শওকত আলীর ‘প্রদোষে প্রাকৃতজন’ : সুদূরের ধ্রুপদী বয়ান/ Shawkat Ali’s ‘Pradose Prakritojan’ : A Classical Narration of History

Abstract

Shawkat Ali (1936-2008) is a unique and potential writer in the genre of Bengali Literature. His Novel Pradose Prakritojan (1984) is a significant narrative of socio-historical consciousness in modern Bangladeshi fiction. It situates within the border trajectory of historical fiction and subaltern discourse. The novel revisits a transitional and conflict-ridden phase of Bengal’s past, foregrounding the lived experiences of marginalized communities who remain largely absent from dominant historical narratives. By centering the `prakritojan’ - the common and subaltern people- Shawkat Ali reconstructs history from bellow, challenging elite-centric historiography and remaining the dynamic of power, resistance and identity formation. It is widely regarded as a landmark in Bangladeshi historical fiction for its profound engagement with marginalized voices and its reconfiguration of history from the perspective of the `common people’. It argues that Pradose Prakritojan transcends the conventional boundaries of the historical novel by blending documented history with creative imagination. The text not only recreates a specific socio-political milieu but also interrogates the moral and ideological crises embedded within it. Through multi-dimensional characters and layered storytelling, the novel reveals how ordinary individuals become active agents in shaping historical information. Drawing on theoretical perspectives from postcolonial studies, new historicism and subaltern theory, Pradose Prakritojan stands as a counter-historical narrative. It destabilizes monolithic interpretations of the past and amplifies silenced voices, thereby contributing to an alternative understanding of nationhood and cultural memory. This novel emerges as both a literary achievement and a powerful socio-political commentary. The author’s stylistic choices- marked by vivid imagery, symbolic undertones and a measured yet evocative pros style- create a textured representation of time and space that deepens the reader’s engagement with the socio-historical landscape. The novel’s evocation of political unrest, cultural transition and moral crisis reflects border questions of power, class and nationhood. Furthermore, the paper highlights the author’s use of realistic detail and lyrical prose to create a textured representation of time and place. This research proposes to explore how Shawkat Ali reconstructs socio-political history through the lens of subaltern agency, resistance and identity formation. By situating the text within postcolonial and subaltern studies frameworks, this study demonstrates that Pradose Prakritojan is not Marely a historical novel but a profound commentary on the dynamics of oppression and human resilience, thereby securing its importance in Bangladeshi literary discourse.