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Bengal Partition Stories

Bengal Partition Stories

Bashabi Fraser

(2008)

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Book Details

Abstract

This book throws new light on post-colonial evaluations of the Partition and its effect on eastern India. Until very recently, a striking state of 'near silence' has existed concerning the violence encountered by those who fled across the Bengal border. 'Bengal Partition Stories' addresses this silence through the retelling of stories inspired by the division of Bengal, the mass exodus that followed and their repercussions on the cultural, social and economic character of the region, modern India as a whole and the newly-formed nation of Bangladesh.

Despite numerous critical enquiries into the history, politics and social dynamics that contributed to the partition of Bengal, there remains a distinct lack of in-depth exploration into the personal experiences of those directly affected. Through oral histories, interviews and fictional retellings of the event and its aftermath, 'Bengal Partition Stories' seeks to fill this gap by unearthing and articulating the collective memories of a people traumatised by the brutal division of their homeland.


Through oral histories, interviews and fictional retellings, 'Bengal Partition Stories' unearths and articulates the collective memories of a people traumatised by the brutal division of their homeland.


Dr Bashabi Fraser is currently a Lecturer in English Literature at Napier University and an Honorary Fellow at Edinburgh University.


'The book reopens the wounds to examine them afresh and the editor’s introduction places the stories in perspective.' —Anasuya Basu, ‘The Telegraph Calcutta’


'This is a truly remarkable volume, and deserves to attract the attention of historians, literary scholars, social scientists and others with an interest in ethnic conflict in any part of the world.' —Anthony Hepburn, Professor of History, University of Sunderland


'Significant and timely… Fraser has significant insights.' —Kajari Bhattacharya, ‘The Statesman’


'A book that attempts to break the amazing silence over the Bengal Partition through retellings by those who experienced it first-hand.' —Santanu Sanyal, ‘The Hindu Business Line’


'This is an astonishing book which reminds us insistently that in order to forget, we have to remember.' —David McCrone, Director of the Institute of Governance

Table of Contents

Section Title Page Action Price
Cover 1
Front Matter\r 2
Half Title\r 2
Anthem South Asian Studies\r 3
Title\r 4
Copyright\r 5
Dedication\r 6
Contents 8
Acknowledgements\r 12
Foreword\r 14
Introduction: The Bengal Partition Relived in Literature\r 20
Notes\r 59
About the Translation\r 76
About the Stories\r 80
Main Body\r 104
The Maps\r 104
India before 14/15 August 1947\r 104
India, Pakistan and Bangladesh today (2005)\r 105
Undivided Bengal\r 106
West Bengal and Bangladesh today\r 107
The Authors and their Stories\r 108
Poem: 'Mob Fury' by Bashabi Fraser 110
The Stories\r 112
'The Solution' by Rabindranath Tagore\r 112
'The Protector' by Annada Shankar Ray\r 120
'Insignificance' by Nabendu Ghosh\r 130
'The Saviour' by Nabendu Ghosh\r 150
'The Ledger' by Manik Bandyopadhyay\r 164
'Treaty' by Achintya Kumar Sengupta\r 170
'Loss' by Gour Kishore Ghosh\r 176
'Infidel' by Atin Bandyopadhyay\r 184
'Boatman' by Prafulla Roy\r 196
'Honour' by Narayan Gangopadhyay\r 208
'In a Place and in a Land' by Manik Bandyopadhyay\r 220
'Here and There' by Manoj Basu\r 230
'Hindu' by Didyendu Palit\r 246
'Acharya Kripalani Colony' by Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay\r 258
'The Crossing' by Jyotirmoyee Devi\r 266
'A Thorn in the Path' by Ramesh Chandra Sen\r 274
'Alien Land' by Annada Shankar Ray\r 290
'The Border' by Salam Azad\r 302
'India' by Sayyed Mustafa Siraj\r 308
Poem: An Abducted Woman, 'The Loot'\r 314
'Illegitimate' by Narendranath Mitra\r 316
'Home, Sweet Home!' by Samaresh Dasgupta\r 332
'The Stricken Daughter' by Ramapada Chaudhury\r 342
'Embrace' by Ramapada Chaudhuri\r 358
'Kings come and Kings go' by Prafulla Roy\r 364
'The Story of Sonadas Baul' by Imdadul Haq Milan\r 380
'Of Ram and Rahim' by Mahasweta Devi\r 392
'Looking Back' by Selina Hossain\r 406
'Refugee' by Debesh Roy\r 418
'The Debt of a Generation' by Dipankar Das\r 434
'If' by Sunil Gangopadhyay\r 448
'Another Tune in Another Room' by Akhtarazzaman Elias\r 460
'Alam's Own House' by Dibyendu Palit\r 472
'Three Generations' by Salam Azad\r 492
'Rehabilitation' by Abhra Roy\r 498
'The Girl was Innocent' by Imdadul Haq Milan\r 508
'Infiltration' by Prafulla Roy\r 536
'Deliverance' by Tridib Sengupta\r 558
'Tagore' by Swapnamoy Chakrabarty\r 586
'Wild-Goose Country' by Amar Mitra\r 596
Poem: 'This Border'\r 612
End Matter\r 614
The Translators\r 614
The Authors\r 616
Bibliography\r 622
Glossary\r 628