Poet and Pulchritude

Bolpore is a small town in Bengal province. By train from Calcutta
it takes three hours to reach this picturesque town while by road four
hours are sufficient. Bolpore is essentially a university town. The
local university is famous for it's Liberal Arts department. Students
from all over the country take admission here every year. Flowing just
outside Bolpore is the Kopai river. The banks of this smallish river
are paved by pebbles, large and small. It is considered fashionable to
take a walk along the Kopai with your loved one in the evening
twilight. Another attraction of Bolpore town is Ravi T, the poet. Ravi
T is fifty years old. Born in a very rich family, he gave up wordly
comforts to embrace the Bolpore countryside. He writes nearly all the
time managing to finish upto three poems a day. One of these poems is
usually a song. The poet lives close to the left bank of river Kopai.
You can actually see the beautiful river from anywhere in the Spartan
house with a tin roof.
These days there is a new District Magistrate(DM) in Bolpore town. He
is a middle-aged man who studied medicine in his youth. With him is his
eighteen year old daughter Nina. The magistrate's wife is in Calcutta
recovering from typhoid. Nina is about to start university and her
father wants to send her abroad. Her father wants Nina to study
medicine like both her parents. Nina has secured high marks but her
interests are in music. Ever since they arrived in Bolpore Nina wanted
to meet the poet, Ravi T. She was able to do so only a fortnight into
their stay. Nina was disappointed by the poet's house. The walls were
simply bricks stuck together with cement. The roof was made of cheap
tin. There were only two rooms in the house. The large one from where
the entire Kopai river could be seen was where the poet met his
admirers every evening. This evening most of the people gathered were
lady students of the university. The poet had written a new song in the
afternoon and put it to tune. Clad in his long flowing robes he
proceeded to sing the song to the gathered crowd. After he finished he
asked whether anyone present would like to learn the song from him.
Nina got up and sang the song as Ravi T had sung it a few minutes
before. The poet seemed overcome with happiness. He asked Nina her name
and where she stayed. After knowing who she was he told her to ask her
father's permission before she came again. But Nina did come again.
Songs were written every day and the poet taught her the song before
anyone else. And it was she who sang for the evening crowd. Soon the
magistrate came to know of the evening soirees. The next day his
daughter was summoned at the breakfast table. 'Who is Ravi T?', her
father asked. She replied, 'He is the greatest poet in the world.'.
'What relation does that have with you?', said the magistrate. The
daughter said, 'He writes songs for me and asks me to sing them for his
daily assembly'. Her father continued, 'And how long are you going to
do this?'. 'All my life.', said Nina. After this conversation occurred
the people in charge of the magistrate's residential security were
asked to prevent his daughter from going anywhere. The poet knew
better. He would send one of the university girls with a song every
evening. And that made Nina very restless. In the end she decided to
speak to her father. The best time to do this was a Sunday when he was
at home. 'Dad', she said, 'I want to marry Ravi T.' 'What!', her father
exclaimed. She repeated her words. 'That's impossible. He is older than
both your mom and me. Besides, he has no income.'. Nina was adamant,
'But he loves me.' 'Did he tell you so?', the magistrate enquired. 'No,
but he said he likes girls who shut their eyes when thunder strikes and
are afraid of the storm wind.'. The magistrate raised both his eyebrows
and decided something needed to be done. The girl had to be kept away
from the poet or else she could be lead astray. The next day he told
his daughter that her mother had asked to see her. They drove down to
Calcutta. In Calcutta Nina was put on the next plane to Bombay and
admitted to a top Medical College there. In two months she had no
memory of either the poet or his songs.