had all the luxuries of the world at his feet no one knew that except his God and his colleagues from his hidden world of crime. It was the best alibi and cover for any reported incidents as he could never fall under the radar of suspicion courtesy of his job at the mall. Only a fortnight ago a week-long Doctor’s strike due to violence towards their community had created a furor as it was becoming a recurring incident. 2019 was no different but it was a turning point in Somdutt’s life. His regular place of gay abandon was to help him undergo a transformation really? Who knew?

The glistening river and the Hooghly Bridge towering above make it an amazingly beautiful place for quiet hours. Boat rides were soothing, transformative and acted as an elevation to a different level for Somdutt and he was addicted. Submerging his hands in water to feel its current was a completely different feeling every time. He used to go sit on one of the benches facing the river to feel it all once again before heading home for a good guilt-free sleep. Just that June nights occupied his thoughts post that intriguing meetup with that interesting man of 40 years one of the June evenings. Srikant approached the same bench with a cigarette in his lips and sat without asking whether it was reserved for anyone else. Somdutt found it a little curt a move but kept silent. A couple of calls were wrapped in a jiffy and Srikant pulled out another cigarette. Somdutt just couldn’t hold back then and said.

“It seems you love to be a walking talking chimney and kill the beauty of this place. Why so much love with this destructive habit if I may ask?” glared Somdutt.

“O hi, it has become a chronic habit and I have no control just that this place here helps me reduce the number to a great extent. Slowly I am downhill and one packet is enough to seal the entire day. Earlier two packets were not even any close to fulfilment. So yes I call it progress, don’t you agree?”

“Indeed it is progress. Glad this place is helping. Are you a regular here too?” asked Somdutt.

“Yes you can say, it’s a need more than a want to keep my sanity in check. Good bumping into you just that I got to go buddy” answered Srikant Sahai and left.

June was a hot month in most of India and Princep Ghat came to the rescue for many. In a span of two days, a second bumping at the same venue was no surprise. They were in the same boat this time and it was not a wonder at all. Sunsets had a beautiful orangish hue and the serenity that transcended in the middle of the river on boat rides and otherwise emanated their own conversations for interested listeners. Somdutt lighted his cigarette after a brief hi and Srikant nodded with two eye blinks back to back.

“After God, this river and this vast expanse is witness to our silent conversations. So many people come here and decant themselves mentally yet it flows with the same tranquility each day. Who knows it has complaints or requests to shut up and let this vastness be as it is. Why overburden it with human thoughts and anguish each one of us holds? Does this angle cross your mind, dude?” questioned Srikant.

“I feel we are one in so many ways. Mute spectators, yet we soak so much in just like this landscape that pulls people here in throngs. Observations subconsciously get registered, some we overlook willingly and some just take their place. I guess this landscape, as well as this river, does that too.” opined Somdutt.

Srikant and Somdutt had a reassuring look and they both resumed looking at the dark night twinkling with stars above. Both were oblivious to the fact that there was a third person who was clicking pictures from a very wide angle from the fruit chat stall standing on one of the banks of the River Hooghly. Srikant shared that he happens to work at one of the plastic factories and this quietude gave him the much-needed breather from the muck and noise a factory throws at people. Somdutt shared that rotational shifts at the mall aid him to indulge in this activity for a fresh feel of life. An air-conditioned block suffocates him to no end. Looking at people as threats was a lot different from people enjoying these carefree hours at the ghat. People were not on their guard and that helped him let his hair down too.

“So what do you have to say about these people who when out are still neck-deep in their smartphones ignoring the beauty of nature. What a waste I tell you when actually one can share, intermingle and talk. I see families here but they are not together. Each one of them is isolated with their own gadgets clicking pictures and not enjoying the moment. Life is much more than freezing moments just to get the most likes. Right!” added Srikant.

“Same reason I don’t carry a phone when here at the ghat Mr. Chimney. I prefer capturing it all in my heart and mind.” laughed Somdutt.

There was never a need to know names. Both men had aliases. For Srikant, Somdutt was bamboo as he was lean. Srikant was curly-haired with a little ponch and wore spectacles. They crossed each other’s paths with a little chit-chat on politics, lifestyles, places and went their separate ways. No strings were attached but there was a bond on its way. No expectations with shared interests that sometimes had complete silence and sometimes discussions that ended in picking snacks from the closeby food stalls. Stretching from 30 to 45 mins they strolled together and left for their respective places. Somdutt loved Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Srikant had his side for the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP). The two warring political parties had devout followers and their growing bond did see some disagreements that ended on a friendly note. June saw many such escapades that made life a little stressful. There were days when a brief hi was exchanged and that was it. They were not best buddies nor were they lovers. Just two strangers who were getting familiar who loved Nature and its divine beauty.

Srikant loved children but very early in life, he got hurt while cycling. The cycle had skidded and an iron rod had got stuck in his groins as the magnitude of the halt was huge. It snatched his ability to make babies and this ghat was solace in so many ways now. He had brief affairs with women who preferred no marriage angle in their relationships. This worked in his favor and was less stressful. Somdutt had his dual life in place. Srikant’s entry into that life was welcome as no real identities were shared, only his face was recognizable and becoming usual for Srikant. This was not a huge problem as being a security guard on the face of it had hundreds of people seeing him every day at the mall with no references in particular.

June was coming to an end. Like always, monthly executions were in place. July was slated for a clean chit. In the last week of June just after Somdutt returned from his usual Princep Ghat visit his cell phone beeped and an image came with all the details. The photo was of Srikant Sahai, son of the plastic factory owner Sreenath Sahai who was in a coma for two years now. Srikant had not complied to give 20% of his profits to the local goons and he was on their hit list. Two years Somdutt’s colleagues tried to get Srikant to accept the terms but all to deaf ears it was. Somdutt had been given the contract to evict him from his boss’s path for better prospects. The moment he saw the photo Somdutt’s heartbeat raced. He started sweating and an anxiety attack had taken charge. What a cruel way to bring back to his senses, he thought. He was beginning to live normally all thanks to Srikant and now he had to kill him. Years of killings had made him numb and reclusive. But Srikant’s mindless smoking was making sense to him now. The details also had inputs about his childhood accident. The company he worked with had done their homework well. Dilemma rested on his mind for two whole nights.

God was playing with Somdutt again he felt. This execution was too heavy a price the almighty was asking for. The only family he had was to be removed from the face of the earth. In Spite of being such a rich man, Srikant was so down to Earth and led a simple life. He filled his revolver with the only magazine he had with disgust, angst, and tears streaming down his cheeks. With a heavy heart, he headed towards Princep Ghat and found Srikant sitting in the boat. Somdutt sat in the boat too and asked the boatman to make a move. The boatman obliged. Srikant had bought hot samosas for the boat ride and offered it to Somdutt with a fruit beer. Somdutt smiled with a very deep look. The black packet that carried the samosas and fruit beer he took it from Srikant turned his back and kept the revolver in it and threw it in the river.

“What did you just throw in the river and contaminated it with. You were the one who checked me for being a chimney. Now look what you did yourself?” shouted Srikant.

“I got rid of something that caged my being. It was weighing me down for years. It’s the perfect time to set myself free once and for all buddy.” confessed Somdutt.

The samosas were a shade tastier in the company of Srikant and fruit beer for Somdutt that June sultry night of 2019.