Balanak Bonihar O Pallavi
Encyclopedia
Balanak Bonihar O Pallavi (The peasants on the banks of river Balan and Pallavi) is a Short Story
collection, written by Dr Binod Bihari Verma
, on the village life of Mithila
on the banks of the Kosi River and its tributaries.
. The focus of the stories and the protagonists are from the middle and lower middle class of the population. It deals with their social interactions, their dreams and aspirations, and their interaction with the predominant forces of their environment namely, the rivers.
Short Story
Short Story is a piece for violin and piano composed by George Gershwin in 1927.Gershwin composed the duet from two other short works that premiered at the same time as his Three Preludes. He combined a section of the "Novelette in Fourths" and another slower work to create this piece....
collection, written by Dr Binod Bihari Verma
Binod Bihari Verma
Binod Bihari Verma was a Maithili littérateur by soul, medical doctor by profession and a defence officer by career. He is most noted for his pioneering work on Panjis, which are ancient genealogical charts, Maithili Karna Kayasthak Panjik Sarvekshan. He is also known for his depiction of rural...
, on the village life of Mithila
Mithila
Mithila was a city in Ancient India, the capital of the Videha Kingdom. The name Mithila is also commonly used to refer to the Videha Kingdom itself, as well as to the modern-day territories that fall within the ancient boundaries of Videha...
on the banks of the Kosi River and its tributaries.
Overview
This short story collection has fourteen short stories centering around the village society of MithilaMithila
Mithila was a city in Ancient India, the capital of the Videha Kingdom. The name Mithila is also commonly used to refer to the Videha Kingdom itself, as well as to the modern-day territories that fall within the ancient boundaries of Videha...
. The focus of the stories and the protagonists are from the middle and lower middle class of the population. It deals with their social interactions, their dreams and aspirations, and their interaction with the predominant forces of their environment namely, the rivers.
Explanation of the Book's title
Balanak Bonihar O Pallavi means the tiller by the river and Pallavi, a common feminine name neing a metaphor for the agricultural produce of the farmer. It is the title of the first short story in this collection and is reflective of the general theme of the stories.Critical reception
has the following review:
His stories focus on human values and are full of tenderness and pathos.
Characters in "Balanak bonihar o pallavi"
Most of the short stories have certain similar central characters, these are:- Balan: The "river" or the flood waters
- Sounse: Gangetic river dolphinRiver dolphinRiver dolphins are the four living species of dolphin that reside in freshwater rivers and estuaries. River dolphins inhabit areas of Asia and South America. They are classed in the Platanistoidea superfamily of cetaceans. Three species live in fresh water rivers. The fourth species, the La Plata...
, Platenista gangetica, which populates kosiKosiKosi, also known as Kosi Kalan, is a small town in the Mathura district of the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. Located on the Agra-Delhi highway, it is at a distance of about 100 km from Delhi and about the same from the city of Agra. Kosi is an economic and industrial hub of Uttar Pradesh with...
and its tributaries, now a species on verge of extinction - Oxygen, Hydrogen: Representing the chemicals
- Various human characters having different names although representing similar socioeconomic strata:
- Rannu Sardar
- Sulochana
- Saheb
- Gonour babu
- Real life characters:
- Prof Upendra Thakur
- Prof Radha Krishna ChoudharyRadha Krishna ChoudharyProfessor Radha Krishna Choudhary was a historian, thinker and writer of Bihar. He has contributed to the historical and archaeological studies of Bihar as well as to Maithili literature. He published numerous original researches on the history of Bihar and was acclaimed as a researcher...
Major themes
- Life on the banks of rivers in MithilaMithilaMithila was a city in Ancient India, the capital of the Videha Kingdom. The name Mithila is also commonly used to refer to the Videha Kingdom itself, as well as to the modern-day territories that fall within the ancient boundaries of Videha...
- Environmental pollution
- Lot of the women in MithilaMithilaMithila was a city in Ancient India, the capital of the Videha Kingdom. The name Mithila is also commonly used to refer to the Videha Kingdom itself, as well as to the modern-day territories that fall within the ancient boundaries of Videha...
- Marital relationship in the rural poor
- The annual cycle of flooding and the devastation
- Unemployment
- Curse of the Dowry system in MithilaMithilaMithila was a city in Ancient India, the capital of the Videha Kingdom. The name Mithila is also commonly used to refer to the Videha Kingdom itself, as well as to the modern-day territories that fall within the ancient boundaries of Videha...
Allusions and references
- River: KosiKosiKosi, also known as Kosi Kalan, is a small town in the Mathura district of the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. Located on the Agra-Delhi highway, it is at a distance of about 100 km from Delhi and about the same from the city of Agra. Kosi is an economic and industrial hub of Uttar Pradesh with...
river - People:
- Prof Upendra Thakur
- Prof Radha Krishna ChoudharyRadha Krishna ChoudharyProfessor Radha Krishna Choudhary was a historian, thinker and writer of Bihar. He has contributed to the historical and archaeological studies of Bihar as well as to Maithili literature. He published numerous original researches on the history of Bihar and was acclaimed as a researcher...
Stories
- Balanak bonihar o pallavi
- Kunti karna o parshuram
- Sulochnak chatisar
- Saheb
- Brahma - bisun - rati
- Ham pan khelonhh
- Fulak katha
- Antarmukhi vasundhara
- Kasha k ful
- Machhak piknik
- Jivan - nao
- Ka purush
- Gonour babu
- Aakash ful