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nanditalaks's review
4.0
A fascinating tale of history, oppression,myth and smothered voices told with great intrigue.
shom's review
5.0
Historical Fiction, Folklore, Mythology, Murder Mystery, Drama, so many layers are heightened by this novel. And thrown into it are bunch of beautifully chosen poems and their equally evocative translations.
Calcutta or Kolkata described in the novel, reminds me of Sunil Gangopadhyay's Shei Shomoy, the epic masterpiece that won him the Sahitya Akademi Award for in 1985, such is its lyrical and illustrious evolution described in the novel.
In some other way, it reminds uncannily of Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code, only in here, a couple of household women set out to uncode the songs of their origin and that of the scriptures, to find about the Goddess in Mythology - The Eternal Feminine, demure or violent, domesticated or wild in every form of herself, bereft of brahminical or orthodox pride and dilutions.
The story tells of a house in Kolkata, named Kailash(after Shiva's residence), it's main resident (generally the male heir) bearing the name of Shiva (Neelkantha, Sashisekhar, Asutosh and Rudra).
The story starts with Uma, coming into the household of Kailash, upon married to Rudra, the youngest heir of Kailash.
We also see a plethora of side characters, leading up the main story. The author also gives them enough voices for us to hear them too. The neglected yet dignified Pishi, downtrodden and lonely Bamundi, stubborn and willy help Khema, Khagen. The character Shisir with only about one page also finds a place into the story. We have Haimanti and Shivani, characters suffering unnecessarily at the hands of their own ones and sometimes to their own thoughts and actions.
It also lets us know, how history are written by the people who yield the pen, who have the might. Other's are excluded, separated and bordered to other confines. Cast-hierarchy, treatment of women and many more social stigmas that may be prevalent even today, are portrayed with strong fist.
It's a brilliant juxtaposition of merging up past and present, telling parallel tales of Uma and Pishi, along their lines and lives, converging and diverging to somewhat same environments and evoking the feminine presence in one's mind.
Beautifully rendered writing!
Recommended for lovers of Kolkata, folklore, goddess-mythology, history etc.
Calcutta or Kolkata described in the novel, reminds me of Sunil Gangopadhyay's Shei Shomoy, the epic masterpiece that won him the Sahitya Akademi Award for in 1985, such is its lyrical and illustrious evolution described in the novel.
In some other way, it reminds uncannily of Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code, only in here, a couple of household women set out to uncode the songs of their origin and that of the scriptures, to find about the Goddess in Mythology - The Eternal Feminine, demure or violent, domesticated or wild in every form of herself, bereft of brahminical or orthodox pride and dilutions.
The story tells of a house in Kolkata, named Kailash(after Shiva's residence), it's main resident (generally the male heir) bearing the name of Shiva (Neelkantha, Sashisekhar, Asutosh and Rudra).
The story starts with Uma, coming into the household of Kailash, upon married to Rudra, the youngest heir of Kailash.
We also see a plethora of side characters, leading up the main story. The author also gives them enough voices for us to hear them too. The neglected yet dignified Pishi, downtrodden and lonely Bamundi, stubborn and willy help Khema, Khagen. The character Shisir with only about one page also finds a place into the story. We have Haimanti and Shivani, characters suffering unnecessarily at the hands of their own ones and sometimes to their own thoughts and actions.
It also lets us know, how history are written by the people who yield the pen, who have the might. Other's are excluded, separated and bordered to other confines. Cast-hierarchy, treatment of women and many more social stigmas that may be prevalent even today, are portrayed with strong fist.
It's a brilliant juxtaposition of merging up past and present, telling parallel tales of Uma and Pishi, along their lines and lives, converging and diverging to somewhat same environments and evoking the feminine presence in one's mind.
Beautifully rendered writing!
Recommended for lovers of Kolkata, folklore, goddess-mythology, history etc.
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