WHAT WE’RE READING THIS WEEK

Khoari (first published in 1982)

Akhteruzzaman Elias

Akhteruzzaman Elias needs no introduction. Khoari is an anthology of four short stories by the prolific writer of novels like Chilekothar Shepai (1987) and Khwabnama (1996). In this collection, the writer explores not only universally resonant and time transcendent themes like sexuality, old age, lust, and death but also postcolonial ones like race, occupation, displacement, and sense of belonging. The titular story "Khoari" revolves on a house of a local Hindu family in old Dhaka, which was looted and grabbed by the Biharis in the war of 1971. The occupants then disappear after the Pakistan army's defeat, but soon after, a new conflict emerges: the liberation forces who had led the war to turn their attention to the same house, attempting to seize it from the family under the pretext of supervising the area "properly."

In the typical style of Elias, he uses colloquial language and hones in on intricate cultural connotations in the collection to bring forth the horrors of human life, especially in the context of occupation and war, with little to no resolution to these conflicts.

At a time when genocide is unfolding across Palestine and Gaza remains under occupation, the world watches—some helplessly, and others, complicit in benefiting from the atrocity. In this moment, Khoari feels especially resonant, reminding us of the urgency to take a bold and unambiguous stand against the oppressors.

Maisha Syeda is a writer, artist, lecturer at North South University, and sub-editor at Star Books and Literature.