Lajja
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| Lajja | |
 |
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| Author | Taslima Nasrin |
|---|---|
| Country | Bangladesh |
| Language | Bengali |
| Genre(s) | Novel |
| Publication date | 1993 |
| Published in English |
October 1997 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 302 |
| ISBN | ISBN 1-57392-1-65-3 |
Lajja (Bengali: লজ্জা Lôjja) is a novel in Bengali by Taslima Nasrin, a writer of Bangladesh. The word lajja/lôjja means "shame" in Bengali and many other Indic languages. The book was first published in 1993 in the Bengali language, and was subsequently banned in Bangladesh, and a few states of India. Taslima Nasrin, the writer of the book, has dedicated the book "to the people of the Indian subcontinent", and has announced the beginning of the book with these words: "let another name for religion be humanism." The novel is preceded by a preface and a chronology of events.
[edit] Synopsis
Lajja is a response of Taslima Nasrin to anti-Hindu riots which erupted in parts of Bangladesh, soon after the demolition of Babri Masjid in India on 6th December 1992. The book subtly indicates that communal feelings were on the rise, the Hindu minority of Bangladesh was not fairly treated, and secularism was under shadow.
[edit] Plot summary
In a far off place in Ayodhya, in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India, on 6th December 1992, Babri Masjid is demolished, and the demolition has repercussions even in Bangladesh, a different country, and a far off place from Ayodhya. The fire of communal rioting erupts, and the Dutta family also feels and faces the heat of the communal hatred. Each member of the Dutta family feels about this in his / her own way.
Sudhamoy, the patriarch of the family, feels that Bangladesh, his motherland, shall never let him down. Kironmoy as a faithful wife stands by her husband’s views. Suranjan, their son, believes that nationalism will be stronger than communalism, but is progressively dissapointed and finds himself adopting communal reactions which contrast entirely with the ideology of patriotism he has always had faith in. Nilanjana curses her brother’s apathy and coaxes his brother to take the family to a Muslim friend’s house for safety. It is a story of methamorphosis, that brought by unwelcomed events which destroy evrything one believed in. Violence and resentment are the sole winners.
[edit] Translations
The novel Lajja has been translated into several languages including French, Dutch, German, English, Spanish, Italian, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Icelandic, Persian, Arabic, Hindi,Oriya Urdu, Marathi, Telugu, Nepali, and Malayalam.
