He was the same gentleman who gave Tarapad a place to live in Calcutta for almost a month. He took the frightened boy of the village to his house and gave him shelter and food. Tarapad's description of the house didn't really imply that he was a wealthy man. Though the house was very big, there were no maids or servants in his house. This man lived there with his wife and four children. The time that Tarapad spent there was also not entirely blissful-he washed the kitchen utensils daily and cleaned the house for them. Sometimes during meals, he even ate the leftovers from someone's plate. The kitchen was a dingy room with bugs crawling on the floor and Tarapad used to sit there eating alone after everyone had finished eating.

Perhaps the gentleman wasn't aware of this, or maybe he didn't want Tarapad to go through this ordeal. One morning he started questioning Tarapad about his flight from the village, the reason why he did so, his father's name and address. As we later learnt, he wrote to Rasiklal about his missing son and arranged for him to return home. After this incident, I never saw Rasiklal beat or scream at his sons. For years to come, Tarapad kept narrating his experiences, although gradually his reasons for the escapade became different in various versions of the story. The portrayal of Rasiskal in his adventures eventually gathered a better shade and Tarapad never thought of leaving the village for the dream world of Calcutta again.

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