Kabir Bouthan by Mallika Sengupta [Hardcover]

Satyendranath Tagore, the second son of Debendranath Tagore, was the first Indian to join the ICS (Indian Civil Service). He aimed to shape his wife, Jnanadanandini, into an independent woman. Following his vision, Jnanadanandini gradually became a spirited woman. She was the first to prioritize the reform of Bengali women's attire. To her beloved brother-in-law, Jyotirindranath, she was known as "Mejo Bouthan." Beyond the vast household of the Tagore family, an intimate triangle of art, culture, and kinship was formed between the seventeen-year-old Jnanada, eighteen-year-old Jyotirindra, and their guardian Satyendranath.

Later, Jyotirindranath married Kadambari. At that time, Rabindranath had just begun experimenting with poetry. Together, Ravi (Rabindranath), Som, Satya, Barnadidi, and Kadambari (Ravi's new sister-in-law) studied under their guru. As Ravi gradually grew older, he developed a close friendship with his new sister-in-law. The Tagore family, brimming with talented and enlightened individuals, features prominently in Mallika Sengupta's novel Kabir Bou (Poet's Sister-in-law). This narrative interweaves an extraordinary era of creativity with the melancholy of solitary love, much like a poet bridging both with their hands.