জীবনের উপেক্ষিত খুঁটিনাটি : সরোজকুমার রায় চৌধুরীর গল্পের অন্তর্দৃষ্টি/ Jiboner Upekkhito Khutinati : Sarojkumar Roy Choudhury-r Golper Antordrishti

Abstract

This paper offers an in-depth critical exploration of the short stories of Saroj Kumar Roy Choudhury, a distinctive yet often understated voice in twentieth-century Bengali literature. While contemporary writers of the Kallol and Kali-Kalam era often pursued aggressive modernism, urban disillusionment, and explicit psychological rebellion, Roy Choudhury maintained a steadfast connection to the authentic soil, rural ethos, and timeless human emotions of Bengal. Rather than depending on dramatic climaxes or overt ideological rhetoric, his narrative craft excels in illuminating the neglected trivialities, quiet domestic tensions, and subtle psychological undercurrents of everyday human existence. 

​          Through a comprehensive examination of stories selected from his anthology Shreshtha Galpa— such as ‘Dehayamuna’, ‘Man-Paban’, ‘Mukti’, ‘Byaghra-Debata’, ‘Mrityur Rupa’, ‘Shani Rabi Som’, ‘Banashpatir Dukhkha’, and ‘Nibarner Mrityu’ — this study traces Roy Choudhury’s profound narrative vision. The analysis highlights how he unmasks the repressed biological and emotional longings of an ascetic Hindu widow in ‘Dehayamuna’, the painful curtailment of childhood spontaneity under patriarchal matrimony in ‘Man-Paban’, and the quest for true spiritual freedom beyond rigid social norms in ‘Mukti’. Furthermore, the paper unpacks his sharp socio-psychological satire of folk belief and mass panic in ‘Byaghra-Debata’, alongside existential reflections on human mortality and cosmic detachment in ‘Mrityur Rupa’ and ‘Nibarner Mrityu’.

​          By intertwining delicate pathos with gentle irony, Roy Choudhury portrays ordinary, marginal lives against the broader backdrop of natural continuity and temporal transitions. Ultimately, this paper underscores that Roy Choudhury’s unique narrative power lies in elevating the overlooked nuances of ordinary life into profound, enduring art, thereby securing an irreplaceable legacy in the evolution of the modern Bengali short story.