Bhangankal by Suchitra Bhattacharya [Hardcover]

As people climb the ladder of life, they strive to reach the pinnacle of fulfillment. They believe that at the end of the ladder lies infinite wealth, uninterrupted joy, and happiness. Yet, with even a slight lapse in caution, the game of climbing the ladder becomes an inevitable descent into an unavoidable downfall. Anuradha wanted to see the world from the top of a high-rise building. She wanted to see people, like dolls, as mere replicas. Anuradha’s husband, Chandan Roy Chowdhury, held a government job where his house was filled with bribe money, and the surrounding people were stunned by the abundance of wealth. Another of Anuradha's dreams revolved around her son, the high school student, Selfish Saubhik. But on New Year's Day, when Chandan went to Sheila Sen's flat on Park Street to indulge in liquor, fried fish, and the pleasures of the female body, he was caught by the police. In order to cover up the incident, Chandan had to build one lie after another, creating a mountain of falsehoods. Yet, eventually, these mountains collapse. Thus begins the landslide of life. In the vast canvas of everyday life, Suchitra Bhattacharya paints, with her sensitive pen, the sorrowful moments of a dawn devoid of light.