Romtha

Author: Mahasweta Devi
Translator(s): Pinaki Bhattacharya
Publisher: Seagull Books
Year: 2004
Language: English
Pages: 72
ISBN/UPC (if available): 8170462576

Description

One day, Sharan arrived. His virile body, his golden hair, the look that glowed in his pale eyes, intense, brooding-all of this threw her into a turmoil. Subhadra fell madly in love.

A beautiful young man condemned to death for a crime of passion; his lover, the beautiful courtesan whom he kills but continues to mourn and yearn for; and a lonely young widow burning with unrequited desire. This love triangle set in twelfth century Bengal, moving between the royal city of Gaur and the forests and rivers of rural Bengal, centers on the fate of the romtha, the branded criminal who awaits his own death. Ironically named Sharan-refuge-there is no refuge for the protagonist of this tale of passion, vengeance and the overwhelming hunger for life.