Dui Nari Hate Tarbari by Sunil Gangopadhyay [Hardcover]

The story of the expatriate Bengalis is told in Dui Nari, Hate Tardari ("Two Women, with Swords in Hand"). The novel presents glimpses of how Bengalis from West Bengal and Bangladesh are living in America’s free society. The central characters are two women—Kuhu and Ushashi. Kuhu, a spirited woman, lives in New Jersey with her husband, Pradeep. They have twin children. Ushashi, an extraordinarily beautiful woman, was an emerging dancer in West Bengal. She leaves the country after marrying Ranjay, a distinguished engineer from Jadavpur who is now working in America. Despite Ranjay’s affluence, he is an alcoholic, and they remain childless even after many years of marriage. In New Jersey, the beautiful Ushashi is the secretary of a local Bengali club. One day, when the renowned actor Soumitra Chatterjee visits New Jersey, Ushashi invites him. During a night party, Kuhu remarks that the cod fish curry is too salty, which deeply offends Ushashi. Feeling isolated, Ushashi devises a strange revenge plan. She starts seducing Kuhu’s husband, Pradeep, with her youth, leading him into a trap. Angered, Kuhu leaves Pradeep and begins living independently. During this turbulent time, Pradeep is diagnosed with a brain tumor. Eventually, the two women, now changed, confront each other. In this novel, Sunil Gangopadhyay presents women as more modern and more mysterious.