By Khura Seraton
You open some paan dukans and eateries, and you call it some kind of festival. Yaare! Please take it away somewhere from here. We have enough of it`. Da Bung is an angry man these days. You know, he has been angry even before the festival had begun. He is someone who doesn`™t get upset so easily. Those who know him would agree. For most of the time, you will find Da Bung with a smile, but not this time. I told him that he should not be so harsh with his comments. `Ebungo Gyankumar. Don`™t feed me your gyan today`¦` But, Da Bung, I am not trying to `¦ He interrupted and continued, `Mr Speaker Sir, I have heard about something called House Arrest over the news channels sometimes `¦ the leader of so and so is under house arrest for his unwanted political activism against the establishment. But I am not a leader of any organisation. So are my family members. We are now under house arrest for committing the crime of residing at Palace Compound`. You can`™t call that a house arrest, Da Bung, I tried to reason. `Do you have a better word? Even if you have, keep it with yourself. You know what. We are given a Pass by the prabhu(s); a single Pass for the entire family members to move in and out from our own house. My children go to school. I go to work. My parents go to work. I too go to work. Tell me, should I distribute the Pass among us by cutting it into equal parts?`
What can we do about it, Da Bung? It`™s not only your family. There are other families in and around Palace Compound who have to take the same trouble as yours. The restrictions are just for ten days. `Ho Oya! Oya Gyankumaraa! I know what you are trying to say. Being a citizen I have to give cooperation to the organiser for successful conduct of the event. You mean to say that. Isn`™t it? Yes, I totally agree with it. Well, let me tell you one thing. Cooperation is something which you give voluntarily`. Da Bung, you are taking it too far. And I think our conversation will lead us to argument for the sake of it. I am just trying to point out that Da Bung is taking things personally. `Hold it right there, sir. I am not interested in any sort of argument. Nor do I have any intention to prove myself by demeaning you in an argument. As you have mentioned `personal`™, yes I do take things very personally`.
I realised our conversation was getting a bit heated. I could see Da Bung was getting excited. We have known each other for a long time. We often catch up and talk of so many things under the sun. Da Bung has been suffering from Migraine ever since I have known him. He had consulted with many doctors in the state to treat his Migraine. But the Migraine is still with him; giving him bad time when it pays its visit. Da Bung would try to bear the pain in his own way without any medicines. In fact, he has learned to live with the pain. But at times, the pain is unbearable to him. And I feel really helpless about it. Da Bung always tries forgetting his pain, or rather tries to keep it aside as if nothing is wrong with him. This is what I admire about him most. Besides, he is someone who always tries to light up the gathering with his ever pleasing persona. He is also techno-savvy, ready to be self-taught and also ready to experiment with assortment of electronic gadgets, lying around his bed and drawing room. I do take liberty to visit him when any of my gadgets go to sleep without any reasons. Da Bung will do the needful. Da Bung also administers a social network group which is especially for people who has Migraine like him. His group shares quite a lot of information besides their experiences of coping with Migraine and latest medical research finding on the subject. Thanks to the information technology.
Ever since the Sangai Festival had begun, Da Bung has not been able to connect with the internet, which means he has been cut off from his social media community since the last many days. To Da Bung and his group the social networking site has been a kind of Sanatorium. They take solace sharing their experiences of bearing pain induced by Migraine. This being the case, Da Bung has been grumpy, saying the festival has been the culprit causing cyber traffic jam.
He continued his talking, `I don`™t mind the noise, I don`™t mind the dust. You know, we are used to it. Bheigyachandra Open Air Theatre and the chains of public events that it has given space to have become almost a lullaby to us. What I really don`™t like is the security personnel searching the children`™s school bags when they go out for school`. They have to do it as part of their duty, Da Bung. They are just following orders. You know that. `Agreed, Gyankumar, agreed. But I always fail to explain to my children why their bags are checked when they asked after their return from school. That pain is more severe than Migraine`.