Untrodden life in Al Mahmud's novels

Al Mahmud (1936-2019) is one of the major poets in Bangladesh. He got his recognition immediately after the publication of his volume of verse Lok Lokantor (1963). Later on Kaler Kalosh (1966), Sonali Kabin (1966), Mayabi Porda Dule Otho (1969) established his position in the row of pioneer and prominent poets of the country. After the liberation war of 1971, he began to practise fiction along with poetry.

The year 1975 brought his first book of short stories titled Pankourir Rokto, which created a tumultuous reaction among the Bangla literature readership. The other volumes of his short stories are Souraver Kachhe Porajito (1983), Gandho Bonik (1988), Moyurir Mukh (1994) etc. In the meantime he has set in the world of novels also.

Dahuki (Gallinule, 1992), the first novel from Al Mahmud's pen, could not prove as a great success but showed the possibility what he could do. A brighter light of it was observed when Kobi O Kolahol (The Poet and the Chaos) got published in 1993.

The publication of Upamohadesh (The Subcontinent) and Kabiler Bone (Kabil's Sister) in the same year declared the genius of his in this arena. The later efforts that were proved successful are Purush Sundor, (Man and Beauty, published in 1994) and Nishinda Nari (A Herbal Woman), Moru Mushiker Upatyaka (A Valley of the Desert Rats), Aguner Meye (A Jinn Girl, all published in 1994) etc. The most noteworthy feature in Al Mahmud's novels is that his pen always dares to reveal the life that has barely been sketched in others' fictional works.

In reality Al Mahmud started his novelistic career with his autobiographical book Je Bhabe Bere Uthi (1984). Though this book is not commonly considered as a novel, it bears some characteristics available in a novel. The next book Dahuki brought Al Mahmud the recognition of a novel writer and he himself admits that it created the self-reliance in him. Ateka Banu, a professor of English of Dhaka University is the protagonist in this novel. The memories of adolescent Ateka are intermingled juxtapositionally with the present Ateka of thirty-eight.

The other characters of the novel are Professor Shahed - Ateka's husband, Keramot - a boy who served in the farmland of Ateka's father and became Ateka's friend and lover, Sufia - Keramot's wife and Firoza - a professor of psychology whom Shahed wants to marry now etc. The two episodes that are moulded in the main story line of the novel are of Ateka - Keromot relationship and Professor Shahed's boyhood days in a prostitution area.

The novel opens with Ateka Banu who is on a visit to her village home Ramrail in the district of Bahmanbaria. On her holidays of the Eid-ul-Ajhah she pays this visit with a view to getting peace. If we look into her conjugal life we will observe the lack of only one thing that is peace.

Ateka and her husband began to sleep in different beds due to a very silly matter, and that practice has been lasting till date. In the meanwhile another woman, Feroza, came closer to Professor Shahed. During Ateka's visit to the village home she meets her classical teacher of childhood days who creates a mysterious influence on her. Resultantly she returns to Dhaka and after an open talk with her husband they two come to a mutual decision.

The other episode of the novel is with Ateka's girlhood love Keramot Ateka got separated from her lover since she left village for schooling but she kindles her love till date. Now she has given all the responsibilities of her farmland to Keramot for which her cousins of the village home do not like Keramot. They spread different rumours about their relation though Ateka do not care much for those.

Alongside the thing that is worthy to mention is that Keramot's wife Sufia hears all these rumours. She believes her husband but she cannot rely him completely for which on the night Keramot goes to meet Ateka, Sufia follows him alone in that night though not barehanded, but with a Ramda (a sword like weapon) in her hand. While narrating the stories, the author inserts the girlhood memories of Ateka with Keramot or with Kamrun, Ateka's girlhood friend.

On the other hand, Shahed was brought up nearby prostitution, where Poribanu, a sex worker of the brothel, extended her helping hand to Shahed and his father. After the death of Shahed's father, Poribanu provided the necessary financial help for which Shahed has been able to continue his studies.

But the harsh reality is Shahed denied all his past bindings and the truth is his denial helped him to attain the present position. Yes the past memories haunt him though he cannot ventilate it to his wife. During Ateka's visit to village when he goes to the prostitute we can feel the nostalgia that he nourishes.

It is true that there are some episodes in the novel that we cannot tolerate - these episodes are related with the early days of Ateka and Keramot. The dialogue which came forth of Kamrun's mouth regarding Ateka-Keramot relationship seem quite unnatural - because even in agrarian village society people of tender age do not speak so much slang before people of opposite sex. Some other approaches like Keramot's desire to see the breasts of Ateka or show the mating of an ox with a cow also go beyond the natural norm of behavior.

The next novel of Al Mahmud that we are going to examine is Kabiler Bone. By now another novel of him having human love at its centre, has been published under the title Kobi O Kolahal. Along with that he has also published Upamahadesh written on the theme of liberation war.

Upamahadesh spans the whole liberation war on a direct and broad scale; on the other hand Kabiler Bone focuses mostly on the dilemma of the Biharies staying in East Pakistan. The novel ends with the end of the liberation war and its illumination on a newer aspect draws many to its uniqueness.

The story of the novel opens in 1960 when Kabil, a boy of sixteen or seventeen, reaches Dhaka town from a interior village of the district Sylhet. Completing his matriculation examinations he has started for Dhaka to get admitted into a college. In Dhaka he has to become a guest at his uncle Ahmed Alam's house whom Kabil's father disowned for his marrying a Bihari woman.

Kabil's auntie welcomes him warmheartedly in her house and her daughter Roksana, in fact, falls in love with Kabil at first sight. Later on, the gradual development of the love affair of Kabil and Roksana is a major theme of the novel, but surpassing all these are the thing that becomes penetrating is the controversial relationship between the Bangalee and the non-Bangalee people. Al Mahmud has drawn the picture of the tragedy of the minority in a very heart felt presentation.

(To be continued…)

The writer is a poet and critic and is based in Canada