A Review of Qissa of Bibi in Black Burqa and Forty Men

Qissa of Bibi in Black Burqa and Forty Men, a novel by Sahitya Akademi winner Afsar Amed, translated from the original Bengali by Kathakali Jana, dares to dream in a language of magic, memory, and quiet rebellion. The exquisite book cover by Pinaki De immediately signals the book’s genre, piques interest, and creates anticipation for the story within. The structure of the novel is taut, and each of the chapter headings consists of two sentences. The narrative is rooted in the style of traditional Indian storytelling, or qissas, and blends lyrical prose with a rhythmic, dreamlike quality to fuse the past and present. The story features Bibi/Rehana, a thrice-married woman with a love for flowers and fragrance, and a knack for wandering into wonder. The journey of Bibi in the corner of a village in rural Bengal, where stories grow on trees, where the villagers speak in whispers of a mysterious ‘fragrance’ of a flower hidden deep within her body is a gentle revelation, handled with emotional restraint, ties the threads of the story with quiet resonance.

The title Qissa of Bibi in Black Burqa and Forty Men is interesting and intriguing. She is veiled not just in a black burqa but also in silence and ineffable stories, as she encounters forty archetypal male figures representing toxic masculinity, power dynamics, and societal issues. The black burqa is not simply a piece of clothing; it is an emblem of control, confinement, and a stage curtain. From behind the black burqa, Bibi watches, plots, and registers her voice of protest.  The novel explores how religion, gender, and socio-cultural relationships shape the attitudes of Muslim women and how social jurisprudence views them. Further, the novel makes an attempt to probe how individuals and social structures interact with each other.  The storytelling carries such sincerity that when one closes the book, a tear might just slip out. The unique translation transforms everything so that nothing changes, and the careful retaining of Bengali words like ‘paagol’, ‘nandaii’, ‘kajallata’ shows the earnest effort of the translator Kathakali Jana to hold back the culture-specific words that carry the charming essence of metho/ rural Bengali language. The novel celebrates curiosity, defiance, and the stubborn belief in magic that adulthood tries hard to erase. 

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Ever since her initiation into womanhood, Bibi has been at the receiving end of both overt and covert violence in public and private spheres of life. Such violence has its target not just her female body, but is often virtually an assault of sorts that turns mental and psychological. Amed has dealt with this phenomenon in terms of social, cultural, political, and psychological fallout of patriarchal-driven crude urge for domination. He restates the age-old tale of Arabian Nights with a subtle twist; the Bibi in the black burqa is the one who commands the narrative. Qissa of Bibi in Black Burqa and Forty Men is a critique of patriarchal systems and a quiet celebration of female resilience and reclamation. As Bibi navigates a world of watching eyes, she maintains her inner truth and strength. “But her husband refused to stay in the room. So she unbolted the door and flung it open. Light spilled over onto the veranda like post-slaughter blood. All because of that paagol. When he found the door open, he would come into the shadow of the luminous door and watch her, as he had been doing all this while” (11). 

Amed’s razor-sharp wit and use of wry humour add not just an interesting depth to the novel the qissas are populated by many characters, with numerous tiny stories unfolding across with width. Rooted in South Asian traditions and folklore, the novel dismantles, reshapes, and reconstructs the fact that people adjust religious teachings to specific situations in the way they want, since they do not wish the religion to control their lives. Bibi in a black burqa not only deconstructs her life, but also breaks new ground. Qissa of Bibi in Black Burqa and Forty Men is a feminist narrative built around memory and space, poised between the melody of natural rhythms and resilience.  

Sutanuka Ghosh Roy is Associate Professor and Head of the Department of English, Tarakeswar Degree College, The University of Burdwan.