Shahidullah Kaiser's 'Sareng Bou': A look into the Innermost Secrets of the Sailor's Family/ শহীদুল্লা কায়সারের ‘সারেং বৌ’ : নাবিক পরিবারের অন্দরমহলের খোঁজ

Abstract

Shahidulla Kaisar was a distinctive storyteller of the 1930s in the twentieth century. He entered the literary world by embracing the inherent responsibility an artist has toward his contemporary time and society. Naturally, in the works of this little-known narrative artist, the voices of the illiterate, the impure, and the downtrodden have come to the forefront. He took up the pen for those who have no roof over their heads—for those who are boatmen, slum dwellers, and laborers.

          One of his notable novels centered on the life cycle of the downtrodden is Sareng Bou. In Sareng Bou, Shahidulla Kaisar skillfully portrays the life stories of the boatmen cast out from the Brahmin community — those known to us as ‘Subaltern’ The decline, disintegration, and subsequent reconstruction of coastal families⁵ form the central theme of Sareng Bou. Alongside this, the narrative also reveals the tale of the self-struggle of the Sareng Bou bride. Through his reportage in Sareng Bou, the novelist Shahidulla Kaisar has artistically rendered the lives of Muslim women and the women of Muslim society with a focus on personal experience and sensitivity.