A Beginning to and End

An era, when the flavour of British rule was still strong upon our palates. Maharajas and beautiful Maharanis were still not yet tales of the yore...a new breed of men had emerged...the office babus, clad in crisp dhoti and kurta with a flair for 'British English'. Beral babu a clerk in a discrete bank was well settled into an uncomplicated and confortable life. His wife Binodini, sweet natured and ever accommodating...her whole life revolved around serving others and making her husband happy. Life for them was like the calm surface of a village pond...no ripples...no disturbances but for a bunch of ghosts who decide otherwise. Destiny changed hands one afternoon when a bond of friendship blossomed and this opened portals into the lives of the royal Raibahadurs. Lady Sreelata's horse is spooked by a dark mysterious figure. The 'Berals' alone leave for Darimbari. They are received by Patta Nath and the fierce Khan. The majestic war horse Nestor draws the royal carriage to the Grande' Hindol Kothi. The Maharaja and the beautiful Maharani of Darimbari welcome them with open arms. Binodini enters the maze to bring back sacred water from the fountain of Gautama, this saves the Maharani's life. Beral babu leaves on a quest with the handsome and dashing prince...to save the elder prince who had been kidnapped long ago by the demons of the underworld. Dolly D. a sharp shooting reporter is hot on the trails of the mysterious disappearances from the train; she knows somehow that these are connected to the world famous writer. Investigations by the DCP Avinash Bakshi reveal nothing except for the puzzling photos on Dolly's camera. On such dark nights 'they' say, the train still screeches to a halt...footsteps are heard and passengers are known to disappear. As for Beral babu and Binodini both of them display such courage and wisdom beyond extraordinaire. Fame, wealth and immortality were just rewards for their good deeds. What they actually earned as experience from their friends beyond this mortal world...changed their 'world' forever.