Rupkathar Manush by Sunil Gangopadhyay [Hardcover]

Ruh couldn’t understand why Manni chose her elder brother Habi over other more suitable men in the settlement. But trouble came from a different direction. The local chieftain, Kushi, son of Homer, could not accept the relationship between Manni and Habi. He challenged Habi to a duel. In the fierce battle, Kushi was killed, and Habi escaped. However, Ruh was captured. While the fifteen-year-old Ruh was being punished, bound under the open sky day after day, a tall figure clad in black arrived and freed him. Ruh then set out to find his missing elder brother and mother. On the way, Ruh encountered an old man whose soul entered his body. This old man was actually a king named Yuban. Yuban had three desires: to enjoy the company of a certain artist, to drink the sap of the Jibil tree which only gives dreams, and to defeat King Bhishma in battle. Yuban’s soul guided Ruh through the paths of dreams and struggle. Ruh’s encounter with a woman named Rurusha—whether she is the artist or her mother—is a part of the destiny and cosmic plan that ultimately carried Ruh to the horizon and beyond. This is a unique allegorical tale by Sunil Gangopadhyay.