Manadasundarir Kantha

Author: Tapas Ray

Book Details:

• Genre: Novel (Upanyas)
• Format: Hardcover
• ISBN: 9789350408605
• Pages: 184
• Weight: 293 grams

📖 Synopsis:
Set in 19th-century Bengal, Manadasundarir Kantha tells the story of Manada Sundari, a thirteen-year-old girl who is married to Krishnamohan, a fifty-year-old zamindar (landlord) from Chaugacha, Jessore. Despite the age gap, Krishnamohan gradually starts falling in love with his young wife.

However, jealousy and conspiracy brew within the household, especially from Golapi, a cunning maidservant who schemes relentlessly against Manada.

Manada, who is educated and curious, gets introduced to English literature and modern thoughts through her brother-in-law, Dharanimohan, a college student in Kolkata and a follower of Derozio. As she strives for knowledge and freedom, her life’s journey is intricately woven into a mysterious embroidered quilt—a Nakshi Kantha—symbolizing her struggles, dreams, and aspirations.

This novel beautifully captures the conflicts between tradition and modernity, shedding light on the suppressed voices of Bengali women in the Renaissance era. It is a story of hope, resistance, and transformation, where a woman’s silent cry for enlightenment is sewn into every stitch of a Kantha quilt.

About the Author:

Tapas Ray was born in Banipur, Habra.

📖 Notable Works:

• First Novel: Poramatir Deul (2016)
• First Short Story Collection: Doshe Dosh
• Recent Essay Collection: Mithye Mithye Kobita
• Latest Poetry Collection: Me Mas Norom Hoye Ase (Published by Signet Press, January 2017)

🏆 Awards:

• Birendra Puraskar (2006) for Poetry