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A review by neethuraghavan676
Lajja: Shame by Taslima Nasrin
4.0
I still can't believe this book is not a fiction but the struggles a family had to overcome.
When babari masjid was demolished by Hindu fundamentalist it's fallout is most acutely felt in Bangladesh where the Muslims are in majority with a few hindu families there. One among that family is of the Duttas- Sudhamoy, kironmoyee and their children Suranjan and Maya. Suranjan is an atheist and trusts that his motherland will not let him down. But with this incident in 1992, the muslims starts attacking the minority hindu families there.
With all this happening, Sudhamay can't stand the idea of leaving his country and he even asks his people who are leaving that don't they feel ashamed(lajja) of leaving their nation.
Though hindu people there get killed or converted, schools are only for muslim kids, hindus belong to the lowest step in employment opportunity ladders, they can't start a business of their own, for people who always compromised their religion for there nation these were all acceptable.
Through out the book there is this fact that powerful will always oppress the weak :men-women, majority-minority, rich-poor and so on.
I liked how Suranjan believed to destroy all the religious places and instead build houses for the poor, orphanages, hospitals, schools for all etc.
I also likes Suranjans statement that it was not riot that was happening in Bangladesh. It was minorities being destroyed by the majorities.
It took me days to complete the book. There were no rays of hope right from the start. It was struggle throughout. When religion and politics come before him man becomes some other animal and he looses his human nature becoming wild.
When babari masjid was demolished by Hindu fundamentalist it's fallout is most acutely felt in Bangladesh where the Muslims are in majority with a few hindu families there. One among that family is of the Duttas- Sudhamoy, kironmoyee and their children Suranjan and Maya. Suranjan is an atheist and trusts that his motherland will not let him down. But with this incident in 1992, the muslims starts attacking the minority hindu families there.
With all this happening, Sudhamay can't stand the idea of leaving his country and he even asks his people who are leaving that don't they feel ashamed(lajja) of leaving their nation.
Though hindu people there get killed or converted, schools are only for muslim kids, hindus belong to the lowest step in employment opportunity ladders, they can't start a business of their own, for people who always compromised their religion for there nation these were all acceptable.
Through out the book there is this fact that powerful will always oppress the weak :men-women, majority-minority, rich-poor and so on.
I liked how Suranjan believed to destroy all the religious places and instead build houses for the poor, orphanages, hospitals, schools for all etc.
I also likes Suranjans statement that it was not riot that was happening in Bangladesh. It was minorities being destroyed by the majorities.
It took me days to complete the book. There were no rays of hope right from the start. It was struggle throughout. When religion and politics come before him man becomes some other animal and he looses his human nature becoming wild.