In the story "Our World" a boy finds a sister in a different country through Face Book ...

1. Our world
Ratankaku(uncle) gave me a strange look- Korean sister???? Are you kidding?? You must be
joking.
-No I am not.
-But-err…..but how can your sister live in korea???? Is she studying there?
I wanted to finish this useless conversation as soon as possible. But ratan kaku(uncle)
pushed me more deep inside it.
I said- I…I mean she lives in korea. That is her country.she is first time coming to india.
Ratan kaku’s cigarette fell down from his mouth – what??? What did you say???
He paused for a moment and I tried to escape but he caught my hand in a flash and fired
another question- you mean you have family in korea? But your mom and dad live here
only.
-err….kaku……I’m getting late. Her flight will arrive at 12 AM.
Kaku smiled and his eyes were sparkling. It seemed he discovered something, May be a top
hidden secret. He said- I know why you are hesitating……tell me she is from your dad’s side or mom’s
side. Trust me I won’t spread this secret to anyone.
I shouted in anger – what the….
Then stopped. I even can’t use abusing language in front of him. He will definitely report it in the
whole locality. Then I looked straight to his sleepy eyes – see, my mom or dad had no external affairs
or relations. She is not a sister from the birth right. But she has accepted herself as my younger
sister.
Kaku tapped my back in excitement – Are you serious??? Is it the second part of the Japanese wife?
‘Japanese wife’ is a recently released movie. Where an Indian villager falls in love with a Japanese
girl through the help of letters. They marry through letters. They never meet as the villager dies all of
a sudden.
But that was a story and its reality. She is my sister and I’m going to meet her. It is not a very strange
thing for me. She has become one of the closest persons and these useless geographical barriers
don’t make any sense right now. But I had the same kind of experience with my family. They are
behaving like an alien is coming to meet them. According to my dad we ll realize that our relation
is a fake thing when we ll meet and interact directly. My mom thinks it is nothing but madness. She
suggested me- Get a girlfriend. That’s normal. I have never heard a person making someone his
sister and caring so much for her. If you go on like this you ll end of being a saint.
My friend krishnendu came out after a long session of combing hair. He thinks he is good looking
and always tries to prove it in front of the girls. But sadly his crushes list increased but he didn’t have
a single affair till now.
He looked at me and we started walking towards the taxi stand. We got a taxi and I felt that he was
impatient to meet her. When I first time told him about her his disbelieved eyes asked – Are you

2. serious? I don’t believe all this. I can only believe if she comes here and meet you. But sadly that will
never happen.
Today he lost to the bet and she is finally coming. I pinched him- Relax dude…..Why are you so
tensed?
-Err…why am going with you??? I can’t speak Korean. Is she really coming??? It seems like we are
dreaming. Are you sure???
I gazed at his nervous face. Even if I win a Nobel prize he would have been not so surprised.
I assured him- It is not us. She should have been nervous as she is coming to an unknown land alone.
But I know her, she is not. Shame on you. Even you are elder than her.
He licked his leaps- lets speak in English….otherwise I am not habituated.
We reached the crowded netaji airport at the right time. We rushed inside the airport.we stood on
the queue and I gave the placard to krishnendu. He somehow held it but his hand was trembling in
excitement. I shouted- Can’t you hold it idiot? Make it straight. Why are you showing towards me?
Anyway no need of this things. I told you we can easily able to recognize each other.
He pleaded- I…I ..
-What?
-I…err…one minute…..urgent call….and he rushed to the ladies toilet.
I hung my head – Oh shit!!! It is my fault to bring this dumbo with me.
After a short embarrassment he finally went to the men’s section.
I shift my look from him and saw someone is staring at me. A sweet smile in her face. I smiled her
back and came near her. She stretched her hand for a hand shake then stopped and hugged me.
Well,it is bit weird for me.As am not used to it.But even I was not feeling like a formal shake
hand.These days hugs are common thing in india.No body bothers. Krishnendu was watching us
from the corner of the toilet.I raised my hand and called him.He came and shook hand with her.It
seemed he is now completely out of his mind.Just obeying my orders like a robot.
Steph said – Hi,I’m steff.
-I…I know….your dada told me. My name ..my name and he paused…
I pinched his back- forgot your name or what??? Please wake up and stop dreaming….try to be
normal.
He replied with the help of my painful tonic – my name is krishnendu. I’m his friend.I..I…..I mean
please talk to dada he is impatient to talk to you.
Steph strangely asked – Why is he so nervous??

3. Krishnendu replied- exams… I mean…
I stopped a taxi and put all the luggage in the dicky. Then requested her to sit inside. Taxi was
running smoothly.I took a fresh breath of air and came back to the topic- So krishnendu…..Your
exams are going on and you are having fun here????
Krishnendu mumbeled and streatched his hands –No ….I mean it is over today.
I laughed loudly then turn towards steph- dear,actually he is afraid of you.
-scared of me??? Huh??? Am I dangerous??? Lol.
No you are not.Do you know what is fear???
-what????
-Unknown things……but we fear more when we know half of them. The half mystery scares us from
inside.
Steph tapped my shoulder – But what about you or me???? We are not scared at all!!!
I smiled- Yeah….because we may not know each other by face to face but psychologically we know
each other.
The driver was strangely looking at steph.I put my hand on his shoulder and asked in Bengali –
haven’t seen a foreigner before?
-yeah….I mean….errr….is she she your friend???
The driver never thought I can attack him this way.
I winked at krishnendu and replied –no my sister.
The car was passing over second bridge thankfully we didn’t feel down straight to the Ganges river.
He puts his hand up from the steering in excitement and shouted-what???? Your sister?????
What????
A car almost collided us.krishnendu shook him- Are you mad??? Hold the steering.
The rest of the journey he didn’t ask anything. I mean he was not a condition to ask or think further
about it.May be it was a high voltage shock for him but I liked it.
2nd chapter-
I never thought that rattan kaku had bunked his office and was waiting for us. Some people are
to excited about spying on others.Ratan kaku is a very good spy in the campus. He knows all the
things about the campus and gossips about them. Apart from his boring job it gives him some kind
of excitement and pleasure. So already he got all the information about me and steff from my father
within this two hours.

4. The way he looked at steph she stopped and curiously her eyes asked me – who is this guy and why
he is looking at me this way.
I read her eyes and my eyes signaled her not to worry then I smiled at rattan kaku and asked – are
you waiting for us?
Rattan kaku didn’t reply.His eyes are fixed on steph……and the situation is very much awkward
now.Before I try to say anything……rattan kaku opened his mouth…..I mean he asked her something
in pure Bengali – tumi ki korea theke…..mane ele(are you…errr from korea)?
She asked me – hey dada, what is he asking?
Rattan kaku bit his lips and said – oh my god….why am speaking Bengali……I mean are you from
korea?
-what??
Rattan kaku’s accent is too bad.
So I repeated his question and she answered him.
Ratan kaku sighed and commented – hey sudipto, she just speaks like foreigners.
We all started laughing. Ratankaku didn’t realize that he has created a sophisticated joke but he felt
embarrassed and left after a few words.
My mom and dad was sitting in sofa. My mom can speak good english because she is never nervous
and she had experience of performing English dramas in her college days.
My great dad used to speak in English with his buddies in his engineering days. But I only heard
that.After my birth I never found him in that mood.I can still remember when I introduced him to a
friend of Afghanistan in my university he asked-how are you?
-fine…..sir you?
-I’m fine……sudipto…….I mean……
And he stopped.My heart became frozen……will he able to finish.
And he finally successfully finished it….after a few jumbles.Me and my friend finally felt relived.But
strangely no one will believe that his writing English and vocabularies are more than me.Its just
that he has lost the habit of speaking in that language.So I was bit nervous about his and stephs
introduction.
I hold staph’s hand and stood infront of them- steph,this is my mom and dad.
She bent down and touched my dad’s feet.
Now we are all stunned. She looked at my face and smiled – Before coming here I read something

5. about Indian traditions.
My dad put his hand on her head and said – This are only regulations…..no one follows….I mean….
I completed his sentence- actually steph no one follows them from heart.This world has become
very mechanical.
After saying that I felt ashamed .After 3 yrs online and phone connection She finally came to visit
me. Why??? Is their any reason???? No. no reasons.I’m the only Indian she knows and she knows
very less about my country. Can anyone really believe that she only came here to meet me.A
stranger who has become a part of her life and family. In this long three years several times we were
busy, but whenever we are free we wrote each other about our dreams, about our personal life,
about our emotions. We called each other and slowly get used to our accents.From a mechanical
relationship we have landed to a very close one.when and how we both don’t know. We started
avoiding unwanted people because we came to know that we care for each other.More than a real
brother and sister. I can remember the day when I promised her that I ll be in contact till am not
losing the connections or am alive.I never thought that she ll also promise me the same, and yes
several times we wished that we want to meet each other and finally we are here today. We wrote
and repeated the same things again and again.If someone read those messages he ll say we are
fool.But only we know how meaningful and touching they are.
Today my mom had cooked fish as I told her that she likes fish. We were all sitting round in the sides
of the table and eating. My mom asked her- what is your dad???
My face became pale.She told me before that her dad died when she was only eight years old.I
have never discussed much issues about steph with my parents as they never think of our relation
seriously. Steph replied- sorry….actually my dad is no more…….
A broad silence suddenly trapped us like a hurricane. My parents never wanted to hurt her.But
mistakenly asked about a sensitive issue. Now I have to manage the situation…..I said- steph….please
don’t mind….I mean….
She tapped my back- don’t worry dada…..I’m not unhappy. I know he is very happy in heaven and
there are so many people who care about me. I know if not anyone you are always with me…..isn’t it
dada?????
Oh!no…..will this girl bring tears in my eyes in this happiest day of life??? I don’t know how I can
help her!!! But I have just promised her and I really want to. But can emotion really has the power
to break the barriers of the cruel world. I don’t think praying is enough or giving someone a false
promise is completely a crime.So why did I promise her or she promised me??? No logics.May be a
mad venture toward an impossible. Who knows……may be we ll really able to do it by the help of
god.The philosophers say that nothing more is powerful than will power.
krishnendu pointed at his plate – hey steff, you are not eating properly.
She smiled – Its enough for me…..I don’t eat much.
I poured some fish fries in her plate and replied- well steph……you must know that our Bengali family
thinks cooking and eating is an art and if you eat less then we insist you to eat.

6. -what???? Haha…but dada……am not Bengali.
-I know…..but you are my sister…….so you are learning from today and before finishing my words I
placed some sweets in her plate.
My dad finished his lunch, wiped his face and asked- So what is your plan?? Gallu(my nick name)
show her the famous places of Kolkata(my city).
She asked – I want to go wherever dada ll take me???
I washed my hands and smiled- Yes I ll take you somewhere………it ll be a surprise.
My mom said- come on…..tell us.
Dad suggested- take her to Indian museum or niko park. have fun.
Mom stopped dad-no…no….I know my son.He can’t think anything else than movies.He ll surely take
her to movies.
Krishnendu thought that he should suggest something. He said – how about taking her to zoo.
I laughed- see,I don’t think she ll like to go there.Already a monkey is sitting with us.
-who??? Am I monkey???? Krishnendu jumped over me and shouted – I ll show you how violent
monkey I am.
3rd Chapter:
Steph looked at me strangely- dada why did you take me here???
We were standing in a small ground.some small bushes were around us.For long days nobody has
played in this field. One small boy is playing with a ball in the road side.
I smiled-Steph, histories are endless and most of it speaks about power and the civilization.
Sometimes I feel like its nt the true history which we read in the books. You know that our family or
world is small.That is why I don’t want to show you my city.I want to show you something which is
related to my childhood history. Look at this ground.I used to play there cricket when I was small.
Today nobody plays here.But whenever I come back my home in my vacation I lie down in this
ground.The grasses whisper in my ears- hey friend…..how are you.Why did you left me? We are old
now.we have lost our greenness.We miss the every sound,laugh and innocent smiles.Now nobody
shapes us or spreads water. Then they stops making me speechless.
Steph hold my fingers- dada….I can feel it….I can feel it too…..
She hold my fingers in an unknown excitement.
I pointed towards right- look at that broken bus.I don’t know how it came here.We found it broken
from the beginning. I used to sit in the drivers sit and imagine that am driving.Once a black boy of
my age came and kicked me from the bus.That was the beginning of our friendship.He was my first
friend and now he has changed a lot. He never speaks to me.

7. -why???? How can be?
- it is very natural steph. He or me we are not kids anymore.We are changed person.But all the
memories of happiness are inside this broken bus. Who knows how much memories are hidden
inside it????
Now we both started walking.In the road people are strangely looking at us. Steph requested I want
to have some tea.please tell me what should I ask in the shop.
-what do you mean?
-I want to ask in your language.
I punched her hand and winked-go ahead ask-cha hobe???(do you have tea?)
She practiced three times then smartly walked toward the shop.I was watching from a long
distance.She asked and came back with two cups of tea.
She smiled – strange!! He didn’t understand that I am foreigner!!!
-Haha…..great.But it is not strange. As you asked in Bengali he thought that you are from north east
of india and you are leaving in this city for a long time.So you have learnt Bengali.We began to walk
again. We finished the teas and sat near a small pond.Dirty smell was coming inside it.Nobody takes
bath here.The water has completely lost its colour.She put the handkerchief and asked- Its very dirty
here.Why did you bring me hear????
I put my hand on her shoulder- It is my favourite place.
-what???? Are you kidding???? What is so special about it.
I smiled and looked at her innocent eyes-I have shared my teenage here.Many times pain came
without any indications and the immature sensitive mind was not ready to tolerate it. whenever
I was sad I came here and sat in the steps of the pond.Silence spoke all my sufferings and pains to
the pond.I left all the pains here.So its dirty steph.In this clean world only people’s minds are dirty.
-Oh dada! You are so philosophical.
-this pond can be dirty,smelly but steph it has a pure heart. That’s why it carried all of my and
other loners pain and still silent. Steph hold my hand, tears in her eyes. She said-dada,lets pray
something.lets pray that we ll be brother and sister in the next birth and live together. She closed
her eyes.She is chanting something and holding her locket. I saw the mysterious shadows of us in the
water. No camera can capture this moment. This moment ll be hidden inside this pond and nobody ll
remember except this dirty pond and us.
4th chapter
I’m standing inside the air port.within half an hour my sister ll leave me.Will we meet again???
What ll we do if we lose the contacts????

8. She tapped my shoulder- what happened dada???
-No nothing.
-I know dada…..I am also feeling the same.
-Don’t worry steph….it happens…..but don’t worry we ll be in contact.
She said-sure dada, it is so nice to see your world.
I hugged her- steph I ll also come to your country to meet you if possible. Give me a call after
reaching there. K?
We heard the announcement…….now she is leaving…..slowly disappearing from the sight.After
coming outside the airport I saw the flight was going away.I kept watching.Finally it was lost inside
the clouds.I took off my glasses and wiped my eyes.But still everything seemed hazy.
After coming back home I suddenly found a handkerchief in my table.It was stephs
handkerchief.there was a letter inside it.
-hey dada u told me everything about your world.So let me show you a piece of my world.This
handkerchief is my first friend.I have played with it in my childhood ,I have decorated it when I was
bit old and today I have wiped my all tears before leaving my brother. So please keep it.Now its not
only your world…….now it is our world.