ঢোঁড়াই চরিত মানস : প্রান্তজনের আধুনিক মহাকাব্য/ Dhonrai Charit Manas : A Modern Epic of the Marginalized

Abstract

Satyanath Bhaduri’s Dhorai Charit Manas has been analyzed as an epic representation of the life struggle of marginalized people. Written in the socio-political context of the third and fourth decades of the twentieth century, the novel portrays the harsh realities of poverty, illiteracy, superstition, and social deprivation faced by the lower classes. The character of Dhorai is not merely an individual; rather, he represents the entire marginalized community, reflecting a journey marked by struggle, resistance, and the gradual development of self-awareness. The essay demonstrates that the exploitation of marginalized people is not confined to the upper classes alone; divisions, inequalities, and power conflicts are also active within their own communities. At the same time, religious beliefs, folk culture, and political ideologies—especially Gandhism—do reach these communities, but often in distorted and simplified forms. As a result, a tension emerges between lived reality and ideological ideals.

           Through Dhorai’s experiences and struggles, the novel gradually reveals the awakening of self-consciousness and a sense of rights among marginalized people, although they repeatedly face deception and failure. Dhorai Charit Manas is not merely a novel; it is a powerful document of the history, struggle, and existence of marginalized people, where ordinary individuals emerge as the true heroes of history.