This is a story about the Duttas, a Bengali family living in Bangladesh and their struggles during the communal riots in 1992, which started when the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya was demolished by a mob of Hindu fanatics.
Summary Of The Book
The Dutta family consists of four members, the father of the household, Sudhamoy, his wife Kironmoyee, and their children Suranjan and Maya. Being a Hindu family in a country that is terrorized by Muslim fundamentalists as often as possible, the book talks about their struggle in Bangladesh and their refusal to relocate even when their very lives are at stake. The environment in Bangladesh during the community riots is vividly depicted through the reactions of these four protagonists to the attacks, their experiences, trials and problems, making Lajja the compelling story it is.
Published in 1993, this book attracted wide attention due to its highly controversial subject matter. The primary theme of the book is religion and its ability to create rifts between communities with ease. The Babri Masjid was destroyed by Hindus due to a false sense of righteousness. Once, a temple of Lord Rama stood there, which was annihilated to build the mosque. The ignorant Hindus who destroyed a place of worship unknowingly started a new wave of hatred between the Hindu-Muslim communities, a wave so strong that its fallout was experienced in Bangladesh, where innocent Hindus were attacked and killed and raped, or were forced to switch to Islam purely because of the religion they chose to follow.
Lajja boldly addresses the issues which any minority religion in a country has to face. Dark and twisted, it explores the grim underbelly of our history, and religions. The book has been translated into Hindi, Marathi, Italian, English, Spanish, Kannada, French and other languages.
About Taslima Nasrin
Taslima Nasreen is a Bengali physician-turned-author, ardent feminist and human rights activist, known for her powerful, albeit controversial, compositions on secularism and the oppression women face. Her other works include Oporpokkho, French Lover and Phera to name a few, and her memoirs, Amar Meyebela, Utal Hawa, Ka (Speak up) and Sei Sob Ondhokar Din guli (Those Dark Days).
Nasreen was born in Bangladesh in 1962. She holds an MBBS degree from the University of Dhaka and has been living in exile ever since she fled Bangladesh in 1994. Her publications, poems and memoir have steadily been topping the bestsellers list in India, Bangladesh and abroad. Her insightful writings won her numerous awards, including the prestigious Ananda Literary award in India in 1992 and 2000, and the Feminist Press Award in 2009.
