Saturday, September 26, 2020

|||KARONA-CHASHA|||

MoKatha of 23rd Sept. '20 on www.nirvaynews.com Odia paper rediscovering farming in pandemic by two borthers of Bangalpur, Brajabandhu and Chakradhar respectively known as Baraju and Chhakadi by two characters of epic Odia novel "Matira Manisha" by a novelist of good mix of Gandhi and Marx, Kalandi Charan Panigrahi; the novel is picturised by another legendary filma maker Mrinal Sen. Well, the column has taken two broethers of distinct characteristiscs; the elder serious studious and the younger carefree take it ease village boy. Baraju studied and went on serching soils around India as a geologist and on retirement settled at Shailashree Vihar, Bhubaneswar the city of retirees. Chhakadi not getting well in studies and later on inspiration from fellow village boys leaves Bangalpur for Surat for livelihood and finally managed a hut to settle down in Surat. The family relations fortunately are managed by facebook family group- the relations online. Barajy hardly came village on being in job for his kids' exams because to grow up kids needed to fill in the right boxe for a question as fast as possible. Baraju wife found worth in filling up the boxes. But easy boy Chhakadi used to come to village Dola Yatra that since few years had been dominated by DJs and Chinese cheap lights for the village delights. It gets Chhakadi every year for a week. That way Chhakadi is still connected and clamis a matira manisha - the son of the soil. Baraju also tells so , because he had seen all the soils of the Nation as a geologist. It's pandemic. Both the brothers are caught each other online to say, let's go back to village; town is hell with virus. The elder in high risk of Carona accepts the idea and extends to farming and living in green. The youndger reminds the elder when in hey days both though of nuisance of holding cultivable land for the hecklings of farmers taken the land for cultivation on seasonal informal contratcts. These farmers have become demanding and both brothers got annoyed to dispose off the lands the head. The plan for cultivation in Karona time is stuck at the dead end of Karona Chasha ! While the elder wonders what they can eat being back to Bangalpur, the smart younger puts hope on free rations by the government- he tells that because he has not read another epic Odia novel Sasti by Kanhucharan Mohanty in the last part of 20th century. In Sasti the hero hates to go for free food in the midst of the worst Bengal famine; the time has changed so also people of the contemporary Odia society.

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