Slippers

The book itself is a journey that takes us through the lands from Hiroshima, San Francisco, and Kolkata to Kishoreganj. Each narrative unfolds geographical, socio-cultural, excellence of the places. On one hand it reflects the contemporary lifestyle, politics, cultures and celebrations while on the other hand it echoes a sense of history and tradition associated with it. Though this is a travelogue and each story has individual plotline, yet, if observed minutely, overall there runs a subtle undertone of storyline which achieves its height in the chapters 5 and 6. These two chapters capture the trail back in the heart West Bengal i.e Kolkata and Bangladesh. It depicts the power structure of society, shed light on the problem of the homeless, describes the local trains and so much more. Besides, a significant part of the book consists of reflections on the lives of the migrated families in the post-partition era and the status of family relationships of the people from both sides of India-Bangladesh border. Therefore, Slippers is not only a collection of expressions and experiences gathered from around the world but the essence of the book as a journey lies within the pauses and halts, during the tea breaks when contemplation creeps in with the mere descriptions.

—Aditi Mondal