When Surendra Nath sits in the easy chair on his veranda, the sun prepares to hide behind the coconut trees. He crossed the threshold of seventy long ago. His skin hangs loose, and the veins on his hands stand out like blue ridges. A cataract has clouded his vision, but his mind remains as clear as a mirror.
Looking down from the balcony of his high-rise city flat, he watches the frantic rush of people. No one has a moment to look at another. Surendra reflects that life was exactly like this. Once, he was part of this same procession. He ran, he saved, he built a grand house. But today, in this massive skyscraper, he feels like a captive prince.
Chapter 2: Days Left Behind
Surendra's eldest son is settled in America. His middle daughter lives in Sylhet with her husband. The youngest son lives in this very city, but Surendra only sees him at the dinner table—and even then, only if the son returns early from the office. Everyone is busy. Everyone is absorbed in their own lives.
Lately, Surendra finds himself longing for his village in Sunamganj. A village by the haor where monsoon rains used to spray through the windows. There was poverty back then, but never this haunting silence. His wife, Arati, passed away five years ago. Had she been here, this loneliness might not have felt so sharp. Arati was the anchor of his life. Now that the anchor is gone, Surendra feels like a boat lost in the middle of the ocean.
Chapter 3: The Last Wish
One night, Surendra struggled to breathe. His eldest son called on video; the youngest brought a doctor. Everyone was frantic, but Surendra was calm inside. He knew the "call" had arrived. The fear of death did not consume him; instead, a sense of liberation beckoned him.
After recovering, he called his youngest son and said, "Son, will you take me to the village once? I have a great longing to see my ancestral home."
His son frowned in irritation. "Father, you can't handle that kind of strain in this condition. Besides, who is even there? It's all turned into a jungle."
Surendra smiled faintly. "A jungle is better, son. It's far more faithful than humans."
But Surendra's last wish carried no weight against the modern busyness of his son. They dismissed it as the whim of an old man, believing that intelligence fades with age. Surendra did not ask again. He realized his final desire would remain unfulfilled by them.
Chapter 4: A Strange Dream
One dawn, Surendra had a dream. He saw himself standing by the old pond in his village. Catkins (Kashful) were blooming everywhere. Arati, dressed in a saree, was fetching water at the ghat. She looked at him with a gentle smile and said, "Why are you so late? Come, the breeze is blowing by the riverbank."
Upon waking, Surendra felt strangely light. The weight on his heart had vanished. He decided that even if no one took him, he would go himself. With a little money in his pocket and a small bag, he slipped out of the flat at dawn. He told no one. This city, this captivity—he could no longer endure it.
Chapter 5: The Pull of the Roots
When he finally reached his village after a long journey, evening was falling. The village had changed; many brick houses had replaced the mud huts. But the breeze from the haor was exactly the same—the scent of wet earth and the familiar damp fragrance.
His ancestral home was now overgrown with weeds, the tin roof full of holes. Yet, to Surendra, it was the most beautiful place on Earth. He walked slowly onto the porch and sat down. He remembered his father sitting here smoking tobacco, his mother telling him stories in his childhood. Every corner of every brick seemed to whisper of his youth.
The villagers didn't recognize him at first. But when he introduced himself, old Kalu Chacha came and embraced him. Kalu was nearly ninety. He said, "Suren, you finally came back? I thought I'd never see you again."
Chapter 6: Supreme Peace
Surendra stayed at Kalu Chacha's house that night. There was no air conditioning, no dining table. But he slept with a depth he hadn't experienced in twenty years. The next morning, he went to the riverbank. Looking at the blue sky, he felt that perhaps this is how God forgives everyone's mistakes.
In the afternoon, he sat under the old mango tree on his property. His body felt weary. He leaned his back against the trunk. Surrounded by birdsong and the murmuring water of the haor, Surendra felt that all his gains and losses had finally merged into one. He realized that the end of life is not about reaching a destination, but returning to one's true self.
Chapter 7: A Silent Farewell
That evening, the villagers found Surendra Nath sitting under the tree. His eyes were closed in ultimate peace, a satisfied smile lingering on his face. Kalu Chacha called out to him, but Surendra did not answer.
His sons came from the city. They cried. They wondered why their father had left like this without a word. They failed to understand that Surendra's final journey was back to his roots. Beyond all the complexities of life, he had returned exactly where he wanted to be.
Conclusion
A person runs all their life in hope of happiness and wealth. But at the sunset of life, they realize that true happiness isn't in an expensive flat or in America. True happiness lies in the "Maya" (affection) of the place where they took their first breath. Surendra's story reminds us that every heart has a "village," a set of "roots." When we lose everything and become destitute, those roots offer us shelter.
The final chapter of life is about surrendering all quarrels, disputes, and ego to merge with nature. Surendra Nath won, because he found his way back. He didn't die in an old age home or a lonely apartment; he passed away in the courtyard of his memories. And that was the greatest achievement of his life.