MISSING WIFE

MERA NAAM JOKER

AND

A MISSING WIFE:

                                                  His name was Sudarsan, an absent minded doctor. He would take out other doctor’s ambassador car and keep it in his own garage without realizing his mistake. He would wear other doctor’s shirt after coming out of the operation theater. Not once but twice he went out to station one day after the train had left , because he got confused with 00:30 hours but was very particular about money matters.

Once he took his newly married beautiful wife for a night show film at Razak Talkies of Rourkela. That locality was like the Kashmira Gate area of Delhi, dangerous at night. The film was Mera Nam Joker, a long Hindi film with two interval  produced and directed by famous  Raj Kapoor which Indian public failed to understand. The film ended at 01:30 hours .Sudarsan had got a Vespa Scooter as gift which he had taken to the cinema hall, a soundless scooter.

After bringing out the scooter from the stand after producing the receipt from his wife’s bag he came to the main road. It was an early winter night, Sudarsan was wearing a muffler to counter act the cold wind while driving a two wheeler. His wife Preeti was very thin, hardly 47 kg in weight, very shy type of lady. Wearing a sari means one had to sit with the legs to one side, foot resting on a foot rest and holding husband’s belly or the hook behind the driver’s seat for a balance. Sudarsan without looking back presumed his wife has occupied the pinion seat and drove off the scooter and started talking with his nonexistent wife about the film and asked her to keep the house key ready. After driving for about ten minutes Sudarsan was annoyed because Preeti did not answer about the dinner they were going to eat at night? He searched for her soft hands with his left hand but it was a blank seat! He stopped the scooter and made an about turn to the same place where he had left his wife amidst ruffians. A newly married lady with a red sari and gold ornaments meant a dangerous combination at night asking for trouble. He was imaging many things and was more worried about the banging he would get rather than her safety.

                                                                                     Sudarsan returned to the same spot where he had left his wife. She was guarded by few male volunteers of that locality for her safety; time was 01:45 hours. Remember no mobile no PCR those days. Preeti with tears in her eyes kept quite but those people around her scolded Sudarsan in all sorts of slang language. Sudarsan did not utter a single word and kept a deafening silence, he knew it was a big mistake and anything could have happened to her but he was lucky it was not 2014 but 1974.

Sanjoy Kumar Satpathy.