Wildlife enthusiast Partha Sadhan Bose, who is also a keen participant in car rallies, owns resorts in several parts of the country. The one in Puri is very beautiful. It’s very close to the beach, on the quieter side of the town where you don’t have tourists thronging in hordes. You just have to cross the main road to stroll into the sand.

For our two-day Puri trip, we decided to put up at Parthada’s resort. We were a huge team. There was Devangshu Sengupta (who directs TV serials), his former wife Kheyali (Dastidar) and their son, my family and Saswata (Chatterjee). We had also dragged along our dear friend Ramaditya Ray.

My mother had come along too. She had a good time sitting out in the verandah, watching the sea. And we would all gather around for long addas; some of us would break into song.

The draw for the entire team was, of course, the big, snarling waves of the Bay of Bengal. My wife Mithu is crazy about the sea. She’s a good swimmer too. She has the habit of running towards the waves the moment she sets foot on a beach. But I am very scared of the choppy waves at Puri. I prefer to stay a little away from the water.

My fear of waves is not entirely unfounded. On the second day, Kheyali was badly hurt while bathing in the sea, though she had a nuliah to help her. A forceful wave just flung her onto the shore and Kheyali sustained a knee injury. She writhed in pain, unable to walk. I carried her for some distance and when I couldn’t anymore, we got a rickshaw to drop her at the resort. Ramadityada bandaged the injured area and Kheyali was able to manage with that till we got to Calcutta.

But Kheyali’s woes were not yet over. On our way back, she hurt herself again. This time it was worse. We were on the train when Kheyali’s shoulder got dislocated. Those who have suffered such a thing know how painful it is. I knew how to fix a shoulder but Kheyali just wouldn’t let anyone go near her. She was so scared. We hospitalised her immediately after reaching Calcutta; she was wheeled into the operating room. Her shoulder is fine now.

(Next week: Feluda in Digha)