Jal O Chumur Upakhyan

• Author: Tilottama Majumdar
• Genre: Novel
• Format: Hardcover
• ISBN: 9789350408308
• Pages: 200
• Weight: 336 grams

Synopsis:

A young girl’s journey through love, betrayal, and the painful truths of life.

An exceptionally bright student, Annapurna, experiences her first love during adolescence with Sukalyan. Dedicated both to her studies and love, she tops her district in her secondary exams. Leaving behind the familiar warmth of her tea-garden community, she moves to the best school in the city, where she begins to see life from a completely different perspective.

However, a conservative patriarchal society often misrepresents adolescence. Annapurna becomes its victim. As she struggles with a life-threatening illness, people dismiss her suffering as a sign of moral corruption. She starts losing her academic brilliance, and Sukalyan, without reason, abandons her. Falling from the peak of success into a pit of failure and loneliness, Annapurna turns to her childhood friends Pulton and Bhulai, writing letters to them as she drowns in despair.

Can a pure, platonic friendship between a boy and a girl truly exist? Society refuses to believe so, but Annapurna’s friendships stand as a powerful protest.

This epistolary novel, told through a series of letters, captures the joys, helplessness, and complexities of adolescence as it transitions into adulthood. By the time Annapurna’s illness is finally acknowledged, it’s too late—death has already extended its left hand toward her. But even in the shadow of impending death, she finds a new ray of hope in Debayan. His love gives her one final, beautiful experience—the taste of her first romantic kiss.

About the Author:

Tilottama Majumdar (born January 11, 1966) is a celebrated Bengali writer from North Bengal, born in the Kalchini tea gardens. She completed her schooling at Union Academy School before moving to Kolkata’s Scottish Church College for higher education.

Writing since 1993, she comes from a family of literary enthusiasts, with her brother being her first inspiration. She has a deep love for music and travel.

Her accolades include:

• Ananda Puraskar (1409 Bengali Year) for Basudhara
• Dettol-Anandabazar Patrika Sharad Arghya Award (1413 Bengali Year) for Ektara
• Bhagalpur’s Sharatsmriti Puraskar (2007)