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Stitches for the dead and the living

Nahid Khan dives into tragedy
THERE are books one can start anytime anywhere and they are hooked not only because of the simplicity of the prose. Also the storytelling remains interesting till the end and above all it relates to the reader in a bond that is hard to relinquish. Those are the books by Anisul Hoque. The other aspect, hence this write up, I realised after reading 'Shelai' and 'Amaro Ekta Prem Kahini Achhe', is that the writer strives to offer something different to his reader. These two books were published in this year's Boi Mela, offering not just two different stories but mostly two different styles of writing. Novels that deviate from the conventional way of storytelling inherendy become interesting to read, like the journey taking a different route. No matter how different the route is, the destination has to be reached, the story has to be told. So taking the different route remains difficult — to capture continuity, cohesiveness and conclusion. So any book takes that path is to be applauded for the effort.
Anisul Hoque's epistolary, 'etodin kothai chhilen' was different from 'drishtipaat' by Jajabor, where the story developed from letters, or '84 Charing Cross Road' by Helene Hanf, a collection of two-way letters between a bookseller and a reader. Anisul Hoque wrote letters to the great poet Jibananada Das, related the poet's biography in his own creation, with facts, fiction and imagination. This mixture of all these three things blended in 'etodin kothai chhilen' is remarkable in the way that one can devote love or affection to someone non-existent, ends the need for being close though there are yearnings. This is how that book is different in its style of prose. I felt it was astonishing. As an aside, I feel compelled to mention another amazing style of prose I read called 'Notes to My Mother-In-Law' by Phyllida Law, which truly was a collection of little sticky notes by the writer to her mother-in-law, who was deaf. The notes were just an everyday reminder for meals,
chores, appointments. But, amazingly, it produced a full fledged novel with a story to tell where there were characters of interest, events of variety, sorrows, joys and an ordinary family's ordinary daily lives that propelled an extraordinary love of duty and care.
Shelai by Anisul Hoque is based on the very recent tragedy of Rana Plaza that is still like a fresh wound to a many. A novel that is very short in physical dimension cuts pretty deep into the heart, not easy to read in one sitting, tears would stop you at every corner where darkness comes surrounded in hopelessness. The sheer name of the novel is in the core of the story that devastates life and in the end reinstates life. Rana Plaza is the cursed name of a demolished building that used to house many readymade garment factories, convenience stores, banks where thousands of people worked everyday to make their living, fulfil their dreams. On 24 April 2013, the eight-storied building collapsed on those humble people due to no earthquake or cyclone but owing to human negligence. Of course the writer does not dwell on the despicable deed of the human beings involved but only portrays the sheer suffering of the victims, the sheer blessedness of humanity. On the one side, the unfortunate rubble struck people plea for life, even sacrificing one of their limbs, to see the light of the world again. On the other, true human beings jump into the rubble to save these people without thinking of their own safety, as the author puts it, 'saving life also becomes an addiction'. Ironically, just as the reality, the miscreants who caused all the chaos are not in the scene, which becomes simply unnecessary in the story of the combat between life and death.
The description of the mayhem, the severity of the loss of loved ones, the agony of identifying dead bodies, the struggle involved in rescue efforts will be known to all from various media, which have been presented in one perspective in the story of Shelai, where the author's made up characters go through the whole process. He has literally stitched together media information and developed the story into a novel. The clever thing to admire in the novel is how some of the newspaper articles were blended into the story without compromising cohesion. The story starts with one readymade garment worker, Bijlee, who is now on leave, for she is at an advanced stage of pregnancy. Her husband Najibor is also a readymade garment worker. The story is set in a simple daily life scenario that reveals a lot of love between the couple. There is dream of a new life, starting from the keeping the name of the baby to meeting means and ends.
On that accursed morning, Najibor goes to work and never comes back to Bijlee again. At her
state of physical and mental health all the uncertainties of life are in front of her. This is the story of Shelai. This comes as a metaphor when Bijlee needs some stitches while giving birth and ironically the work of stitching causes her husband's death and a thousand other deaths. There are a few other characters to capture the whole series of events unfolding on ground zero that are very neatly sewn into the story. The devastation of the destitute does not stop lives from thriving. The heart is touched when in one room two helpless women comfort each other.
Anisul Hoque being Anisul Hoque, he finally lights his lamp of hope in the last two sentences to tell the world the mother and son are doing well. In other words, life will go on; even after the biggest stumble, it will move on.