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LAJJA: SYNOPSIS
The novel tracks the (mostly atheist) Hindu Dutta family throughout
thirteen days of the destruction of Babri Masjids repercussions in
Bangladesh. The action of the novel in the first few days is limited to
the son, Suranjan, wandering the city and conversing with various
Muslims and Hindus, which allows Nasrin to put forth various points of
view typically associated with both sides of the conflict and detail the
destruction wrought on the Hindu community. In Day Six, Maya, the
daughter, is abducted by a band of Muslim youths, and the rest of the
novel is keenly emotional and split between the father and mother
lamenting what has occurred as Suranjan desperately searching for
her. In the end, Maya does not return, and it is alluded to that she has
been seen, drowned, floating in the river. What remains of the Dutta
family, after many years of refusing to abandon Bangladesh and move
to India, which has a majority Hindu population versus Bangladeshs
Hindu minority population, as many of their family and friends have,
finally concede that doing so is an action necessary to protect
themselves.
communalism
Main Entry: communalism
Pronunciation: \-n-,li-zm\
Function: noun
Date: 1871
1 :social organization on a communal basis
2 :loyalty to a sociopolitical grouping based on
religious or ethnic affiliation
secularism
Main Entry: secularism
Pronunciation: \se-ky-l-,ri-zm\
Function: noun
Date: 1851
:indifference to or rejection or exclusion of religion
and religious considerations
For seven long months he continued his existence with his identity
as Abdus Salam [...] passing Suranjan off as Saber and suffering the
indignity of his wife Kironmoyee being known as Fatima by the people
around. This pain of calling Kironmoyee Fatima was much more
excruciating than the sufferings caused by the still unhealed
fractures in his chest. (Nasrin, 63)