Kalachand's painting

All eyes of 6th section-A turned to Kalachand when the Principal himself entered our class in tiffin period and asked him: “What’s the matter Kalachand? Nidhiram complained that you had beaten him.”

“No sir. I did not beat him at all. It’s just a little scratching on his face and squeezing his eat. It’s a lie that I beat him. Before parting I just pulled his hair and as soon as I pushed him he fell on the ground. That’s all" replied Kalachand politely.

“Now, may I know the reason of this just pulling, pushing and scratching?” demanded principal sir.

Kalachand scratched his head a little and then tried to explain, “Actually s-sir, he was irritating me very much, ”

“Did he beat you? Did he call you names? Did he threaten you?” pat came the questions

“No sir, he was just blabbering like an idiot and pestering me. So I lost my temper....” Kalachand tried to explain. 

“In that case, TRY TO CONTROL YOUR TEMPER. If I get any such complain in future...” Sir completed the sentence by squeezing Kalachand’s ear red. ,

We had to suppress our curiosity till the end of the school; As soon as the final bell rang at 4 pm. We ran out of the school to find Kalachand. We surrounded him asking in a chorus,

“What happened Kalachand?”

“Was Nidhiram really irritating?”

“What did he tell you?”

“What made you so angry that you beat him without any reason?”

Kalachand snorted back, “What! ‘Without any reason’? Then go and ask Nidhiram why I beat him?” Telling this Kalachand pushed us aside and started for his house with long strides.

So we approached Nidhiram. He reacted furiously.

 “Is this a reason to beat one? Why have you asked my opinion for your painting? And then beating me for that opinion? Show me ‘reason’l Humph!!!!”

We could not understand anything from this out-pour. So we pleaded with him, “Please Nidhiram, tell us everything in detail. You’re not making sense. Just start from the beginning” Here goes Nidhiram’s side of the story.

Khandava Dahana’ (The burning of Khandava forest). Then he came to Nidhiram and asked, “How is it looking, Nidhiram?”

Nidhiram wanted to know, “What have you drawn here in'the right corner, foxes running ill front of a temple?” ,

Kalachand looked hurt, “OH, no! This is not a temple. This is Arjuna’s chariot. These are not running foxes; these are horses pulling the Chariot.” .

Nidhiram then asked, “I see, but why is the sun black? And why are the bats doing summer saults? Why are there so many lotuses?”

Kalachand said, “Oh that is not the sun at all. That is the Sudarshan chakra in Lord Shree Krishna’s hand. Your bat is Garuda killing snakes. And how can you mistake Arjuna's chariot’s flag as a tree? And those are not LOTUSES, you fool, those are gods watching Arjuna’s feat from heaven? They are small because they’re in the sky, idiot.”

Still Nidhiram was not fully satisfied, “ May be, now I get it. But just tell me one thing, who is this girl in a black saree? Why she coming to kill Arjuna and Krishna?”

Kalachand was losing his cool,”Nonsense! This is a tree in Khandava forest. The smoke is coming because the forest is burning.”

Nidhiram“Fine! But I’ve a suggestion Instead of Khandava Dahana, make it ‘Sita's Agnipariksha ’. Drape a saree around the tree an it can become Sita. Draw some hair and a beard to make the chariot Agnideva (God of fire) Arjuna and Krishna will easily go for Ram and Lakshmana. Erase the wings of the bat and add tail, it will be the perfect Hanuman.”

Kalachand shot back, “Why just Hanuman? can be Nidhiram also.”

Nidhiram had another idea, "OK. If you don" like this idea, let it be ‘Shishupala Badha Krishna is already there. He is going to c Shishupala’s head with that Sudarshan chakra. Give make over to Arjuna to turn him into Pitama Bhishma. The chariot can he the throne. Just draw king Yudhisthira sitting on it. You will realize the effects then . Draw some kings who have come to attend Rajasuya Yajna performed by Yudhisthira. You‘ll realize the effect then.”

Kalachand looked visibly irritated so Nidhiram tried to pacify him by saying, “Why are you so sulky, my friend? Am I pressing you to abide by my suggestion? If you like them, follow them. And if not, do something else. Suppose you can turn this painting to Samudra Manthan. (‘the churning of the ocean’) instead of Shishupala Badha. It’s so easy. The tree will be the Mandar Parvat (the mountain needed to churn the ocean).The chariot will be Goddess Lakshmi coming out of sea as a result of churning. Let the Sudarshan chakra be the moon. Draw some gods behind Arjuna to make the side of gods and some asuras around Krishna for the demon side,”

Kalachand effectively ended the statement there by pouncing on Nidhiram like a wild boar.

Thus depicting the whole story Nidhiram complained to us, “I just gave some friendly advice; not liking them didn’t give Kalachand the right to beat me. It’s unfair. Now that you've heard the whole story, tell me friends, have I done anything wrong? Is there anything that can enrage one person to beat his friend?

Really, it’s totally unfair. All of us agreed with Nidhiram that there was no such apparent 'reason’ to behave in such a way. Beating, threatening,  bullying, and making faces- Nidhiram had done none of these. So,what is the real ‘REASON”? To solve this mystery all of us 6th  standard section-A students, gathered Kalachand's house in the evening.

I started. “We’ve come to see that painting of yours. That Samudra Langham (Hanuman crossing the ocean) or whatever you have named it?”

Ramaprasad snapped, “No, you are messing it up” The name is ‘Sita’s Agnipariksha'. Is it right Kalachand?”

Someone told, “No, No, it’s not about any pariksha. It’s about killing of someone, something Badha. "

Kalachand promptly tired up at this and tore his painting to eighths. Then he glared at us and gave a bear-like growl, “Stop sniggering like a bunch of fools. Leave me alone.” And with that he stormed away.

Frankly, this confused matters and we came to the conclusion that Kalachand just might have a screw loose. '

(Original Story Sukumar Ray) Submitted by Swapna Nath