Janani

The Khans and the Kotals are peasant farmers scratching a living in colonial Bengal. Their apparently peaceful lives revolve around the planting and harvesting of crops, but there are conflicts just beneath the surface. At the centre is Dariabibi, the ‘Janani’ (mother), enduring the burden of responsibility. Abandoned by her timid, escapist husband, she is forced to accept help from a manipulative benefactor… Shaukat Osman describes scenes of simple domesticity with a poet’s eye. His novel has the sensuous, sprawling quality of real life.