At 48, Smaranjit Chakraborty, the recipient of the Ananda Purashkar 1431 (2025), is one of the youngest in the history of Bengali literature’s most prestigious award instituted by Ananda Bazar Patrika and its sister firm, Ananda Publishers. His success, in a way, was foretold by the long queues of Chakraborty-buffs from faraway towns like Cooch Behar, Bardhaman and Midnapore outside the Ananda Publishers’ stall at successive Kolkata Book Fairs for autographed copies of his novels, detective series and collections of short stories and poems.
Chakraborty's loyal readers are mainly aspirational Bengali men and women in their 20s to 40s, more at home in Bengali than in English because of their school and college education, and live in suburban Kolkata and towns scattered across the length and breadth of the state. To entice them, Chakraborty writes about the malls, coffee shops, restobars and high-rise apartment blocks of upscale, globalized south Kolkata. Little wonder, then, that he is being hailed by some as the Chetan Bhagat of Bengali who lured Indian youth with a smattering of English with stories of IITs and IIMs — places beyond their reach that they love to fantasize about!
His Ananda Purashkar-winning novel, 'Shunya Pather Mallika', written between the first and second phases of Covid, stands out for its simple, easy-flowing prose which characterize much of Chakraborty’s fiction. Post award, it’s being marketed as “a journey from jealousy to love; from light to shadow”. Set in today’s Calcutta — the timeline is 1995-2020 — the story starts with Birendra, a business tycoon who joins a political party, which in turn makes him even wealthier and more powerful. While visiting a town in West Bengal, he seduces the pretty cook of the guesthouse and their sexual union produces a son called Kobi. When the lovechild grows up, his mother sends him to Birendra who employs him as his driver. As luck, or rather bad luck would have it, Birendra’s stepdaughter from his legally wedded wife falls in love with a young man whose financial standing is nowhere near hers. Birendra is so enraged when he learns of their plans to migrate to New Zealand to start a new life together that he kills them with his own hands. Kobi, who witnesses the honour killing, rises in revolt and murders his father bringing down the curtains on the sordid drama.
The Ananda Purashkar was instituted in 1958. Before Chakraborty, a galaxy of Bengali writers have won the prize — Chakraborty’s idol Shirsendu Mukhopadhyay, Sunil Ganguly, Taslima Nasrin, Shakti Chattopadhyay and Abul Bashar.
Chakraborty started off as a poet, and he was only 15 when he was first published in Desh, the leading Bengali literary magazine. He has written short stories, novels and the screenplay for three recent Bengali movies. He has also tried his hand at translations, rendering Jhumpa Lahiri’s books into Bengali. He is richer by Rs 10 lakh after receiving this prize.
Chakraborty is a man of few words when he speaks on record, in stark contrast to his chatty style of writing, or when he is holding forth informally. Excerpts from an exclusive interview:
What’s the secret of your success as a writer? What do you think you give your readers which other authors don’t or can’t?
I don’t know the secret because I don’t consider myself a successful writer yet. The sense of being successful is the death knell for any writer. I am not at all complacent. I feel I have many more stories to write. Many more things to learn during the process of writing a novel or a story. I try to write different types of stories that infuse people with positivity about the world around us. I just want to share a deep sense of hope, which I myself feel inside me, with my readers. Maybe they relate to that. Maybe, just like me, they also want to see a happier world.
What’s the storyline of 'Shunyo Pother Mallika'? Is Mallika the heroine?
Well, Mallika is not a woman in my novel. Rabindranath Tagore called the small white scented flowers like beli and jui which bloom in summer Mallika. So the English rendering of the title is 'Flowers of the Lonely Walk'. The story line is a bit complex, to be honest. Most of my novels have a complex storyline and timeline. This story spans over 25 years. I wanted to portray the domino effect of various incidents in our lives. One apparent incident in the past snowballs and leads to various incidents in the future. One extramarital affair and lovechild set the ball rolling. And then deception, jealousy, murder, political tension, friendship, love and revenge ensued. It’s a violent story with an undertone of love. It’s a story about the precarious nature of our existence. It’s also a story about our perpetual waiting for peace, love and happiness.
You have translated Jhumpa Lahiri into Bengali? Has she influenced your writings in any way?
I translated a collection of Jhumpa Lahiri’s stories just last year. I have been writing stories and novels for the last 23 years. So, there is no influence. But I like her novels and stories very much.
What are the prospects of your bestsellers getting translated into English, for those who can’t read Bengali?
There are talks about translation. Few of my novels and stories have been translated into Marathi by Sumati Joshi. But none of my stories have been translated into English so far. But I do hope that some of my novels get translated into English in the near future.
Who do you rate as the greatest living Bengali writer today and why?
To me, Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay is the greatest living writer in Bengali. His works have a deep sense of understanding about life. Love, hope, joys of little things in life, the importance of being a good human being, sense of humour and portrayal of the changing society are etched nicely in his works. His language and style are easy with enormous depth and clarity. He has a mesmerizing effect on the readers. He can touch the reader’s heart effortlessly. His stories for children and young adults are also beyond comparison. I haven’t read anything like his stories ever. He is a blessing for us. One has to read his works to realize his genius. He is truly the master.
Raju, one of the characters in 'Shunyo Pother Mallika', gives vent to his anger over politicians taking ordinary people for a ride and institutionalizing corruption. Are you personally disgusted by the prevalence of corruption around us in West Bengal, manifested in the outright sale of teachers’ jobs and the culture of cuts and commission in government hospitals?
In the novel, there is a context in which Raju, a character, vents his frustration. The novel was written in 2020 during Covid. That’s long before what you are referring to. But common people have been facing various kinds of corruption for generations. My grandfather’s generation had faced one kind of corruption, my father’s generation had to suffer another kind of corruption. And now we the common people are facing different types of corruption. Corruption is as old as human history. Raju just gave vent to the age-old frustration of ordinary people. He highlighted our suffering and helplessness. Raju is as frustrated and sad as the masses.
Is the current political environment a threat to Bengal’s secular and liberal character? Can authors do anything to curb the rise of communalism in our part of the world?
In a democracy, there ought to be different ideas and ideologies within the parameter of law. And each one of them should try to propagate their belief and agenda responsibly. I don’t think that Bengal’s secular and liberal character is facing any threat from any corner. And not only writers, but all of us should work towards peace and prosperity of our society and nation. As a writer I want to tell stories that convey the message of love and harmony among people. I want everyone to live peacefully and happily ever after.
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