Malay Roychoudhury : From Hungryalism to Magic Realism

Malay Roychoudhury's journey from the Hungryalist movement to Magic Realist writing is a logical step in view of his vast experience of having traveled through the length and breath of India. He has visited more than three hundred villages in his lifetime and met people from all walks of life, specially poor peasants, carpenters, fishermen and under caste families who depend on handicrafts.
His famous Magic Realist novel is that of journey of the heart of Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore's grandfather Prince Dwarkanath Tagore. The story is based on a real event. Dwarkanath was in London when he died but his family members did not bother about him as they thought that he has departed from the Indian path and has become a lecher, drunkard and a person who ate all sorts of meat.

 The journey of the heart is by a steam ship of those days. It is carried by his devoted servant Hooli who, being a Hindu, has a right to be born as many times as he likes, whereas Dwarkanath being a Brahmo, does not have the same fate.

 During the journey there is continuous conversation between the servant and the master. The servant talks about his earlier lives to keep the heart in good humour whereas the heart is quite sad as he has been neglected by his son and his entire family though they were spending the money earned by Dwarkanath. He was called Prince in England because of his wealth and could attract beautiful English women to his hotel room. 

 The fiction in Bengali is called "Hritpinder Samudrojatra."


 

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