On the northern entrance of the village ‘Malkhanagarh’ the first thing that comes in the eyesight is the English High School. Then comes the Vaishnava club (Akhara). On the southern entrance of the village there is another Vaishnava Akhara. The maintenance of these akharas was mostly done by the Vaishnavis. Alponas (Rangoli) can be found on the sides of the Tulsi pedestral. The pedestral was mainly built out of cowdung. In the morning the Bostomi’s (Vaishnavis) used to go around the village and sing from house to house. One of the songs is the following :

POETRY 1
The kids and small children of the village used to surround the bostomis and accompany them from house to house. These children are considered as little Gopal by the bostomis. The Bostomis used to invite them to their akharas as if they knew each other for a long time.

In order to enter the village the akharas must be crossed. There is a field on the middle of the village. The field was called ‘Soloanir Bahir Badi’. It stretched from North to South for around 200 feet. From east to west it was around 150 feet. This was situated in the middle of Malkhanagarh. In the North Basu Thakurs had their ancestral home called ‘Poob r Badi’. In the west there was ‘Moddhe r Badi’, ‘Bodo Badi’ and parts of ‘Dakhsin Badi’. In the south Basanta Basu Thakur had a piece of land. In the eastern part there was ‘Seghora’, a Bokul tree and a girl’s primary school. There was also a small green patch in the middle. The kids used to play football in there while the bigger boys used to practice cricket. The old people of the village used to come and sit there and talk with each other.

All the functions of the village, theatres that come to perform there in the village used to be held in that plot of land. In these times everyone in the village used to enjoy a lot. Those were the times when Soloanir Math becomes a happening spot in the village. It used to get a massive facelift in those times. It was really difficult to recognize the field at during those times and there was a massive difference with the field during other times of the year.

A different view of the same field can be seen when the festivities end. The patch used to get really empty. The sound of the crickets can be heard in the field during those times. On a moon lit night the shadow of the huge Bokul tree used to get shorter and the shadows of the ‘Boro Badi’ used to dominate the fields. It seems like they were alive and were telling stories of its glorious past. The cremation ground was on the other side of the field. Everyone used to avoid that area as they were afraid of the presence of the cremation ground. No body used to venture the grounds at night. The Bokul tree used to tell its stories by moving around in the wind. In the dawn the tree used to all its flowers and these flower used to make the area bright and happy.

The tree was there for three hundred years. So many birds made this tree their home. So many reptiles made the tree their safe house. The tree was in its youth at the time of Sri Debidas Basu. People used to come and visit him from faraway places. Some of them used to come on horseback and while others used to come in palkis. Many others used to come just by walking. All of them used to rest in the shadow of the Bokul tree. The tree grew old after three hundred years. Even at this old age it was still shedding flowers for everyone. In the early morning the small kids used to venture near the old tree to pick up its flowers. The poets wrote innumerable poetries and songs sitting under the tree and gifted them to everyone.

So then the partition came. Many houses of the village were empty as most of the people in the villages used to work in the ports nearby. They used to visit Malkhanagarh once or twice a year as it was their hometown. But after partition all these stopped as all the villagers left and migrated to India. Those who were left behind also tried to migrate from the village. By 1950 the village got almost empty. Only one or two families stayed back but then later they also migrated to West Bengal by 1955. The only person who was left in the village was Sri Dhirendranath Basu Thakur of ‘Chotobadi’. He was unmarried. He died in the year 1993. How many storms he had to wither is only known to him.

Within three years of partition in 1949 the ancient Bokul tree suddenly fell down. Nobody picks flower from under the tree. No one sits and talks under the tree. There are no festivities anymore. So what is the point of being alive? After the tree fell one of the Daughter in laws of the Basu Thakur House wrote the following :

POETRY 2
Though the Bokul tree is not there anymore, the beautiful smell of the flower is still there in the mind of the Basu Thakur’s. Along with that there are memories, dream and magic.