Hutom Pancher Naksha Nakshar Arshite (Bengali Version)

Book Details

• Author: Mahua Ghosh
• Publisher: Bangiya Sahitya Samsad
• Language: Bengali
• ISBN: 9789386508317

About the Book

Hutom Pancher Naksha Nakshar Arshite (Bengali Version) is an insightful critical study of Hutom Pyanchar Naksha, the celebrated satirical masterpiece by Kaliprasanna Singha. Regarded as one of the most significant works of nineteenth-century Bengali prose, Hutom Pyanchar Naksha offers a vivid and often humorous portrayal of colonial Calcutta during the era of the Bengal Renaissance.

Inspired in part by Charles Dickens’s Sketches by Boz, Kaliprasanna Singha adapted Western literary techniques to create a uniquely Bengali form of satirical sketch writing. Through sharp observation, wit, and social commentary, he documented the lifestyle, excesses, and moral contradictions of a newly affluent class of urban “Babus” that emerged under the patronage of the East India Company. The result is a remarkable literary record of a society caught between enlightenment and decadence.

This book examines how Hutom Pyanchar Naksha captures the contrasting realities of nineteenth-century Calcutta. While the city was home to visionary reformers and intellectuals such as Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, and David Hare, it also witnessed extravagant social customs, entertainment culture, and moral decline among sections of the urban elite. Kaliprasanna, himself associated with that social milieu, wrote with remarkable honesty, combining satire with self-criticism and social introspection.

Mahua Ghosh explores the work from literary, historical, linguistic, and cultural perspectives. The study highlights the text’s pioneering use of colloquial Bengali prose, which helped shape the future development of modern Bengali language and literature. It also examines the book’s narrative techniques, social observations, and enduring significance as a document of urban life and social transformation.

An essential resource for students, researchers, and lovers of Bengali literature, Hutom Pancher Naksha Nakshar Arshite offers a fresh appreciation of a landmark work that remains relevant for its wit, realism, and powerful social critique.