Under the Bakul Tree

Dr Mrinal Kalita received the Sahitya Akademi's Bal Sahitya Puraskar 2021 for his seminal debut Bakul Phular Dare, which became an overnight bestseller. The book has gone on to redefine the coming-of-age novel in Assamese and is now in its forty-second edition. The novel was read in thirty-two episodes on the novel reading programme of All India Radio, Guwahati, in 2020 and has been made into a feature film.

A professor of Mathematics by profession, Kalita’s short stories have been translated into English, Hindi, Odia, and Bengali. Jooj, one of Kalita’s stories for young adults, has also been included in the syllabus of CBSE and SEBA. Recently, Ajantrik (Not A Machine), was published in Translations: South & South East Asia, Issue 3 of adda – the prestigious online magazine run by Commonwealth Writers, the Cultural Programme of the Commonwealth Foundation.

Kalita’s short-story collections include Anuxilon (Practice), Ajantrik Anuxilon (Non-mechanical Practice) and Mrityur Xipare (Beyond Death). His nonfiction oeuvre features Godfatheror Haat Aru Satanor Mogoju (Godfather’s Hands and Satan’s Brain), Gonitor Bornil Jogot (The Colourful World of Mathematics) and Okopote: Mor Aru Prithivir (Candidly Me: The World and I).

Partha Pratim Goswami has translated several notable Assamese works, such as Mamoni Raisom Goswami’s Sanskara and Mrinal Kalita’s Ketela Pohur Kait. Goswami is intrigued by the exacting process of reimagining a writer’s world while trying to convey the cadences and nuances of the regional language into the English. Goswami’s areas of interest include comparative literature, Indian writings in English, and translation studies. He is chief translator of the translation wing at Gauhati High Court, Assam. Goswami’s wish is to make influential literary works in Assamese available to global readers.

When Ashim, the bright, cheerful class topper and the ‘jewel’ of Mahendra master, suddenly drops out of school, everyone is surprised. His classmate and academic rival, Nirmal, is deeply troubled by Ashim’s behaviour and decides to investigate.

As Nirmal discovers more about Ashim’s circumstances, a friendship as pure as the bakul flower blooms that stands its ground against the harsh realities of growing up in rural Assam.

A heartwarming coming-of-age tale, the book celebrates friendship, hope and determination as it unravels the devastating effects of poverty and of an education system that has failed the ones who need it the most—the misfits and outcasts.

Translated for the first time from the Assamese, Under the Bakul Tree is one of the finest young adult novels from India and is an invaluable addition to India’s rich literary landscape.