Kacher Manush by Suchitra Bhattacharya [Hardcover]

Humans have formed groups thinking about their own needs, their own happiness, prosperity, and desires. They have built societies, created families, and woven themselves into the threads of countless relationships, both visible and invisible. Throughout time, humans have always wanted to believe that they wish to live within a family, within a group, within society, and that a life without companions is futile. Yet, paradoxically, every person is fundamentally alone. Alone. Forever. At every stage of life, they may find companions with different names, but that does not erase the solitude of the heart. This novel is an exploration of that solitude.

The narrative of this grand novel is set in contemporary times, with a background of modern society. On one side of its storyline is the tale of a mother and daughter in this era, the secret failures of successful people, the longing of unsuccessful people who could not succeed, the hopes and desires of the new generation, the helplessness and guilt of contemporary society, the pain of a failed revolution, and the conflict between two generations. Alongside, like a parallel symbol, runs the story of an old house being torn down and a new one being built in its place. This house represents the conscience of time, the values of time, and the discipline of time. Through this, the author seeks to explore the source of human loneliness. Does today’s self-centered modern society drive people toward aimless ambition? Or has the eternal six enemies of the mind sown the seed of solitude in human hearts throughout time?

The novel is filled with a procession of countless characters. Some are elderly, some middle-aged, some teenagers, and some are mere children. Despite belonging to different generations, there is something common among them, a shared sorrow and sadness that spreads through all of them. Why? The title of the novel itself is weighty with meaning. All the characters seem familiar, close to us - our very own people. Yet, despite being so close, are any of them truly the closest to anyone else? The answers to these life-oriented questions are intricately woven throughout the pages of Suchitra Bhattacharya’s novel.