Talashnama by Ismail Darbesh is a tumultuous saga of unrequited love, deceitful relationships, the trials and tribulations of being a rural Muslim, set against a dark political background. Talashnama isn’t just another fictional piece of work, rather it is a hard-hitting, and bold account of the convoluted and controversial practices, and struggles prevalent in Islam.
In a brilliantly penned prelude, Darbesh not only gives his work a direction but also offers us a moment of contemplation and perspective.
“As time goes by, more and more weeds sprout in the garden of religion. And so, many people descend to the sphere of religion in order to clear those weeds. But the weeds don’t die. It’s as if their seeds are to be found in every pore of the society. There is still one sphere in the world now in which one can easily pass off darkness as light and light as darkness- and that is religion. The light of religion is not exactly clear, it’s incomplete and hazy. Can that light show the way? Besides, has anyone ever received absolute light?”
The story begins with the corpse of a man named Suman undergoing post mortem in a morgue, and the name dropping of Sadnahati, a remote village in West Bengal. Suman commits suicide, and is survived by a grieving widow Riziya, aka Reena Nath, and a nine-year-old daughter. Apart from the Hindu locals of the Jogipura Hamlet, there is a sudden spotting of known faces from Sadnahati at his funeral. Why did Suman take his own life? Who is Riziya? Why did she marry Suman- a Brahmin, and call herself Reena Nath? What will become of her now? What is Riziya, and Suman’s association to Sadnahati?
This sets the powerful premise for a hefty 560+ page book; a series of events in Riziya, the central character’s life, both riveting and disturbing. Most of the story happens as a flashback.
Sadnahati, a small Muslim village is struggling to strike a balance between regressive thoughts, politicization of religion, and knowledge building. Riziya, the central character of this story has grown up as an orphan in an oppressive patriarchal set up and yet manages to capture our hearts through her strong-willed, stubborn, and curious personality. Her strong personality later becomes the cause of her denunciation. Along with her, the characters of Suman, and Tahirul, two men deeply enamoured by her intelligence, and beauty, also take the fall.
Riziya’s character is the heart of this novel. Her journey from a feisty adolescent girl to a young woman trying to take the right decision to save her honour, to her becoming a woman developing an identity crisis towards the end, is exemplary. Through her character the author coaxes us to ruminate on the state of women not just from a specific community, but all women across rural India. Her journey has been supported well by both Tahirul, and Suman’s characters. My only complaint- there were too many secondary and tertiary characters to download and process. And because they had roles to play, it interfered with the flow of the otherwise spell-binding narrative. The 560+ page book feels heavy at many places courtesy several spiritual, and political dialogues between Maruf, Suman, Tahirul. It isn’t for the faint-hearted and is not your regular fun fiction book.
The book has managed to successfully throw light on several sub-themes like the life of Muslim women, disputes over land leading to riots, interfaith marriage and truancy, men as sexual predators, heartbreak, and betrayal.
The book was originally published in Bengali by Abhijan Publishers in 2021. It has been translated into English by V Ramaswamy and published by Harper Collins in 2024.
Ismail Darbesh’s Talashnama is a poignant take on religion, minorities, and the plight of women. It gives us a detailed account of how religion, societal pressures, patriarchy come together to put down a progressive outlook.
It leaves us with enough and more moments of introspection, and the grass root level issues in contemporary India.
Lovers of contemporary, and historical/political fiction, this book is for you!
You can purchase the book here https://www.amazon.in/Talashnama-Quest-Ismail-Darbesh/dp/9354898955
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