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Amit Chaudhuri can be named as revolutionary writer. He dresses very conservatively; his hesitant delivery is of one who weighs each word carefully before committing it to speech. He uses his language very cautiously. His four novels, A Strange and Sublime Address, Afternoon Raag, Freedom Song, and A New World, are slim and sensitive. The author from the core of his heart wanted to become a poet. Yet it is fiction that has made his name. But there is another aspect to the man revealed in his latest two works both of them are non-fiction. The first, a work of literary criticism, which reveals him to be a fiercely intelligent and non-conformist critic; the other a collection of political essays, where he comes across as passionate, committed, and outspoken. Synopsis: 
Set in the backdrop of early 90's 'Freedom Song' describes the life history of two interrelated middle-class Calcutta families. The central characters of the story Khuku and Mini usually spend their time talking about family, friends, health, and occasionally, Muslims and the Babri Masjid too. 'Freedom Song' is totally about the two person's perspective about the Hindu and Muslims. The story starts with the loud music of Muslim Prayer i.e. Azaan. They are totally disgusted and feel that the country is looking like a Muslim country. They discuss about the fact that in earlier days many temples were demolished so this is not a big deal done by Hindu nationalist party BJP. Khuku decides to vote for BJP as she supports the action of the party. Despite these contentious remarks, 'Freedom Song,' like the other two novellas, is a great creation of the author. Rendered in evocative prose, Chaudhuri's carefully observed writing remains at the surface, confining itself to the thin segment of the upper-middle class. In the earlier novellas, the childlike and adolescent points of view make the surface observations easier to accept.
This 'Freedom Song' by Amit Chaudhuri is published by the Vintage where the author uses a beautiful, vibrant and complex fabric of language in rendering his characters and their lives. (Last Updated on : 06-01-2009) |
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