Utsarita Alo

• Author: Samaresh Majumdar
• Genre: Upanyas (Novel)
• Publisher: Ananda Publishers
• Format: Hardcover
• ISBN: 9788177563894
• Pages: 240
• Weight: 338 grams

Synopsis:
This novel portrays the harrowing lives of Adivasi laborers who are tricked and trafficked into the tea plantations of Dooars under the British colonial rule.

• The Story of Etowa, Dukhan, Mangra, Budhni, and Sukhi

  • They belong to a tribal village in Chotanagpur, where water is scarce, land is infertile, and poverty is extreme.
  • The local moneylender, Lal Mohan Teli, deceives them with dreams of a land full of food and water, where the benevolent English king wants to take them.
  • In reality, they are packed into wagons and sent to work as indentured laborers in the tea plantations of Dooars.
  • They are forced into Christianity, with Budhni and others becoming "disciples of Jesus".
  • The village leader’s wife, Sukhi, is renamed Susan and is forced to become the mistress of planter Hegg Sahib.
  • Their lives are filled with disease, oppression, and despair, yet they still dream of survival.

• The Tragic Fate of Sukhi

  • She dies while giving birth to an illegitimate child, whose father is unknown.
  • The tea estate’s priest sees Jesus in the fatherless child, but what about the rest of the laborers?
  • Did they lose their identities forever, or did they find a new purpose amidst their struggles?
  • This novel explores the untold history of tea plantation workers, their pain, resilience, and quest for dignity.

About the Author:

• Born: March 10, 1944.
• Early Life & Education:
  • Spent his childhood in the tea gardens of Dooars.
  • Studied at Jalpaiguri Zilla School and later moved to Kolkata in 1960.
  • Earned a B.A. in Bengali from Scottish Church College and an M.A. from Calcutta University.
• Literary Career:
  • Initially involved in group theatre, which led him to writing.
  • First story: Published in Desh magazine in 1967.
  • First novel: Daur (serialized in Desh, 1975).
  • Notable works:
    • Daur, Ei Ami Renu, Uttaradhikar, Bondinibas, Ujan Ganga, Bashbhumi, Kalbela, Kalpurush, and more.
• Awards & Recognition:
  • Ananda Puraskar (1982).
  • Sahitya Akademi Award (1984) for Kalbela.
  • Several film awards for the screenplay of Daur