"One must imagine Sisyphus happy"
Kabir walks down the street of Nikunja. He just finished his 10k taka tuition session at Block #C. He got his tuition money today. Kabir's subconscious has memorized the pattern of these texts, and like a vehicle on autopilot, Kabir's body slowly strolls towards the main road. His subconscious is suddenly interrupted and consciousness is brought from the depths of the mobile screen to reality as he is stopped by two policemen, who seem to have been casually striding on this beautiful evening in April. "What do you have in your bag?" asks the slimmer officer, who is now joined by his colleague, surrounding Kabir. Surprised by this sudden uncertainty, Kabir lifts his shoulder to bring his bag closer and tries to open the zipper to show that he's carrying nothing but an HSC physics book, which he uses for teaching in his tuition sessions. The other officer, round shaped and bulky, immediately seizes his bag, and something slips from the officer's hand into the side pocket. At that moment, Kabir realizes that this is going to be a long night. "I see you're carrying drugs," says the slimmer officer. "Sir, please, don't do this to me. I am a university student, I come from a humble family, and I have never touched a cigarette in my life." "Huh, we'll see about that," says the slimmer officer, grabbing Kabir by the collar and throwing him onto the street. "Let's go to the police station." By that time, a crowd has gathered around the three, witnessing how two brave cops have apprehended a drug dealer. Things happen very quickly when you find yourself in trouble.
Kabir's family is humble. His father, who drives a rent-a-car, did not manage to gather enough support to get their son out of harm's way. Kabir was a freshman at university, and the girl he was dating had only known him for two months. So his social circle lasted shorter than the "first year friends forever" group - they all disappeared as soon as they realized Kabir was apparently a drug dealer. His family did manage to get a lawyer, whose decision was that getting the boy totally out was not possible, but a reduced sentencing could be the best outcome. Maybe, he could have obtained a stronger defense if he had actually talked to Kabir, who was now in Keraniganj. But the lawyer had more pressing cases, and this small case for the son of a driver did not warrant his full-scale attention. Kabir was sentenced to 5 years in prison.
Kabir's world was suddenly flipped all the way around, probably more than once, just to ensure that he realizes he is in an ultimate state of never rotating back. Every day, Kabir thought about how he could have avoided this, how he could have taken another road that day, and none of this would have happened. What will happen after Kabir gets out? He was sacked from university. Will he go on to be a driver like his dad for the rest of his life? Kabir asked himself what should have been, and what will be. His overthinking caused him to fall into depression. There can be a lot of places where a person can be depressed, but not in jail. He was bullied by his jail mates, who, unlike him, are quite used to being here. They enjoy bullying the new rat, who doesn't yet understand that the world is not a place where you can cry and ask it to show mercy. Kabir found one way out of this absurd situation: suicide.
"Let the wheel of time turn, because this is a story after all"
Kabir walks down the street of Nikunja... Gets caught with drugs.... 5 years in prison. But this is a different Kabir, differently tuned to handle absurdity. Kabir understands the difficult situation he is in, but he chooses not to dwell on the questions of what and how. Instead, he chooses to explore the prison and its people, getting to know them. Kabir finds friends among the drug peddlers. In Keraniganj jail, there is a library where Kabir immerses himself in several books. He decides that upon his release, he might pursue vocational education and try something new. Kabir chooses to accept the position he is in. Not only that, he decides to rebel against his current anarchic state by using his absurd position to his advantage. He fully embraces it and doesn't question or complain about the absurdity of life.
Life is inherently absurd, and none of its outcomes hold deep meaning from the perspective of a universe driven without providence. But does it mean there should be no meaning to it? Kabir 1 chose to suffer, Kabir 1 couldn't come to terms with the situation he was put in. Kabir 2 accepted his diabolical situation. He laughed at it, and moved on. It is this acceptance of the absurd situation one continuously faces in life, and the the choice to live with it, and even thrive in it, that one can call the true absurd.
"The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence becomes an act of rebellion."
Inspired by: https://en.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/crime-and-law/3bt0bdipn6
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyPEp2R-mjM
গানটি লেখা লেখা, সুর করা ও গাওয়া "আসিফ" নামের এক জন বন্দীর যে 7 বছর এক মিথ্যা মামলায় সাজা খাটে। বন্দী অবস্থায় নিজের এবং দেয়ালের বাইরের শুভাকাঙ্ক্ষী সকলের সাথে কাল্পনিক কথোপকথন এই গানে।
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