Romtha

Mahasweta Devi

Translated by Pinaki Bhattacharya

 

5.75 x 8.5 inches, xxi + 72pp. 2005

ISBN : 9788170461388

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‘. . . one day, Sharan arrived. His virile body, his golden hair, the look that glowed in his pale eyes, intense, brooding—all of this threw her into a turmoil. Subhadra fell madly in love.’

 

A beautiful young man condemned to death for a crime of passion; his lover, the beautiful courtesan whom he kills but continues to mourn and yearn for; and a lonely young widow burning with unrequited desire. This love triangle set in twelfth century Bengal, moving between the royal city of Gaur and the forests and rivers of rural Bengal, centres on the fate of the romtha, the branded criminal who awaits his own death. Ironically named Sharan—refuge—there is no refuge for the protagonist of this tale of passion, vengeance and the overwhelming hunger for life. 

Mahasweta Devi is one of India's foremost writers. Her powerful fiction has won her recognition in the form of the Sahitya Akademi (1979), Jnanpith (1996) and Ramon Magsaysay (1996) awards, amongst several other literary honours. She was also awarded the Padmasree in 1986, for her activist work amongst dispossessed tribal communities. 

 

Pinaki Bhattacharya is a consultant, teacher, writer and actor who lives and works in Calcutta.

Cultural History
Fiction
Selected Works Of Mahasweta Devi