Jarmer Chokh by Tilottama Majumdar [Hardcover]

"Wise prince Jorm renounced the world after years of preaching in China and began severe ascetic practices to gain more knowledge. Days turned into months, and eventually, his body could no longer endure it. Jorm fell asleep, only to awaken three days and nights later, overwhelmed by remorse and anger. He cut off his eyelids in frustration. What followed was extraordinary—new plants began to grow from his severed eyelids. Buddha commanded him: 'Drink. Drink the juice of those leaves. It will relieve you of all your exhaustion and despair.' Jorm drank, and instantly, he was rejuvenated. His disciples, inspired by this, began using these leaves in China, marking the origin of the tea plant.

The Buddhist myth of 'Jorm's Eyes' is not only a historical reference in the story but also serves as a profound symbol. In the narrative, Biju, a clerk at Matibari Tea Estate, starts chronicling the history of exploitation faced by tea workers in his diary. His Nepali friend Kamal teaches the indigenous laborers to read and write within the labor lines. However, when a conspiracy by owners, brokers, and self-serving union leaders suffocates life in the tea estate, workers' lives reach the brink of devastation. One day, hundreds of impatient workers attack the office, loot the homes of managers and leaders, leading to Kamal’s mysterious murder. Biju descends into madness.

When government intervention brings temporary peace to the tea estate, and Biju recovers through treatment, he wakes up one morning and tears apart his diary of exploitation. The shreds of paper appear to him as Kamal’s eyelids—Kamal’s or Jorm’s? Will a new tea plant be born again?

The novel ‘Jormer Chokh’ (Jorm’s Eyes) is a blood-stained classical portrayal of contemporary life."