A hero, a person who displays great courage for the greater good, can also fall. But what happens to a fallen hero? A Thousand Unspoken Words is the unique journey of a hero who falls. The champion of the underdogs, the writer who uses the nom de plume Musafir is famous in Kolkata. His incisive criticism of the injustices around him earn him many enemies but he holds his ideals above all else. Scathing attacks at his books and a night of hide and seek from political goons leads Musafir unto a path he never liked, faraway from his ideals. He runs away and chooses the comforts of money over the travails of following one's ideals. The hero falls. But Tilottama, passionate fan's hopes don't. When he comes back after many years, emotions, love and lust take charge and an affair brews. Will she bring back her hero? Will he rie again? Or will the thousand untold words, the many stories of the ideal writer be lost forever?
About the Author
Paulami DuttaGupta is novelist and screenwriter. She shuttles between Kolkata and Shillong. She has worked as a radio artist, copy writer, journalist and a television analyst at various stages of life, having been associated with AIR Shillong, The Times of India – Guwahati Shillong Plus, ETV Bangla, The Shillong Times, Akash Bangla and Sony Aath.
As an author, her short stories have appeared in various anthologies and literary magazines. A Thousand Unspoken Words is her fourth book. Paulami also writes on politics, social issues and cinema. Her articles have appeared in Swarajya, The Forthright and NElive.
Paulami is associated with cinema and her first film, Ri- Homeland of Uncertainty was awarded the National Award for the Best Khasi Film. Her second film Onaatah- of the earth is at post production stage and will release in 2016. She is currently working on her third screenplay. A short film tentatively titled ‘Patjhar’ is also in the pipeline.
Paulami is a complete foodie and is almost obsessed with watching one film every day. She also loves reading- political and social commentaries are her favourite genre. Literature classics and books on cricket are also a part of her library, apart from a huge collection of romances. Jane Austen’s fictional character Mr. Darcy is her lifelong companion. She is an ardent fan of Rahul Dravid and has been following all news about him for almost twenty years now.
It’s a joy to come across books that leave an indelible
mark on your mind. They make you think and ponder, and question the ideas that
the pages bestow on you. However, it is all the more pleasurable to grab a story
that also wins over your heart. They are words with soul, connecting with you.
They narrate you tales that are fictional, and yet, you can never come to terms
with the fact that they are not real.
Tilottama and Riddhimaan could have been just another
pair of protagonists woven from an author’s imaginative bend of mind, residing between
the front and back cover of a novel, and then finding a permanent place in the
book shelf. But what Paulami DuttaGupta does to them is something that every
book lover fantasizes about. She makes them real; so real that you could find
them coming out of the pages on some instances, while at other times you
yourself are sucked in the vortex of words that flow with a kaleidoscope of
emotions. There are laughters, joy and smiles, and fights and
misunderstandings. There is love and there is loss. And then, there are tears,
which flow from the paragraphs and stream right onto your cheeks.
‘A Thousand Unspoken Words’, true to its name, speaks
less and emotes more. It is a story of a man, confronting his identity, and getting
trapped in his own name, unable to differentiate between what is real and what
is right. This is the tale of a woman, bold, brave and smart, who admires a
particular writer and his ideologies. However, truth can be harsher, and can
bring forth the best, and the worst in individuals. This is the saga of a
family, of people associated with each other, through invisible threads, bonds
that are held in places with hope, courage, perseverance and love, but can also
threaten to break when stretched a bit too far.
Tilottama harbours a crush towards Musafir, the
controversial author, who raises valid and pertinent questions through his
books. However, his views are not taken kindly by several sections of the
society, as a result of which he has to flee from his homeland. Musafir is
Riddhimaan’s pen name, who is the son of Tilottama’s friend and guide,
Krishnakoli. When he returns, a fiery attraction grows between the two. As
expected, they come closer, and eventually decide to tie the knot. However,
time can often be a cruel master, and though it teaches a lot, it also tests
you in the most adverse of circumstances.
‘A Thousand Unspoken Words’ explores the different facets
of relationships between a mother and her sons, a husband and his wife, and the
bond between two brothers. There are quarrels and arguments, but also
forgiveness and love. There are prayers and curses, and the fear of losing
oneself. The burden of expectation, of trying to be what one isn’t, can be
heavy, and there is no better way to understand this than by reflecting on
Riddhimaan’s character.
Paulami has based her story in and around Kolkata, and
the vibrancy of the city’s moods reflects in her character. There are periods
of sudden rain and storm, and days of calm pleasant weather. Perhaps, as I
think of it now, Calcutta plays as vital a role in the setting of this story as
any other protagonist does.
‘A Thousand Unspoken Words’ is one of those novels that
will keep you awake all night. The pages turn on their own, and you lose sense
of the time. There are chapters, happy and sad, and they call out to us in
hushed voices. This is a story that needs to be read, and told. Moreover, this
is a narrative that is felt right from the heart, a journey beyond a thousand
words, where fiction blends with reality, and the line between them blurs.
Paulami DuttaGupta, you have indeed done a tremendous
job.
Title: A Thousand Unspoken Words
Author: Paulami DuttaGupta
Publisher: Readomania
Publication Year: 2015
Language: English
Binding: Paperback
Genre: Fiction, Romance
No. of Pages: 216
Price: Rs 250
My Rating: 5/5
