Jana-Aranya

After I've seen "Jana-Aranya" I had longed to read the book with a feeling may be to better understand the characters. But after going thru the story I discovered not one but two stories - one penned by author and the other by the director which is not only different although a masterpiece but is a merely an adaptation only.

The life of an educated ordinary yet honest unemployed youth turned mediocre businessman who not only witnesses the dark steps towards success but ultimately boards them remains central to the plot. With this revolves several parallel themes that rediscovers the life of order suppliers in their various avatars. Also the socioeconomic condition of the society is revealed that disrobes the social and sophisticated standings of the people. Thus its significance is still apparent and remains as a timeless warning to society and their politics.

The Jayjayanti edition has added attractions of the writer's autograph and the stories behind the story that inspired the author to create the characters for which debt is due to that anonymous lady who convinced the author to reveal them.

Shri Shri Ramakrishna Rahasyamrita

A mystery that had cast a melancholy yet mysterious shadow on the Bansha Biswas family of Howrah for more than hundred years seems to be unfolded by the combined effort of Harimoy Chowdhury, editor of the periodical Chamcham with HQ at the Hidaram Halder Lane, Howrah, Bhabanath Sen, a renowned writer, Piklu, a management undergraduate from Bombay, a DIG and Banshagolap Biswas who has returned to his roots after a series of grievous episodes made the Biswas to partially relocate at Benaras for years. But it seems some sinister gang of smugglers also has their noses on the scent. But what is the mystery? It seems to have its origin in the histories. The glorious incidents around Shri Shri Ramakrishna remain to be studied once more. Some newfound archives in the Biswas mansions reveal some new secrets as do a traditional practice that Chamcham editor performs each day on the request of the Biswas, four generations previous. The book is narrated with the signature Sankar touch and its easy flow seems to gain tremendous pace in the later pages. The finale is a cliffhanger and unique as contrary to the fictions with historical significance it keeps both the facts and fictions pure

Bittabasana

A Sankar classic which I had read once long time back had been etched in the memory for its realistically ruthless plot that portrays how ambition can drive a human to deception and cruelty. It picturises the human character that adapts itself selfishly at the slightest cue to attain a future of prosperity. How the purity of social bonds are broken by the coldness of the heart, how misdirections are intentionally introduced to profit a few is revealed at the final twist. Its relevance seem to be eternally true as the camouflaged honesty of rich though had been a quite old plot but the characters had been so sincerely depicted that they seem real life.



Tirandaj

Sankar narrates two most contrasting tales in his unique style that captivates the readers from the very first page. Based on the socio-economic crisis of the Bengali middle-class, the most surprising element is the amount of surprise itself that is woven in the two stories titled

•  Tirandaj

• Lakshyabhrashta

Never before there seemed a social drama filled with so much thrill as these two, the first being a novel based on the life of Nikhilesh Sensharma, once a humble government servant turned an aspiring corporate manager who finds himself at conflict with the company's policy more than once. But will he succumb to the pressure or will he maintain his head high? That is the answer sought not only by the characters of the story but also by most of the readers, I have no doubt about that. The second story is based on the same crisis but is a refreshing relief of the intense tension of the first but in no way a lesser thrill awaits. Though I'll put this as more of a creative approach than approximating reality but it will no doubt captivate the readers. The genius Nibaran Mukherjee seemed to stumble at each corner of his career for the extreme shyness that possessed him. Is it only his modesty or is the cause more deeprooted, the readers have been given a ride through the intricate pathways that the human mind possesses. The novellete is no doubt a journey to the unknown realms of psychology.

Kaaj

This may be one of the few Sankar novels with a predictable ending. The novel encompasses the life of factory workers with a special attention to one of them, a Sadananda Majumder, a sincere staff completing 30 years as a factory hand in Ogilvy India and residing in a Coolie Town at Howrah. Indcidentally, Sudhakar Nandi, aBengali writer, in a turn of fate came to reside as a neighbour to Sadananda. A popular writer, famous for choosing foreign backdrops for his romantic novel-cum-travelouges, Sudhakar now got a chance to peek into the stark reality of the common man. Maybe this understanding already nested in his subconscious self as we find him not able to associate romance with these people of semi-slum area. Revelation dawned upon Sudhakar as he found out the hardships of Sadananda and his concern for his daughter and son-in-law. Sadananda as a rational family man, hated the idea of squandering money and was against any kind of credit and so it gave him great discomfort as he saw his son-in-law starting his life lavishly without paying any heed to savings. His uneasiness was justified as the factory in which the son-in-law worked went for a lock-out. It became clear that the opportunist union leaders that always took advantage of the administration had an indirect role to play for it. The new management, bent on discontinuing these undue benefits found that they were too late and the deadlock for the factory’s survival could only be broken by laying off several workers. In this condition, Sadananda was subjected to a strenuous mental stress and Sudhakar could rightly understand his neighbour’s feelings at this point of time. He could contrast this condition with the fictitious plots that he devised and he could understand that while in his story he always looked for a conclusive finish but in reality it may be markedly different. Infact, paradoxical at this juncture, when we consider Sankar to be the author of this piece, we find him critical of Sudhakar’s thoughts. In the final phase, though predictable of his actions, but the apparently unrealistic braveness in Sadananda’s character deserves mention and Sankar’s dexterity in arriving at a masterly finish deserves praise.