Pratham alao (First Light )
By
Sunil Gangopadhyaya / aruna chakravarty (translation)
I picked First Light to read without being aware of its
contents,not even its original Bangla name,Pratham Alo,nor was I familiar with
Sunil Gangopadhyay’s reputation.I had watched Pratidwandi,Aranyer Din
Ratri,Mishwir Rahasyo ,Iti mrinalini and Aparajita tumi,but I was not aware that SG was the common thread behind them
all .And surely I didn’t expect First Light to turn out to be a work of historical fiction.
Marxists expect every piece of literature,even historical
fiction,to soar above the bourgeoisie fixation with the lives of the rich and
the famous.An average reader ,especially of the serialised fictional works as
Pratam Alo was,relishes the prospect of finding celebrities in epoch-making as well as absurd and
compromising situations. I have no such ideological leanings.I dunt care if a
novel purporting to be historical fiction doesn’t focus on subaltern lives.The
author and his work is to be judged by what he has created,and it is unfair to
cater to everyone’s expectations .
The novel primarily focuses on three historical
figures-Robindranath Thakur,Naren Datta and Girish Ghosh,and also traverses the
life journey of a fictional character who is the illegitimate son of the King
of Tripura.The author has tried to capture the lifestyle and mood of Bengal
from 1870-1905.The Thakurs of Jorasanko,right from the patriarch Debendranath
,sons Satyendranath,jyotindranath and Robi and their wives
Gyanadanandini,Kadambari and Mrinalini,their childen and their religious and
social lifestyle form the bedrock of the book.Robi’s soulful attachment with
his sisters-in-law and his niece as well as his development and journey as a
man of letters,and a man of the world is beautifully documented.The lives of
Ramkrishna and Naren also run in the parallel. Vivekanand’s journey to America and
his association with Margaret Noble is quite mesmerising .These were the times
when Bengal theatre came of age under the leadership of Girish Ghosh and the
famous actress Binodini.Dr Mahendralal Sarkar,Vidyasagar,Bankim Babu,WC
Banerjee ,Aurobindo and even Tilak and Gandhi (in cameos) make their appearances in the novel.
One can dub it historical gossip.But romantic attachment and
liasions of great men have always served the purpose of social titillation.It
is of no significance that Vivekanand loved smoking,loved spicy fish
preparations and had a deep bond of attachment with Nivedita.The relationship
of Kadambari and later Bibi (Indira,the niece) with Robi has ever been a matter
of public interest.The novel paints a portrait of these historical
personalities and is not to be misunderstood as an academic historical
exercise.Infact,the fictional characters created by Sunil Bandhopadhyaya disappoint majorly and
come across as quite flat in character.It is only when the lens is directed
towards the great men and women that the novel comes alive.
I am tempted to read the prequel,Sheiy Somoy (those days)
which focusses on Vidyasagar,Michael Madhusudan dutt and the period before
1860.SG has been a doyen of Bangla literature.He won Sahitya Akademy award for
Sheiy Somoy.Satyajit ray made Pratidwandi and Aranyer Din ratri on his
novels.The character of Kakababu,conceived by SG,has been a part of many Bangla
films,most recent in Mishawar Rahasya
and Yeti Obhijaan directed by Srijit mukerjee.
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