The Rasgulla Seller

This is a true story. It is set about 12 odd years ago, when I was a boy in school. We lived in Salt Lake at the time, near Punjab National Bank in a block called BB. Our house was BB-212. It is where we got a dog; a Labrador named Chuni, with whom some of you are acquainted. This is a story involving Chuni and his love for rasgullas.

A seller of sweetmeats used to pass through BB block in the afternoons. He used to shout roshogolla chai roshogolla (Come and get rasgullas) We used to buy sweets from him. They were apparently home made, and they were fabulous. He used to carry sweets in two metal containers- one for those dipped in syrup and one for dry sweets. He was an aging Bengali man, who looked to me to be about forty. He had a medium height, a slight amount of stubble and a very kind face, with two glinting eyes.

This is where Chuni comes in. As I said, my dog came into our lives in BB. He was a puppy aged about six months when we got him. I should add here that I was slightly jealous of Chuni at the time, because of the attention he got. Within some time however, I started to love Chuni.

Another person who loved Chuni was this rasgulla seller. He would pass through the block on his bicycle, ring our bell without fail and present me and Chuni with two rasgullas. It so happened that his visits became frequent, and Chuni and I would both bolt to the door when we heard his cry. He came in to our house, wiped his sweaty face and drank a little water, before cycling off again. He never accepted payment for the rasgullas he gave to Chuni and me. He called me babu shona (little one) and when Chuni arrived and first met this man, his face lit up and he said that here was another babu shona.

Then, it so came to pass that we had to move out of BB-212. We moved to an area called Sreebhumi, which was close to Lake Town. 

Obviously, the rasgulla seller could not come that far and he bid us goodbye and good luck at our new house.

I was thinking about him today in the morning. I wonder how he is, where he is. I wonder if he is okay, or if some disease has struck him. He was a very kind and gentle man, who loved me and Chuni and the house. He wished me well. Sometimes, he would not come and on those days we would be crestfallen.

Isn’t it strange how a complete stranger, who earned his living selling sweets, had so much kindness to show me? It goes to show you what humanity is capable of.

Wherever he is, I wish him well.

The Bilge Master

PS- A rasgulla  is a type of Indian sweet, which is meant to be had dipped in sugar syrup