Kajal by Taradas Bandyopadhyay [Hardcover]

At the end of Aparajito, Apu leaves to travel the world, entrusting his young son Kajol to Ranu. Teaching at a missionary school in Fiji, the powerful ocean waves, the star-filled sky—he leaves it all behind after a while and returns. He couldn’t resist the call of a single word, a single voice.

"Father."

Like a beggar, he is compelled to return to Nishchindipur!

Kajol is the narrative of Apu’s return—his story told to his son, his soul, and his past. By now, Apu has gained some recognition; readers often send him letters of praise, and publishers offer him advances with respect. Yet the hostel neighborhood, the old boarding house, College Street—just a few years ago, Apu had wandered these places helplessly. He had no money for food, for college fees, or to send to his ailing, lonely mother at home.

Time changes everything!

At one point, the charm of a wandering life fades, and Apu feels the pull toward a settled, domestic life. To fill the void left by Aparna, he finds companionship with the like-minded Hemanti.

With outstanding results in the entrance exam, Kajol is determined to study at Ripon College. He is untouched by others, uninterested, immersing himself in books in the college library. During this time, he searches for the reasons behind the meaningless void, the belief in life, or the meaning of existence. Eventually, Kajol also contemplates leaving the concrete city of Kolkata to return to the village with his mother—to Nishchindipur.

Days, months, years, and centuries may pass, but perhaps the Aparajito tale of life continues like this, flowing like the parallel railway tracks...