Abol tabol , the red book and my uncles

Most probably that was my fourth or fifth birthday. Bishum came home that afternoon with a bunch of books and told those were my birthday present. They were hard bound books with blue back side and a coloured glossy cover. The inside papers used to have animated representations and that is how I first got introduced to shukumar roy's collection. Pagla dashu was my most favourite characer throughout and even now when I read the same, I just cannot ontrol my laughter. Thanks to Bishum for introdcing to such a nice collection. Infact Bishum was the one who used to take me to school and I still remember the reband golden threaded round bag he got for me, my first tiffin box and water bottle for going to school, his and rangama's excitement for taking me to school for the first time, there frustation when I used to make them feel ashamed for crying in the school. He used to infact scare me telling he will throw me in the drain if I cry after reaching school. But the same story used to repeat everyday.

In our house, Anka ( Bachhu or Subrata, my youngest Uncle) was somebody whom I have not met till then after I grew up ( as he left for USA for his MS when I was about to come to this world , next visited when I was around one and half year old and after that when I was in first standard. So I remember him from the time when I was in first standard and that was jsut after bhai's ( Bubun) birth. But by that time I aleady have a picture of him always in my mind as I grew up listening stories as how brilliant he is. I heard how he used to teach maths to Dadabhai (Kankan) and make him count from hundred to one. How horrified dadabhai used to take shelter under dadubhai's chair to get saved from Anka's tarchar of making Vidya sagarr out of him. But still I used to think dadabhai was lucky enough to have Anka around in his childhood and I used to eagerly wait for the time when I will get to meet Anka. He was already a Hero for my by then. I used to wait for those small colourful post cards with nice pictures in one side and some lines scribbled by him on the other side of it with black ink or jet blue ink. That was infact my interaction with Anka. Whenever the postman used to come I used to wait eagerly if there is something from him. One fine day he send for me a red book with some pictures of nicely dressed mouse along with a picture of himself in which he is wearing the graduation black robe and hat. In that special red book for me it was written in the first yellow page with a red pen, 'To Dona with love, Anka". Though I couldn't read properly, somebody explained me the story based on the pictures and I started repeating that. That book was again really special for me. The most treasurable gift from Anka probably which already has its existance only in my memory perhaps.