For a globe-trotter or a nature lover, any place of scenic beauty or any place where nature has lavishly bestowed her belongings always occupies the numero uno spot among the list of places they desire to visit. And for a nature lover, that is not an obligation but a precedence that is consciously or sub-consciously generated in their mind and soul.
In fact, the enticement is such that a person can search for a place of mind-boggling beauty on Google – and no matter what the distance is, they can even travel all the way from Goa to Karbi Anglong to have a glimpse of it, while contemplating at the transcendent objects created by nature. And sometimes, even nature unknowingly calls a person and makes them sleep in her lap. it can even make that person experience an eternal journey – something which can never be experienced in this mortal world.
The deliberation given above might create a perplexing situation where people might think: is the description meant to increase our appreciation the mystic beauty of nature? Or is this a simple narration of one of those recondite tales of nature out of the many nature holds within herself? And this baffling question will not only linger in people’s mind, it will also forever haunt the monadnocks and the greenery of Karbi Anglong, especially in the ambience of the Kangthilangso waterfall.
Far away from the conurbation, in the countryside of Karbi Anglong lies the majestic and beguiling waterfall known as Kangthilangsho that has always been a tourist hot-spot over the years. To witness this magnificent creation of nature, two ‘builders’ of the society – a musician and an engineer, who were, most importantly, nature lovers – visited it. And while returning from the waterfall, the two unfortunately lost their way and got stuck in a village known as Dokmoka, as the night veiled the pole. But never for a moment did they have a foreboding of the disaster waiting for them in that still and silent night.
The two innocent souls, Abhijeet Nath and Nilotpal Das, were brutally and mercilessly killed. With it, that night, humanity once again encountered a painful death. Abhijeet and Nilotpal were murdered by the people in that village, because they thought the two of them to be child abductors who had come to kidnap the children in the village. And as the video of that barbarous killing circulated, it not only created sensation but also led to massive agitations in the whole state, demanding the culprits to be caught and given the harshest of punishments so that justice could be bestowed upon the two friends.
The good news that has come up of late is that the police has apprehended a number of the criminals. Furthermore, the respected law minister of the state has passed the decree that the entire litigation of this heinous act must be done in a fast-track court – something which everyone had demanded.
Moreover, in some of these cases, the instances or reasons relating to the deaths will always remain as stories that can never be forgotten or erased. They will remain engraved in our hearts for long. And indeed, the same can be said in for the reasons leading to the deaths of Abhijeet and Nilotpal. But most importantly, the waterfall itself will forever remain as a witness to the harrowing tale of Abhijeet and Nilotpal. Also, if the culprits are given the capital punishment that they rightly deserve, then people will probably forever narrate this harrowing tale of the two friends as, “Two nature lovers silently went away from us only by appreciating and enjoying the mystic and alluring beauty of nature.”
However in this entire episode, nature has been the silent observer that witnessed the brutal killing of the two artistes. That is why the natural surroundings here will forever hold the memories of Nilotpal and Abhijeet, even if the human race is destroyed in the years to come. The euphonious sounds of Kangthilangso’s water will probably amalgamate with the aesthetic tunes that the two created – and it will always beautify the mystic land of Karbi Anglong. And hence, the Kangthilangso waterfall will always engrave within itself the excruciating allegory of Nilotpal and Abhijeet.
Additionally, with the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council deciding to erect statues of Nilotpal and Abhijeet in Karbi Anglong, and if the talks of renaming Kangthilangso waterfall to ‘Abhi-Neel Memorial Waterfall’ come to fruition, then Nilotpal and Abhijeet will forever remain alive amidst us. One shouldn’t forget the fact that the ‘music’ that the two artistes created will probably purify the land of Karbi Anglong from this heinous crime – and will probably also bridge the gap between communities and the inhuman acts prevailing. And if that happens, only then the two souls will get their ultimate justice.
The author is a student of Gauhati University and a passionate poet, debater and a cook. Currently, he is also one of the editors of Poetry World Organisation.