Koraput and Other stories

 It is no exaggeration to say that reading this English story collection 'Koraput and Other Stories' remains an unforgettable experience. Gourahari Das ji's stories in Oriya have been translated into English by Saroj Mishra and Gopa Nayak. There has been a book before. Its name is "The Little Monk and Other Stories." As a newspaper editor, storyteller, playwright and columnist, Gourahari Das was well known to Oriya readers and had his own unique style in every process.

On hearing the name of Koraput, the natural scenery stands in front of our eyes. I also remember the workers there. The book contains 15 stories. All of them have different themes. The first story is related to Koraput. Let's talk about some stories. There is a magic in the stories of Gourahari Das ji. No story is like another story. In every little thing, something new is presented to us that we cannot see.

The story strategy also does not let the reader stay. Go to the end. When you think that the story is going to happen in a short time, then it seems as if the 'ending' has been known. But when we come to the last sentence, it gives us an unexpected twist and brings a smile on our lips. Such an craftmanship comes with a lot of practice and thinking power. While describing some important scenes and psychological situations, we are introduced to those characters.

Let's talk about the first story. The girl, identified as Purnima, was coming to Koraput from Bhubaneswar by Hirakud Express. She is soon to marry a man named Prashant, who works as a high official there. The train leaves from Koraput and takes a taxi to Jaipur, where the government offices are located. She is kidnapped by the Naxals. It is located in a village inside. She doesn't know how to escape. Conditions there are terrible. Even after so many years of independence, it is understandable how some people still live.
She is shocked to know that her fiancé Prashant is also one of the corrupt officials. Even after getting money and some benefits from him, the terrorists  left her. In this story, the situation and life of the tribals of the Oriya and Andhra border will be seen. Koraput showcased its beauty.

'Once the Sky Was Blue 'is another unique story. It depicts the search for a Bangladeshi refugee family in the state of Orissa. Shiraz and Tutul have been friends since childhood. Tutul goes to another state for higher studies. Shiraz spends his time at the roadside shop, helping his father. A big mall will be built there. They also collect overtake shops nearby with their monetary and political strength. In fact, even if it is a government place, the owners of small shops cannot do anything. Then Tutul sees it and asks his father to help him. He's the man around.

How can you tolerate if there are such small shops in front of such a big mall? owners asked, If you want a job, join us as a salesman in our shop. At the end, the children will be given masks to wear. It explains how once the cheapest vegetables and groceries were sold at inflated prices, and how they were given different English names to create hype. We know for a fact that the market economy involves the big fish swallowing small fish.

The story titled "The Mirage" depicted the lives of goons who survive by taking shelter of politicians. Tax is a huddle of 12 villages in the vicinity. A goon carefully mauling his opponents, he takes a young woman's small test as a challenge, descends into a serpentine pond, cuts white lily flowers, and becomes a victim of poisonous snakes. The entire story unfolds in front of us. Gourahari Das ji has described the mindset of gangsters in detail. The tax lifeline is painted very close to reality.

In the story "Handwriting," a teacher marvels at the lives of two students studying with him. A child who studies well in school and is his favorite student, grows up and becomes a high official in the Secretariat. When the master needs his service, he tells him to go and give bribe to him, and then he does not care. Another student who always scolded in school that your hand is bad becomes a bus conductor. But when teacher's purse is gone, he reminds himself from a humanitarian point of view that he is an old student. So teacher realizes that it is wrong to imagine that all those who read well as children will have a great heart.

The story titled 'Where Has Sudam Jena Gone "narrates how foreign investors invest in domestic companies and take control of the system. Garuda traces the process of how a TV company earns foreign funds, expands its operations, and ultimately mercilessly lays off employees. Why should Sudam, who works as a peon in that company ponder over taking foreign funds, we have got independence now, can't we do business without the need of foreigners, he doubted.

When all this is known, Sudam is fired from his job. There is a twist at the end. The name of globalization has been well described how even big corporates are flirting with very simple scenes. The rest of the story is unique. We can find out many changes taking place in the contemporary Oriya literature through this story.

 Written for #WRITEAPAGEADAY                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Words : 905