Reviewing Novel ( GORA ).

NOVEL - GORA

This is the story of two Hindu Bengali friends - Gora and Binoy, and two Brambho Bengali sisters - Sucharita and Lalita. Gora is the leader with strict principles which he is ready to defend at any cost. Binoy while intelligent and educated, still is very heavily influenced by Gora. There is Anondomoyee, Gora's mother, who is mother to both these friends and is very very refreshingly completely modern in her outlook and actions. As her counterpoint, there is Pareshbabu, the girls' guardian/father, who while being Brambho is not bound by any dogma and promotes independent thinking to great cost. Sucharita and Lalita are educated girls who have their own independent thoughts and principles. When Binoy accidentally befriends Sucharita and slowly becomes their family friend, a whole chain of events unfold that changes everyone's lives. People, principles, plans clash mightily and the existing order is shaken up. Does Binoy forever listen to Gora, can Gora stay true to his principles and how does the society all around reacts, forms the crux of the novel.

Apart from the plot, there is much more to this book. The philosophies of religion and country (swadesh) have been debated beautifully. And I could not get over how beautiful the language is, as I read this in Bengali. I need to read/re-read more of him.

Thank you.