[​Translated from Bengali short story “Mahajaner Aina” by noted Bengali poet and novelist, the late Nabarun Bhattacharya]

- Ujjwali

- um?

- Why do you stand here, silhouetted against this wet and windy pre-dawn hour and a desolate railway platform, that travels away from the city. You are looking subdued and alone, where are you going Ujjwali?

- I am going to visit my son. He lives in the forest.

- Oh! But that’s many miles away. When you have a long way to walk, you need to walk as light as possible. Why do you then carry this heavy load - wrapped in jute cloth - on your head?