Images of life, across political frontiers
Farida Shaikh feels the pain and pathos in a compilation
16 November 2007, 18:00 PM
Stories from Bangladesh and India
Compiled and Translated by
Radha Chakravarty
Indialog Publications Pvt. Ltd.
The original short stories in Bangla were compiled and translated into one volume by Radha Chakravarty. Situated within the same cultural context, Bengal, wherein artificial boundaries are transgressed, these writings unfold reality in so many varied dimensions of human emotions. These then echo from within the depth of the human psyche that ranges in myriad shades. It is the lives of ordinary individuals as they grapple with forces larger than themselves. These narratives leave an indelible impression.
Aukal Darshan, a short story by Showkat Ali is "A View of Famine" or rather "A View of Hard Times" The story is about famine and hunger which are like a blazing flame and engulfs everything. It obliterates all distinctions and reduces all living creatures to a common denominator of biological being. The story also has a satirical twist to the social classification of class, wherein the elite and educated Abid is unable to fathom the fear of famine and heartlessness of hunger. It is a matter of such lowly men as Akkas Ali.
Aaj Onamika or "Incognita" by Rashid Haider is a romantic story that begins with a casual telephonic talk with a melodious voiced woman that soon turns into an expectation and enjoyment of the heart, until the sudden discovery of the grave and gloomy event that encircles the life of the unknown woman.
Rizia Rahman's "Irina's Picture" is Irina's Chhobi, the image of an orphaned girl connected to the public theme of war and peace and the break-up of private relationships within the family. The protagonist, described as a poet by the mother, is perplexed and questions, "Who says I'm a lunatic?" while he watches family dynamics in helpless rage.
Gopal in Selina Hossain's Kho-roch, "Spent", is a terrorist, and while alive has been used by many VIPs for their own empowerment; and when he is dead and even though the pager is continuously beeping, there is none to claim or cremate his body. Exposed to domestic violence at a very early age he takes to crime. His aggressive ways draw the attention of politicians who use this trait to suit their devious plans. Hidden within the rough and tough, Gopal has a tender heart with love for his mother and dreams and longings of the beautiful.
Hasnat Abdul Hye's "Still Life" is a painting in words, portrayal of life, and love that is no more. Inanimate objects convey the pain and pathos of the two persons in the silent photo frame. The writing on torn pieces of paper is a disjointed tale of a broken home. Birds and sparrows have no sorrow, fly freely and joyfully in and out of the open window, busy building a nest. On the empty wall of the room small predators, lizards, prowl, without fear.
In "Secret Life, Public Death", Syed Shamsul Haq explores the tormented soul of Shukur Mohammad, the man who has committed one sin after another and has got away with it. The climax of his forbidden desire, which he has nurtured for some years, is his attraction for his beautiful daughter-in-law Mariam Bibi. Hasan disappears. Shukur seeks redemption in public. Death follows without burial rites.
As individuals, Shanta and Arif, each is alone. They are together in a bondage due to social pressure is the story of "Alone, Together" by Manju Sarkar. Grounded in an ordinary middle class family, the compassion between the couple does little to unlock the trap of a loveless marriage. Is this then, the nexus of a social façade?
In a "Mother-Daughter World," by Hasan Azizul Huq are characters removed from society. They are attacked by four animals in the guise of male figures, who assault and rape the mother and daughter. Abject pain and suffering brings about a state of hopelessness "Allah is there for alcoholics scoundrels, bastards… Menfolk they have everything and they have Allah as well."
Rahat Khan's "The Shape of Things" is about the downfall of the urban upper middle-class due to their obsessive pursuit of material pleasures. Three couples on their way to a picnic indulge in forbidden fantasies; oblivious of the procession of angry workers marching towards them.
The forest with such a variety of trees, the river with its own kind of fish and lonely moonlit landscape gradually turn into a mindscape, as characters peer into the abyss of their own repressed guilt. "Return, in the Moonlight" by Jyotiprakash Dutta evokes a ghostly presence that spreads terror and fear of discovery.
Private tuition is essential for children seeking admission to a school, and to cope with the school curriculum. It is a tremendous experience for most parents and their children. "Rainbow Colors" by Suchitra Bhattacharya narrates the pressures of the rat race on the child and the mother until the realization by the latter that it is the simple things in life that are important and not textbook knowledge.
"A Dream Day" by Sunil Gangopadhyay is a romantic intermission mingled with dreams and desires of the heart. The beauty of this brief interlude becomes the cherished memory that remains and is cared for.
Dibyendu Palit in Aparup Kotha, "Wonder Story", explores the social implications of an arranged marriage, through the narrative of Shohini. Mahasweta Devi's 'Jamunaboti's Mother' is a narration of the hard reality of hunger and malnutrition confronting the child Jamunaboti while her impoverished mother oscillates between nightmare and daydream. The story raises the priority question that needs to be addressed, between saving the lives of the poor or putting cosmetic touches to the city.
The antics of a precocious child end in pain and devastation; innocence and violence are central in Debes Ray's "Ranju's Blood".
"Raft" by Sirshendu Mukhopadhyay is science fiction contemplating changing social mores and the dehumanizing effects of 'progress.'
Consumerism mixed with class-consciousness is the force or energy that transforms Debnath from simple seafarer to covetous collector of luxury items. Atin Bandyopadhayay's "Amazing Light" combines the voyage genre with adventure to bring to the fore a rapidly changing society.
"Proprietor" by Nabaneeta Dev Sen explores the impact of divorce on the relationship between mother and child. The adult mends the pain from torn emotional bonds through the new-found confidence that Mita subsequently acquires.
Loss of innocence is the central motif of the story by Sadhan Chattopadhyay, in which sixteen year old Aditi romanticizes her encounter with the local MLA, imagining that the new bus link to the city is really the politician's personal gift of "Six Midibuses for Aditi"' The story compares the growing pains of the young girl with the dream of modernisation that affects her entire village.
Debabrata Deb's "Gangacharan's Champreng," a musical used by tribes in Tripura, is about one man's Rabichandra longing for beauty and tradition in the face of violent social change. He remembers his father, Gangacharan Debbarma, playing the champreng on a moonlit night; and he, too, yearning to play such beautiful music.
This is a collection of contemporary Bengali fiction made available in English with all the indigenous essence and local flavour.
"Rainbow Colours" narrated from a female perspective is a good story. So is "Jamunaboti's Mother," and "Proprietor." All the three stories centre round a mother and child relationship. Social change, marriage, and search for compensation within a changing milieu is set in stories such as "Amazing Light", "Six Midibuses for Aditi" and "Gangacharan's Champreng," "Alone and Together" and "Wonderstory," "Irina's Picture" and "The Shape of things." Like a painting in words "Still Life" through inanimate objects narrates the story of broken hearts. Hypocrisy larger than life is captured in "Secret Life, Public Death," terrorism, balanced with humaneness and encroachment upon the weak by the powerful is told in "Spent," irony of poor and poverty is detailed in "A view of Famine," and "A Mother- Daughter World." Romance runs in the pages of "A Day Dream," and "Incognito."
Farida Shaikh is consultant in social engineering and reviews books.
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