Sataru O Jalakanya

• Author: শীর্ষেন্দু মুখোপাধ্যায় (Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay)
• Genre: Upanyas (Novel)
• Format: Hardcover
• ISBN: 9788170664468
• Pages: 92
• Publisher: Ananda Publishers

Synopsis:
Sataru O Jalakanya is a poetic and mystical tale of a swimmer whose love for water shapes his very existence. From childhood, he finds solace in the silent, green depths of water, where he discovers his true self. Water heals him, shelters him, and fuels his survival.

• Despite excelling in academics and sports, with a well-decorated career and admirers, the swimmer remains unattached. He longs for a woman as deep and immersive as water itself.
• Then, one day, his dream-like Jalakanya (Water Maiden) appears—not just as a figment of imagination but in a real, human form, turning his world upside down.
• The novel unfolds as a surreal, adult fairy tale about love, longing, and the thin line between reality and fantasy.

About the Author:
Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay was born on November 2, 1935, in Bikrampur, Dhaka (now in Bangladesh). Due to his father’s railway job, his childhood was spent moving across different places—Kolkata, Bihar, North Bengal, East Bengal, and Assam. His early experiences and memories often find their way into his writing.

• He studied at missionary schools in Cooch Behar and later completed his BA from a Kolkata college.
• Initially a schoolteacher, he later took up journalism and became associated with Anandabazar Patrika.
• His first story was published in Desh magazine, and his debut novel was Ghûnôpôkā (The Termite).
• He gained immense popularity for his children’s novel Monojder Adbhut Bari.
• In recognition of his literary excellence, he received the Vidyasagar Award (1985) for children’s literature, the Ananda Puraskar, and the Sahitya Akademi Award (1989) for his novel Manabjamin.