Gata Janmer Bou

• Author: শীর্ষেন্দু মুখোপাধ্যায় (Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay)
• Genre: Novel (Upanyas)
• Cover: Hardcover
• ISBN: 9789354258787
• Pages: 144
• Weight: 271 grams

Book Overview:

• গত জন্মের বউ (Gata Janmer Bou) is a romantic novel by Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay, exploring the fascinating idea of past life connections.
• The story follows Monomoy, who, while traveling in a Howrah bus, sees a girl wearing a pair of glasses with a familiar brown frame. The frame reminds him of something from the past. The girl is thin, fair-skinned, and has somewhat messy hair, but none of these features matter to Monomoy. What captures his attention is the glasses, which make him wonder if this girl could be his wife from a previous life.
• The plot unfolds with Monomoy questioning whether this girl, named Ritu, will recognize him as her husband from a past life. Meanwhile, his current partner, Diya, who has recently left her alcoholic fiancé Pranjal, becomes upset with Monomoy's obsession with the past. She wishes to be close to him and doesn’t want him to go to Howrah.
• Ritu, on the other hand, is engaged to a doctor, and Monomoy is left wondering if he can reach her and reveal the truth about the glasses.
• The novel explores the boundaries between life and death, with love transcending these limits to shine through as a guiding light.

About the Author - শীর্ষেন্দু মুখোপাধ্যায় (Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay):

• Born: November 2, 1935, Vikrampur, Dhaka District (now in Bangladesh).
• Childhood: Grew up in various places due to his father’s job with the railways, leading to a nomadic lifestyle. Lived in Kolkata during the Second World War, and later in places like Bihar, North Bengal, East Bengal, and Assam.
• Early Education:
  • Attended Missionary schools and a boarding school in Cooch Behar.
  • Studied at Victoria College and completed B.A. from a college in Kolkata, with post-graduate studies at Calcutta University.
• Career:
  • Started his career as a school teacher and later moved into journalism, joining Anandabazar Patrika.
• Writing Career:
  • His first short story was published in the Desh magazine.
  • His first novel was ‘Ghunpoka’.
  • He is also known for his children's literature, with ‘Monojder Oddbhut Bari’ being one of his famous works in that genre.
• Awards:
  • Awarded the Vidyasagar Award in 1985 for his excellence in children's literature.
  • He received the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award in 1989 for his novel ‘Manabjomin’.
• Writing Style: He is known for creating engaging and heartfelt narratives that often blur the lines between the everyday and the extraordinary, particularly in works that deal with human emotions and relationships.