Of lives and minds

Poran Gohiney Swapna Reza Mizan Publishers

Do life and mind always go in the same way! The mind cannot remain passive when weal and woes simultaneously cast shadows in different corners of life. Sometime the scuffle between life and mind becomes obvious. One can neither pull all the thorns of life out nor surrender one's mind to the harsh realities of life. At a certain period, the minds of man and woman blend together remarkably. And yet an opposite flow of life mars the blend. Despite it all, the mind remains in its place.  The writer, in her book, attempts to describe the very features of the opposite flows of life through portraying different characters and sequences.
Swapna Reza satirises those features of life through the seven stories of her book.
In the story Nirshobdo Valobasha (love without sound), 'Bohi' has everything, but someone exists beside him/her as a shadow partner. 'Bohi' remains without company, walks under the open sky alone. He/she knows that life is to keep pace with the solo understanding between demand and achievement. 'Relationship' is a man-made art which is simple and complex at the same time. And human life is nothing but the representation of this art. Each and every character of the story highlights these features of life in the span of time.
In the story, Rudror Shopno Bilash, why is the road between Rudro and Nommrota divided? Socio-economic situations deeply shake up human emotions but do not uproot them. As a matter of fact, individuals find shelter in dreams.
In the story Parayan, Bonolota gives her heart to Taswoer. On the other hand, the writer discovers the face of an affectionate mother through the character of the housemaid. And a  character like Mofiz is always active in promoting his self-interest. In our society, a specific class of selfish people look to their own interests in the name of people's welfare.
In the story Ek Odwip Jibon, Sagor disappears from the life of the teenager Tori. Her parents fail to know about the state of their daughter's mind in the stages of her reaching puberty.  
Swapna Reza is successful in characterisation. Each of her characters has a specific purpose. Tonmoy's father is a man of a different nature. He always lives in close proximity with nature. He loves the light of the lamp. He depends on the sun clock, not on the ordinary one. In this way, every character of the writer has become specific with his or her own traits.
Besides, Reza's writings highlight urban and rural life. She does not even overlook the fading slum lives. Her stories contain all natural components of love, contrasts, confrontation, economic shortfalls and various features of the human mind. Her language is lively and naturally attractive.
The main theme in her stories is human life. That includes love, hope and distress, mental confrontation, responsibility, contrast, and metal realities. All the real features of society blend with imagination in her stories. Each and every character of her stories represents the real.

Mehedi Hasan is a journalist