Anandabazar Patrika Rabibasariya Panchashti Galpa Edited by Subarna Bose [Hardcover]

For Bengalis, Sunday is synonymous with leisure, tradition, and a well-earned respite—a day that marks the end of a hectic week and the only full day of rest. The Bengali household has a distinct rhythm on Sundays: waking up late, an unhurried trip to the market, a leisurely breakfast, and an indulgent lunch. And among these cherished rituals, the Anandabazar Patrika’s Rabibasariya (Sunday literary supplement) has held an irreplaceable spot since its inception.

Many readers spend their Sunday mornings absorbing the main newspaper’s news and features, but they reserve Rabibasariya for the tranquil afternoon hours. It becomes their chosen companion for moments of solitude—offering short stories, serialized novels, and reflective essays. These stories don’t just entertain; they become topics of discussion, evoking both appreciation and critique.

Rabibasariya stories possess a distinct style. They are concise, typically ranging between 1,700–1,800 words, ensuring each piece remains sharp, refined, and devoid of unnecessary embellishment. Their subtle storytelling and implicit themes demand an astute readership, engaging the mind beyond what is explicitly written. This precision is what has made Rabibasariya stories perennially captivating.

This anthology holds another unique feature—its timeframe. The selection includes fifty stories published between 2017 and 2022, a period that, though brief, carries profound significance. Midway through these years, the world endured an unprecedented crisis—the COVID-19 pandemic and the prolonged lockdowns. The aftermath of this global event profoundly reshaped society, leaving indelible marks on contemporary literature.

Several stories in this collection capture the shifting contours of life, illustrating how literature evolves in response to real-world upheavals. Themes and narratives that were unimaginable before March-April 2020 suddenly found a voice, making this anthology not just a literary collection but also a testament to the transformation of human experience through fiction.