Timir Bidar

• Author: Bani Basu
• Genre: Novel
• Format: Hardcover
• ISBN: 9788177562934
• Pages: 158
• Weight: 269 grams
• Publisher: Ananda Publishers

Synopsis:
"Timir Bidar" presents a stark narrative of young lives trapped in a lower-middle-class, crisis-ridden world where hope, ambition, and camaraderie are nearly absent. These young individuals struggle merely to survive—either by aligning with political factions or being drawn into criminal circles. The novel vividly captures the intricate socio-political reality of old Kolkata, where extreme wealth and poverty exist side by side, along with diverse communities, ideologies, and power structures.

Through characters like the eccentric Dipu, whose father’s suicide crushed his dreams of an M.Sc. in Mathematics, and Runu, a third-generation refugee desperately searching for a livelihood, the novel delves into the complexities of life in a cityscape teeming with contrasts. Beneath the apparent bleakness lies an unyielding desire for self-improvement, proving that even in darkness, there exists a silent pursuit of light.

About the Author:
Bani Basu was born on 26th Phalgun, 1346 (Bengali calendar). She completed her education in Kolkata, attending Lady Brabourne College and later Scottish Church College, where she pursued English Honours. She earned her M.A. in English Literature from the University of Calcutta in 1962. Professionally, she served as a professor at Howrah Bijoy Krishna Girls' College

She began writing during her student years, contributing essays, short stories, poems, and translations. Some of her notable translations include Shri Aurobindo's Sonnets (Shrinvantu) and selections of works by Somerset Maugham and D.H. Lawrence, published by Rupa. Her first short stories appeared in Desh and Anandamela magazines in 1981. Her debut novel, Janmabhumi Matrubhumi, was published in Sharadiya Anandalok in 1987