Look! a five-battery torch

We looked here and there to find if anybody had left it by mistake. But there was no one. Seeing all this my whole body started shivering, I was not able to utter a single word, of fear or of excitement, I don’t know.

By Ranita Sinha, Kolkata

Way back in the year 1996 me, my sister and my parents went to visit our relatives 

at our parental village, Tinokhal in Patherkandi, Assam. It was in the month of January. Those days there was a saying that Lord Shiva, Durga and Ganesha emerged at a farmer's house at a village called Nuagang.

I am not a person, who believes in superstitions or ghosts or such things. I was not able to believe what I heard. But people from far and wide were coming to have a glimpse of the miracle. Curious to know the whole thing, I asked one of my cousin to take me there. He instantly refused saying that it was quite far and we had to walk more than 5 Kms, up and down. But I somehow convinced him.

That evening at around 6 o'clock, me, my sister and three of my cousins set out for the adventure. To reach the village there was no other way than walk along a narrow road by the river Longai.It was a kuccha road where one side lies the river and the other side vast paddy fields; miles and miles away there was no sign of human habitat. Moreover, it was dark and chilled. We did not even carry a torch light with us.

While we were walking along, we were so tired and we even could not walk fast as it 

was very dark. That time I told to one of my cousins mockingly " Dada ajikar Durga Ema ago huttume go oilete, path gor hadigor maje panch batterier torch ago dok banai" (Dada, if at all today's Durga Ma is real let her provide us with a five battery torch). Hearing my words all of us had a big laugh.

Anyway after walking for more than one and half hours we reached the house of the farmer. We saw lots of people who came to have a look of the deities. Before entering the house we were asked to wash our hands and feet. When we entered the house we saw three beds in a room. Upon the beds three different structures were formed with paddy. The people present there told us that the structures were formed itself. Some of the people present there, showed us which structure was of Lord Shiva, Durga and Ganesha. But truly speaking we could not understand anything. Still we bowed with full devotion and started our back journey.

While walking back we were busy enquiring each other if anybody was able to make out the structures but none of us had the answer. All of a sudden one of my cousins said "Look! a five-battery torch". The torch was lying on the middle of the road. We all got stunned, as it seemed as if my wish had come true. We looked here and there to find if anybody had left it by mistake. But there was no one. Seeing all this my whole body started shivering, I was not able to utter a single word, of fear or of excitement, I don’t know.

After sometime I asked my cousins to take the torch along with us. But they laughed at me and said that I was crazy to talk like that. They said that while picking the torch, if somebody would come and claim it we would be embarrassed. I somehow got convinced with what they said and resumed our back journey.

But all the way back I was thinking- was that a sign which Durga Mata wanted to show me that she does exist? Was it a blessing of Durga Mata which I left behind? Or were my cousins right that somebody might have left it behind by mistake? Whatever may be the questions, I did not get the answer as yet.

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