After leaving Rimbik market and coming a little further, Deep asked the driver to park the car on the left side of the road. The little school would be around as it was discussed over the phone. The driver got out of the car and went across the street to ask the local people about the school in their native language.

Deep, Deep Roy Chowdhury, happens to be a journalist for a well-known English magazine. It has been found that a man named Vimal Chemzong has opened a school at Rimbik, about 60 km from Darjeeling, on his initiative for local boys and girls who are not financially well off.  A few days ago, a tourist posted about this school on Facebook, and it went viral.  After opening the school, Chemzong was moving forward with some local children over time, but now Chemzong is not able to move forward.   Lack of funds, lack of management, lack of adequate teachers is currently reducing students from schools.  Spoken to Chemzong over the phone, Deep had to fly from Kolkata to Darjeeling yesterday.   Today, he took a car from Darjeeling and went straight to Rimbik, to record a short interview with Chemzong. It was already eleven o'clock. If he leaves Rimbik at 12.30 p.m., he can reach Darjeeling within dusk. Deep was sitting inside the car thinking, when the driver Raju came back and said, "We have to go for another five minutes, straight."

 

After about three to four minutes, the car stopped on the road, which was going straight to Srikhola. The road is divided into two, the wide road is going straight to Srikhola, and on the left, a narrow unpaved road goes down by a mound. The car would not go through this road, so Deep asked the driver to wait somewhere nearby and went down the road alongside the mound.  At the end of it, there was a small open field - surrounded by wooden fences.  And in that field, there are two houses side by side, both made of wood.   A relatively small one, it must be for someone to live in – Deep thought. And the other one – the bigger one will probably be the school. The name of the school, written on the signboard - Forever Young. The day was October 2nd - school holidays. Deep opened the fence gate and entered.

As he strolled inside the gate, he saw an old man coming out of that smaller house. He asked -   "Excuse me, Mr Chemzong?"

The old gentleman pointed his finger at the house and walked towards the school building, saying ‘inside'. And almost immediately a fifty-five-sixty-year-old man came out of the house and said to Deep, "Mr Roy Chowdhury?"   

Deep -"Yes. "

The old man shook deep's hand and said, '’I am Bimal Chemzong. Come inside."

The house was one storey, but there were four small rooms. At the entrance of the house, the door of the first room on the left was closed. Crossing a small open porch, the two sat in the living room across the kitchen. There was also another room next to the living room, which was closed.

Asking Deep to sit down, Chemzong himself made two cups of coffee. Chemzong started - "Say Mr Roy Chowdhury, what do you have to know!"

Deep took a sip of coffee and ran the phone recorder and said, "I hope you don't have a problem if I record. It's my job. "

Chemzong - "No problem. You can."

Deep took out a diary from the bag and opened one of his pages and said, "I told you a little bit on the phone. In fact, after the news of your Forever Young School came to social media, there was an uproar. Like many, we think that your achievement, this initiative, should come to the fore more and more. So, our magazine has decided that a short interview of yours will be published in the Sunday issue ahead of our magazine. "

Chemzong smiled and said, 'It's good to get publicity. But I didn't open this school to get publicity."

Deep - "That's your greatness. But do not you want your school to grow bigger, get funds for it!"

Chemzong - "Yes, of course, I want that. I have also applied to the government, but nothing has happened so far. I don't know how long we can pull alone. "

Deep - "We! Is there anybody else with you?"

Chemzong - "Charles Kito. I call Charlie. All the locals here also call him by that name. "

Deep - "Does he live with you here?"

- "Yes. But he does not like to give interviews, he's gone when he hears you're coming. "

Chemzong smiled.

Deep - "If you tell about your journey. Your past, how did you build this school!"

Chemzong - "I was born in Siliguri. Father worked there in the military engineering department. And I did school at St. Paul's in Darjeeling. I was not fond of engineering; my father gave me the freedom to pursue career selection. I was a student of history. After graduating from Dehradun, I went to London and did my Masters. Then I studied at the University of Sussex for twenty years. It was in Sussex when Charlie met me. In two thousand three or four. Then we became friends in a very short time. "

Deep - "Charlie, did he teach with you too?"

Chemzong - "No. I met him at a private party. He had gone to visit a friend's house. Then he was fifty-five years old, and I was forty-three. He is a man with a great life. I liked him in our first meeting. Then, a few days later, Charlie returned to the country. About six or seven months later, Charlie called me and told me to return home, taking at least two days off. I came. I met him in Darjeeling. Then he said that now, in his old age, he did not know how to spend the rest of his life. He had finally decided to open a school with his savings at Rimbik. Charlie wants to teach children, who do not have the money to go to school. He requested me to be his companion too. I did not think I would do it yet. I said no and went back to Sussex. But somewhere in my mind, Charlie's initiative shook me. After three or four months, Charlie's message, the school was ready. Named - Forever Young. I greeted him and got busy in my world again."

He took a last sip of coffee and placed the cup on the front table. Then he continued, "About six months later, I called Charlie as I did not get any news from Charlie for a long time. Then I found out that the school had opened, but after four or five months, Charlie's own bank balance had started declining. Charlie is also unable to raise the minimum funds required to buy children's tiffin, books. I have never seen Charlie in such a sad state as long I knew him. The next week I came to Rimbik. I met Charlie. The house we are seated in right now - It was not there then. Charlie lived in a room in the same school. Fifteen or sixteen children were studying in the school. And apart from Charlie, a young boy would come to teach. He left later seeing the salary. I told Charlie not to break down and went back to Sussex. There my friends heard the whole thing from me and extended a helping hand. I became emotional about it. I thought I did not get married. I also did twenty years of studying and working. This time I can be a companion on Charlie's journey. I can do something for the people of the place I grew up in. And people like Charlie are not available every day. That is why I quit my job one day. Then I came to Rimbik. "

Deep smiled calmly and asked, "What year?"

Chemzong - "Two thousand six."

Deep - "Since then this school has been your life?"

Chemzong - "Yes. But even now the funds are coming from my deposits and my friends in England. I am getting older too. Charlie touched seventy. I don't know how long I can run if the government or any private board of trustees here does not take charge of this school. "

Chemzong's face was filled with despair. Deep got up after saying a few more words. As he left the living room, Deep saw that the door of the next room was quite open. Deep's eyes got stuck as he looked at a photo frame hanging on the opposite wall from the open door as much as he could see in the room. Addressing Chemzong, he said, "Bob Dylan?"

Chemzong smiled and said, 'The name of the school is Forever Young, and you are surprised to see Bob Dylan's picture in the founder member's house of the school?"

Deep thought, that is right. Bob Dylan has a famous song called Forever Young. In the photo frame, Bob Dylan is standing with his hand on one's shoulder. The second person seems to be known to Deep, but he could not remember the name. Deep asked without being curious, "Well, who is the other person! He looks very familiar. "

Chemzong walked slowly outwards and said, '’I do not know either. He seems to be not much famous. In fact, both Charlie and I are very fond of Bob Dylan's songs. So, I bought a photo and hung it in the room."

Coming out of the house, he asked Chemzong to stand in front of the school, Deep took the camera out of his bag and took two or three photos and left.

The car has now left for Darjeeling. Deep was very pleased to meet a man like Mr Chemzong. How many people can find peace in leaving their jobs at the University of Sussex and spending the rest of their lives in a place like Rimbik, educating the rural children! It requires courage. And that, Charlie, he did not even meet him once. Well, who was that old man he met when he entered through the gate! Not Charlie? Deep remembered the old man's face. It has been about twenty-five minutes since the car left Forever Young. Suddenly Deep remembered a part of the autobiography of one of his favourite journalists. An uncomfortable thought travelled through his mind. Deep said to the driver without any further delay- "Raju, Turn the car. Need to go to the school again.”

Deep left the car on the road and came down the unpaved road; pushed the gate and entered. Standing outside the house, he called Chemzong twice, but no one responded. The main door of the house was locked from outside. Deep walked towards the schoolhouse on the right, no one was there either. Thinking about whether to stand or go back, he saw that the empty space between the two houses formed a road and went to the back of the house. Curious Deep took that road. Walking a little further, a gentle tune began to come to his ears. Much like the humming of prayer at the church. Deep followed the tune and went ahead. A little further, the crowd of trees became thin, Deep could see a narrow stream of water coming down from a mound, and five or six young Nepalese boys and girls were singing on the rocks next to the stream of water. In front of them, the old man of the morning sat with a guitar on a large stone. He was correcting the kids when they were making a mistake. Deep walked towards him. The children stopped singing when they saw a stranger coming forward. The old man said, 'Yes, Mr How may I help you!"

Deep said - "I want to have a few words with you. If you do not mind.”

The old man stood up, rested the guitar on a tree and asked, "Are you a journalist?"

Deep - "Yes. But I won't ask you anything about the newspaper. "

Old man - "Look. You must have spoken to Chemzong. I won’t say anything new.... "

Instead of allowing him to finish, Deep said, "Are you, Charlie?"

- "Didn't you go?"

Deep turned around and saw Chemzong have emerged. Chemzong asked this question.

- "Look, I have two questions to ask for my own curiosity. It has no contact with the newspaper. Are you Charlie?" Deep asked the last question to the old man.

- "Yes.” The old man nodded his head.

- "Well. And my second question is, were you the other person in Bob Dylan’s picture in that room?" Deep asked, looking straight into Charlie's eyes.

Charlie seemed to have never expected this question. He looked at Chemzong, and Chemzong gestured that he had not said anything. Then, turning to Deep, Chemzong said, "Why do you keep asking about that photo! I told you already that I do not know him. "

Deep did not take his eyes off Charlie and said, 'Look. I am just a journalist. Maybe you want to hide something from the outside world. But I have no bad intentions behind this question. I just want to know out of curiosity. "

- "Why did that person seem to be me?" asked Charlie.

- "I saw the picture very well. It seemed like; I had seen that second person somewhere. You had long hair on your neck then, now you have cut your hair. But even when you are old, can you change your eyes and smile, Mr. Kito? I saw you this morning.” Deep said in a haste.

"You want to reach to the conclusion by looking at one's eyes like this, journalist sir?" laughed Charlie. He added, "And you will print this news on tomorrow's paper, then people will come to me and ask, 'Have you taken a picture with Bob Dylan? Where did you meet? Would he have known you?' 'No, sir, I am not the person in that photo. I'm a very ordinary man. "

- "You may want to hide something for some reason. But even if you do not want to say anything, I want to tell you something, Mr Kito. Everyone has one person or the other in their lives whom we, the people, call 'idols'. There is a journalist like an Idol in my life, Stuart Francis. He is in his early eighty’s now. After retiring, he wrote his autobiography. In that book, one of the many incidents was the 'Dylan of India'. Today, on my way back from here, I miraculously remembered that column. I read that article again on the Internet now. Mr Francis wrote your name in that column, Charlie. And there is a picture of you, at that time, printed. When you had long hair.”

Charlie was leaving but stopped as he heard Deep's words. Turning to Deep, he asked, "What did Francis write?"

- "What do you think?"

- "I think he wrote that I said, Mr Dylan gifted me a guitar, actually, it was my own guitar!"

- "A little like that.” Deep replied.

Charlie sighed a disappointment. Deep added, '’He regretted the incident that day, in that article. You can read once. "

Asking the children to go a little away, Charlie said to Deep- ‘'Sit down. "

Deep and Chemzong sat on two stones next to the stream of water. Charlie himself sat on the big stone.

Charlie said, '’Francis is repentant, I have nothing to say about that. I am not angry with him. But if that little thing had not happened that day, I could have lived a different life in the last forty years.” He paused and said again, '’Tell me what you want to know."

Deep asked, "Did Bob Dylan really meet you or did he give you a guitar?"

Charlie began by saying - "I was born in Sikkim in 1948. When I was six or seven years old, my family moved to Kolkata. I studied in Kolkata. However, after the matriculation, I quit school. Then I learnt a little photography and took a temporary job in a magazine for a few days. I was fond of singing. I bought a guitar and began playing it. When I was twenty-two years old, I listened to Bob Dylan's song the first time. And then the course of my life changed. I sang at a restaurant at Park Street in Kolkata for a few days. But it did not last long. I left the country and went out. I did street shows. Most were Mr Dylan's songs. I loved it. And sometimes I used to work part-time in a restaurant in any city to earn a living. Sometimes, as a part-time music teacher in a small school in a city. However, it was always better to just go around the streets and sing songs. There was only one wish in my mind, then; to meet Bob Dylan."

The old man paused, then breathed and started again - "I was thirty years old then. The year 1978, July. I was then in The City of Gothenburg, Sweden. I heard Bob Dylan would do a show there. I collected money and booked tickets to watch the show. And the evening before the show, I was doing my Solo Street show on the streets of Gothenburg. I met Francis there. He was about forty years old then. He said good things about me when he heard my songs. He asked me to have dinner that night. When we were sitting in the bar, a gentleman came and told me that someone wanted to meet me. He was there to take me. After finishing eating, I took leave from Francis and went with the man to a big hotel. I had never been to such a big hotel. Naturally, I was a little scared. That fear doubled when I saw Bob Dylan himself sitting in the hotel room Where I was brought. I could not speak for quite some time. Then slowly I returned to normal. He saw me doing a show on the street. He sat inside the car from a distance and listened for a while. He liked my song, so he called me to greet me. The picture you saw in the room was taken in that hotel room. I requested only one picture. And with him, he presented me with a guitar from Gibson used by him. Gibson J-200."

Deep could not hold back the excitement and said, "Then? Francis?"

Charlie continued, "Mr Dylan did not want me to spread the incident. I left the hotel and the next day I got the picture from one of his men. Then, on the last day of his show, July 12, 1978, I met Francis again. Francis said he would leave the next day, so he wanted to have a drink with me. I agreed. That day Francis drank a lot, me too. And in the intoxication, I could not hold back the excitement inside myself and talk about the guitar I got from Bob Dylan. He burst out laughing. Insulted me in front of everyone in the bar. Said that - Meet the Dylan of India, Charlie Kito. Bob Dylan himself called him and presented him a guitar. He said a lot more.

Francis might not have known how much he insulted me that day while making fun of me in a drunken state. Everyone around me laughed and mocked me."

Deep - "After that?"

Charlie - "There were few other journalists in that pub. Some of them accepted the incident as true. Or just to increase sales, they printed the incident on the next day's paper. I felt ashamed of myself, I would be responsible if Mr Dylan had to be embarrassed for it. Maybe he would never believe any of his fans again after that. After that day, several people went to find my rented house and wanted to see the guitar. A couple of men also offered hefty sums of money to buy the guitar. Believe me, such a situation had never happened in my life. I did not step out of my house for two days, just seemed like I could be robbed if I went out. Then one night, in the dark of the night, I took the guitar and fled Gothenburg. I cut my hair down. I stopped singing Bob Dylan, I stopped doing street shows and started doing small things again. This is the real story. I trust you, hope you would not fail me. Please do not tell anyone or print on paper.”

Deep had been listening spellbound for so long. He got up from the stone and came to Charlie, put his hand on his hand and said, '’Don't worry, I promise you, this news won't be out."

Charlie kept quiet for a moment and said, '’Obviously, I think nowadays, I would tell everyone, if someone else comes and offers a hefty sum of money, I will sell the guitar. Then this school will survive."

Deep got surprised; he said, "What are you saying! You have kept that wealth for forty years. You did not even let anyone know. I understand what that guitar is worth to you. I am requesting you not to do this. I will do, as much as I can, to keep this school going. I promise. I am telling you again, your guitar will not go out. One day that guitar will be kept in this school’s museum. Trust me, Charlie. "

Charlie nodded as he placed his hand on Deep's hand.

Deep said, '’If you do not mind, can I see the guitar once?'’

Charlie carefully brought the guitar that was resting against the tree next to him; extended his hand to Deep and said, '’Does it have a cost Mr Reporter?'’

Deep took the guitar in his hand and felt his heart beating faster than usual. It was an acoustic guitar, made of mahogany wood. On the freight board, the name – Bob Dylan was written. That means it was a special edition guitar made by Gibson company, for the legend – Bob Dylan. Deep's eyes lit up. He could not believe that this priceless treasure of the world-famous lyricist singer Bob Dylan, has been kept in a small house for days. Yet, the man who was owning the guitar did not show any pride. In response to Charlie's question, Deep replied, "Priceless. "

As Deep walked out of the school after bidding goodbye to Charlie and Chemzong for the last time, he heard Charlie playing chords on Dylan's guitar and singing -

Hey, MrTambourine Man play a song for me, I am not sleepy and there’s no place I am going to/ Hey Mr Tambourine Man play a song for me, in the jingle jangle morning I'll come following you.

                                                                      *END*