N. Francis Xavier
Part XIX, (Continued from 23rd Dec 2013 issue)
Long Island had coconut palms, fresh water and plenty of fish. After stocking up the provisions the men decided to sleep in the boat itself, ready to said at the crack of dawn. Their talk shifted to what they should do as soon as they get home. Thoughts of the wife and children left behind many years ago came to their minds. Hemraj’s words, however, dampened their spirits.
“You can never be sure what you may find when you get home. Remember we have been away for more than twenty years. Even if you are away for a short duration terrible things happen. Don’t you know Nobin babu’s story?” Hemraj asked.
“What happened? We never met him. Is he still in the Andamans?” Questions poured in.
“You didn’t meet him because he was one of the few who got a reprieve in three years and went back. But it was a shocking story, what happened to him.
“Please tell us Raj”, the others pleaded.
Hemraj sat cross-legged, leaning against the mast and started his story.
“In the September of 1873 a sensational murder shook the whole of Calcutta. A compositor working in the press of the military department had murdered his newly married wife. The murder made headlines in most Calcutta papers, more so because the perpetrator of the crime was known to be a well-educated and mild mannered man who came from a respectable Calcutta family. No one ever expected he would commit such a terrible crime.
“Nobin lived in the Kumartali area of Calcutta, in the vicinity of the Hoogly, with his parents. After he got the government job his parents arranged his marriage with the charming Ila, just sixteen. Ila was the daughter of a poor farmer from a nearby village. Nobin was madly in love with his wife and doted on her. He would take her for long walks on the Maidan or for drive in a tonga to see the attractions of the city. They would visit the temples at Dakshineswar and then walk to the Botanical Gardens. Occasionally they would go to the theatre also to see the latest Bengali productions. Life appeared to be beautiful for Nobin, with a good salary and chances of promotion in the press.
“When Ila asked for permission to visit her parents at Kromal Nobin readily agreed. There was going to be a holiday the next week, the 24th of May, the birthday of Queen Victoria. He would go to Ila’s place on that day and bring her back. Nobin was unaware what was going to happen at the in-laws.
“On the Queen’s birthday Nobin put on his best dress and went to Ila’s place. He hoped to stay for the night and bring her back the next morning. As he approached the house he noticed signs of sudden prosperity. Ila was loaded with jewels. When he enquired where they came from he was told that the father-in-law had sold his two cows and bought the jewels with the money. Somehow the explanation did not sound convincing enough for Nobin. When he tried to find out from the neigbours the source of this new-found wealth he got evasive replies. However, Nobin’s persistent questioning of some neighbours brought about a terrible revelation. Nobin was horrified to know that his in-laws have been sending his wife to the Mahant of a temple about two miles from Kromal. The visits have become too frequent for the neigbours to ignore. A dalal and a member of the family accompanied Ila to the Mahant’s place. Since then there had been a sudden improvement in the financial condition of the family.
“Nobin was shattered. The thought of his wife going to the Mahant, whose reputation was well known in the neighbourhood drove him crazy. He confronted his father-in-law, but the old man dismissed the reports as the concoctions of jealous neigbours.
“With suspicion and jealousy gnawing at his heart Nobin took Ila and went to the house of an aunt who lived nearby. When they were alone in the night he begged her to confess if she had ‘desecrated’ herself to the Mahant. Ila broke down and told him how her father, step-mother and elder sister connived with the dalal and induced her to go to Jarokishen. She also confessed that the dalal had also ravished her after the Mahant had satisfied himself. Sobbing uncontrollably she told Nobin that she had been defiled, become unholy, and that he should marry again, allowing her to remain as his servant. If he completely rejected her she would take poison and kill herself.
“Nobin couldn’t sleep that night. The revelations, coming from the wife herself, describing in graphic detail what the Mahant and the dalal had done to her tortured his mind. All the dreams he had of raising a happy family and living with his parents on the comfortable income of a government job lay shattered around him. He rolled on the ground weeping like a child. Being of a gentle nature the thoughts of violent revenge had not yet materialized in his mind. He thought of taking his own life, rather than live with the stigma of being pointed out as a cuckolded husband.
“The next day Nobin heard more reports of his wife’s misconduct from his aunt and the neighbours. Unable to control his fury he struck at her with his hand. It was the first time he had ever used force against anyone in his life. Slowly thoughts of revenge started taking shape in his mind. First he thought of killing his father-in-law. But then he would be hanged or jailed for life and then Ila would be a more easy prey for the Mahant and the dalal. He would take her back to the city first and think about the action later.
“When he reached his father-in-law’s house to take Ila he overheard the man asking his maid servant about a letter he had dispatched to the Mahant through her. The woman told him that the Mahant had posted men to watch the roads leading to Calcutta to kidnap Nobin’s wife and bring her back. That was the last straw for Nobin. He made up his mind; he would kill her and “endure whatever the future had in store for him”. Looking around he found a ‘boti’ a large sharp knife used for cleaning fish. Ila was cutting betel nuts in the courtyard, sitting on floor, her head bent. Her veil was drawn down covering her face, ashamed of looking at Nobin. An occasional tear dropped into the bamboo tray that held the betel nuts. She worked mechanically chopping the nuts into small pieces. She too had not slept in the night. Guilt and fear kept her awake.
“Nobin lifted the veil off her head exposing her slender neck. Ila kept working, unable to lift her head and look him in the eye. He waited a few minutes, silently gazing at her neck and then suddenly struck the exposed part with the boti, almost severing the head from the trunk. Blood spurted like a fountain. Ila slumped forward and died silently, without uttering a word. Nobin came out calling aloud that he had killed his wife and coolly walked to the Gomasta to whom he surrendered after telling him what he had done, and why. When brought before the magistrate he made a full and clear confession. The case came up before the Sessions Judge at Hoogly. Surprisingly the Jury ruled that Nobin was not guilty of murder because he was of unsound mind at the time he committed his crime. They cited many examples to prove their case. However, the Judge did not agree with them and referred the case to the High Court.
“The High Court Judge turned down the verdict of the Jury saying there was scarcely any evidence to show that he was insane. He felt that the Jury was swayed by the public outcry. In the lengthy judgment the Judge said that “the prisoner has committed culpable homicide amounting to murder” and sentenced him to transportation for life.”
“When the sentence was pronounced there was intense excitement all over Calcutta. Petitions from prominent citizens, colleagues at the press and even a Maharanee were sent to the Lt. Governor of Bengal requesting a mitigation of the sentence or even acquittal. However, the Lt. Governor rejected all the petitions. Nobin was sent to Andamans on sentence of transportation for life.
“His story reached Andamans earlier than he did. It was in my boat he was brought to the shore. He was never hand cuffed or put in irons. Everyone was sympathetic towards him. He was given a light job in the press that had just come up. Meanwhile his friends kept working to prevail on the government for his release. Soon their efforts paid off. Nobin was released within three years and went back. Nobody knows what happened to him later.
“God, this gives me the creeps. What would happen if we find something like that when we get home?” a voice whined in the darkness.
“Simple. Kill and get back to the Islands. Find a convict wife and settle down”, another answered.
The story cast a pall of gloom over the company. Everyone fell silent and soon slept off, waiting for the dawn to start the penultimate leg of their voyage.
To be continued…
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