Book Review: Salah Uddin Mahmud’s novel Mamata
By Harun Ar Rashid
A beautiful village has been built along the Arial Khan river. His name is Shashirchar. Boats in the rainy season and walking on broken roads in the summer are the only means of communication for the people of this village. Mamata is a beautiful young woman living in this beautiful Shashirchar, which is famous for its agricultural areas. The tragic melody of marriage resounds in Mamta’s life just when the movie song is on her lips, colorful dreams full of two eyes and the tip of her lips. In the same village, Mamata got in trouble with Munshi’s son Jalal. At that moment all the colorful dreams of life became Khan Khan. At dusk, Mamata went to her in-laws holding her husband’s hand. That’s exactly what I thought. The husband’s address was in exile before the color of henna faded in his hand. Mamata’s depressed life is once again a melody of loneliness. Mamta’s day goes by, she spends the night in extreme depression.
Childhood love suddenly appeared in Mamta’s life by killing the darkness of the night. After returning from Malaysia, Rashed broke through the fog and went to meet Mamata at midnight, said Munshi’s house. Mamata melts completely after getting the absolute warmth of love. Mamata hugged Rashed and cried. Then, witnessing the darkness, the two bodies merge into one.
This sudden arrival in Rashed brings an extremely horrible chapter in Mamata’s life. Mamata’s life became chaotic due to the strong push of cruel destiny. In need of time, Rashed also migrated on the way to exile. Unbeknownst to the mind, another body grew in Mamata’s body with contentment.
This chapter puts Mamata’s life in an extreme crisis. No one in the society simply accepted Mamata, the second chapter of Mamata. Mamata started running from side to side with the stigma. Then the stalks match the story of Mamata. Writer Salah Uddin Mahmud takes ‘Mamata’ forward in his own way through his great narrative style. The end result of Mamata has hurt me immensely. I could not hold back the tears.
Mamata’s novel is basically a simple and smooth story based on the Bengali Muslim family life. The simplicity of the novel is very beautiful. This book is an excellent example of the ideal life. This novel depicts the life of Muslim Bengali with utmost honesty and simplicity.
Just as there are innumerable good people in Shashirchar who are generous with affection, tenderness, compassion and benevolence, so there is no shortage of people with violence, envy and low instincts in this town.
The author has been able to express the small and subtle feelings of family life in the novel Mamata very nicely. The author paints a vivid picture of what is happening in the corners of the houses of middle-class Muslim families, in the courtyards or in the markets. The loving mother, the helpless father, the loving future, the hatred of the influential people of the society are all carefully portrayed in the novel Mamata.
Believe it or not, the laughter-cry, victory-defeat or disaster and crisis of a familiar world has enriched Mamata’s novel. The various events and conflicts of the human world have given the book a unique identity.
This beautiful novel has specially illuminated the beautiful Bengali identity. The novel Mamata is a unique example of a helpless rural woman giving up everything.
In Mamata’s novel, special attention has been paid to the sanctity and sweetness of religion. Dangers, trials or disasters can come in different ways in family life. In this book, a unique religious example of overcoming that disaster has been highlighted. From this point of view, it can be said that the novel Mamata is a unique creation of Salahuddin Mahmud. In the end, ‘Mamata’ is a beautiful and idealized family picture and a life story written in a rural setting.
Dear reader, if you want to read social stories of close life, Mamata can be your partner. Mamata is like reading a book in one sitting. The paper quality, binding and printing of the book published from other genres was very good. Ariful Hasan’s extraordinary cover has given Mamata external beauty. Happening readings.
Salah Uddin Mahmud is a poet, story teller, novelist, dramatist, miscellanist and journalist too who was born on 1 february in 1988, hailing from Uttor Urarchar village at Kalkini upazilla in Madaripur. He is the son of Z.M.A Mazed and Hasne Ara.
He completed his graduation and post-graduation with first divition on Bengali literature from Kalkini Syed Abul Hossen University College. In 2007, Salah Uddin started journalism at kalkini upazilla in Madaripur at The Daily Deshbangla. In 2014, He started working as a Sub-Editor at Breakingnews.com.bd in Dhaka. At present, he is working as feature in-charge at jagonews24.com, one of the leading online news portals in Bangladesh. Besides, he was an associate editor in webmag ChintaSutra’ and worked as an assistant editor in little mag Rochoyeta’.
He was awarded with Sunil Sahitya Purosker 2006, 2010 and 2011, Kalkini Press Club award, Kalkini Syed Abul Hossen College Bangla department award, SEL writer award 2016, lekhok Bari Award 2017, Rokomarinew Star Award 2018, Abul Monsur Ahmed Award 2020, Sahitya Diganta Lekhok Puroskar 2020 and Amar Bongobondhu lekhok sommanona 2021. He was also awarded with several awards during his student life for recitation and acting.
Salah uddin Mahmud's story books are sarkassundori’, Nishisundori’ and sundori somogro’. His poetry books are Mithilar jonno kabbo’ and Tumi caile’. His commentrial anthologies is Amar Ami’ and awareness rising book is Agnikando sotorkota o nirbapon kawsol’. His very first novel is Mamata’.
