So Many Hungers

by Bhabani Bhattacharya

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Paperback

First published January 1, 1947

About the author

was an Indian writer, of Bengali origin, who wrote social-realist fiction. He was born in Bhagalpur, part of the Bengal Presidency in British India. Bhattacharya gained a bachelor's degree from Patna University and a doctorate from the University of London. He returned to India and joined the diplomatic service. Bhattacharya served in the United States, to which country he returned as a teacher of literary studies once he had left the service. He taught in Hawaii, and later in Seattle. In his mid-thirties Bhattacharya began writing fiction set in historically and socially realistic contexts. He wrote in English, his chosen medium following the advice of two prominent literary figures.
Bhattacharya is described as belonging to the social realism school of Indo-Anglian literature. His writings exhibit the influence of Rabindranath Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi. Unlike other social realists like Premchand, Bhattacharya adopted a pedagogical approach to making novels out of ideas, utilizing satire and making his ideas more tangible through situational examples.

Reviews

[Mona Waheed]

its for saima

[Preetam Chatterjee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set against the milieu of the ‘Quit India’ movement and the Bengal famine of the early forties, this tome deals with the leitmotif of exploitation — political economic and social. Consider the title, to begin with. The ‘hungers’ in the title are those for political autonomy (in the case of India); for imperial extension (in the case of the Axis powers); for money (in the case of the capitalists who create a phony food shortage by hoarding rice), for food (in case of the famished Bengali poor); for sex (in the particular case of the sex-hungry soldier who rapes the penniless and bucolic Kajoli and on the whole, of those who frequent the Calcutta brothels, now abnormally well-stocked with indigent starvelings); for human self-esteem (in the case of Kajoli, who castoffs the brothel), and the hunger as a spiritual weapon employed by the freedom-fighters who go on a hunger strike in jail, ‘Devata’ (a Gandhi-like figure) even undertaking a fast unto death. Of these numerous hungers, the novelist has succeeded best in dealing with the hunger for food. And the scenes portraying the havoc wrought by famine among the rural poor in Bengal constitute some of the optimum examples of social realism in Indian English fiction. Bhattacharya paints an explicit picture, poignant scenes of starvation and death. He gives us a shredding account of the stripped horror of it all with merciless fastidiousness. People have nothing to eat, not even the roots of plants, let alone rice. Innumerable men and animals practically die of starvation. Hunger eats them up. Atrocious scenes-- children crying themselves to death; mothers slaying their own children for want of milk and food; peckish infants seen lapping the breasts of their mother who has already perished of famishment; mothers selling their daughters and even sending them to brothels for the sake of food-- are routine. Because of mass deaths corpses and vultures are noticeable everywhere": "Corpses lay by the road, huddling together. Picked to the bone; only the hair uneaten — fluffy baby's hair, man's hair, the waist-long hair of women"(142). Thus, the major part of the novel comprises a series of snapshots of gruesome pictures. However, Bhattacharya is sometimes tempted to indulge in gratuitous authorial comment; and the final solution to Kajoli’s problem appears to be totally unrealistic. She decides to earn her living, not by swapping her body but by vending newspapers --- as if a defenceless girl could ply the latter trade in the concrete wilderness of Calcutta without being forced into the former, in due course? The other chief characters in the novel Samarendra, the capitalist; his father, ‘Devata’, a Gandhian figure; and young Rahoul, the nationalistic scientist--- remain unfailingly ‘one-dimensional’, thus plummeting the overall influence of the delineation of the other ‘hungers’. This tome, published within a few months of Independence, is one of Bhattacharya’s better efforts, though not absolutely without his typical flaws. Three stars.

[Suraj Kumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

So Many Hungers is a modern Indian classic that depicts a dreadful picture of the Bengal Famine of 1943. Along with the famine and the pathos of the sufferers, the novel brings forththe spirit of nationalism and the zeal for freedom from British.

*About the Author

Bhabani Bhattacharya was an Indian writer who is known for his social-realist fiction. A Bengali by birth, Bhattacharya received his doctorate from the University of London. His novels have received the highest critical acclaim in India and abroad. His works have been translated into several languages– 14 of which are European. Bhattacharya has travelled wide across the globe and has taught in many foreign universities.

*A Truly Indian Novel

So Many Hungers is a heart warming and moving novel, based on the man- made famine of Bengal in 1943. The novel delves into how the humans themselves were responsible for the famine in which their own species suffered. The novel is set in Bengal. It has for its background the Nationalist Movement and the World War II.

The author shows how the government authorities manipulated naive villagers and took away grains from them. We see thebravery of Bengali people who took part in the Nationalist Movement. But above all, we witness the sufferings of people.

The author has presented the inhuman conditions of people in a deeply stirring manner. It is almost impossible to read about the plight of poor people without having wet eyes. From burying alive children to showing breasts, people do all that they have to do for the sake of living. Dead bodies lie scattered on the road side, while two groups of people make profit. One is the group of hoarders, the other is of those involved in prostitution. The author has presented spine-chilling picture.

*Here I mention few lines from the text:

A soldier … dropped a rupee into the begging bowl … She said no word and rose to her feet … Then the arms unfolded, stripping the ragged garment from her breast. So she stood bare … Moments went by, and the girl … drew the sari back to her bosom. … Another rupee clinked into the bowl. The girl … rose once more …“… How can you take by force what is not yours? … Are you wild beasts? ” … “Beasts!” shouted the young destitute … “Those others who lay by so much food and deny us crumbs- they are the beasts.”When you had to choose between the ache of hunger and the ache of indigestion, you would often choose the latter, …“No more pain, my godling,” she said … The mother … snatched it from its grave. “Witch! Murdering a child. Your own! …” … the woman whimpered. “Hungry, he has no sleep in his eye; he stares, only stares. Let me make him sleep- sleep in peace.”



*Final Verdict

What made me call this novel a truly Indian novel is the fact that this novel showcases the Indian mentality in a very clear way. It depictsthe rural life in India, the difference in rural and urban mindset, the dreams of the rural people associated with cities, the concern of parents for their children and the taboos in Indian society. It is essentially an Indian novel.

The poignancy of the novel lies in its superb characterization. The characters in the novel stand out and are definitely going to stay with me till a long time. The characters of Kajoli and her mother are my favorite among several others. I feel it is their dignity that wins our heart.

The novel does not have a serious atmosphere throughout. There are a few delightful scenes too. I enjoyed reading Kajoli and Kishore’s short love sequence. The author also portrays the relationship of humans with their pets. Mangala, the milch cow in the novel, is no less than a family member.

The title of the novel is an apt one. The novel presents the different hungers prevalent in society. We see the hunger for power, hunger for an ideal world, hunger for freedom, hunger for knowledge, hunger for money, hunger for sex and not to forget- hunger for food. The so many hungers present in the novel are depicted through several characters.

All in all, So Many Hungers is a novel that I would recommend to everyone. It is the best novel that I’ve read till day. It, truly, is an Indian classic.

My Rating: ***** (5/5)

[Lean · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first taste of Bengali writing. The language and the story flow were unexpected; evocative; painful, even (in the best way possible).

[Kookie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gut wrenching.

[Tharanga Gunasinghe · Rating 5 out of 5]

War is just a game of Bears