The author, Bimal Chakravartty, was born in Kashi, where he spent his adolescent years. However, since his father was with the Indian Railways, he has lived in many parts of India as well. He lost his father at a very young age, and thus, his career took up a greater part of his youth. He never gave up what he liked, though – reading. Reading books written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Rabindra Nath Tagore, Bibutibhushan Bandyopadhyay, and others has always fascinated and intrigued him. Currently, he resides in Noida, where he spends time both reading classics and writing some himself as well. He is, what many would say, a probashi Bengali – one who is not from Kolkata. But, his command over the language and his expressions and thoughts are all very much a reflection of the ‘City of Joy’. Probashir Golpo Shongroho, his second book, the first being his autobiography, Jana Awjanar Majhe, is as, if not more, poetic, soulful, and warm as his first novel was.
Jana Awjanar Majhe is a reflection of the author’s journey of life. It depicts his retrospective feeling about his past, and he tries to bring back those golden days in the mirror of the present. Having spent most of his childhood and adolescence in Kashi, the details of old Kashi are vibrant in the book.
Probashir Golpo Shongroho, a collection of more than 20 short stories, is a continuation of Bimal Chakravartty’s tales that began in his debut book, Jana Awjanar Majhe. Bengali is a sweet language – almost poetic – and these tales, each with a hint of a moral – right from ‘if you love someone then don’t hide it’ to ‘destruction has a music that is its very own for it heralds the beginning of something new’; from ‘sorry is still one of the hardest words to say’ to ‘widow remarriage continues to be a taboo’ – all add the right aroma to this book. The author might not have lived in Kolkata for many years, but his tales have the Kolkata flavour – it is anything but probashi. Read this collection of very simply told tales to appreciate youthful writing, where seriousness gets effortlessly interwoven with humour, written by a quintessential Bengali. If you know the bliss of eating bhaat-daal on a Sunday afternoon, then read the book, and if you don’t know, then read it and find out.
