Chapter -1
I see Rajen Babu coming to the mall every afternoon. He struck me as an amiable old man, with all his hair turned grey and a face that always wore a cheerful expression. After spending some time in the shop selling old Nepalese and Tibetan things; then he came and sat on a bench in the Mall for about half-an-hour, until it started to get dark. After that he went straight home. One day, I followed him quietly to see where he lived.
[ Babu basically means Mr here. It can be used in a lot of way.]
He turned around just as we reached his front gate and asked, "Who are you? Why have you been following me?"
"My name is Tapesh Ranjan Bose," I replied quickly
"Well then, here is a lozenge for you," he said and really took out a lemon-drop from his pocket and gave it to me. "Come to my house one morning. I'll show you my collection of masks," he added.
Who knew that this friendly old soul would get into such trouble? He seemed totally incapable of getting involved with anything even remotely sinister!
Feluda snapped at me when I mentioned this.
"How can you tell just by looking at someone what they might get involved in?" he demanded.
I was furious.
"What do you know of Rajen Babu?" I spoke. "He's a good man. A very kind man. He has done a lot for the poor Nepali people who live in slums. There's no reason why he should be in trouble. I see him every day. You haven't seen him even once. In fact, I've hardly seen you go out at all since we came to Darjeeling."
[ Darjeeling is a beautiful hill station in India, famous for its tea gardens and breathtaking views of Kanchenjunga ]
"All right, all right. Let's have all the details then. What would a little boy like you know of danger, anyway?"
Now, this wasn't fair. I was not a little boy any more. I was thirteen and a half. Feluda was exactly my double.
To tell you the truth, I came to know about the trouble Rajen Babu was in purely by accident. I sat on a bench in the mall - it's Sunday, the band will play, so I'll listen. On my left was Tinkori Babu, reading a newspaper. He had recently arrived from Calcutta to spend the summer in Darjeeling, and had taken a room on rent in Rajen Babu's house. I was trying to lean over his shoulder and look at the sports page, when Rajen Babu arrived panting and collapsed on the empty portion of our bench, next to Tinkori Babu. He looked visibly shaken.
"What's the matter?" asked Tinkori Babu, folding his newspaper. "Did you just run up a hill?"
"No, no," Rajen Babu replied cautiously, wiping his face with one corner of his scarf. "Something incredible has happened."
I knew what the word 'incredible' meant. Feluda used it quite often.
"Look at it."
Rajenbabu took out a folded blue paper from his pocket and handed it to Tinkaribabu. I understood that it was a letter.
I have not read the letter, nor have I attempted to read it. Instead, I turned my face away and hummed and sang as if I had no interest in old men. But even without reading the letter, I got to hear about Tinkari Babu.
"Unbelievable," Tinkari Babu said. "Who could hold such a grudge against you to go this far and send a letter like this?"
Rajen Babu sighed. "That's what's troubling me. Honestly, I can't remember ever crossing anyone."
He leaned in closer to Rajen Babu and whispered, "Let's not talk about this here, in the middle of the market. Come, let's go home."
With that, the two old men stood up, heading off together.
TL – Well that's all for first chapter. It's more like a test run. Next chapters will be longer.
Should I change the POV?
Should I add TL note in middle or at end?
I tried to translated the book without breaking any page order so character introduction will come a little late.
In Bengali, the word "Babu" has several meanings and uses, depending on the context.
It is commonly used as a respectful form of address for a man, similar to "Sir" or "Mister" in English. For example, "Rajen Babu" would imply "Mr. Rajen." It can be used to refer to a polite, courteous, or well-behaved man, often in a formal context. In certain contexts, particularly in the workplace or in older times, it was used to refer to someone in a position of authority or a person of higher social standing. In some informal or affectionate contexts, "Babu" can be used like "darling" or "dear," but this usage is less common for formal or respectful addressing.
Lozenges means candy.