A Frenchman’s Kahaani

“One day,after a couple of months,she brought a cousin – who could speak English – who told me that my friend,with whom I could not converse till then,lived in a nearby slum. And her name was Chandmoni.”

After six months,Bardou went back to France. “Before I left,she gave me a paper heart. Even after returning,whenever I missed India,I thought of her. She was my little Indian sister,with whom I had never spoken but felt an attachment,a bond. I still have that paper heart,” he says.

Back in his country,Bardou did a lot of odd jobs,apprenticeships with SFX Makeup and TV channel TLT and worked with the film industry as camera assistant. But in all those 12 years,he wanted to come back and find out what had happened to his Santhal sister Chandmoni. And help her get a better life and education,if possible. So,on February 7,with his camera gear and 5,000 Euros saved to make a documentary,Bardou came to Kolkata and went to Shantiniketan the next day.

“I was supposed to make my documentary on the search for Chandmoni and had three months for it. I had no picture of her and just knew she used to stay at a slum near Purba Pally. After two days,a rickshawpuller brought the news that one Chandmoni lived at a slum with her mother and brother,” he says.

The next day,Bardou went to meet her but she wasn’t home. He interacted with her mother,Putul,with the help of a translator and gave her the address to his Ratan Pally house.

“A day later,Chandmoni came to meet me. She was married and had a six-year-old daughter,Protima. But her husband had left her. She didn’t recognise me but remembered a foreigner giving her biscuits. I told her about my documentary and asked her whether we could do some interviews. She agreed and over the next few weeks,I got to know more about her. How she wanted a better life and education for her daughter and didn’t know how to go about it. Chandmoni also informed that she was seeing someone in Jambuni. However,neighbours told me that Jambuni was known for prostitution and Chandmoni was involved in the flesh trade.”

Bardou didn’t know what to do. He wanted to help the little girl,Protima,but didn’t know how to proceed. He met activist Manjushree Saren of Binapani Ashram at Muldanga and informed her how he wanted to sponsor the little girl’s upbringing and education.

“Manjushree agreed and wanted to meet Putul,Chandmoni and Protima. However,despite arranging several meetings,they didn’t show up. On the last of one such appointments,I went to their place at Purba Pally only to find the hut locked. While roaming around thinking what to do,I spotted Chandmoni at a neighbour’s place watching TV. I called up Manjushree and gave the phone to the neighbour,who after speaking for a while put Chandmoni on the line. When I took the phone to speak to Manjushree and find out what was going on,she said,’Leave… Now!’ I kept on asking her you tell me why? Apparently the neighbour was trying to blackmail saying that she would call the police as I am crazy and pervert. And Manjushree told me that Chandmoni was pregnant with a married man’s baby. ‘It is too late. We can’t save her,’ the activist told me,” Bardou says.

Manjushree went to look for the husband,Dharam Tudu,who had abandoned Chandmoni and Protima,in his Benipukurdanga village. There Dharam’s brother confirmed the story and said he was willing to welcome Protima into his family. “The uncle will go and bring Protima to the ashram,so that she can get education and a proper life,unlike her mother. I couldn’t see what happened because I have to return home. But I will come back in a year to see Protima and meet the uncle,” the Frenchman says,with a wry smile.