Now in English! "Balika Badhu": a Bengali Anthology

What began as Monish Ranjan Chatterjee’s project to translate ‘The Adolescent Bride’ (‘Balika Badhu’) by Bimal Kar, later became an anthology of Bengali short stories. Balika Badhu: A representative anthology of Bengali short stories spans just over 300 pages. But while it is very cohesive, it is not quite representative. Chatterjee says so much in the introduction. Although all the pieces are well paced and the writers well known in the West Bengal, no woman writer was included. This is an imperfection that the translator points out almost immediately, but regardless, this anthology is certainly worth reading.

The first and longest work is the original project – 'The Adolescent Bride'. This may sound strange to some, especially to Western readers, who tend to understandably squirm at the thought of child marriages, even thought it litters our own history. However, the subtitle, “A Fairy Tale of Youthful Love” informs the reader of a more comfortable storyline.

The narrator, a young man not yet in college, is married to the thirteen-year-old Rajani. His sister is also married off close to the same time. Their father was adamant about his children having young marriages, as the narrator explains:

“It was Father’s belief that in adolescence, young boys and girls are mild in temperament, and on the verse of intellectual awakening. Their minds are then pure and vital; they possess a natural sense of reverence and generosity. Marriage at such an age builds a sweet relationship amongst the partners.” (46)

Indeed, the narrator’s and Rajani’s marriage begins more as a friendship, akin to a modern childhood sweetheart story. Love grows between them only after many years of joking, talking and longing. In addition, the narrator, who is recalling his youth from the middle-aged present, has accepted that such marriages are things of the past. There is an understanding of the changing of time.

The remaining 200 pages are filled with shorter works, many by Bonophool, who is perhaps my favorite. Each story is brief – the max maybe five pages – but the brevity only adds strength to each line. The final story in the collection is also worth noting – ‘The Adversary’ (‘Ekti Shatrur Kahini') by Narajan Gangopadhyay details the conflicting ideals of two missionaries, Father Donald and Father Hans, amid the backdrop of the approaching World War. Father Donald, the elder and more experiences of the two, follows an older school of “educating and saving” the infidels, while Hands readily goes out to meet, greet, and spend time with the locals – regardless of their religion.

I have only one nit-picky complaint – that rather than using footnotes for Bengali words, there is a glossary in the back. It’s a small, personal readability issue. There are numerous cultural references – from spiritual practices to fauna and flora, and each story is pleasurable to read, no matter the contrasting styles. Other than that, this is certainly a must read for anyone interested in general Indian and/or Bengali fiction.

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