Indigo by Satyajit Ray

Author:Satyajit Ray [SATYAJIT RAY]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9789351180074
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2013-03-21T00:00:00+00:00

The Maths Teacher, Mr Pink and Tipu

Tipu closed his geography book and glanced at the clock. He had studied non-stop for exactly forty-seven minutes. It was now thirteen minutes past three. There was no harm in going out for a little while, was there? That strange creature had appeared the other day at around this time. Didn’t he say that he would come back again if ever Tipu had reason to feel sad? There was a reason now. A very good reason. Should he go out for a minute?

Oh no. Mother had come out to the veranda. He just heard her shoo a crow away. Then the cane chair creaked. That meant she had sat down to sun herself. Tipu would have to wait for a while.

He could remember the creature so well. He had never seen anyone like him—so short, no beard or moustache—yet he was not a child. No child had such a deep voice. But then, the creature was not old either. At least, Tipu had been unable to figure out if he was. His skin was smooth, his complexion the colour of sandalwood tinged with pink. In fact, Tipu drought of him as Mr Pink. He did not know what he was actually called. He did ask, but the creature replied, ‘It’s no use telling you my name. It would twist your tongue to pronounce it.’

Tipu felt affronted by this. ‘Why should I start stuttering? I can say things like gobbledygook and flabbergasted. I can even manage floccinaucinihilipilification. So why should your name be a tongue-twister?’

‘You couldn’t possibly manage with just one tongue.’

‘You mean you have more than one?’

‘You need only one to talk in your language.’

The man was standing under the tall, bare shimul tree just behind the house. Not many people came here. There was a large open space behind the tree, followed by rice fields. And behind these, in the distance, stood the hills. Tipu had seen a mongoose disappear behind a bush only a few days ago. Today, he had brought a few pieces of bread with the intention of scattering them on the ground. The mongoose might be tempted to reappear.

His eyes suddenly fell on the man standing under the tree.

‘Hello!’ said the man, smiling.

Was he a westerner? Tipu knew he could not converse for very long if the man spoke only in English. So he just stared at him. The man walked across to him and said, ‘Do you have reason to be sad?’

‘Sad?’

‘Yes.’

Tipu was taken aback. No one had ever asked him such a question. He said, ‘Why, no, I don’t think so.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Of course.’

‘But you’re supposed to be sad. That’s what the calculations showed.’

‘What kind of sadness? I thought I might see the mongoose. But I didn’t. Is that what you mean?’

‘No, no. The kind of sadness I meant would make the back of your ears go blue. Your palms would feel dry.’

‘You mean a very deep sadness.’

‘Yes.’

‘No, I am not feeling that sad.’

Now the man began to look rather sad himself.

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