Lajja by Taslima Nasreen is a story of a Hindu family- Sudhamoy, Kironmoyee and their children- Suranjan and Maya. They live in Bangladesh which is ridden with religious and political conflict.But their lives take a turn for the worse when Hindus in India demolish Babri Masjid at Ayodhya. With already burgeoning Muslim fundamentalism, this incident added fuel to the fire. The event which happened in India had repercussions in Bangladesh.
The story depicts their life over a series of thirteen days- how each family member feels and reacts to different situations. The narrative is very powerful. The language is simple yet impactful. Several themes pertaining to religion, secularism, patriotism are explored throughout the narrative which makes you think what is right and what is wrong. It left me emotionally drained.
The characters are wonderfully written. Sudhanmoy is patriotic and idealistic. His idealism gets very irritating when he fails to see the reality. Suranjan comes across as careless and detached. But his thinking undergoes a lot of significant change.
Throughout the story, there are a lot of facts which recount the horrific incidents of lootings and killings in Bangladesh. That threw me off a little. Other than that, the book is worth reading.
I highly recommend this book.
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