Lives withering away
Z.A.M. Khairuzzaman is touched by tales of sadness
Probashe Bhul Nibash is a compilation of twelve short stories, most of which happen to be based on the lives of expatriate Bangladeshis and Indians who live in the United States, United Kingdom and other developed countries. Apparently the lives of expatriate Asians living abroad seem to be very comfortable, brimming with luxury, wealth and happiness. But at times, incidents turn such lives stranger and bitter than fiction. Although expatriates come by a lot of wealth, live in luxurious homes and ride comfortable cars, in many cases the generations that follow get derailed. In most cases, the younger generation gets de-linked from its original culture, religion, manners and rituals of the family to such an extent that it gets spoilt and goes beyond the bounds of control. The young never remain within the bonds of affection and the love of their parents; and at times they get lost for good insofar as their families are concerned. The parents of such children go through agon. Shuker Mapkathi, Pitamoho and Putrosneho are stories based on such realities. Often it is not only children but also parents who migrate from their country after selling off all their belongings in the hope of settling abroad or driven by a desire to live with their children living there. That of course leads to disappointment because they become penniless, homeless and disabled at a ripe old age. Consequently they have to work to earn a living at a stage of life when they are supposed to take rest. The story Probashe Bhul Nibash is symbolic of such misery. Love and affection in the conjugal life of couples decline and get polluted through clashes of personal interest, ego and monetary matters. The result is unwanted break, divorce of couples and deprivation of children from parents' love and care. Ultimately, family and social values get destroyed, love and affection among members die down. Shuker Mapkathi, Shariri, Prorochok are the stories based on such experiences on the part of the writer in the US and Britain. The remaining stories are based on the canvas of the Bangladesh scene, depicting the decay in social, family and cultural values. The stories are more amazing fiction, hard like rock and cold like death. These are contemporary happenings taking place every day around us and we are astounded as well as charmed after going through the incidents. Most of the stories in the compilation have been published in national dailies like Jugantor, Ittefaq and Jonokantho. Ali Idris was born in Shaistanagar village of Habiganj in 1948. He launched his writing career in the 1970s. He won the Atish Dipankar Award in folk literature in 2003, Bangladesh Writers' Foundation Award in 2005, besides coming by other awards. He was also honoured by Sammiloni Mohila Samobaya in 2006. Idris has travelled widely in Europe, North America and Africa.
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