দেশ এবং আনন্দলোক পূজাবার্ষিকী থেকে তিনটি উপন্যাস নিয়ে কথা | Desh And Anandalok Pujabarshiki 2026

Reviews of Three Novels from the 2026 Puja Annuals

The presenter reviews three novels, with sharply different reactions to each.

Ek Se Raja by Supriyo Chowdhury — Anandalok

Set amid Bengal’s political turmoil and the devastating Direct Action riots of 1946, the novel follows a remarkable figure who becomes important in Indian and Bengali politics. Ordinary people affectionately call him a “king.” The presenter enjoyed the tense storytelling and writing, and found echoes of Chowdhury’s earlier novel, Jalbhairab.

Jibanpur by Subarna Basu — Desh

Aranya waits for his former love, Deepmala, believing she will return so they can build a life in the dreamlike place called Jibanpur. The novel also follows Bijon Sarkar, a successful young businessman who hires a private investigator to learn more about Ujani before marrying her.

Although the novel starts promisingly, the presenter felt it became a bland love story and did not live up to expectations.

Sei Shohor, Ei Shohor by Shantanu Dey — Desh

This crime thriller moves between a city’s violent past, around the Naxalite era, and the present. A female police inspector investigates the brutal murder of a reclusive school librarian, whose body is found beside a slaughtered chicken. When another elderly man is killed, the case begins to look like a serial murder investigation.

The presenter praises the plot, character work, and psychological detail, but feels the killer’s psychology needed more exploration and that the ending comes too suddenly.

Personalities Mentioned

The presenter is unnamed. The authors are Supriyo Chowdhury, Subarna Basu, and Shantanu Dey. The fictional characters mentioned are Aranya, Deepmala, Bijon Sarkar, and Ujani.