*BANAGRAM MEMORIES*_(46)

[We were describing about the then ‘Falgun Sankranti’ Festival’ at Banagram Ashram.]
The ‘Falgun Sankranti festival’ at Banagram did not continue so many days after I went to Banagram Ashram . When too many devotees started to come on the 25th December as it was Guruji’s birthday, then it was decided by the Ashram authority that the annual festival of the Ashram will be held on 25th December in place of ‘Falgun sankranti’. As usual, it continued.
In this way, the annual festival of the Ashram continued 12 years consecutively after the Ashram was established ( including 25th December and Falgun Sankranti). After then the annual festival in the Ashram was closed permanently due to a memorable incident. Let’s start talking of the incident.
That time (1990?) so many devotees used to come in the Ashram, even from 24th December for celebrating Guruji’s birthday on 25th December. Till then, ‘Charaibeti’ ( the publication office of the ashram) room cum dispensary, which had three verandas was set up and the one storied building (now it is three storied building) near the ‘Battala’ (the area beneath the banyan tree of the Ashram) was also set up. The two storied building of the mission office was also established. The second storey of the office building was packed up with men and women (till then, the men and women devotees rested there side by side. No inconvenice as well as complaint was lodged). The three verandas of the mud house ‘Charaibeti’ were surrounded by the sacks and these verandas were covered at first with straw and then with carpets. These places were booked quickly as soon as the devotees were coming. To keep the handbag there meant to capture the place- it was the system. The one storied building of the orphan hostel near the ‘Battala’ was inhabited by the orphan boys and their guide- maharajs. There was no opportunity to capture this place by some others. The roof of the building was accommodated temporarily with the help of bamboos and tarpaulins- this place was also packed up.
In this situation, it started raining since the 24th December, afternoon.This rainfall was not an ordinary rainfall- it was raining and raining ie It was raining continuously. The rainfall started since the 24th December, afternoon and it continued the whole night, even till the 25th December, afternoon at a stretch. After then also, it did not stop. After a break, it started raining heavily again. What a rainfall !!! It was undescribable ! In the beginning of the ‘monsoon season’, and in the Bengali month of ‘Bhadra’, ‘Ashwin’, in case of depression- this kind of rainfall may occure. But, in the winter, this kind of rainfall was impossible !!
As a result, a large number of people got in the extreme trouble. Besides, the devotees who got out of his house for coming in the Ashram, they also got stuck on the mid way somewhere else. The devotees who wanted to come in the Ashram next morning, they were also not able to come in the Ashram. The fuels such as woods and the other materials which were ready for cooking, they all went in waste. Very few people were present there to cook. Who would cook getting wet in the winter? Hundreds of devotees who came, they were bound to sit in their own seats, silently- they were not able to get out. In this circumstance, to arrange something for eating was a problem but the more problem was that no one was able to get out for toilet ! The children and the old age persons were the most victims in that situation.
After then a storm started to blow at night. The temporary tent which was set up on the roof of the orphan hostel building, collapsed and it fell upon the people who sheltered there. The people who took shelter there got wet as well as they were shelterless. They were bound to take shelter in the one storied, packed up orphan hostel building. The three verandas of ‘Charaibeti’ office which were surrounded by the sacks, got wet and the ground of these places also got drenched. In these places, at least 100 persons sat packed up(the dispensary room, the room of the two rooms, was small in size. Dipti Maharaj, other doctors and some other maharajs used to stay there. And the big room was the ‘Charaibeti Karyalay’ (the publication office of the Ashram), generally Swami Swarupananda Maharaj and Joydeep used to stay there. Besides, some devotees rested on the ground floor at night or in the afternoon). All the devotees spent the night staying awake or lying and in this situation, their body from foot to head got wet !! And at that troublesome night, who would keep the news of who stayed where or who was doing what? (to be continued…)
[Translated by Ramprasad, a former student of Banagram Ashram.]