Shankhini by Sangita Bandyopadhyay [Hardcover]

The event itself is insignificant. It occurs merely to carry life forward. The path from birthmarks to the signs of death is what we call the journey of life. Yet, that path is, in reality, another void—an emptiness that, under the mysterious and undefined directive of some enigmatic cosmic force, every living being is compelled to fill. One must be born, one must die, and in between, life must be sustained with a series of events and breaths. Life does not know the reasons behind these occurrences; it has no real need for them. There is no destination, no ultimate goal. Yet, it must keep moving—it cannot afford to stop. Life will surrender to this current, letting itself drift like a rudimentary wooden boat upon the tide.

And yet, within this infinite expanse of time and space, the significance of an individual’s existence remains undeniable. This novel is, in essence, a saga of that relentless flow of life, where the central character is life itself. Though its name changes within the narrative, appearing in different guises—sometimes as 'Ratrimoni,' sometimes as 'Ranadeb' or 'Mukul.' At times, it is ‘Tari,’ ‘Iraban,’ or even ‘Shah Rukh Khan’! Together, they form the very essence of existence, interwoven into the explosive novel Shankhini.