The Green of Bengal and Other Stories

by Gautam Benegal

A guest with epic gastric trouble, the besieged political campaigner, the cruel critic, the secret murderer, the homophobic ruffians, the reluctant nude model, the talking dog, the frustrated illustrator, the grandfather who pines for the home he lost. Gautam Benegal's short stories are peopled with characters we almost recognize - a neighbour, an uncle, a niece - bringing alive the Calcutta of the late 1980s and the early '90s. There is nostalgia here, but it is shot through with darkness. A political pulse runs through the whole, informed by Benegal's own preoccupations with gender and class, his keen interest in people and the workings of their minds. Yet, there is a lightness of touch, a desire to engage the reader in a story, even an occasional twist in the tale.

155 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 15, 2014

Reviews

[CHITRA VIJAYKUMAR · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kaleidoscopic view of social mileu of Bengal

Only those who have intimate knowledge of the idiosyncrasies of the people across generations and both urban and rural can appreciated the nuances explored in the book.The stories jump from one scene to another with the backdrop of fish which is constant being the staple food to the accompaniment of the delicacies of the place. Having lived in the North East for 8 long years in the turbulent eighties and having travelled extensively across the seven sisters it was easy to relate to the state of under development of the entire region vividly brought out in the stories with the nouveau riche sprinkled in various situations narrated with tongue in cheek humour.

[Debarati · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful collection of short stories from
Calcutta and beyond. Some of these will break your heart and some of these will make you laugh out loud, but each and every one of these short stories will make you think. Love this book! Highly recommend!

[Tarun Mitra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Book is a collection of Eleven Short Stories of which the last one is called ‘The Green of Bengal’. As the title suggests the stories revolve around characters based in Bengal in general and Calcutta to be particular, especially the Calcutta of 70s to 90s. However, even if you pull of the underlying ‘bengali’ out of the stories, still they’ll be relevant as if written in any other part of the Country.

The eleven stories range from a lonely dystopian individual to an artist getting a lesson from his teacher, a talking dog to the game of political ping – pong, an eager bride to a social outcast (here the society in to be questioned itself), a obsessive wreck to a tyre crushed art piece, a poetic justice, a runaway bride and finally nostalgia. The stories take you to myriad emotions, with an underlying sense of humor and irony. The politics is hard to miss, but aren’t Bengal and politics inseparable. But, it is not the ‘Bengal’ in the stories, it is the ‘Bengali’ and he or she can be from any part of the country. Though, the stories revolve around Calcutta and its tastes, but ask any Bengali, he will vouch for any of the characters in the book, it can be his (or her) mother, father, brother or sister; or the long lost land.

[Deepak · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘The Green of Bengal’ authored by Gautam Benegal is a value for money set of eleven short stories based on his growing years in Calcutta of the 1990s.
This is a book that is a must read for everyone to get a glimpse into the lives, loves, hates and desires of the common man as he (she in two stories) makes the best of life on offer. There is a streak of humour that keeps you smiling as you read and food for thought when you are through reading. All stories are morsel sized and perfect for that train or bus commute to keep you entertained.
Gautam Benegal is a writer, National Award winning animation film maker, cartoonist and artist who grew up in Calcutta. His previous book of short stories ‘1/7 Bondel Road’ that received critical acclaim is also eminently readable.
A steal at Rs.150/- for the Kindle version on Amazon and Rs.176/- for the paperback. Go for it guys! Guaranteed to make your day/weekend!

[Vinod · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good collection