In a way, the statement is partly true. No doubt, he has to struggle very hard to earn a living. It is also true that all his toil and trouble couldn’t change his fate. He is practical only up to an extent. He can come to terms with whatever life has to offer. But he has a streak of idealism too. He is not practical in the sense of a worldly wise man. He puts in all his skills and imagination in one single shot. He also gives a sterling performance. But he goes away satisfied without accepting his payment.
Life has not been very kind to Patol Babu. While he was in Kanchrapara, he had a job in a railway factory. He came to Calcutta as a clerk with Hudson and Kimberley. For nine years, he enjoyed a peaceful and comfortable life. However, he was retrenched due to the war.
Patol Babu is a fighter. He tries every means of earning a living. But he fails to earn money. His lot remains the same. He opens a variety shop for five years. He does a job in a Bengali firm for some time. He works as an insurance agent for ten years. And now one of his cousins has promised him a job in a small establishment.
No doubt, Patol accepts whatever life has to offer him but he is more of a dreamer than a realist. He accepts a very small role of a pedestrian in a film. But as his wife rightly says, he starts counting his chickens before they are hatched. It is too early but he dreams of rising to fame and fortune. Only an idealist can put his heart and soul in such a role and walk away without being paid.
