I was fortunate to find a kind and helpful driver by the name of Babul Sarkar, who has been taking me around Agartala and other parts of Tripura. It’s been a few days together now, and yesterday he even brought his brother along for our drive around the city. Babul keeps me in good cheer and loves to chat.

“You must see the Durga Puja—it’s a great festival! We will celebrate it together this time,” he told me excitedly.

Babul has been making my daily itinerary and has been very accommodating. During our conversations, I remarked, “You see, the East has been backward all this while due to communist rule. They ruled Bengal, Tripura, and much of the Northeast for over three decades. That’s why industry moved away. Except for farming, there is hardly anything in Agartala. The state sells tea, rubber, bamboo artefacts, and tribal art, but apart from that, there is no industry. There is little will for competition, and people have low skill levels.”

Babul Sarkar

I gave a long lecture on the states of East India, and my driver Babul listened carefully, trying to catch every word.

“Yes, that is true. We are very lazy people in the East; no one wants to work. But don’t worry, sir, I will take you around and show you the city. Tomorrow we will also go to the Bangladesh border—you will like it,” Babul replied, already planning my tour.

He also told me that he was a commerce graduate from a local university, but since he could not find a government job, he became unemployed. That’s why he started driving a taxi to make a living for himself and his family.

We also visited the Tripura Museum, which was vast and full of knowledge about Tripura’s tribal culture and history. Babul and his brother have been my constant companions throughout this Tripura odyssey. From time to time, they chat with me in Bengali, which I enjoy, as it takes me back to my old days when I used to work with Modi Xerox in Calcutta.

By six in the evening, they usually drop me back at the hotel. This gives me a few hours to do some sightseeing on my own and soak in the culture of Tripura and Agartala.