Translated fiction: After escaping a deadly bomb blast, Jibon returns to life having lost his memory
An excerpt from ‘The Interloper’, by Manoranjan Byapari – the third and final book in the ‘Chandal Jibon’ series – translated from the Bengali by V Ramaswamy.
Join our WhatsApp Community to receive travel deals, free stays, and special offers!
- Join Now -
Join our WhatsApp Community to receive travel deals, free stays, and special offers!
- Join Now -
Perhaps the news spread through the railway station and its vicinity, in the neighbourhood and the railside squatter settlement more speedily than a flame in a forest turns into raging forest fire. Jibon is back! Our Jibon-da has returned!
Pa-khara Kedar, or Lame Kedar, who ran the small tea shop at the western end of Platform No. 2 of the railway station, was the first to spot Jibon, and he passed on the news to everyone. “When I first saw him, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Was I seeing right? So I kept looking, and realised it was none other than Jibon.”
Kalipada Shikari lived on the canalside in Rajdanga. He was a rickshaw driver in the rickshaw stand on the western side of the railway station. There were four rickshaw stands here. There was one on the left side, and one on the right side of the railway line at the end of the eastern platform. Another one was beside Kedar’s shop, at the end of the western platform, and the fourth one was beside the Platform No. 1 exit, near the ticket counter, in front of an ancient banyan tree. There was a temple under the banyan. There were idols of...
