Maner Manush

Author: Sunil Gangopadhyay

Book Details:

• Genre: Novel (Upanyas)
• Formats: Hardcover
• ISBN: 9788177567816
• Pages: 244
• Weight: 455 grams

📖 Synopsis:
At the heart of "Maner Manush" lies the extraordinary life of Lalon Fakir, the legendary Bengali mystic and Baul saint.

Lalu, a carefree boy, enjoys stealing horses and wandering through fields at night. His sorrowful mother marries him off young, hoping to settle him, but his heart belongs elsewhere—music. One day, his life takes an unexpected turn when he contracts smallpox while traveling with a family of Ayurvedic healers to a holy dip in the Ganges at Berhampore. His companions, believing him dead, cast his body into the river.

But Lalu survives—rescued and nursed back to health by a Muslim woman, Rabea. When he returns home, society rejects him for losing his Hindu caste purity. Even his mother and wife turn him away.

With no place left in his old world, he retreats into the wilderness, adopting a new name—Lalon. His experiences, struggles, and deep spiritual insights lead him to compose hundreds of soul-stirring songs questioning the rigid religious and social divisions:

"If circumcision makes one Muslim,
What happens to women then?
If sacred threads make one Brahmin,
What about Brahmin women?"

Lalon becomes a seeker of the "true human", rejecting narrow religious identities in his eternal quest for universal love, unity, and peace.

🔍 "Maner Manush" is a masterful biographical novel, capturing the life of one of Bengal’s greatest spiritual figures, whose songs and philosophy continue to inspire generations.

About the Author:

📖 Sunil Gangopadhyay (7 September 1934 – 23 October 2012) was one of Bengal's most celebrated writers.

🖋️ Notable Works & Career:

• Master's degree from Calcutta University
• Started his career as a private tutor, later working as:
  • Trainee Officer at an insurance company
  • Government Clerk
  • Editor of a now-defunct daily newspaper
• Began his literary journey as a poet
• Founder-editor of the iconic literary magazine "Krittibas"
• Though widely respected as a poet, he became equally famous for his novels
• First novel: Atmaprakash (published in Desh magazine)
• First poetry collection: Eka Ebong Koyekjon
• Popular among children as well
• Awards & Recognitions:
  • Ananda Puraskar
  • Bankim Puraskar (1983)
  • Sahitya Akademi Award (1985)
• Wrote under multiple pseudonyms:
  • Neel Lohit
  • Sanatan Pathak
  • Neel Upadhyay