My Wanderings - 26. Namrita

        In the year  1998 I was transferred to my native land Kashmir again after a period of eight years,  when we left the  Kashmir for good. I was posted  as Manager operations at one of the branches of my Bank in the city of  Srinagar. I was very much nostalgic about the city as I had spent my childhood and most of the part of my youth in this charismatic city. While taking over the charge of Branch my attention was attracted towards a small sealed packet, perhaps containing gold ornaments, with the word 'Namrita' inscribed on it.     
            It   was  a safe custody article  kept by some ex- staff member who had probably died and no body was claiming it now. The Lockers were not available at the branch earlier and people used to keep their valuables in safe custodies and staff was given this facility free of charge provided there was enough space in the branch Strong Room for such purposes.
The word Namrita, perhaps the name of the depositor haunted me for some days. I had to rack my nerves to reminisce the origin of  it from my youthful days in Srinagar, when I had recently  joined  the bank. It was  some twenty  years back.
It was a sunny day in Srinagar after a long winter. Banks were on strike and almost all the Bank employees  in the city  gathered in the compound  of city main branch for protest .  I was young and unmarried  in my early twenties with a carefree temperament. One of the ladies sitting in the gathering attracted my attention. She was extraordinarily beautiful. As I enquired about her whereabouts, one of my colleagues  told me  that she also works in the same bank and is senior to me by few years. She was very attractive with a fair and pretty face and a long and black tuft of hair profusely over flanking her round shoulders. Her looks  emitted an air of serenity and soberness which enhanced the charm of her personality to the extent that no person could venture to overlook her. While the procession of Bank employees passed through the main roads of city, I could not resist the temptation of managing myself to be in close proximity with her to have a better look at her. But perhaps  she remained unawares of all the turbulence she aroused in  all my heart and mind.
With the passage of time I could control my emotions and I  totally forgot about the incident. Then after sometime I came to know about her arranged  marriage with some engineer working in State Department. I  also got married and I never had chance to  see or talk to her ever.
After three or four years of her marriage , I overheard some female colleagues in my office talking about her.
They were saying that Namrita has very stranded relationship with her husband and In-laws. Her husband is  a worthless fellow and is treating her adversely. I  was little grieved over the situation as ordinarily a person with human heart could be.
Then after sometime I heard about her death in some mysterious   circumstances after her worsened relations with her in-laws and husband.
It was now after fifteen years of her death that I was taking charge of some of her belongings to revive the memories of my emotional but  unexpressed encounter with her.