Dholgobinda by Subhash Mukhopadhyay

The writer Subhash Mukhopadhyay first encountered the character Dholgobinda in 1983, when he had his own personal epiphany - one could say, it was the "epiphany of Dholgobinda." Several years later, he revisited this peculiar character. But who exactly is Dholgobinda? What is his identity? In the author's own words, "The 'I' that I see before me, pulled out from within myself, is the very 'I' that becomes Dholgobinda." Later, he wrote "In Dholgobinda's mind was this..." In the second part of his writing, the memories are resurrected with the help of old, faded, and moth-eaten photographs stored in a tin trunk from his past—an attempt to bring together time, history, events, and personal joys and sorrows through his blurry recollections.

The books "Amader Shobar Apan: Dholgobindar Atmodarshan" and "Dholgobindar Mone Chhilo Ei" have now been combined and published as Dholgobinda. In his impeccable language, with clear, polished prose, Subhash Mukhopadhyay recounts his autobiographical story in his uniquely flavored and unparalleled book. It captures the expansiveness of a novel, yet holds the pull of a short story, intertwining personal experiences with the broader narrative of life.