‘আদর্শ হিন্দু-হোটেল’ : ব্যক্তি মানুষের স্বপ্ন ও আদর্শের রূপায়ণ/ ‘Adarsha Hindu Hotel’: Implementation of dreams and ideals of an individual

Abstract

The Novel ‘Adarsha Hindu Hotel’ was author Bivutibhushan Bandyopadhyay’s dream project. This hindu hotel was not established merely for business, but the sole purpose behind this ‘project’ was to serve delicious food in reasonable price and a room for rest to train passengers. Bibhutibhushan often went to a pice hotel located at Ranaghat rail market. His close observation of the business helped him develop the novel's plot. The main character of ‘Adarsha Hindu Hotel’ is Hazari Thakur who is a man of principle. While working at Bechu Chakraborty’s hotel, Hazari Thakur noticed how customers were cheated with stale food which he hated absolutely. He never agreed with this kind of business policies. He aspired to establish his own hotel, where he would not only sell services but also ensure that every customer received value for their investment. So, from the very beginning he decided to run his hotel with utmost honesty. This honesty was also reflected in the advertisement of his hotel where he invited his customers as ‘আসুন! দেখুন! পরীক্ষা করুন!!!’  -  Come, Taste & Judge. No fluke, no shortcut, only quality and hard work were his moto. High moral can also be found in other novels of Bibhutibhushan such as ‘Pather Panchali’, ‘Debzan’, ‘Ichhamoti’, ‘Dristiprodip’ etc. Same morality has formed the character of Hazari Thakur in ‘Adarsha Hindu Hotel’. Initially, renowned cook Hazari Thakur intended to establish his pice hotel under his own name. Over time, however, his vision grew, leading him to incorporate the word ‘Adarsha’ into the hotel's title. This word signifies a purpose more to business. ‘Adarsha’ means standard or model as well as a way of life of an individual. Here we identify the change of his mindset which includes ‘customer satisfaction’ along with profit of business. Hazari Thakur observed that there was no place for rest for tired passengers at any pice hotel. That’s why his unique ‘Adarsha Hindu Hotel’ offered tasty food in affordable price and a tiny but cozy place of rest for middle class bengali train-passengers. This novel is a perfect combination of the author’s observation and imagination.