Halloween ( Bhut Choturdoshi) in our times:

Our beautiful mango tree standing tall off the main road demarcated the border of our and our uncle's house. As the tree was on the border, both the families had a tussle over it's ownership specially during the mango season. Both families used to keep a close watch on ripened mangoes specially those in the lower branches. And we would occasionally watch mini Kurukshetra if there was deviation from the status quo of the ripened mangoes. The beneficiary of this fight would invariably be the local boys who would spend entire afternoon in adjacent ground playing football. They would arrive a little early during mango season to take advantage of the quietness set in by afternoon nap. They were precise in their quest to empty low hanging fruits. And occasionally they would be chased away when their projectiles missed the target and landed in our arena. Thus the hide and seek continued throughout my growing up years.

I feel nostalgic to narrate an incident surrounding this Mango tree. My father returned late from his Kolkata trip one night. Immediately on his return my mother came up with complaints about the fight between we two brothers during the day. In the subsequent trial I being the elder one was found guilty. My father bolted the main door after pushing me out in the dark. Once outside, I could recognize the Mango Tree looking beautiful raising it's curly hair towards the dark sky. Probably it had been waiting since time eternity to embrace me with open arms. And tonight it had met with success. I could not resist it's hypnotic attraction and went atop the tree, rested in one of it's branches. There was silence all around except that of high pitched sound from cricket and occasional ow-wow-wow-wow sound from the foxes in nearby bushes adding to the mysterious elements. Fireflies glow was the only light visible in that impenetrable dark setting. Was it the Halloween (Bhut Choturdoshi) time which comes a day before Diwali ( Kali Puja)? It is believed that our ancestors are at a proximity to us in the form of Ghosts and bless us on this day. All these thoughts did come to my mind as much as I got lost in the beauty of the splendor of that night. All the while I was happily embracing my protector friend the mango tree.

I did not remember for how long I was in that state. After sensing human noise, I stared down and saw my father with a lantern in hand looking for me. The naughty in me told me not to respond so soon and preserve my ego for sometime. My father went inside soon after assuming that I might have gone to a friend's house for the night and bolted the main door. A new found fear had engulfed my thought at this point. The perfect setting was all gone. The thought of spending the whole night among our fourteen ancestors on a Bhut choturdoshi night had sent shivers down the spine. I had to devise a plan and that too quickly. I got down from the tree and wrote with a piece of brick in the front wall of main entrance in big fonts " Can Call once more and I will be in". While doing so I heard the clanking sound of utensils indicating mother might be serving food to my father. I panicked at the prospect of having to go without food whole night. After all how can a weak soul fight with so many Ghosts on a Bhut Choturdoshi night. The door opened soon after when my mother came out with lantern in hand. The big writing on the wall immediately drew her attention and I was inside the house the next moment like an obedient son. My relation with this mango tree never grew much there after as I had to leave my village in search of better life.