Chotkamama's totka.

Chotkamama!!! as a child, he symbolised nothing but terror! But after a few decades that have passed since, Chotkamama's memories invokes only humorous pleasure. Every summer, we, along with mashimoni & mamamoni and their families took our annual mandatory trip to our mamabari in Jalpaiguri, till Dida was alive. Crossing the Ganges at Farakka in a steamer and boarding the train at Monikornika Ghat with the bulky holdalls and hefty trunks was excitingly troublesome.

Our mamabari was not restricted to dida's house only. As other relatives lived side by side, mamabari was one big community. Thatched tin roofed, partial wooden houses, courtyards in middle, aam bagan, lichu bagan here and there, made life much different and exciting from what we led rest of the year in our south kolkata existence.

Ranging from toddlers to grad students, our group was a diversified one. When the elders felt us uncontrollable, Maa or Mashimoni just had to scream........"CHOTKADAAAAA......" and there! Chotkamama was standing at the small window of his room with a daa (sickle) in his hand and in a thunderously cold voice would say...."Will behead all of you!!!" That was enough to freeze the whole gang for a few hours!

Chotkamama.... a bachelor, short, stocky, thinning grey hair, red eyes with an impish smile, owned a medicine shop. He had unique remedies for ailments. The 'bahe's, the local tribes who lived on the banks of the Teesta were his regular customers. The poor tribals who hardly had any money to pay the doctors' fees were offered free remedies by him. He, once suggested a tribal woman who complained that her son was suffering from worms, to apply gur(jaggery) at his anus. Chotkamama was sure that the worms, smelling the gur would come swarming out and the child would be dewormed easily without any medication.

He also suggested another tribal suffering from constipation, to bare himself and squat on the banks of the Teesta. Chotkamama was sure that the tickling green grass would relieve him of the constipation.

This was Chotkamama! ......long gone. The annual visits are now part of a fading memory..... but Chotkamama still remains lovingly in our ageing hearts as intense as the fear he evoked.