TALASHNAMA Paperback

Talashnama: The Quest by Ismail Darbesh, brilliantly translated from Bengali by V. Ramaswamy, is a powerful and multi-layered debut novel set in Sadnahati, a Muslim-majority village in rural West Bengal. The story revolves around Riziya, an educated and headstrong woman burdened by a secret from her past, who elopes with her Hindu tutor, Suman Nath, despite her true love being the local Imam, Tahirul. When Suman Nath later dies by suicide, Riziya is compelled to return to a village rife with judgment and condemnation, further fueled by the lingering mystery of anti-Islamic graffiti she allegedly wrote on the mosque years ago. Beyond a compelling narrative of love, religion, and personal freedom, the book serves as a profound and evocative inquiry into the uncertainties and challenges of being Muslim in contemporary India, exploring the complex interplay of tradition, modernity, politics, and faith within a closely-knit community.