 | Lajja: Encyclopedia - Lajja
Lajja
This article is about Lajja, a novel in Bengali by Taslima Nasrin. For the one about a Hindi movie named Lajja, by Rajkumar Santoshi (See: Lajja)
Lajja (Bangla:লজ্জা) is the name of a famous novel in Bengali by Taslima Nasrin, a writer of Bangladesh. Lajja is a Bengali word which means shame. The word Lajja, connoting the same meaning, is also used in Sanskrit, Hindi, and several other languages of north India. This book named Lajja, originally written in Bangla (Bengali), was first published in the year 1993, and has since been banned in Bangladesh.
Lajja - Background
Lajja is a response of Taslima Narin to anti-Hindu riots which erupted in parts of Bangladesh, soon after the demolition of Babri Masjid in India on 6th December 1992. The book subtly indicates that communalism was on the rise, the Hindu minority of Bangladesh was not fairly treated, and secularism was under shadow.
The novel Lajja has been translated into several languages including French, Dutch, German, English, Spanish, Italian, Swedish, Norwegian, Finish, Icelandic, Persian, Arabic, Hindi, Urdu, Marathi, Telugu, and Malayalam.
Lajja - Synopsis
The story of Lajja centers on a Hindu family of Bangladesh, the Dutta family of four members, a young man named Suranjan, his father Sudhamoy, his mother Kiranmoy, and his sister Nilanjana (with pet name Maya). The story of Lajja recounts an environment of communal frenzy with the help of these four characters.
In a far off place in Ayodhya, in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India, on 6th December 1992, Babri Masjid is demolished, and the demolition has repercussions even in Bangladesh, a different country, and a far off place from Ayodhya. The fire of communal rioting erupts, and the Dutta family also feels and faces the heat of the communal hatred. Each member of the Dutta family feels about this in his / her own way.
Sudhamoy, the patriarch of the family, feels that Bangladesh, his motherland, shall never let him down. Kironmoy as a faithful wife stands by her husband’s views. Suranjana, their son cares very little about the events, sleeps happily, does not feel any necessity to take refuge in the home of one of his Muslim friends, and believes that events in a far off foreign place in India should not affect his countrymen. Nilanjana curses his brother’s apathy and coaxes his brother to take the family to a Muslim friend’s house for safety.
Categories: Cleanup from August 2005 | 1993 books
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