Bishbajit was a young man from a village in Tripura. He had just completed the period of service (chamaki kamani) in his father-in-law’s house. It was the month of Boishakh and Bishbajit was excited about celebrating Garia Puja, a festival observed by the people in his village. Early one morning, Bishbajit and his newlywed wife set out for the village.
They hoped to reach before sunset. The entire journey was through the forest, and they walked quickly to get through it before dark. Along the way, they noticed a sweet, unfamiliar fragrance in the air.
“What a sweet smell!” said the wife. “What flower is that?” Bishbajit replied, “That’s the Kherengbar flower, a kind of orchid.”“I’ve never heard of it,” said the wife. “And I’ve never known anything so fragrant in my life. Please bring me one, I want to put it in my hair.”
Bishbajit shook his head. “It’s not possible to pluck that flower. It’s a flower from heaven. It blooms only for God and brings bad luck to human beings.”
The wife became curious and asked Bishbajit, “How did such a heavenly flower come to earth then?”
Bishbajit replied, “It is said that a long time ago, a lovely apsara was sent down to earth because of a...
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