Flight from puberty to middle age -Shrweta Joshi-Antani
The confusion of puberty, the self-consciousness, the intoxicated joy of innocent friendship, the petty stupidity and the boundless rush for freedom. The stories that show this struggle that every youth in every corner of the country and the world has to suffer are happening all around us, if we look into it even a little bit, the loneliness they feel in the crowd, the stupidity of being anonymous or the fear shown in public seems very real and accurate. One such story is that of Bulbul. So these stories have been shown in the form of movies too, but they cover many issues that touch puberty.
Bonny and Sumu are prominent among Bulbul’s special friends who spend their youth in the small village of Amasta Khoba Sarikha in the hinterland far away from the city. Instead of raising cows or goats, Bulbul’s father rears chickens behind the house, Bulbul does not like the mess caused by chickens but has to tolerate it just because two more money can be earned from them, but his life is that of a musician who plays bhajans and devotions at night. Singing music. His only dream is that daughter Bulbul grows up to become a singer, but fifteen-year-old Bulbul is too shy and introverted in front of people to be unable to sing openly in public. Bulbul’s best friend Bonnie is less shy than Bulbul and thus her voice is always appreciated more. However, this does not affect Bulbul-Bonnie’s friendship, on the contrary, people can understand each other’s friendship better. The third partner of this gang is Sumu. So is a boy, but he is always teased by the other boys for hanging around and having close friendships with both girls, Bonnie and Bulbul. On the other hand, Sumu himself cannot decide why he has feminine qualities in himself along with feeling male impulses. Bulbul and Bonnie experience heterosexual attraction as the trio begin to gain self-awareness as they find their own ways of enjoying themselves amid the slow, conservative, lackadaisical monotony of small village life, and friendship with two other teenagers at school known as Kachi. Age begins with what is called love. Still stuck on finding his true identity, Sumu mostly acts as Bulbul and Bonnie’s bodyguard.
One day, Bulbul and Bonny, out on a hill at the opposite end of the small village, put Sumu on guard duty so that he can spend time alone with his friends. In such a case, by the so-called guardians of the society, as in our country, couples who meet or sit like this are caught, harassed and beaten up, it also happens here. Their videos are taken down and spread in the village without stopping by using rude, indecent, vulgar language. Sumu is the first to encounter the mob, but the jealous Sumu sees the mob and runs away instead of alerting Bulbul or Bonnie. Then the same thing happens which happens in such cases. Scolding at home, bullying by classmates and finally the decision to expel the brilliant students from school!. Raising herself single-handedly, Bonnie chooses the path of suicide as the burden of this immense pain she inflicted on her becomes unbearable. Bonnie’s death shakes Bulbul and Sumu, along with her mother. Even at that time, Boni’s pyre burning on one side and her talk and condemnation by people on the other side make the society’s image as well as the real picture clear before us. Society considers it its duty to teach girls not to be silent, shy, protest or rebel.
Living in the belief that there is no need to understand the youth and their world, we forget that we too once lived in that state.
In the end, Bulbul, who is lonely and lonely, falls in love with Sumu, losing her attraction to the young man who loves her. Bulbul keeps silent against what is being said in the society and tries to open his voice slowly in the presence of Bonnie’s mother to overcome the anger, depression, emptiness arising inside him.
Bulbul’s introverted personality, Bonnie’s extroverted talent or Sumu’s vagueness about his own existence lead us to the truths that a blind society needs to turn a blind eye to. (Sequentially:)
