Manik Bandopadhyay

Putul Nacher Itikatha Manik Bandopadhyay Bengali edition

Putul Nacher Itikatha is one of the outstanding works of Manik Bandopadhyay. In one of his letters Manik wrote that this novel was a humble protest against those who tend to play with the lives of humans as if they were puppets. It narrates the struggle of Shashi, the protagonist, and doctor, who relentlessly strives to uplift his village and free it from baseless superstitions surrounded by hollow Hindu rituals. In a rural backdrop, it depicts the lives of different individuals showing the variety of lives in Bengal. It deals with the hypocrisies, alcohol addiction and irresistible carnal impulses unveiling dark, nasty and pseudo-conservative shades of Bengali ethos. The intricate psyche of women along with ups and downs in relationships causing extreme consequences leading to extramarital affairs and subjection to savage instincts has been well narrated in this novel. Being a Marxist story-teller and deeply influenced by Sigmund Freud, Manik Bandopadhyay exceptionally shades light on the constant conflict between city against the village, man against destiny and trust against jealousy. It is a staunch protest filled with anecdotes of kindness and cruelty, love and hate, trust and betrayal, all of which strike at the root of the forced, shallow customs feeding on the Bengali society.