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Even the class divide is not explored well enough to understand Brati's choices. It all seemed a little half-baked to me.
Nah Holo Nah!! I would have appreciated a detailed characterisation of Sujata and her family to better understand the circumstances of their life. The author says a lot about the what's wrong but does not show enough. The bad is not detailed or explored enough in my opinion which makes it difficult to sympathise with Brati/Sujata.Even the class divide is not explored well enough to understand Brati's choices. It all seemed a little half-baked to me.
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The decades of 60s and 70s were times of extreme political turmoil in West Bengal. The Naxalbari movement was taking root and it took shape as an armed movement with an extreme leftist ideology, which is commonly known as Maoism. Many college students, influenced by the ideology, which offered a dream of an Utopian society, joined the movement in masses. West Bengal suffered and burned severely and whose aftermath is still seen today.
'Mother of 1084'
A little background before I begin my review:The decades of 60s and 70s were times of extreme political turmoil in West Bengal. The Naxalbari movement was taking root and it took shape as an armed movement with an extreme leftist ideology, which is commonly known as Maoism. Many college students, influenced by the ideology, which offered a dream of an Utopian society, joined the movement in masses. West Bengal suffered and burned severely and whose aftermath is still seen today.
'Mother of 1084' is set in the backdrop of this very movement. It's the story of a mother, Sujata, whose youngest son, Brati, gets involved in the movement and was brutally killed by the state police force. He lies in a morgue in Kantapukur as corpse no 1084. People influenced by the ideology like Brati, were called as 'cancerous growth on the body of democracy'.
The book portrays a day in the life of Sujata, on the eve on Brati's second death anniversary, mourns her son. Her family is very insensitive towards it and tries to hide his identity or whatever existence Brati had. I was appalled reading about their insensitivities.
Sujata is shocked by their demeanor and decides to mourn Brati all alone. Brati was very dear to her and she always felt like she never understood him. She sets off to visit Brati's friend, Somu and his girlfriend, Nandini. Through them she comes to know of a different Brati, what led him to accepting the ideology and the factors which influenced him. After getting to know this side of him, she openly mourns him in front of her insensitive selfish family. Her husband rebukes her mourning as an appendix pain. Sujata let goes the grief which she had silently accumulated over two years.
While reading about Sujata as a mother mourning her son, I couldn't help but think about the immense loss the ideology and the movement brought upon the entire state. An entire generation of the brightest minds was impaired, which caused grief and loss to their family. The movement caused pain to both, the rebels and the society. I agree our society has flaws, which was one of the reasons of the movement taking shape, the mistrust towards the societal establishment gave an impetus to it, but that doesn't justify the violent path they took and it doesn't mean you target people who aren't from the labour class. Which is why I can never be inclined towards Communism.
This book is a gut wrenching tale of a mother understanding her deceased son's mindset and beliefs while looking for closure to her grief. If you aren't familiar with the political scenario of West Bengal's Naxalbari movement, I recommend you read about it before reading this book. I also recommend reading 'There's gunpowder in the air' by Manoranjan Byapari after reading this book.
4.5⭐
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"Hajar Churashir Ma (Mother of 1084)" is set in the backdrop of this devastating inferno. It portrays a day in the life of Sujata, an educated, sophisticated middle-aged woman who is a bank employee, wife of a rich businessman and mother of four. This day is the second death anniversary of her youngest son Broti. Despite being born in a "have-it-all" family, Broti identified with the have-nots and wanted to make a better world where everybody were truly equals. Broti took active part in the Naxalite movement. While delivering a message to four friends and co-rebels, Broti, along with those four friends, was killed by an anti-Naxalite mob of citizens. His father, elder brother and sisters were more concerned about hiding the news of Broti's involvement in the movement, than mourning him. This shattered the bereaved mother Sujata's heart. She did all her mourning for Broti in private, away from the eyes of her unfeeling, unsympathetic, selfish family. She could however never understand why her son chose this path. She felt as if she never truly knew her youngest child, whom she adored the most. Through the events on his second death anniversary, and by meeting Broti's friend Somu's mother and Broti's lover Nandini, Sujata gradually came to know and understand Broti's ideology, beliefs and the sources thereof. After two years of mourning, Sujata finally felt closest to her son's spirit. The story ended on a tragic note when Sujata at last let go of the restraints on her grief and openly mourned her son for the first time since his death, and her husband misunderstood her expression of terrible agony as pain caused by a ruptured appendix.
As I mentioned earlier, almost an entire generation was either killed or maimed in the aftermath of the Naxalite movement. Some of the extreme Naxals killed so-called bourgeois (industrialists, landlords, otherwise rich people, police, right-wing politicians - you name it). In response, the state police force and in some cases ordinary citizens killed Naxalites, often brutally. On both sides, many innocent ones like Broti were killed. In police records Broti was the thousand-and-eighty-fourth Naxal killed. A bright student of twenty two, with his eyes full of dreams of a better world and his heart filled with love for humankind, was reduced to a number while his brutally beaten up, bruised body burned away in the crematorium.
"Hajar Churashir Ma" is open in its criticism against the brutality of the Govt. and the police in thwarting the Naxalite movement. It does not however tell the other side of the story, which can mislead a reader unfamiliar of the historical background. It is true that the Naxals were killing people and destroying public property. But that does not give the State the right to kill them without trial and in fake encounters. The law is same for every citizen. Some people are not less equal than others. The flaws in the social and economical system that gave rise to the movement in the first place, were completely valid, and sadly remains to be so till date. However, that does not justify the path of violence, often targeting people just because they were not from the poor labour class. At the same time, some Naxalites being violent killers does not justify the no-trial shoot-at-sight spree of the police. The Naxalite movement primarily gained popularity among students because of the mistrust towards establishment, towards the hypocrisy and lack of integrity of the privileged, the so-called "elite"class of society. Ironically, their downfall came mostly because of their blind trust towards everybody who joined them. Taking advantage of the vulnerability, the Govt. had infiltrated the Naxlas with spies. The tip off from such a spy caused the exposure and killing of Broti and his four friends.
While reading and empathizing with the bereaved mother Sujata, I could not help grieving the immense loss of everyone. Many of the Naxalites who were not killed, lost organs and normal function of body and mind due to brutal torture in police custody. One cannot start to fathom the loss of the friends and families of the deceased ones on both sides. As a whole, the society not only lost some of its brightest mind, but the method applied by the govt. to stop the rebellion probably instilled enough fear in the upcoming generations not to question authority and think of anything beyond their agenda of personal gain. I am not preaching. I am a member of the subsequent selfish - or rather - indifferent generation. We have stopped caring. Can there be anything more sad than that? The movement and it's repression ended in a lose-lose situation for both the rebels and the society.
The author Mahashweta Devi was once an ever-present voice to plead the case of the subaltern, the underprivileged. At one place in the book she criticizes the intellectuals of that time, for being neutral at the moment of crisis: "Jara merudondohin, subidhabadi - hawa badal bujhe mat badlano shilpi sahityik buddhijibi.." (those who are spineless opportunists, the artists, litterateurs, intellectuals who change opinion per convenience). How ironic and sad it is that now the same Mahashweta Devi has become exactly this. Those who are familiar with the present sociopolitical scenario of West Bengal, will understand what I mean.
Summary: A heart-wrenching tale of a bereaved mother's journey of understanding her deceased son's ideology, and coming to terms with his death and her own grief. Neither is this book a literary masterpiece, nor does it offer, in terms of facts and events, anything new about the Naxalite movement. However, the reader can fully empathize with the protagonist and accompany her on her journey. Before reading the book one must be familiar with the political history of West Bengal during the 1960s and 70s, because the book tells only one side of the story (the other side being out of the scope of this book).
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I don't normally cry while reading books or watching movies, but this book brought me very, very close to it.
This book clutches at your heart and does not leave until the very end. It opens your eyes to both the discrimination and complancency within the society (specifically, Calcutta, and perhaps urban Indian in general) and the mental state of a mother suffering her son's loss and coming to terms with these and other realities.I don't normally cry while reading books or watching movies, but this book brought me very, very close to it.
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"क्या इसिलिए जान दी थी उन्होंनें? यह जिंदा लाशें, यह पथरिली, चमकीली लाशें. न कोई ज़मीर, न आत्मा. क्या इसिलिए दाँव पर लगाया था अपना सबकुछ? यह कभी नहीं बाटेंगे अपना कुछ."
"घर का, परिवार का, कर्तव्य निभाना ही तो सिखाया है बचपन से. कभी कुछ और सोचा ही नहीं."
Do these lines trouble you? Do they make you uncomfortable? Does your skin crawl when you think of your identity? What does "pride" mean to you? What do you take pride in? In the class in which you were born? In the riches you we
#BookRecommendation"क्या इसिलिए जान दी थी उन्होंनें? यह जिंदा लाशें, यह पथरिली, चमकीली लाशें. न कोई ज़मीर, न आत्मा. क्या इसिलिए दाँव पर लगाया था अपना सबकुछ? यह कभी नहीं बाटेंगे अपना कुछ."
"घर का, परिवार का, कर्तव्य निभाना ही तो सिखाया है बचपन से. कभी कुछ और सोचा ही नहीं."
Do these lines trouble you? Do they make you uncomfortable? Does your skin crawl when you think of your identity? What does "pride" mean to you? What do you take pride in? In the class in which you were born? In the riches you were born with? In the skin you were born with? Do you think that is your achievement? What does "equality" mean to you? How far are you willing to sacrifice yourself for someone/something? Does a mother always understand her child? Knows what they are up to? If she doesn't know it or understand it, is it her 'mistake'?
"हजा़र चौरासवें की माँ" has portrayed the brutality of life through two very significant aspects - feminism and the voice of dissent/revolution.
Sujata and Dibyanath Chatterjee are upper class Bengalis living a comfortable life with their two sons - Jyoti and Brati and two daughters - Nipa and Tuli. This story is about Vrati - the 1084 in the title. This story is about a loving son - a National Scholarship winner - a young Indian boy with a very bright future - a 'sensitive', 'nurturing', 'caring' son who was often referred to by his father as 'girlish', as 'unmanly'.
When I started this little gutsy book, I never knew what 1084 even meant. So I am not going to divulge it out here either. In fact, it is very difficult for me personally to review this book without being biased as a woman.
I could not read this book in its original language, "Bangla". I had to make do with its Hindi version but I wasn't disappointed at all. The book moves to and fro between year gaps and tells us about the events unfolding/unfolded in those years. It is the story of Sujata, in search of her son and through him, in search of her self. It raises some very important questions about the world we live in. About political ideologies. About motherhood. About who decides the right and wrong. About is there anything right or wrong at all. About love and passion. About artificiality of the things we give ourselves to. I loved the book and it is going to go in my re-read pile for sure.
Once I was done with the book, I saw the movie too. Directed by Govind Nihalani, Jaya Bachchan in the character of Sujata has portrayed immense emotions only through her eyes. It has some brilliant actors like Anupam Kher, Mona Ambegaonkar, Milind Gunaji, Nandita Das, Bhakti Barve. The movie has stayed true to the book completely. The end has been extended slightly and I personally loved it. The self discovery of Sujata is one journey no one should miss.
If you have read the book, would love to know what you felt!
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–Mahasweta Devi, 'Mother of 1084'
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For the longest time I could not find it in my heart to write a review of Mahasweta Devi's 'Mother of 1084'. A mother, Sujata, wakes up to the news of the death of her youngest and most beloved son, Brati, on the morning of his birthday. She then takes a painful internal (and external) journey to understand her own relationship with him, also trying in the course of it, to understand her Naxalite son's mor
"Time was the arch fugitive, always on the run."–Mahasweta Devi, 'Mother of 1084'
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For the longest time I could not find it in my heart to write a review of Mahasweta Devi's 'Mother of 1084'. A mother, Sujata, wakes up to the news of the death of her youngest and most beloved son, Brati, on the morning of his birthday. She then takes a painful internal (and external) journey to understand her own relationship with him, also trying in the course of it, to understand her Naxalite son's moral beliefs and obligations who at the end of his short life is marked only by a number: হাজার চুরাশি (1084).
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'Mother of 1084' is extremely heartbreaking and does not fail to jostle one out of one's comfortable reality. The reader simultaneously feels alienated from Sujata's tragedy and emphatic towards it. The private and the public life of a woman belonging to an elite family is juxtaposed by highlighting the turmoil within the family and in the outside world. The novella starts with a confusing narrative and for a while I believed it wasn't well translated. However, the progression since, to the middle and the end, made me realise that this was more or less done to keep the original style of the text intact.
@thephotodiary
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"Time is a ruthless killer, as cruel as destiny. Time is the river Ganga, with grief for its banks. The tide of time carries alluvium in to cover up grief. And then fresh sprouts of greenery break through, reaching fingers to the sky, young shoots of hope and pain and joy and ecstasy."
RATING: 4.75/5
Socio-political activism has always been at the front and centre of Mahasweta Devi's writing. She doesn't mince words, doesn't shy away from taking concrete positions. It's foolish to expect a neutral
"Time is a ruthless killer, as cruel as destiny. Time is the river Ganga, with grief for its banks. The tide of time carries alluvium in to cover up grief. And then fresh sprouts of greenery break through, reaching fingers to the sky, young shoots of hope and pain and joy and ecstasy."
RATING: 4.75/5
Socio-political activism has always been at the front and centre of Mahasweta Devi's writing. She doesn't mince words, doesn't shy away from taking concrete positions. It's foolish to expect a neutral non-partisan stance in her works; she isn't a believer of subtlety. A short novel, Mother of 1084 narrates a day in the life of a privileged apolitical woman on the second death anniversary of her younger son killed on his birthday. She is the only one who grieves in the family. All the others had scrambled to erase all existence of him when they got to know about his death so that their socio-economic status is not affected. As the day goes by, Sujata slowly comes to terms with the past and starts to understand how her son saw the world, how he sought to change it. Devi's prose is arresting where phrases & motifs repeat in hypnotic patterns, gaining frenzied energy and pushing the narrative to its climactic end. She non-stop condemns the willful selective blindness of complacent bourgeois society, shunning fence-sitting. Overall, a well-translated book that will provide a reader with much food for thought.
(I received a finished copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)
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Broken up into - morning, afternoon, late afternoon and evening. Uff, that last chapter.
Short simple read but power packed.
A poignant, beautiful read. One day in the life of Sujatha - on the 2nd death anniversary of her son, Brati, you see her flashback to many instances- the day she found out about his death, how she coped, his childhood. You see that he was clearly her favourite child amongst her disfunctional family. She's been mourning and you can feel the pain build up slowly but steadily.Broken up into - morning, afternoon, late afternoon and evening. Uff, that last chapter.
Short simple read but power packed.
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poignant tale of loss and grief, that can tear you apart.
Like the waves crashing against the rocks in the seashore, Mother of 1084 hits you bit by bit opening the layers of emotions underneath. Nuanced, peeling the pent up and submerged feeling of a mother 'Sujata' who loses her favourite son 'Brati' - anyone who has loved and lost would find themselves imm
Hajar Churashir Ma written by Mahaweta Devi translated brilliantly by Samik Bandopadhyay is a tale of a mother coming in terms with her son's death, the events leading up to them and the aftermath.Like the waves crashing against the rocks in the seashore, Mother of 1084 hits you bit by bit opening the layers of emotions underneath. Nuanced, peeling the pent up and submerged feeling of a mother 'Sujata' who loses her favourite son 'Brati' - anyone who has loved and lost would find themselves immersed in Sujata's tale and Devi's beautiful work.
Narrated as events of a single day, the chapters are divided into various time frames- morning, afternoon and so. It starts with Sujata remembering the same day 22 years ago when she gave birth to her youngest, Brati and then to 2 years back when she receives the news of his death the same day as his birth. Reduced into a mere number '1084' as a corpse , she tried to navigate and identify the final moments of her beloved son.
In Sujata you see all the women who are taught to live in a certain way, unable to break from their duties but showing spurts of rebellion here and there. Sujata very early on aware of her husband's philandering ways goes on to live a submissive life going around doing her duties . In a society where men going around was considered signs of their virility, her other children deeply devoted to her husband Brati is her only solace. Brati too understands his mother's predicament and promises her the world once he grows up. At the onset of his 20th birthday, he is killed by the opposite forces of the Naxallite movement. Though coming from an affluent family, Brati's ideologies are different and he strives for an equal society. Sujata reaches out to Somu's mother, albeit from a different class who was killed at the same time who has other problems following Somu's death. In their conversations Sujata tries to find a Brati she didn't know of. But it's the conversation with Nandini, Brati's partner that Sujata learns of Brati's immense love for her and his cause which pushes her submerged emotions.
Devi cleverly brings in matter of political relevance in this tale of mother and son. Sujata remembers him in waking dreams and goes back again and again to the day of his death - the sights , the smell and the feeling. Sujata's journey is so described "she begins to recognize her own alienation , as a woman and wife, from the complacent, hypocritical, bourgeois society her son had rebelled against." I could very well picturize the story flowing in my head. The translation is flawless with words pouring in the right depth. Highly recommend this book. It left me speechless and am still at a loss of words to piece my thoughts on this.
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The story starts on the eve of Brati's death anniversary when Sujata recollects her son's fond memories from his birth, visiting where he spent his last moments and trying to get to know her deceased son.
Throughout the story Sujata is portrayed as a strong woman who fought against the odds; finding
Mother of 1084 by Mahasweta Devi is set during the 1970s Naxalite Movement in West Bengal; taking us through the organised mass massacre of young rebellious crowd, the reaction and the lack of action.The story starts on the eve of Brati's death anniversary when Sujata recollects her son's fond memories from his birth, visiting where he spent his last moments and trying to get to know her deceased son.
Throughout the story Sujata is portrayed as a strong woman who fought against the odds; finding her voice and trying to keep a part of her son alive when the rest of her family is consciously trying to erase him from their lives.
Mahasweta Devi has done an incredible job in recreating the political tension and turmoil of the time and narrating it through a mother.
The translation felt effortless and the Introduction by the translator is really insightful. I give this one 4/5
The rich and the poor, the right and the wrong - has never been black and white. Read this book
I haven't read in a long while now, a book that went into history. So this book was a perfect weekend pick. With the entire Covid situation, which is already grim, this book is a good way to get lost in the 1970 Calcutta. Though there is nothing comforting in that era, but the book reads like a poetry of contradictions. That is comfort. To know that what is true today has always been true in some way.The rich and the poor, the right and the wrong - has never been black and white. Read this book to experience that again.
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A compelling look at trauma and grief, I just had a hard time connecting with this one
Mahasweta Devi passed away a few days ago. I decided to pick up "Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa" as my tribute.
It had been a few years since I read a Hindi novel. I had forgotten how Hindi (and perhaps Russian novels) of this era stand in their own class. The emotions you feel when reading these books are not just because of what you feel for the characters, but because you know that these incidents have happened in real life. That these incidents are happening in real life. Authors like Mahasweta Devi
Mahasweta Devi passed away a few days ago. I decided to pick up "Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa" as my tribute.
It had been a few years since I read a Hindi novel. I had forgotten how Hindi (and perhaps Russian novels) of this era stand in their own class. The emotions you feel when reading these books are not just because of what you feel for the characters, but because you know that these incidents have happened in real life. That these incidents are happening in real life. Authors like Mahasweta Devi blurred and connected the divide between fiction and journalistic reporting.
Through "Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa", Mahasweta Devi talks about the India in 70s which is coming to terms with opportunities and turmoil that a newly independent nation faces. She talks about the political situation, the social struggles, the class divide, the courageous and quixotic youth, and everything in between. But all of this takes a backseat because she talks about a mother who has lost her son -her only child she loved. Body number 1084.
And Mahasweta Devi bares the mother's inner voice with an intensity and honesty which only a woman and author like her could.
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This is my second book by Mahasweta Devi, after I read "Rudali" last year. Looking forward to read some more books by the author in the coming year also.
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The author paints a picture in which each member of the family is A short read on a mother's loss of her son. Sujata seems to be the only one in mourning of her son, while the rest of the family completely erases him from memory. Two years after his death, Sujata connects with Brati by engaging with those he was close to before his death. Even though Brati and his mother had the closest understanding of each other in the family, his mother couldn't for-see his political involvement and save him.
The author paints a picture in which each member of the family is flawed except for Brati. I don't know if it's just an attempt to praise Brati by highlighting his father's and siblings flaws. His mother's flaw is in being submissive and accepting of everyone else as a dutiful wife and mother. Brati was the only one of her children Sujata could rely on for love and understanding. Sujata was waiting for Brati to save her but when she finally comes to terms that he is gone, she realizes she must save herself. ...more
Its a nice book telling the pain of mother who lost her son.........
The first scene of the book is of a mother down in pain thinking of the day she was suffering so years ago giving birth to her unconventional, difficult and favourite child, and of the day exactly two years ago when his dear son passed away because of his ideologies, empathy, compassion and critical understanding of the soci
A gloriously infamous book that has left me infused with insurmountable guilt. A pang of guilt that was always passive in its piercing became active the day I read this book.The first scene of the book is of a mother down in pain thinking of the day she was suffering so years ago giving birth to her unconventional, difficult and favourite child, and of the day exactly two years ago when his dear son passed away because of his ideologies, empathy, compassion and critical understanding of the social structure and human emotions, passions and weaknesses. On that fortunate/unfortunate day of his birthday, he was deceived by a frenemy. The traitor had revealed the disposition of Brati in the Naxalite movement and which in turn lead to his brutal death at the hands of some sadistic goons.
The true essence of the book is in the struggle his mother goes through in discovering and understanding his son after his death. She could definitely not go back in time and become the confidante his son needed so she lived in past to be closer to him, to be what she wasn't. The fact that she slowly comes to realize the ideologies her son supported and lived by and that she would start looking at things from his perspective, not clearly still, but at least perceive some of it, shifts the storyline but the mood of the book stagnant with her never-ending questions.
In her silence, she noticed how her family members treats her and starts reflecting upon the nature of her infidel husband, her daughters proud of their infidel dad because it makes him manly and her son who learnt to replicate his dad and be his saviour in all circumstances. She realized how the killers of his son were considered heroes, were appreciated in unsaid words and supported by everyone no matter which political party they belong to. She saw the holes in the present government system and the social structure. She saw the inequalities of society. The disparities when considered in their true form led her to the pavement of his son's viewpoint.
Beneath it all, was the added despondency of her husband's behaviour who instead of mourning his son's death, starts pulling strings so the scandalous situation under which his son died could be hidden from the world to save his career and that of his family members. Not just her husband who once was confronted by Brati about his infidelity, even her daughters, son, in-laws were all shadowing up his death under the mud. They had all become one party and left her to be the only one on the side of the dead, so death she chose.
It doesn't matter where the book starts from and where it ends. It is a chain of events set close to each other in an ascending order so naturally reaching a point it was supposed to. The change was so swift I couldn't believe it was not a chapter in a book but the book itself and should we even call it a change in that case? The ambience of the book was frozen throughout as if thick with anguish, depravity, dominion and discrepancy.
The book also covers the basic grounds of feminism hinting at the lack of freedom and opinion women have and showing the sheer determination of Brati's mother to not be a part of the uselessness she was raised to be. Her aspiration of having a world of her own and to having an identity outside of a wife, a mother and a daughter-in-law. Her need to be independent, to have control over at least some part of her life tells us about the silent fight she was fighting against gender inequality.
Although the Naxalite movement of 1967 wasn't covered in detail nor the facts mentioned crisply, the ambience of the book was set in a way that it portrayed in detail the take of the civilians on the movement, both of the antagonists and the supporters which were quite scanty when compared. The story covers how the movement might have come to an end but the causes of it remain and should be fought against. The end of the visible movement does not in any way mean that the inner movement has come to an end. There are still people who suffer at the hands of the government and society and as long as they suffer, the fight has to go on.
The writing style was simple, poetic and romantic. The proses were fluid and captured the dull mood of the book to the hilt. The characters were written well, realistic and unique. But there is one thing there never leaves me is the feeling that with the translation, one loses a lot of the originality. I know enough Bengali to understand a conversation but not enough to read a book. And that scanty knowledge of the language tells me that something is missing from the book. Not the mood, for sure. The poetry, perhaps.
Ratings-
Concept- 4.7/5
Plot- 4.2/5
Characterization- 4.3/5
Flow- 4.8/5
Feels- 4.8/5
Narration- 4.4/5
Inclusive Ratings- 4.1/5
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This was the last thing Sujata heard before she rushed to receive the mutilated corpse of her son. Mother of 1084, by Mahasweta Devi, first written in Bengali, later translated to English by Samil Bandopadhyay, is about a mother's loss, a lover's grief and a deluded society.
The story is built around four quarters; morning, afternoon, late afternoon and evening of precisely, the 17th of January. The date is immensely
"Are you related to Brati Chatterjee? Your son, you say? Come to Kantapukur."This was the last thing Sujata heard before she rushed to receive the mutilated corpse of her son. Mother of 1084, by Mahasweta Devi, first written in Bengali, later translated to English by Samil Bandopadhyay, is about a mother's loss, a lover's grief and a deluded society.
The story is built around four quarters; morning, afternoon, late afternoon and evening of precisely, the 17th of January. The date is immensely significant because Sujata brought her fourth born, Brati, into this world, only to lose him on the same day, 20 years later.
The book is more like a novella and yet the author captures the essence of all characters involved, succinctly. For example, Dibyanath's self – centred personality, till then overlooked by Sujata, plays a prominent part as she struggles to forgive him for choosing societal acceptance over going to the police station for the identification of his son's dead body. For Sujata, this revelation into her husband's nature was like "one of those explosions that broke the solid mass of earth into continents separated by the oceans".
Set in the 1970's Calcutta, amidst what the leftists call the Decade of Liberation and the rightists proclaim as the Spread of Red Terror, the prose revolves around Sujata's quest for truth, as she tries to come to terms with the grief of her son's untimely death and a family hell-bent on sweeping his death under the rug. As self-worship and vanity close their doors on Sujata and stifle her need to mourn, Sujata sets out to know her son, seeking refuge in the bereaved mother of Brati's friend, Somu and Brati's love, Nandini.
The hypocrisy of a Calcutta burning in the day with protests over injustices in Bangladesh is brought out by its silence over its very gullies running down with gore. Even as the heart-rending cries of the ones left behind have not escaped the parched throats, there are more wails joining them, as the city stands a dumb witness to the torture and slaughter of an entire generation.
As the Era of Blood is ebbing away, the 128 paged prose explores how the abnormal and absurd normalcy of everyday life is haunting the survivors and the ones most affected by it, the Mothers.
Reading this story as two of the world's largest economies are gearing up for war and as the world's largest democracy is burning in the heat of contentious laws and lathi charges, the question that the prose asks is now more relevant than ever,
"Can you bear to look the other way? For how long?"
I've only ever read Devi's translated short story, Breast Giver. A story of the self-sacrificial life of its female protagonist and her abusive treatment by the society she lived in; a commonality with most of Devi's works, including Mother of 1084.
Even if one uncovers layers of political, economic and social turmoil remindful of that era, the book is just about one person; Sujata and her intense love for her dead son, Brati, beautifully described in the lines
"If Sujata got that moment back again, she would rush down the stairs and hug him hard, body of her body. She would tell him, Brati, I have to know everything. Just don't go out, Brati, please don't."
The anger at the injustice and illegitimacy of Brati's death and the attempts of Sujata's family to erase all remnants of a familial link with a dead Maoist sympathiser, Brati, festers. It comes to a head when she is forced to attend Tuli's engagement, held on the same day that Brati was killed. The final chapter unfolds to Sujata giving in to intense sorrow as she performs her last bit of duty, having spent her day understanding her son in death and in life.
"Sujata had not pledged her loyalty to the smile of a stranger on the street, to the snatch of a tune floating in the air, to red roses, to the bright street lights, to the hanging festoons across the streets. Where has Sujata pledged her faith?"
It is a poignant narrative rich in colour and contrast. A definite must-read that will leave one hoping that it was just that, a fictional story.
...more
Vrati Chatterjee, born in a high class family always considered as "black sheep" of the family. Reasons- because he stood against everything his ultra orthodox and toxic masculinity worshipping family believed in. Vrati joins the Mukti Dashak Movement to convey his anger and dissatisfaction toward the government and to bring change. This the story of this classic by Mahashweta Devi becomes the story about change. Change in different aspects and change in multiple dimensions.
Firstly the story is about change of Vrati from a high class born to the 1084th. The 1084th, whom the system and society think of a disguised youth who was on warpath against the system and society. But this 1084th was against the hypocrisy, double standards of the society and incompetency of the system. The change Vrati wanted in the society was at a macro level, a new and changed society as a whole. But in the process he becomes the reason of change also at micro or to be precise reason of change within her mother. From here the story becomes multi dimensional and more beautiful. The structure in which the story unfolds is perfectly apt.
The book is divided into four parts- morning, afternoon, evening and night. The day is of Sujata's younger daughter's engagement and it is also Vrati's death anniversary. Instead of occupying herself with engagement ceremony Sujata chooses to spend the day with the people Vrati knew and during the course of this day she discovers the transition of Vrati Chatterjee to the 1084th and eventually from a deprived and victimised Sujata to the mother of 1084th. The other thing I would like to add is that that the novel is written with a lot of anger, a whole lot of it. Anger not in its subtality but anger with its full clearence, brutality and vigor.
A Must Read Masterpiece.
5 Stars.
I didn't know sh*t about the movement until I read this book.
I fell in love with Sujata. And while reading the book, I was her. It was horrible. I couldn't handle the pain that came my way. Such repression and such passivity. My son was dead. My son is dead. My son saw me when no one else did. I loved him. I love him. I am boiling. I don't know what comes next. I mee Naxalite Movement. A Mother. A son. A boy. Pain. A love so unselfish. Nonconformity. Violence. Duty. Repression. Passivity. Death.
I didn't know sh*t about the movement until I read this book.
I fell in love with Sujata. And while reading the book, I was her. It was horrible. I couldn't handle the pain that came my way. Such repression and such passivity. My son was dead. My son is dead. My son saw me when no one else did. I loved him. I love him. I am boiling. I don't know what comes next. I meet Nandini, I see her... the girl he fell in love with. Something was dead within Nandini. One grows heavy after death. She says You don't understand. You love too intensely... and then the prison, the interrogation, the lamp burning your eyes - they break you - then you find yourself. I'll never be able to be simple or normal again, in the way you're thinking of.
This sense of loss.
I have never loved someone as much as I loved Brati in those pages. He was stubborn, sensitive and imaginative. But that doesn't even begin to tell you his depth as a person and a character. He felt. He loved. His courage was unparalleled. He saw. He cared. Even though I felt this raw anger and frustration when he left - looking at his mother for the last time - I knew he wouldn't be the person he was if he hadn't done that. He had integrity. If I could draw him close to me one last time and caress his face, let him know that I will not always be passive. That I was immensely proud of him. If only I could do that.
But time past is time lost. Time is a ruthless killer, as cruel as destiny. Time is the river Ganga, with grief for its banks. The tide of time carries alluvium in to cover up grief. And then fresh sprouts of greenery break through, reaching fingers to the sky, young shoots of hope and pain and joy and ecstasy.
This didn't feel like fiction. It wasn't for me. All too real.
Why are you so passive, Ma?
The pyre that burns in my heart will burn till I mount the pyre myself.
...moreShe joined the Rabindranath Tagore-founded Vishvabharati University in Santinik
Mahasweta Devi was an Indian social activist and writer. She was born in 1926 in Dhaka, to literary parents in a Hindu Brahmin family. Her father Manish Ghatak was a well-known poet and novelist of the Kallol era, who used the pseudonym Jubanashwa. Mahasweta's mother Dharitri Devi was also a writer and a social worker.She joined the Rabindranath Tagore-founded Vishvabharati University in Santiniketan and completed a B.A. (Hons) in English, and then finished an M.A. in English at Calcutta University as well. She later married renowned playwright Bijon Bhattacharya who was one of the founding fathers of the IPTA movement. In 1948, she gave birth to Nabarun Bhattacharya, currently one of Bengal's and India's leading novelist whose works are noted for their intellectual vigour and philosophical flavour. She got divorced from Bijon Bhattacharya in 1959.
In 1964, she began teaching at Bijoygarh College (an affiliated college of the University of Calcutta system). During those days, Bijoygarh College was an institution for working class women students. During that period she also worked as a journalist and as a creative writer. Recently, she is more famous for her work related to the study of the Lodhas and Shabars, the tribal communities of West Bengal, women and dalits. She is also an activist who is dedicated to the struggles of tribal people in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. In her elaborate Bengali fiction, she often depicts the brutal oppression of tribal peoples and the untouchables by potent, authoritarian upper-caste landlords, lenders, and venal government officials.
Major awards:
1979: Sahitya Akademi Award (Bengali): – Aranyer Adhikar (novel)
1986: Padma Shri[2]
1996: Jnanpith Award - the highest literary award from the Bharatiya Jnanpith
1997: Ramon Magsaysay Award - Journalism, Literature, and the Creative Communication Arts
1999: Honoris causa - Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU)
2006: Padma Vibhushan - the second highest civilian award from the Government of India
2010:Yashwantrao Chavan National Award
2011: Bangabibhushan - the highest civilian award from the Government of West Bengal
2012: Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Sahityabramha - the first Lifetime Achievement award in Bengali Literature from 4thScreen-IFJW.
মহাশ্বেতা দেবী একটি মধ্যবিত্ত বাঙালি পরিবারে জন্মগ্রহণ করেছিলেন । তাঁর পিতা মনীশ ঘটক ছিলেন কল্লোল যুগের প্রখ্যাত সাহিত্যিক এবং তাঁর কাকা ছিলেন বিখ্যাত চিত্রপরিচালক ঋত্বিক ঘটক। মা ধরিত্রী দেবীও ছিলেন সাহিত্যিক ও সমাজসেবী। মহাশ্বেতা দেবী বিখ্যাত নাট্যকার বিজন ভট্টাচার্যের সঙ্গে বিবাহবন্ধনে আবদ্ধ হন। তাঁদের একমাত্র পুত্র, প্রয়াত নবারুণ ভট্টাচার্য স্মরণীয় কবিতার পঙ্ক্তি 'এ মৃত্যু উপত্যকা আমার দেশ নয়' এবং হারবার্ট উপন্যাস লিখে বাংলা সাহিত্যে স্থায়ী স্বাক্ষর রেখে গেছেন।
তাঁর শৈশব ও কৈশোরে স্কুলের পড়াশোনা ঢাকায়। দেশভাগের পর চলে আসেন কলকাতায়। এরপর শান্তিনিকেতনের বিশ্বভারতী বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় থেকে ইংরেজিতে অনার্স এবং কলকাতা বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় থেকে স্নাতকোত্তর ডিগ্রি নেন।
১৯৬৪ খ্রীষ্টাব্দে তিনি বিজয়গড় কলেজে শিক্ষকতা শুরু করেন । এই সময়েই তিনি একজন সাংবাদিক এবং লেখিকা হিসাবে কাজ করেন। পরবর্তীকালে তিনি বিখ্যাত হন মূলত পশ্চিমবাংলার উপজাতি এবং নারীদের ওপর তাঁর কাজের জন্য । তিনি বিভিন্ন লেখার মাধ্যমে বিভিন্ন উপজাতি এবং মেয়েদের উপর শোষণ এবং বঞ্চনার কথা তুলে ধরেছেন। সাম্প্রতিক কালে মহাশ্বেতা দেবী পশ্চিমবঙ্গ সরকারের শিল্পনীতির বিরুদ্ধে সরব হয়েছেন । সরকার কর্তৃক বিপুল পরিমাণে কৃষিজমি অধিগ্রহণ এবং স্বল্পমূল্যে তা শিল্পপতিদের কাছে বিতরণের নীতির তিনি কড়া সমালোচক । এছাড়া তিনি শান্তিনিকেতনে প্রোমোটারি ব্যবসার বিরুদ্ধেও প্রতিবাদ করেছেন ।
তাঁর লেখা শতাধিক বইয়ের মধ্যে হাজার চুরাশির মা অন্যতম। তাঁকে পদ্মবিভূষণ (ভারত সরকারের দ্বিতীয় সর্বোচ্চ নাগরিক পুরস্কার,২০০৬), রামন ম্যাগসেসে পুরস্কার (১৯৯৭), জ্ঞানপীঠ পুরস্কার (সাহিত্য একাডেমির সর্বোচ্চ সাহিত্য সম্মান), সার্ক সাহিত্য পুরস্কার (২০০৭) প্রভৃতি পদকে ভূষিত করা হয়।
২০১৬ সালের ২৮ জুলাই, বৃহস্পতিবার বেলা ৩টা ১৬ মিনিটে চিকিৎসাধীন অবস্থায় তিনি শেষনিশ্বাস ত্যাগ করেন।
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অঙ্কুর। আশার-দুঃখের-চিন্তার-বিদ্বেষের।
আঙুলগুলো ওপরে ওঠে, আকাশ খামচায়।
সময় সব পারে।"
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Source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/262038.Mother_of_1084
