Set against a rural backdrop of 20th century Bengal, the story of Bipradas (1935) revolves around the life and family of the central protagonist Bipradas, who is also the charismatic hero of the novel. A conflict of cultures is at play here ancient Indian Hindu versus the modern culture, influenced mainly by western education and reformatory ideas. While Bipradas comes forth as a man of firm determination and high principles, Dwijadas, Bipradas’s younger brother, is portrayed as a freedom-loving person with his own set of thoughts. Then enters Bandana Bipradas’s wife Sati’s cousin a young, beautiful, modern-day girl, who immediately gets attracted by Bipradas’s personality and courage of conviction. A series of tragic events follow. Bipradas has to leave home with his wife and son, practically penniless. Bandana gets married to Dwijadas to hold the Mukhujye family together. And a shattering news rocks the family. Will Bandana be able to hold the reins of the disarrayed family at the end of it all.
Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay (1876 – 1938) was an illustrious Bengali novelist and short story writer of the early 20th century. Many of his stories narrate the lives, tragedies and struggles of the village people and the contemporary social practices that prevailed in Bengal. His writing matured at a time when the national movement was gaining momentum together with an awakening of social consciousness. Sensitive and daring, his novels captivated the hearts and minds of innumerable readers both in Bengal and the rest of India. His best known novels include Palli Samaj (1916), Choritrohin (1917), Devdas (1917), Nishkriti (1917), Srikanta (1917), Datta (1918), Griha Daha (1920) and Sesh Prashna (1929). Many of his stories were adopted for well-crafted and popular films in Bengali and Hindi languages for many years, extending even to the 21st century.He remains the most popular, most translated, most adapted and the most plagiarized Indian author of all time.Sukhendu Ray qualified as a Chartered Accountant from England in 1950 and after working for a British multinational group Guest Keen Williams Ltd., he retired as that company’s Managing Director and Chief Executive. Post retirement, along with his professional assignments, he took to translating Bengali literature into English. Included in his published translated works are: the Winged Horse (OUP), Three Novellas: Three long stories by Rabindranath Tagore (OUP), Thakurmar Jhuli by Dakshinaranjan Mitra Majumder (OUP), Chirakumar Sabha: the Bachelors Club by Rabindranath Tagore (OUP), a number of verse and prose pieces for the Selected Writings for Children by Rabindranath Tagore (OUP), Travels to Persia and Iraq in 1932 by Rabindranath Tagore (Viswa-Bharati), Datta by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay (Rupa), Chokher Bali by Rabindranath Tagore (Rupa) and the Many Worlds Of Sarala Devi. A Diary by Sarala Devi Chaudhurani (Social Science Press).
