Sister Library participants read Ferdousi Priyabashini’s ‘Nindito Nondon’

A special reading of Ferdousi Priyabhashini's autobiography, Nindito Nondon (Shabdashailee, 2014) took place on the evening of February 17 to commemorate the 75th birth anniversary of the Bangladeshi sculptor and Birangona. The reading was led by the event's 'Elder Sister', Ferdousi Priyabhashini's daughter, Fuleshwary Priyanandini.

Attendees took turns reading excerpts of the book during the virtual programme held on Zoom. Fuleshwary Priyanandini recounted the stories she was told by her mother. She lovingly recalled how, "Up until her death, she [Ferdousi Priyabhashini] was often engaged in memory of her childhood."

Nindito Nondon was first released at the Ekushey Boi Mela of 2014. The book is a rich portrait of the author's life before, during, and after the Liberation War of 1971, detailing the tortures tolerated by those who witnessed the struggle. It was primarily written from memory, as Priyabhashini rarely kept a day-to-day account of her life in real time.

"Sister Library reading are always intense and thought provoking, but hearing Fuleshwary Priyanandini give voice to her mother's autobiography was an experience beyond words," Rabita Saleh, an attendee, told The Daily Star. "The material provided a unique perspective on our Liberation War, while Priyanandini offered an intimate view into the larger than life persona that was Ferdousi Priyabhashini."

The Sister Library reading series is organised periodically by the Goethe-Institut Bangladesh in partnership with HerStory Foundation. Readings of Virginia Woolf's Orlando were held in January and February 2021. The forthcoming reading session on February 24 will be on Bangla, Bonera (Bangla, Sisterhood).

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