Dharitri woke up at midnight and habitually felt the space on the bed beside her with her hands. Then she sat up in the dark and saw that light was on in the next room. Her jaw hardened in anger, she approached the next room silently.
She stopped abruptly in front of the door. On the door was written "Chamber of Worship". She opened the semi-closed door forcibly and going near the table asked roughly, "will you stay awake tonight also"?
Mohidhar Sen was busy with his work bending over the table with his back at the door. He looked at Dharitri once through his thick lenses and then resumed his work. A greatly annoyed Dharitri sat on the stool beside him and said, "So you won't sleep tonight also?"How long will you go on like this? How long will you be absent from school?
Mohidhar answered calmly, "I'll join as soon as I finish the work I'm doing". "And when is that?" asked Dharitri in an angry voice!
"I have told you - after I finish my work".
'What will you achieve doing all this rubbish? Dharitri continued in a sarcastic tone, "An endeavour to save the Earth! The Earth will be saved only if you are safe and alive. Have you taken the distributorship of saving the Earth?"
Mohidhar refrained from his work and faced Dharitri. Then he said calmly, "No, I don't want to take any distributorship. I want to distribute my work and ideas among millions and billions of human beings on the Earth."
"Well Dharitri, you used to teach children before your marriage, isn't it?"
"What do you want to say?"
'I want to say that you are an educated person and read a lot of books. You have knowledge in many subjects, but do you know the subject in which we should have the first and the greatest knowledge?'
A furious Dharitri wanted to know what was that?
'That is to knowing our Mother Earth and loving her; learning to realize that whatever is created since eternity is born out of the Earth and will perish into the Earth. You've just told that if one lives himself, then the Earth lives. That's utterly wrong. If we can keep our Mother Earth alive, can preserve all her wealth, beauty and purity completely - then not only you and me, many more future generations of ours will live a befitting life on the Earth. For millions of years we have taken benefits from our Mother Earth, now is the time to return all those to her;'
"Do you know, not only your neighbours or relatives, even everyone in the school address you as mad 'Mohi' and they laugh behind your back. No one has any respect for you". So far Mohidhar was looking at Dharitri's face while listening to her. Now suddenly he burst out laughing. Dharitri got furious and yelled, "what is there to laugh"?
Mohidhar collected himself and said, "Your words reminded me of an incident that happened sometime back. I went to Kolkata for some duties of the school and boarded a taxi. The taxi-driver said sadly, 'people board out taxis and travel for so many important jobs. Even at the dead of the night, we escort them safely to their houses, but we never get any respect.' I explained to him that he was only helping people and that also in the exchange of money. 'But one must think for once that our Mother Earth is giving everything to us without expecting anything, fulfilling all our demands silently, but does she get her due respect?
Engrossed day and night in our countless jobs, do we recall her even once or show our gratitude? 'If the Mother of all of us does not get her due respect, then how can we expect the same from each other?' Strangely my words changed the behaviour of the taxi driver; he started to speak energetically. He realized how important it should be to show our respect to the Earth. Maybe he understood my words as he was not very educated.
You are so highly educated Dharitri and that's why my words may not have any worth to you. And what were you saying -'Mad Mohi'?
On the Earth whenever some persons wanted to go beyond the customary and traditional ways ----- people killed them by crucifixion, throwing stones or forcing them to drink Hemlock. Who am I compared to them? Well Dharitri,have you ever taught your students the most original knowledge which everyone must have? Have you taught them anything about that subject?
You and me, I mean all of us are born, but how? Who ordains this? We have not come here as per our own will, we are born as the Creator wishes. He has sent all of us and gifted us this vast and amazing Earth for our utilization totally free of cost. Have you ever thought about it?
Moreover, has this idea ever occurred to you for once that our creator has not sent us as the greatest creatures of the Earth only to enjoy indiscriminately, to destroy the wealth of the Earth and to pollute it? He has given us the responsibility to keep the Earth beautiful and in good condition too. Contemplate Dharitri, start thinking from now on."
Saying this Mohidhar again concentrated on his work.
Dharitri threw an angry glance at him and walked towards the door.