Aditi Chakraborty
It was 2020.
"Baghada, I think you should carry an extra pair of skins and ropes for your dhol. You don't really know what might await us on planet Prasinos", said Goopi.
Bagha, engrossed in thought, absent mindedly replied, "Hmm".
Well, this strange conversation was taking place between our very own Goopi Gyne from Amloki and Bagha Byne of Hortuki. They were the same Goopi and Bagha who had been blessed with three boons by Bhooter Raja, the king of ghosts. The boons allowed them to get instant food and clothing and travelling to at any part of the world in a jiffy by simply wearing a pair of magical shoes. Also they were granted special musical talent that could leave any audience spellbound.
Time has flown since then and using these miraculous powers, Goopi and Bagha had many adventure tales of which were penned and movies made on them. During one such occurrence, the duo had once again made the trip to the bamboo forest, the same place where they had met Bhooter Raja for the first time. They wanted to express their gratitude to him for blessing them with such a wonderful life. Bhooter Raja was so pleased to see them that he granted them a fourth boon. They would turn a year younger with every adventure, provided they refrained from indulging in unjust or dishonest activities. And so, Gupi and Bagha regained their youth every time they ventured out in search of a new experience. But, meanwhile the world around the duo changed rapidly.
New cities were mushrooming everywhere. Travelling from one city to another had become easier and faster, though not just by the magical clap of hands. Food and clothing were abundantly available in huge sprawling buildings known as shopping malls with stores, restaurants and food courts. It was not just the basic needs, but even information seemed to be just a click away. So, even if they forget their destination they would not get lost at Hundi and Jhundi as they did on their way to Shundi. Just by pressing a few keys on the computer, one could get to know about any place in the world or even use GPS to find their way. Eventually, people became more rational and had no belief in magic. People believed that they were living in a 'disenchanted' world and they possessed a very good understanding of how things worked in this world. They seemed to have banished all the ghosts and goblins and Goopi- Bagha felt quite out of place in this new world. They were finding it difficult to relate to the modern ways of this world.
They decided to make another trip to the bamboo forest. But to their dismay they could not find the king of ghosts. Only a faint voice told them that the magic of this world was waning and it was up to Goopi-Bagha to find a way out. "Goopi-Bagha go back and find a place enchanted enough to be my kingdom. My magic powers are failing. In a disenchanted kingdom there would be no magic. You two are only people who can save this world," whimpered the voice of the king of ghosts.
The two poor souls trudged back, desperately looking for a way out. Back home, they sat morosely, at their wits end, when a 'breaking news' flashed on their television set.
According to the news anchor, Voyager, the robotic probe that was exploring the interstellar space the space between two stars and relaying new information from outer space, some hundreds of light years away, had sent the most spectacular information - the existence of a new planet that resembled our planet Earth in many ways. The satellite images sent by Voyager, indicated that the planet had a lot of greenery. Excited scientists and astronauts of NASA named it 'Prasinos' (the Greek word for greenery).
Goopi and Bagha also wondered how this new world would be like. What kind of people lived there? Would their world be as beautiful as Earth? Was there any Bhooter Raja on this planet? Also, do the people listen to music? Would their music mesmerize and create magic as it did on Earth?
While the rest of the world was busy with seminars and conventions and a lot of research was being conducted by scientist to find out means to reach the planet, our Goopi and Bagha found themselves immersed in somewhat different line of thoughts. For them it was more important to know whether Prasinos was as magical and as enchanting as the world to which Goopi and Bagha belonged- the world of Bhooter Raja.
And so with the dream of finding a new haunt for Bhooter Raja and the desire to bring back belief in magic among the people of this world and the new world, Goopi Gyne and Bagha Byne set out on their new journey - Expedition Bhooter Raja. And what happened there? Well, to know all about it you have to wait for the new adventure of Goopi-Bagha.