Winter afternoons, lots of people gather in our backyard. Humayun Ahmed himself is present there. There is a direct conversation with him. This is not the kind of talk show we usually watch. Not seeing light-camera-action. There are no tables and chairs. The cup of tea was not seen. There is a sofa in one corner of the stage where there will be no more room for one person to sit. The main stage is not very high. Outside the boundary of the stage, up to the audience row, a few handfuls of straw carpets are laid. The haystack is a “no-entry zone”, meaning no one can enter the area.

It’s hard to resist the urge to watch such an exceptional live show on a winter afternoon with Humayun Ahmed. There is a traffic jam in front of our yard. Members of the law enforcement are very busy. In the meantime I saw a boy suddenly fell to his knees. He tried to get the key out of his shirt. Everyone around was terrified, they thought Boma-Toma was hitting or this young man? But no. To everyone’s surprise, he actually pulled out his mobile phone. But I did not understand why he made such a gesture. Of course, many things happen in dreams that are difficult to explain. That attempt is not made much time.

However, the main event began. Actor Zahid Hasan is presenting. At the beginning, Zahid Hasan said, “Today we have brought a person on the stage who has opened our hearts and made us laugh and cry again. He is also the best in comedy, but also in tragedy. He will be Musharraf. ” Zahid Hasan has mentioned the name of Musharraf Karim instead of his own name in order to surprise Humayun Ahmed. Humayun Ahmed smiled a little, as he was about to leave the stage and said, “Then I will leave.” Zahid Hasan turned to him, and said, “Sir, I was joking. You always give surprises, today I gave. ”

At this stage the audience seems to be asking questions. I can’t hear what he is asking. There are no loudspeakers. Loudspeakers are not provided in such a big program, how is it? At that time, of course, it did not even think. It seems now after waking up.

At one point I came to the hay no-entry zone and watched the show. I haven’t asked any questions yet. Humayun Ahmed said, “This is a tall, quiet boy, do you want to ask a question?” At first I didn’t know if he was telling me. I’m just watching. Humayun Ahmed said again “I’m telling you, do you want to tell me something?”

I was stunned. Such a big man is asking me if I want to tell him something. Something was not coming to mind. Suddenly I said, “Sir, I like your writing very much. Especially the Himu series. ” He smiled. He is accustomed to hearing such things. I want to say something exceptional, but I can’t remember. Such a situation can be termed as ‘Kingbaktabibimudha’ in Bengali grammar. I said again, “Sir, I love your work, but I have never met you.” He did not smile this time. I’m going to talk fast. Because this opportunity does not come again and again. I said, “Sir, won’t there be a movie about Himu?” Humayun Ahmed did not say “yes” or “no”. I also guessed nothing like that. I asked again, “Sir, can you tell us something about the story of Nakshatra Raat movie?” You have a play with this name, I have heard that there is no similarity between the story of the play and the movie. ” Humayun Ahmed said “That’s right, but how did you know about Nakshatra Raat movie? It has only been scripted. I still haven’t thought about when the movie will be. ”

At this point my subconscious mind worked. I said to myself, “Humayun Ahmed left the world in 2012. Shall I tell him now that you are no longer physically with us, sir? After your death there has been a movie about your Krishnapaksha novel. Now there is going to be another movie called ‘Night of the Stars’. I have no idea about the story of that movie, so I am curious to know. ”

I immediately thought, if I tell Sir now that he is actually ‘not among us’, I am basically dreaming it, then he might get in trouble. The matter will be taken lightly. Talking to me so sincerely, now rather I should continue talking to him.

Talking to a legend half-asleep-half-awake, I don’t know what could be more bizarre. I know that Humayun Ahmed is in the afterlife, yet I want to hear the story of Nakshatra Raat from him in my subconscious mind. I am expressing my desire to watch a movie about Himu-Rupa. I do not understand why. I keep asking one question after another, as if he were sitting down to answer all my questions. Sometimes in dreams we realize that it is not real, we are dreaming. I realized that in this dream too. But where the subject matter is the magician of stories like Humayun Ahmed, I was talking ‘with Sir’ avoiding the subconscious mind.

I looked around and noticed that the crowd had decreased. Twilight has come in the afternoon. A little later in the evening, then all around will be flooded. Maybe there is no light system here to see Jochna. There was no table on the stage but there was a set of sofas. Humayun Ahmed is sitting on that sofa. I am standing on the straw carpet behind the sofa in the ‘No Entry’ zone talking to him. Humayun Ahmed is sitting on the sofa, leaning his hand on the reclining part and talking to me. He looks happy, but worried. I feel a little older. He started telling me about the movie Star Night. Then tell me about the movie about Himu. Sir, I woke up to start the story again. I came back to the real world with some wonderful memories.

In dreams some people see colors, some do not. I can see. I clearly remember the golden yellow color of the straw carpet.

Today, after the Fajr prayers, I fell asleep for the second time and saw this dream. I have heard in public that the dream of the dawn is coming true. Dreams that are seen during the day are called ‘day dreams’ in books, in which the relationship of our thoughts with the real world usually fades away temporarily, so that some of the things we like go away in dreams, whether they are possible or impossible. Whatever it is, sometimes being virtually associated with some wonderful event in this way means having some experience that is not possible for everyone!

Wherever you are, everyone is happy, that is the expectation.

Arafat bin Sultan
8:30 am
14 October 2018