Five Suchitra Bhattacharya books that redefined feminist literature in Bengal

Kachcher Manush

This novel is in a mould of a traditional mother-daughter story, but Bhattacharya again chooses to interpret the characters differently. Indrani, the protagonist,is flawed, vulnerable and heartbreakingly real. She is married but has a child out of wedlock. The men in her life are supportive and dependent on her emotionally. In Kachcher Manush, Bhattacharya created a sexually-liberated female protagonist who stands by her decisions, in a society that still judges women for what they wear and what their marital status is, that is definitely an accomplishment.

Ichcher Gaach
This short story that inspired a full-length feature film, Ichche, is a layered reading of a mother-son relationship. Like most middle-class Bengali homemakers, Ichche’s protagonist is an over-possessive mother who dedicates her life to raising her only son. She accompanies him to school, waits outside his tuition place and snoops on his friends. Things take a violent turn when she starts interfering in his blossoming love-life. The oedipal overtones is obvious and not skirted around with.

Hemanter Pakhi
Another layered reading of loneliness and the meaning of independence, Hemanter Pakhi, talks about a middle-aged homemaker who takes up writing as a career after twenty three years of her marriage. For the first time, she engages with the world on her own terms and that creates friction in her perfectly-coiffured life. This novel too was adapted into a film starring Tanushree Shankar.

Alochchaya
A meditative reading of a failed marriage, this is probably one of Bhattacharya’s most underrated works. The protagonist of this novel forges a mature friendship with her ex-husband after their marriage falls apart.