1 Chapter 1: My Barrister Babu

(Circa 1931)

"Objection, My Lord!

Barrister Roy Chowdhury is clearly confusing my client." The defence attorney banged the table expressing his discontent at the proceedings.

"Objection overruled."

"Thank you, My Lord." Awnirudh smirked at the agitated defence attorney Lalmohan Chaturvedi.

"So, Mr. Sarkar, where were we?" Awnirudh turned around, facing the man standing inside the witness box, nervously licking his dry lips.

"Oh, yes, we were talking about Shashi Bala Debi and your child."

"Not my child." The man growled under his breath and gritted his teeth.

"That we'll see... But, first tell me Samaresh Sarkar, when did you first realise that you were in love with Shashi Bala Debi?"

Samaresh Sarkar felt uneasy under Barrister Awnirudh's intense steady gaze.

"I... I never loved her!"

He mumbled.

"Never?"

Awnirudh reinforced on his answer and Samaresh Sarkar found his renewed vigour.

"No... Never... I never loved that wretched woman!"

Awnirudh quietly walked towards the juries table and picked up a tray covered with a red cloth. He carefully brought it infront of the restless man and slowly unsheathed the covering, revealing it's content to all.

"Let's see... Two diamond rings, a pair of earrings... And, gold bangles, necklaces... Wow... That's a lot of gift for someone whom you have never loved!"

Awnirudh made a chuckling noise.

"I give gifts to everyone, I have a lot of money you see..."

Samaresh Sarkar chuckled nervously licking his dry lower lip once again.

"No wonder you have so many witnesses testifying for you." Awnirudh smiled calmly.

"Objection, My Lord.

Barrister Babu is clearly insulting my client." Chaturvedi barked from behind his table.

"Sustained."

Chaturvedi's face curled up into a bright satisfaction as he shared a quick victorious glance with Awnirudh.

"So, Samaresh Sarkar, let's come to the point. How many other women have you been giving gifts to?" Awnirudh's eyes were focused on his, making his throat dry.

"My... Mother... Sisters... Banumati..."

"Oh please... I'm not talking about your family members, Mr. Sarkar, I hope you are old enough to understand that."

Samaresh swallowed hard and replied.

"None."

"None!" Awnirudh repeated his answer.

"I have done a bit of digging into your finances, you don't do much charity either."

"Charity! Hell no... I don't invest without any returns." Samaresh Sarkar grinned proudly.

"Please note the words My Lord, Mr. Sarkar claims not to invest without any returns... So, what return was he expecting from Shashi Bala Debi against all these expensive gifts?"

"Objection!"

"Objection overruled." The judge furrowed his eyebrows and looked visibly interested at the argument that Awnirudh Roy Chowdhury was establishing.

"Thank you, My Lord. The return that Samaresh Sarkar was rooting for was Shashi Bala Debi's heart, and her trust. They loved each other. And, now he is clearly denying the outcome of their love, their newborn baby! This man is guilty not only in the court of law, but also in the court of humanity... And hence, should be duly condemned. He should not only take responsibility of his child and the mother, but also be fined for defaming a woman publicly."

Awnirudh breathed the words.

"That's all Your Honour."

The British judge duly nodded his head as the maestro Barrister Awnirudh Roy Chowdhury played his closing notes with skillfully proficiency.

"The court is to be adjourned for the next three hours."

...

The freshly painted small room inside the Alipore Judge Court was brimming with excitement as Barrister Awnirudh pushed the green wooden door to enter inside.

"Excellent Dada... What a speech!"

Batakrishna Roy Chowdhury almost pounced on his elder brother, hugging him with all his might. Since childhood Awnirudh had always been his hero, his icon and today after witnessing his courtroom performance Batakrishna couldn't help but feel a sense of overwhelming pride for his brother.

"Too soon to celebrate Batuk, too soon." Awnirudh let out a sigh as another pair of happy eyes greeted him with admiration.

"Might be too soon, but you were tremendous today, Barrister Babu." A beautiful lady in her late teens approached towards him, cradling a six months old baby girl in her arms.

"Ta...ta...ta..." The baby girl extended her small arms towards Awnirudh as he readily took her in his arms.

"See, even Rudhi agrees that you were brilliant." The young lady smiled brightly.

"But, Vandita, this is a doomed case. I'm fighting this case purely based on reasoning and assumption... Law demands evidences and witnesses, and we have none!"

Awnirudh sank down slowly into one of the wooden chairs and made baby Rudhi sit on the table top.

"But, Dada... You'll have to win. This would be your fiftieth case and fiftieth win!" Batuk pulled another chair and sat infront of him.

"Shashi Bala is a clever woman, Batuk. Hence, she approached Vandita instead of me." Awnirudh smiled calmly.

"You mean she trapped me emotionally to make you help her?" Vandita gaped.

"Come on Boudi, ofcourse she did... She befriended you, she cried to you and in turn made you promise that dada would fight her case." Batuk promptly replied.

"But, but she looked genuine to me!" Vandita rolled her eyes. "I met her on the day of my college admission... She seemed really nice!"

"Hm... But, my intuition says that the baby is not Samaresh Sarkar's." Awnirudh hummed the words as he let Rudhi play with his fingers.

"What!" Vandita gasped as she quickly exchanged a glance with an equally surprised Batuk.

"I don't know for sure, as the lady won't tell me the truth, but I feel... " Awnirudh suddenly paused looking at Rudhi, as she had put Awnirudh's thumb in her mouth, sucking on it happily.

"Tell me something Vandita, how can someone determine whether Rudhi is my biological daughter or not?" Awnirudh threw the question reflectively.

"There is no scientific procedure invented yet, as per my knowledge, but well, people would perhaps try to identify your features with hers... "

"Or may be habits or behaviour!" Batuk promptly added.

"Right! Habits and behaviour!" Awnirudh repeated the words calmly making some mental note.

"Dada... As for Rudhi, a very strange observation is that she pouts the way boudi does, despite she not being her biological mother." Batuk remarked as Vandita rolled her eyes in question.

"Also, she gets very happy if someone plays a flute to her... Something which her birth parents loved."

"Hm...! Some traits are hereditary while some are acquired."

Awnirudh breathed sharply.

"But, in this case, my dear brother, we have neither the time or the luxury to establish behavioral similarities... Unless..."

The door burst opened, startling the trio as a woman in her early twenties rushed inside the door, carrying a small baby boy of ten months.

"Shashi Bala Debi! Batuk jumped up from his chair as he saw the woman throwing herself at her brother's feet.

Awnirudh inched back a few steps.

"Madam, please get up." Awnirudh's tone was calm. "My wife is the reason I've taken your case, but Shashi Bala Debi, I'd have appreciated if you had told me the truth."

The vehemence of his composed words raised a havoc inside Shashi Bala's heart.

She got up slowly and turned towards Vandita, folding her hands in a plea.

"Vandita, if I'm guilty of anything, that would be using you to get your husband's help. But trust me, sister, people like Samaresh Sarkar are big sharks... Blinded by power and money. And, if anyone have had the courage to be his prosecutor, that had to be the one and only Barrister Awnirudh Roy Chowdhury."

"But you shouldn't have implemented deception." Vandita muttered softly, as she sighed and looked away.

"It's not about blotching my brother's perfect record, it's about morality. It's about what's right and what's wrong." Batuk blurted out sharply at the woman, as fat tears rolled down her cheeks.

She inched towards the table and seated her son on it beside Rudhi.

"Vandita, you are a mother yourself, atleast you should understand why I did this... I had no way out. Samaresh Sarkar is not a good man. He has tainted a lot of young women, and had silenced them with his money. His father tops him in ruthlessness." Shashi Bala paused to wipe her tears.

"The man I loved, Pritesh Mukujee, was involved in the Swadeshi movement. I had no money, alone in this big city of Calcutta, I had to sustain myself. Then I met the leech. Samaresh Sarkar promised me a marriage, a home, and I won't lie, I was drawn towards his deceiving temptations. He had tried to force himself on me on a number of occasions. But, then one night Pritesh came back... It was a stormy night. We secretly got married in the durga temple and then he left after two days... And that was the last time I saw him."

Shashi Bala's voice choked as she gripped the edge of the table to balance herself. Batuk quickly placed a wooden chair infront as Awnirudh gestured her to sit down.

"Barrister Babu, whenever Samaresh Sarkar would come to my house, he used to be drunk mostly. We never... " Shashi Bala paused and looked down fidgeting with her hands.

"The day I got to know that I'm carrying Pritesh's baby, I also got another news..." Shashi Bala looked up straight into Awnirudh's eyes.

"Pritesh's death news. He was shot to death by the British police near Jhargaon."

The small room felt silent as a sharp shiver ran down Vandita's veins.

"Water?" She extended the half filled covered glass towards Shashi Bala.

"Don't misunderstand me sister, I was helpless... I had no one to turn to... I had nowhere to go! And, I knew if any god can save my son's life, that has to be your husband."

"But, the child is not Samaresh Sarkar's." Batuk interjected.

"How can my brother help you? For you today he would lose his case for the first time."

Awnirudh raised his hand to stop his brother.

"So, tell me Shashi Bala Debi... Why do you think you deserve justice?" Awnirudh asked her calmly.

"It's more of Samaresh Sarkar deserving punishment than I justice. He has wronged a lot of women. He has fathered a number of bastard children... And everytime, his father has silenced them with power and money. None ever had the strength or courage to challenge him." She paused to take a breath, as a fresh jolt of tears ran down her cheeks.

"I have nothing to lose, Barrister Babu, and that has given me the courage to stand against him. Pritesh is gone, and now with Samaresh's name and money, my son would have a decent life to live... That's all I want... That's all I want."

Shashi Bala broke down into tears, hiding her face with her hands. Her lingering sobs created a ripple effect inside the room, first her son and then Rudhi started to reciprocate to her sadness as their softer sobs gradually grew louder competing with each other's.

"Ole le le... Rudhi Sona..." Vandita promptly cradled baby Rudhita in her arms as Batuk quickly pulled out a wrapped lollipop from his pocket and slipped it inside the baby's mouth gently.

Rudhi stopped at once.

Shashi Bala had picked up her crying son in her arms and hurried outside the room, visibly embarrassed at the sudden outbreak inside the room.

The room fell silent once again, except for Rudhi's soft cooing that delightfully added a calming note to the otherwise tensed ambience of the room.