But the accident happened at last. Then the ashram boys, outsider devotees and the group of masons ( the group of masons are the inhabitants of Nabadwip- Mayapur, they have been working in Banagram Paramananda Mission for 25/30 years. They needed to go nowhere. The constructions in the ashram have been going on consecutively. Usually, they have been staying in Banagram Ashram.) used to bathe in the ashram pond because there were only three tube wells in the ashram till then. The pond was not concreted till then. Besides, the local farmers irrigated for cultivating their land by the pump from the pond. Sometimes, the ashram authority also did this.For these reasons, there was too less water in the pond. In the middle of the pond, water was upto the chest, but in the circumference it was upto the knee, maximum upto the waist.
But the accident took place in this situation!!! The son of Chhoto Kaka, Bapi, went down to bathe in the pond with the ashram boys (then at least there were 35/40 orphan boys in the ashram.). The ashram boys went up from the pond but Bapi did not – no one noticed it. The hundreds of outsider devotees went down to bathe in the pond – no one saw anything. At the end, the group of masons (they were 10/15 in number) went down to bathe in the pond. They also noticed nothing. (Later one of them told that when he was bathing in the pond, something was touched by him. He seemed that it might be a big fish. Perhaps, that matter was the clue to trace Bapi’s dead body.)
All the day was spent. In the early afternoon Chhoto Kakima ( the wife of Chhoto Kaka. In Bengali, Kakima means aunt.) spent most of this time in Guruji’s cottage. (Later, it was heard that Bapi was passing away in this time.) After then Chhoto Kakima had gone her home. Chhoto Kaka or Chhoto Kakima did not search their children seriously because they knew that their children stayed or ate in the ashram and they took their rest to Dipti Maharaj or Tapi Maa. Many times they stayed with the ashram boys. In the afternoon, when Chhoto Kaka and Chhoto Kakima went to the ashram for attending the sitting – then they started to search Bapi. Their daughters ( Tuku, Liku, Buni) knew nothing about Bapi. One by one – Hari Maharaj, Dipti Maharaj, Tapi Maa, Reba Maa – none was able to tell something about Bapi. The ashram boys also were not able to say something about Bapi. Then, whether Bapi was sitting in any house of his neighbours???
The children of Chhoto Kaka used to go to almost every house of Banagram because all the villagers respected the family members of Mukherjee house, especially Chhoto Kaka because all the inhabitants of the village were very much pleased due to Chhoto Kaka’s cordial behaviour. But Bapi was not found in any house of Banagram. Hari Maharaj, Dipti Maharaj, Tapi Maa, Murari Maharaj and the others were also searching him. During the sitting in the afternoon, Tapi Maa once went to Guru Maharaj to tell Him that Bapi was not found.
Before a little bit of evening, Guru Maharaj completed His sitting. He stood up and went to His room. The evening prayer time came soon. The devotees gathered for the prayer. Many devotees were roaming here and there. During the evening, Guruji said to Tapi Maa, “Tell Murari to search the pond once.” That’s all. Murari Maharaj jumped into the water of the pond in bare body when he got an order from Guru Maharaj. Following Murari Maharaj, some ashram boys and brahmacharis and the group of masons jumped into the water of the pond. There was not too much water in the pond. So, in few minutes, Bapi’s body was traced. The body was found in the same place where one of the masons touched something in the pond.
[Translated by Ramprasad, a former student of Banagram Ashram.]
BANAGRRAM MEMORIES – (69)
