The information provided on the inner cover of the book is mind-boggling, indeed. It says that ‘Dr. Mrinal Kalita received the Sahitya Akademi Bal Sahitya Puraskar 2021 for his seminal debut, Bakul Phuler Dare, which became an overnight bestseller. The book has gone on to redefine the coming-of-age novel in Assamese and is now in its forty-second edition.’ Translated for the first time from the Assamese by Partha Pratim Goswami who happens to be the chief translator of the Translation Wing of Gauhati High Court, Assam, Under the Bakul Tree is one of the finest young adult novels from India and is an invaluable addition to India’s rich literary landscape. So, what is the book about?
Holding a Mirror to the Indian Education System
Somdatta Mandal
UNDER THE BAKUL TREE (BAKUL PHULER DARE) by By Mrinal Kalita. Translated from the original Assamese by Partha Pratim Goswami Penguin/Random House India, New Delhi, 2024, 315 pp., INR 350.00
September 2024, volume 48, No 9