Sultana's Dream and Padmarag : Two Feminist Utopias Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain, translated with an introduction by Barnita Bagchi; Penguin Books, India; 2005; pp 197+xxvi; Rs. 200
source: http://www.thedailystar.net/2005/07/16/d507162102120.htm

              Book Review on
            Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain
            by Jayeeta Bagchi
                                                            

            Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain, popularly known as Begum Rokeya, needs no introduction, at least not in this subcontinent. Bangalees, to a large extent, are aware of her oeuvres. Researchers are working on her both in West Bengal and in Bangladesh. Sultana's Dream (1905), of course, is known to many. It was originally written in English and has attained the status of being an anthology favourite. As an outstanding feminist utopia it has often been compared to Charlotte Perkins Gilman's Herland (1915). It is part of the syllabus in many universities. But most of Rokeya's other writings have remained an unknown territory for the non-Bangla-speaking people.
            Barnita Bagchi has done a great job (and here I must state that
she is my cousin but I have tried to do as objective an assessment as
possible) of translating Padmarag (1924), meaning 'The Ruby'. I happen to know personally that she was apprehensive about its reception, especially in Bangladesh where feminists take Rokeya studies seriously, but I think she need not be so anxious. While reading, I often forgot that it was a translation that I was reading. Of course, certain words being
culture-specific, demands a glossary which she provides. Padmarag, as Ms Bagchi points out, complements Sultana's Dream and presents, to us, a daring, complex educational and philanthropic female utopian narrative. It is a utopia which is founded in real time and space. The name Padmarag is untranslatable since it is one of the names, others being Zainab or Zainu,
and Siddika, by which the protagonist is known to the inmates of the Tarini Bhavan, an institution which provides shelter and educational support to women. Dina Tarini, herself a Brahmo, is the owner of the institution which recognizes that women, whatever their caste, creed or religion is, are all victims of patriarchal oppression. The only way to survive in this male world is to develop marketable skills and that is what the institution teaches to its students. It is through Siddika that we get acquainted with Tarini Bhavan and its striking female residents. The story line is interesting and has all the popular elements of mystery and romance yet all of them leading to an ending which most of us would find baffling. Thereby it also challenges the popular notions of romance and mystery novel.


            The great idea about this volume is that it produces an original
English text side by side with the translation. It gives one an opportunity
to compare and judge the quality of the translation. I think the introduction demands special mention. Ms Bagchi not only places the two texts in the proper context, but also provides the relevance of studying Rokeya, today, in the south Asian region. She also provides her own reading of the texts, especially of Padmarag. She introduces Rokeya to those who are
yet to know about her. The book is complete with a select bibliography which mentions books written both in Bangla and English thus providing one with an opportunity to carry on studying Rokeya's other works. Finally, we must remember that the cover of a book often attracts bookworms, or even those who are not. Thanks to Pinaki De, the cover illustrator, it looks like the cover will attract a lot of readers.

            Jayeeta Bagchi is a freelance writer/ teacher.
 

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