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ফানুস
গভীর, গাঢ় আকাশে নিজের বুকের আলো সম্বল করে উড়ে যায় আকাশপ্রদীপ, ফানুস। যেন একাকী অনিশ্চয়তায় পাড়ি জমানো কোনও মনুষ্যজীবন। এই উপন্যাস এমনই কিছু মানুষের আলোর কথা বলে। বহুদিন কলকাতা ছাড়া পূর্বায়ন ফিরে এসেছে বিশেষ এক কাজে। কুসুমকামিনী দেবীর থেকে একটা জমি কিনে নিতে হবে ওকে। এমনই নির্দেশ আছে ওর ফার্মের। আর এই সূত্রেই ওর আলাপ হয় রুপুর সঙ্গে। কুসুমকামিনীর নাতনি হল রুপু। নেট-এর পরীক্ষা পাশ করে রুপু বসে আছে আপাতত। কুসুম তাই জমি সংক্রান্ত কাজে রুপুকে যেতে বলে পূর্বায়নের সঙ্গে। এদিকে সম্পর্ক ভেঙে চলে যাওয়া দীপ আবার নতুন করে ফিরে এসেছে রুপুর জীবনে। আর অন্য একভাবে আয়ানের সঙ্গে যোগাযোগ হয়ে যায় কাটুমের। বাবা আর বোনকে নিয়ে নিম্নবিত্ত পরিবারের কাটুম উড়তে চায় ভাল জীবনের দিকে। জিমিদার হাতের পুতুল হয়ে থাকা জীবনটা ভেঙে বেরতে চায় সে। সবকিছুর মধ্যে থেকেও পূর্বায়ন ভুলতে পারে না অন্ধকার অতীতকে। কলকাতায় ওর আগের জীবন ওকে জড়াতে চায় আবার। এইসবের মধ্যে হাইফেনের মতো ঢুকে পড়ে নকু, জিমিদা, সমি, তন। একটা জীবনের সঙ্গে জড়িয়ে যায় অন্য অনেক জীবন। কষ্ট আর যন্ত্রণা এসে ডেকে দিতে চায় সবাইকে। তবু নিরন্তর লড়াইয়ে ফিরে আসে মানুষ। তার বুকের আগুন তাকে সমস্ত অন্ধকার ছিন্ন করে এগিয়ে নিয়ে যায় আলোর দিকে। পরাজিত মানুষের বারবার ফিরে আসার, নতুন করে ভালবাসার ও পুরনো ভালবাসার কাছে ফেরত আসার চিরন্তন গল্পই বলে ‘ফানুস’।
- GenresRomance
174 pages, ebook
6 people are currently reading
149 people want to read
About the author
Smaranjit Chakraborty
78 books335 followersস্মরণজিৎ চক্রবর্তীর জন্ম ১৯ জুন ১৯৭৬, কলকাতায়। বর্তমানে দক্ষিণ কলকাতার বাসিন্দা। পৈতৃক ব্যবসায় যুক্ত। প্রথম ছোটগল্প ‘উনিশ কুড়ি’-র প্রথম সংখ্যায় প্রকাশিত। প্রথম ধারাবাহিক ‘দেশ’ পত্রিকায় প্রকাশিত। শৈলজানন্দ স্মৃতি পুরস্কার ২০১৪, এবিপি এবেলা অজেয় সম্মান ২০১৭, বর্ষালিপি সম্মান ২০১৮, এবিপি আনন্দ সেরা বাঙালি (সাহিত্য) ২০১৯, সানডে টাইমস লিটেরারি অ্যাওয়ার্ড ২০২২, সেন্ট জেভিয়ার্স দশভুজা বাঙালি ২০২৩, কবি কৃত্তিবাস সাহিত্য পুরস্কার ২০২৩, উৎসব পুরস্কার ২০২৪, সুনীল গঙ্গোপাধ্যায় মেমোরিয়াল অ্যাওয়ার্ড ২০২৪, আনন্দ পুরস্কার (উপন্যাস: '‘শূন্য পথের মল্লিকা') ২০২৫ ইত্যাদি পুরস্কারে সম্মানিত ।
শখ: কবিতা, ফুটবল আর মুভিজ়।
শখ: কবিতা, ফুটবল আর মুভিজ়।
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 25, 2025
• ফানুস (Fanush / Sky Lantern): The story opens with a poetic, philosophical monologue . It compares human life, with its pain, love, and longing, to a fanush—a sky lantern that floats through the vast darkness, lit by an internal fire, on an uncertain journey . This theme of life as a fragile, illuminated journey through darkness recurs throughout the novel .
• তনের সাইকেল (Tan's Cycle): This section introduces Tan, a hardworking young man who juggles multiple part-time jobs, including being a cable bill collector and a flower delivery boy, to support his mother and his 12-year-old blind sister. His immediate, heartfelt mission is to find "marshmallows," a treat his sister heard about on the radio and now desires . While collecting payments, he briefly encounters
Ayan Purbayan Roy, a new resident in a posh apartment complex .
• শমির ফোন (Shomi's Phone): This short interlude introduces Shomi, who is anxiously trying to contact a man named Katum, whose phone is switched off . She is worried and considers breaking Katum's rule by calling his friend,
Noku .
________________________________________
Chapters 1-3: The Main Characters Converge
• Chapter 1 (এক): We are properly introduced to Ayan Purbayan Roy, who has returned to his hometown of Kolkata after nine years for a work project. He is emotionally detached and haunted by a painful past relationship with a woman named Nuri. Tan visits his flat to sell him a cable connection; Ayan, sensing the young man's need, agrees to buy one despite not planning to watch TV. The chapter ends with Ayan receiving an unexpected call from a woman named Tuli, whose voice startles him .
• Chapter 2 (দুই): This chapter introduces Katum, a hot-headed young man with a history of getting into fights, as he is released from a police lock-up . He works for a local political leader,
Jimid-da, who is also Shomi's father. Jimid-da, though annoyed with Katum's recklessness, gives him a new assignment: to act as a driver and guide for a visitor to the city—Purbayan Roy (Ayan).
• নকুর কষ্ট (Noku's Pain): An interlude focusing on Noku. It reveals his deep-seated resentment of Katum's dominance and his secret, unrequited love for Katum's younger sister,
Kutum. He feels like a failure but imagines a powerful "pterodactyl" living inside him. While running an errand, he has a brief, awestruck encounter with a beautiful young woman, who is later revealed to be Rupu .
• Chapter 3 (তিন): This chapter introduces the final protagonist, Rupu (Riddhirupa), an educated young woman whose mother constantly pressures her to get married . We learn that she was deeply hurt years ago when her ex-boyfriend,
Deep, abruptly left her to go abroad. During the chapter, Ayan visits Rupu's grandmother,
Kusumkamini, regarding a "special purpose," which is revealed to be a land deal. The chapter culminates with Rupu attending a friend's party, only to be shocked when Deep is the one who opens the door .
________________________________________
Chapters 4-8: Developing Relationships and Rising Tensions
• জিমিদার দুশ্চিন্তা (Jimid-da's Worries): A brief chapter showing Jimid-da's concern for his daughter, Shomi, particularly after her first marriage ended badly. He is portrayed as a powerful man who is, at his core, a worried father.
• Chapter 4 (চার): Katum begins his job as Ayan's driver. The narrative explores his difficult family life; his father is deeply depressed since Katum's mother abandoned them years ago. The central conflict is his relationship with Shomi, who is furious with him for his recent arrest. They have a heated argument where she implores him to change his ways before driving off, leaving Katum heartbroken .
• শমির অপেক্ষা (Shomi's Wait): From Shomi's perspective, we learn that she had an awkward encounter with her old school friend, Deep, who was with Rupu just before she met Katum. Deep's strange behavior left her distracted and contributed to her harshness towards Katum.
• Chapter 5 (পাঁচ): Rupu is out with Deep, who is trying to win her back. Rupu, however, is filled with a desire for revenge. When they coincidentally run into Ayan at a shopping mall, she seizes the opportunity. She deliberately acts intimately with Ayan, holding his hand to make Deep jealous and insecure, much to Ayan's confusion .
• কুসুমকামিনীর স্মৃতি (Kusumkamini's Memory): A flashback reveals Kusumkamini's youth in Jamshedpur. She was in love with a young man named
Danu-da, and their friend, Murari, acted as a secret messenger for them. Murari was famous for making beautiful, bird-shaped sky lanterns .
• Chapter 6 (ছয়): Ayan and Rupu travel together to get the land deal paperwork signed by a relative. On the way, Ayan has a rare moment of vulnerability, sharing a memory of his late mother . At their destination, Ayan expertly uses information gathered by a private investigator to blackmail the greedy relative into submission . The chapter ends with Ayan's estranged sister,
Tuli, confronting him on the street, but he coldly drives away.
• Chapter 7 (সাত): After getting into a car accident, a slightly injured Katum is stranded without money. He tries calling Noku, who has switched off his phone in defiance. Desperate, Katum calls Shomi for help. While waiting, he believes he sees his sister Kutum in a taxi with an unknown man.
• Chapter 8 (আট): Ayan's sister, Tuli, contacts Rupu and begs her to convince Ayan to visit his supposedly sick father. Later, Rupu invites Ayan to a party hosted by Deep. There, she solidifies her revenge plot by publicly displaying affection for Ayan, leaving both Deep and Ayan stunned and uncomfortable .
________________________________________
Chapters 9-15: The Climax and Aftermath
• জিমিদার সন্দেহ (Jimid-da's Suspicion): Jimid-da discovers that Shomi is withdrawing ten lakh rupees from her bank account and has instructed the bank not to tell him. Deeply suspicious, he tasks Katum with finding out what his daughter is up to, unknowingly putting Katum in an impossible position.
• Chapter 9 (নয়) & Chapter 10 (দশ): Ayan and Rupu finalize the land deal by confronting the last difficult relative. Rupu's journey of revenge culminates when Deep proposes to her outside her house. She coldly rejects him, telling him she no longer has feelings for him, which leads to him viciously insulting her. Meanwhile, the tension between Katum and Noku explodes when Katum finds Noku talking to his sister and brutally beats him .
• Chapter 11 (এগারো) & Chapter 12 (বারো): Katum prepares for his new life, lying to his father that Ayan is helping him start a business. Shomi gives him the money, reaffirming their plan to be together. Meanwhile, the relationship between Rupu and Ayan fractures. Ayan, realizing he was used, confronts her. Rupu, unable to face her own guilt, lashes out by cruelly bringing up his family issues and storms out . Ayan also has a final, painful confrontation with his sister Tuli, revealing that his father threw him out based on a lie from his stepmother .
• Chapter 13 (তেরো): This is the story's climax. On Kali Puja night, Noku enacts his revenge. He lies to Katum, telling him that Kutum's secret boyfriend is a married man whom he has kidnapped. Enraged, Katum rushes to the location, falling into a trap. Noku had already informed Jimid-da about Katum and Shomi. Jimid-da's henchman,
Jagada, ambushes Katum. As beautiful sky lanterns fill the air, Jagada shoots Katum in the stomach. Though mortally wounded, Katum fights back fiercely until the very end .
• কুসুমকামিনীর এক সন্ধে (Kusumkamini's One Evening) & Chapter 14 (চোদ্দো): The mystery of the land deal is solved. Ayan's boss, Badal-da, reveals to Kusumkamini that the buyer is her childhood admirer,
Murari, who is building an ice cream factory as a tribute to their shared past. That night, Murari releases the bird-shaped lanterns, which Kusumkamini sees from her balcony, understanding his lifelong, silent message . At the same moment, Rupu receives a bouquet of her favorite lavender flowers from Ayan with a note about misunderstanding. Realizing he is leaving the next day and that she loves him, she rushes out to find him.
• তনের পক্ষীরাজ (Tan's Pegasus) & Chapter 15 (পনেরো): Ayan packs to leave for a month-long trip to Leh, having closed all chapters of his life in Kolkata. He gives Tan a gift of chocolates and the much-desired marshmallows for his sister. As Ayan sits in his apartment, ready for solitude, his doorbell rings twice in Rupu's distinct pattern. The novel ends with him walking towards the door, a glimmer of hope against the tragic events of the night.
• Epilogue (মুরারি): The story ends with a final perspective from Murari. He watches the lanterns and rereads a poetic diary entry he wrote decades ago about unrequited love—the same passage that opened the book, bringing the narrative full circle .
• তনের সাইকেল (Tan's Cycle): This section introduces Tan, a hardworking young man who juggles multiple part-time jobs, including being a cable bill collector and a flower delivery boy, to support his mother and his 12-year-old blind sister. His immediate, heartfelt mission is to find "marshmallows," a treat his sister heard about on the radio and now desires . While collecting payments, he briefly encounters
Ayan Purbayan Roy, a new resident in a posh apartment complex .
• শমির ফোন (Shomi's Phone): This short interlude introduces Shomi, who is anxiously trying to contact a man named Katum, whose phone is switched off . She is worried and considers breaking Katum's rule by calling his friend,
Noku .
________________________________________
Chapters 1-3: The Main Characters Converge
• Chapter 1 (এক): We are properly introduced to Ayan Purbayan Roy, who has returned to his hometown of Kolkata after nine years for a work project. He is emotionally detached and haunted by a painful past relationship with a woman named Nuri. Tan visits his flat to sell him a cable connection; Ayan, sensing the young man's need, agrees to buy one despite not planning to watch TV. The chapter ends with Ayan receiving an unexpected call from a woman named Tuli, whose voice startles him .
• Chapter 2 (দুই): This chapter introduces Katum, a hot-headed young man with a history of getting into fights, as he is released from a police lock-up . He works for a local political leader,
Jimid-da, who is also Shomi's father. Jimid-da, though annoyed with Katum's recklessness, gives him a new assignment: to act as a driver and guide for a visitor to the city—Purbayan Roy (Ayan).
• নকুর কষ্ট (Noku's Pain): An interlude focusing on Noku. It reveals his deep-seated resentment of Katum's dominance and his secret, unrequited love for Katum's younger sister,
Kutum. He feels like a failure but imagines a powerful "pterodactyl" living inside him. While running an errand, he has a brief, awestruck encounter with a beautiful young woman, who is later revealed to be Rupu .
• Chapter 3 (তিন): This chapter introduces the final protagonist, Rupu (Riddhirupa), an educated young woman whose mother constantly pressures her to get married . We learn that she was deeply hurt years ago when her ex-boyfriend,
Deep, abruptly left her to go abroad. During the chapter, Ayan visits Rupu's grandmother,
Kusumkamini, regarding a "special purpose," which is revealed to be a land deal. The chapter culminates with Rupu attending a friend's party, only to be shocked when Deep is the one who opens the door .
________________________________________
Chapters 4-8: Developing Relationships and Rising Tensions
• জিমিদার দুশ্চিন্তা (Jimid-da's Worries): A brief chapter showing Jimid-da's concern for his daughter, Shomi, particularly after her first marriage ended badly. He is portrayed as a powerful man who is, at his core, a worried father.
• Chapter 4 (চার): Katum begins his job as Ayan's driver. The narrative explores his difficult family life; his father is deeply depressed since Katum's mother abandoned them years ago. The central conflict is his relationship with Shomi, who is furious with him for his recent arrest. They have a heated argument where she implores him to change his ways before driving off, leaving Katum heartbroken .
• শমির অপেক্ষা (Shomi's Wait): From Shomi's perspective, we learn that she had an awkward encounter with her old school friend, Deep, who was with Rupu just before she met Katum. Deep's strange behavior left her distracted and contributed to her harshness towards Katum.
• Chapter 5 (পাঁচ): Rupu is out with Deep, who is trying to win her back. Rupu, however, is filled with a desire for revenge. When they coincidentally run into Ayan at a shopping mall, she seizes the opportunity. She deliberately acts intimately with Ayan, holding his hand to make Deep jealous and insecure, much to Ayan's confusion .
• কুসুমকামিনীর স্মৃতি (Kusumkamini's Memory): A flashback reveals Kusumkamini's youth in Jamshedpur. She was in love with a young man named
Danu-da, and their friend, Murari, acted as a secret messenger for them. Murari was famous for making beautiful, bird-shaped sky lanterns .
• Chapter 6 (ছয়): Ayan and Rupu travel together to get the land deal paperwork signed by a relative. On the way, Ayan has a rare moment of vulnerability, sharing a memory of his late mother . At their destination, Ayan expertly uses information gathered by a private investigator to blackmail the greedy relative into submission . The chapter ends with Ayan's estranged sister,
Tuli, confronting him on the street, but he coldly drives away.
• Chapter 7 (সাত): After getting into a car accident, a slightly injured Katum is stranded without money. He tries calling Noku, who has switched off his phone in defiance. Desperate, Katum calls Shomi for help. While waiting, he believes he sees his sister Kutum in a taxi with an unknown man.
• Chapter 8 (আট): Ayan's sister, Tuli, contacts Rupu and begs her to convince Ayan to visit his supposedly sick father. Later, Rupu invites Ayan to a party hosted by Deep. There, she solidifies her revenge plot by publicly displaying affection for Ayan, leaving both Deep and Ayan stunned and uncomfortable .
________________________________________
Chapters 9-15: The Climax and Aftermath
• জিমিদার সন্দেহ (Jimid-da's Suspicion): Jimid-da discovers that Shomi is withdrawing ten lakh rupees from her bank account and has instructed the bank not to tell him. Deeply suspicious, he tasks Katum with finding out what his daughter is up to, unknowingly putting Katum in an impossible position.
• Chapter 9 (নয়) & Chapter 10 (দশ): Ayan and Rupu finalize the land deal by confronting the last difficult relative. Rupu's journey of revenge culminates when Deep proposes to her outside her house. She coldly rejects him, telling him she no longer has feelings for him, which leads to him viciously insulting her. Meanwhile, the tension between Katum and Noku explodes when Katum finds Noku talking to his sister and brutally beats him .
• Chapter 11 (এগারো) & Chapter 12 (বারো): Katum prepares for his new life, lying to his father that Ayan is helping him start a business. Shomi gives him the money, reaffirming their plan to be together. Meanwhile, the relationship between Rupu and Ayan fractures. Ayan, realizing he was used, confronts her. Rupu, unable to face her own guilt, lashes out by cruelly bringing up his family issues and storms out . Ayan also has a final, painful confrontation with his sister Tuli, revealing that his father threw him out based on a lie from his stepmother .
• Chapter 13 (তেরো): This is the story's climax. On Kali Puja night, Noku enacts his revenge. He lies to Katum, telling him that Kutum's secret boyfriend is a married man whom he has kidnapped. Enraged, Katum rushes to the location, falling into a trap. Noku had already informed Jimid-da about Katum and Shomi. Jimid-da's henchman,
Jagada, ambushes Katum. As beautiful sky lanterns fill the air, Jagada shoots Katum in the stomach. Though mortally wounded, Katum fights back fiercely until the very end .
• কুসুমকামিনীর এক সন্ধে (Kusumkamini's One Evening) & Chapter 14 (চোদ্দো): The mystery of the land deal is solved. Ayan's boss, Badal-da, reveals to Kusumkamini that the buyer is her childhood admirer,
Murari, who is building an ice cream factory as a tribute to their shared past. That night, Murari releases the bird-shaped lanterns, which Kusumkamini sees from her balcony, understanding his lifelong, silent message . At the same moment, Rupu receives a bouquet of her favorite lavender flowers from Ayan with a note about misunderstanding. Realizing he is leaving the next day and that she loves him, she rushes out to find him.
• তনের পক্ষীরাজ (Tan's Pegasus) & Chapter 15 (পনেরো): Ayan packs to leave for a month-long trip to Leh, having closed all chapters of his life in Kolkata. He gives Tan a gift of chocolates and the much-desired marshmallows for his sister. As Ayan sits in his apartment, ready for solitude, his doorbell rings twice in Rupu's distinct pattern. The novel ends with him walking towards the door, a glimmer of hope against the tragic events of the night.
• Epilogue (মুরারি): The story ends with a final perspective from Murari. He watches the lanterns and rereads a poetic diary entry he wrote decades ago about unrequited love—the same passage that opened the book, bringing the narrative full circle .
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 19, 2017
বার্মা মাইনসের সেই বোগেনভেলিয়ার ঝোপ, পক্ষীরাজ সাইকেল আর নীলকণ্ঠ পাখির ফানুস ছাড়া এই গল্পের আর সব কিছু কাল্পনিক
কোন উপন্যাসের শেষে এমন স্বীকার্য এই প্রথম দেখলাম।
কোন উপন্যাসের শেষে এমন স্বীকার্য এই প্রথম দেখলাম।
August 20, 2018
Loved it. The more I am reading Smaranjit, the more I feeling close to it.
November 3, 2022
কম্পাস উপন্যাস টির কথা মনে পড়ে গেলো
July 24, 2025
আমাদের জীবন আর রাতের আকাশ অনেকটা একইরকম.. রাতের আকাশ যেমন স্তব্ধ ও অবরুদ্ধ; আমাদের জীবনও তেমনি একঘেয়ে ও বৈচিত্রহীন.. কিন্তু আমাদের জীবনের প্রতি এই একঘেয়েমি যেমন বদলে যায় একজন ভালোবাসার মানুষের ছোঁয়া পেলে, তেমনই ওই রাতের আকাশও রঙিন হয়ে ওঠে ফানুস ভেসে চললে.. রাতের আকাশে ভেসে চলা ফানুস আর আমাদের জীবনে হঠাৎ চলে আসা মনের মানুষ কোথাও গিয়ে যেন বাঁধা পড়েছে একই সূত্রে.. সেই ভালোবাসার কথা, আয়ন আর রুপুর কথা, আকাশভর্তি ফানুস আর রলি-পলি আইসক্রিমের কথা নিয়েই স্মরণজিৎ চক্রবর্তীর লেখা এই ভালোবাসায় ভরা উপন্যাস 'ফানুস'.. লেখক তাঁর অন্যান্য সৃষ্টির মতোই এই উপন্যাসেও বেঁধে ফেলেছেন দুটি আলাদা সময়কালকে.. আশ্চর্যজনক ভাবে এক বন্ধন তৈরী করেছেন সেই সব চরিত্রের মধ্যে.. উপন্যাসের প্রতিটা পাতা জুড়ে রয়েছে দুটি আলাদা সময়কালের ভালোবাসার এক অবিচ্ছিন্ন স্পর্শ.. তাঁর সাথে সাথেই মুগ্ধ করেছে এই কাহিনীর অনন্য সব পার্শ্বচরিত্র.. প্রত্যেকটি পার্শ্বচরিত্রই স্রষ্টার গুনে আলাদা ভাবে জায়গা করে নিয়েছে পাঠকের মনে এবং ছাপ রেখে গেছে উপন্যাস শেষ হওয়ার পরেও.. কাহিনী যত এগিয়েছে ততই ধাপে ধাপে বেড়েছে ভালোবাসার পারদ আর তাঁর সাথে রেখে গেছে কিছু না বলা প্রশ্নের কথা.. আবার কি ফিরে যাবে আয়ন? রুপু কি পাবেনা তাঁর ভালোবাসাকে? কবে আবার পক্ষীরাজ হয়ে উঠবে তনের সাইকেল? সব উত্তর আছে 'ফানুস'-এ..
March 20, 2022
পড়ার শেষে আপনি আয়ান আর রুপুর প্রেমে পড়তে বাধ্য। সত্যিই খুব সুন্দর, তবে কুসুমকামিনী দেবী কেও দারুন লেগেছে। মুরলী র জন্য খরাপ লাগলো শেষে।
January 2, 2022
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