Review: Gramer Nam Kakondubi

Gramer Nam Kakondubi by Muhammed Zafar Iqbal

(Translation: The village named Kakondubi)

Published on – February, 2015

Publisher – Tamralipi

Plot synopsis

The story revolves around a small Bangladeshi village, Kakondubi, namesake of the title, during the Liberation War of 1971, a war against Pakistan to acknowledge Bangladesh as a sovereign country. The main character of the story is a twelve-year old rural boy called Ranju, who was orphaned during his early childhood and was living with his old grandmother in Kakondubi.

The book is a standalone and divided into four episodes, each of which depicts a certain period of the Liberation war. The first part introduces the characters, describes the village and hints at the upcoming war. The second part tells about the beginning of the war, emergence of new characters and gives an idea about the effects of the war. The third part depicts the brutality of the enemy country (murder of Hindus, rape of women, Rajakars etc), but in a suitable way to children. The fourth and final part describes the role of the guerrilla army (freedom fighters/muktiyoddha) and the involvement of the main character Ranju and his friend, Dora and how the guerrilla overcomes the Pak-Army.

My Review

OH MY GOD! This book is absolutely fantastic.

Zafar Iqbal is already a renowned name when it comes to children’s book or science fiction in Bangladesh, but this book is so far his best children’s classic I have read! It not only depicts the brutality of the Pakistani army in a children-friendly fashion but also describes what we, as Bangladeshi, did for our beloved country.

The narrator Ranju is fabulous. The simplicity of rural people was evident in him from beginning to end. But at the same time, his calm voice of describing the massacre and hardship of war only deepened the facts furthermore and distinctively shows the struggle the Bangladeshi had to suffer during the war. The book also describes the role of women and children at the time of war. It teaches you that you don’t have to be strong and stout to show love for your country. You can be a child and help to save it all the way. The main fact is, your work would show your love for country, even if it is seemingly as small as feeding a bunch of guerrilla fighters (trust me, it’s no small a task).

While reading this book, I realized that there were not many plot twists. I knew what would come next. But still I felt my mind blown away from time to time because of its gripping narration, charming landscapes and beautiful spot-on descriptions. This book will make you love your country more and will raise your respect towards the valiant freedom fighters of the Liberation War.

I hope that you will read it too and enjoy it as much as I have. Let me know in the comments below. Love!