The Boatman of the Padma / by Manik Bandyopadhyay; translated by Ratan Kumar Chattopadhyay from the Bengali by Padma Nadir Majhi

In the grey monsoon dawn, the fishermen catch ilish on the Padma. Kuber majhi, Dhananjoy and Ganesh count their share of the catch that will be transported to Calcutta in rail wagons. But the money does not necessarily come immediately in return for the fish. Yet, paucity and poverty do not allow protests. Back in Kuber’s hut, a newborn’s cries greet him. There is his aunt (Pishi), his still-to-be-married daughter, Gopi, his two sons, Lakha and Chandi, and his crippled wife Mala; Kuber worries how to feed another mouth. Contrary to this mundane everyday, Kuber has a secret life where he is happy weaving dreams around his ebullient sister-in-law, Kapila. And then there is the mysterious and powerful Hossain Mian, luring the unwary to his fabled Moynadwip. In the lives of poor fishermen like Kuber, greed, treachery and helplessness are countered by hopes, aspirations, also moments of joy and love.