উদ্বাস্তু জীবনের সংকট ও সামাজিক সংগ্রাম : প্রসঙ্গ সুনীল গঙ্গোপাধ্যায়ের ‘অর্জুন’ উপন্যাস/ The Crisis and Struggle of Refugee Life: A Study of Sunil Gangopadhyay’s Novel ‘Arjun’

Abstract

‘Arjun’ is one of the notable novels by Sunil Gangopadhyay, a renowned novelist of the second half of the twentieth century. The novel was published in 1971. Following the Partition, refugees arriving from East Bengal spread across every corner of West Bengal. The novel ‘Arjun’ portrays a realistic picture of the events surrounding that Partition. Arjun is the central character of the story. Through this work, the novelist skillfully portrays the anguish, despair, struggle for survival, economic hardship, food and shelter shortages, and the repeated oppression of the weak by the powerful- experiences shared by all refugees like Arjun at the time. Despite facing numerous battels, Arjun fights valiantly- not merely to preserve his own existence, but to save everyone’s ancestral homes, restore their just rights and secure the well-being of his kin; he struggles fiercely against inequality, oppressors, the powerful, and injustice, striving to reclaim lost aspirations. Ultimately, he emerges victorious in this solitary struggle. This essay provides a detailed analysis of the various facets of the refugee’s plight- including their anguish, despair, food scarcity and social struggles- as depicted in the novel ‘Arjun’.