Volume II, Special Issue, February 2026
Volume-II, Special Issue, February, 2026 |
Received: 26.12.2025 | Accepted: 30.01.2026 | ||
Published Online: 28.02.2026 | Page No: | ||
DOI: 10.69655/atmadeep.vol.2.specialissue.W. | |||
‘মহানদী’: প্রবাহমান উপাখ্যান বেবী পারভীন, গবেষক, আসাম বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়, শিলচর, অসম, ভারত |
“Mahanadi”: A Flowing Narrative Baby Parvin, Research Scholar, Assam University, Silchar, Assam, India | ||
ABSTRACT | ||
Anita Agnihotri’s novel Mahanadi (2015) stands out as a remarkable example in the tradition of river-centric novels. In Mahanadi, there is no conventional backdrop of plot, story, or narration. The novel does not focus on a specific region or settlement; rather, as the river flows, twists, and turns, new people emerge in the narrative. Starting from the Malbhum region of Chhattisgarh, the Mahanadi travels over five hundred crores of distance, eventually merging into the Bay of Bengal. The novel does not follow a continuous storyline and is divided into twelve chapters. It portrays the lives of weavers, blacksmiths, farmers, artisans, fishermen, and forest-dwelling people, alongside the displacement of hundreds of individuals in the name of dam construction and development. In April 1948, the then Chief Minister of Odisha, Dr. Harekrushna Mahatab, inaugurated the Hirakud Dam through Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. At that time, 24 impoverished, illiterate families were uprooted from Jamda without any preparation. These landless, nearly destitute tribal and marginalized families were never provided alternative housing, nor did they receive any compensation. They had to leave behind their homes, household belongings, and cultivated fields. The author shows how the weavers were reduced to wage laborers in their own craft. For the artisans of Maniabandh, survival required daily struggle; the scarcity of capital made their lives unbearable. Extreme poverty and lack of resources strained marital relationships and even extinguished the basic desire to survive. Karna’s suicide in the novel highlights this harsh reality. The artisans’ poverty is so severe that the same vessel they use to dye cloth is used to cook rice. Many women from fishing families, like Parvati, often do not get enough food daily; their children suffer from the heat in urban areas. The novel spans a vast region, from the Malbhum plateau in Chhattisgarh to the estuary of the sea, reflecting both human and environmental dimensions along the river’s journey. | ||
Keyword:
|