THE TRANSFORMATION OF RURAL BENGAL AMIDST THE STRONG WAVE OF GLOBALIZATION: CONTEXTUALIZING DEBESH RAY’S NOVEL

Abstract [English]

"My grandfather's forest, Ranga-didi's zamindar house, and the earlier Baghmara house where I was born. Perhaps something of that house stayed with me. Towards the north of Baghmara, behind a somewhat tall house, was a large, tree-covered, secret pond with dark water."
The vivid description reflects not just his nostalgia but also the socio-cultural essence of rural Bengal, which forms the backbone of his literary works. At the age of just seven, Debesh Ray moved from East Bengal (now Bangladesh) to Jalpaiguri. As a result, he did not retain any strong memories of Bangladesh. Since he left at such a young age, it is natural that his recollection of his early childhood would be limited. Debesh Ray was opposed to indulging in nostalgia without reason. He wrote: "In West Bengal, those who came from East Bengal have turned Bangladesh into a permanent land of memory, locked within a perpetual settlement. I try to save myself from getting caught up in this emotional quagmire."