Siddharth Chowdhury

Siddharth Chowdhury (b. 1974) was born in Patna, Bihar, and educated in Delhi.

He earned an M.A. in English literature from Hindu college, University of Delhi before drifting into publishing. He lives in Delhi and works as an editor with the house of Manohar.

Works

• Diksha at St Martin’s {2002}
• Patna Roughcut {2005}

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Patna Roughcut

In Patna Roughcut, the narrative begins with Ritwik Ray, a reporter, returning to his hometown Patna after completing his Master’s in Delhi. He meets all the regulars, learns of the sad death of an old acquaintance, Harryda; he remembers his own relationship with the dead man. Ritwik moves on to tell the story of Mrinal Babu, a once-powerful landlord fallen on hard days, and of his retainer Saifu Mian, who becomes one of the book’s recurring characters.

Midway through the novel, there is a short, intense account of Ritwik’s childhood illness and his witnessing a scene of violence that forever alters the way he looks at the people around him. Here, the narrative abruptly fractures and the last two sections of the book are told by other people of Ritwik’s acquaintance. What this adds up to is a structure with elements of magic realism, and a kaleidoscopic narrative that becomes especially interesting towards the end.

Source: Jai Arjun Singh in his blog Jabberwock