Anmol Kahaniyan - Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay (Hindi)
My Rating: 5/5
Second Hindi book of the year, yeah, I know I am slow when it comes to reading Hindi literature, call it less availability in our library or me not buying books for my over-stuffed book rack. Again, this one was a little easy on my vocabulary, but it definitely helped it grow with leaps and bounds. I can now write a few sentences or paragraphs without fail, and I am not exaggerating at all :). Terrific stories from the legendary writer from our part of the world, some were so heart-touching that I had to actually take a break and think about what I had just finished. One of the best was “Anuradha”, I am sure if you have read this one, you will agree with the roller coaster ride of a life story for poor Anuradha and no respite at all from the society as well. An unmarried woman with a brother to take care of, no family, no home, only a survival solution for her to marry an old man, and even that doesn't come any easier for her. I was not at all surprised by the subjects Sarat Chandra’s stories cover or the era he showcases for us in the current times. It was unbelievable to read what the then people were going through, especially the women in India, or say the untouchables. I actually had to Google to know the timeframe, as the Author passed away a decade before our independence, so you can take a clue what year he must have written these stories. He practically refuses to give out the exact time, age of even years, just like one of my favourite Murakami does too, a lot of times. The best thing about his stories is that they are all written in first person, and on top of that, the narrator practically talks to the reader. It is so beautiful to read where I felt like he was talking to me, some of his stories start like “Let me tell you about a pandit from our village, I am sure you dont know nothing about him…..” and a lot of instances where he leaves so many things unexplained claiming he has no words or heart to mention what happened next. In one of the stories where a bridge is being made on a river and for some reason the bridge asks for a human sacrifice, on top of that it has to be three kids no less, how story takes shapes and how it all ends was hilarious to read but then it touches a very well known myth from our part of the world, thankfully which isn’t in practice anymore.
Having read a collection of superb short stories, I am now actually looking forward to a few of his novels in the very near future. I still remember that I read his acclaimed “Devdas” followed by the recent blockbuster movie, which was quite a turn off in comparison to the simple story. Maybe this time I will get Parineeta or Charitraheen for a change and will not watch the movies at all based on them. Do let me know if you read anything from Sarat Babu and if you have a personal favourite too.
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