Book Review – Ekla Cholo Re

 

The Book, “She Ekla Cholo Re” authored by Dr. Shayan Haq and Santhosh Avvannavar is a very short interesting novel that you can read in one go and it will hardly take half an hour to finish it off.

The story spins around the life of Kusum, who does not fits into the conventional male and female bracket.  The story is set in the backdrop of Calcutta in 1990. In our society, gender matters a lot and the dominance is more of male owing to patriarchal society and if the person of gender is blurred then it’s more difficult to sustain. The inspirational song of Tagore, “Ekla Cholo Re” urges her to be brave & move further jumping out of the obstacles that the social conditioning comes in her way. Will she able to sustain and win against the odds of life?

My Review:

She is a very short novel in a simple lucid language and the whole story is concluded in just 58 pages but the crux of story is interesting and intriguing. Many queries pops in our mind while reading. Professor Raj stress buster is to go on long drives, so after classes, he steers on the highway and there he finds a single woman waiting. He offers a lift and there the spark of conversation starts between them. Raj is a complete stranger to Kusum but she trusts him. It’s a bit out of place, here the author has hurried. It happens sometime in life.

Raj is swayed by the beauty of Kusum and tries to flatter her. The soul of Kusum is bruised, as she has suffered a lot in the hands of society and her parents ostracise her knowing that she is a transgender. She gathers herself and dares to live in spite of constant brickbats. She goes for sex operation for the sake of saving her love life but there too the social norms hurls her and she is compelled to step back and she is left to live her life all alone.

The song of Tagore inspires her to remain positive and face the world boldly and she does.

The story is of 1990 but even in 2016, it is not easy for the unconventional people to thrive with dignity in society. Still people smirk and scorn at them.

To know more about Kusum’s life, do buy the novel, “She Ekla Cholo Re” and do read.

The authors has done their job with excellence and has provoked the thoughts of many. The underlined message is very strong and inspirational and it is for the mass.

Don’t be let down by adversity,

Face it bravely,

Accept yourself as you are.

That is the message of Tagore’s song,

Jodi tor dak sune keu na ase

Tobe Ekla Cholo Re

Ekla Cholo, Ekla Cholo, Ekla Cholo Re.

Rating: 4/5

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