Aparajito, Yang tak Terkalahkan Quotes

“একশত বৎসর একসঙ্গে থাকিলেও কেহ হয়তো আমার হৃদয়ের বাহিরে থাকিয়া যায়, যদি না কোনো বিশেষ ঘটনায় সে আমার হৃদয়ের কবাট খুলিতে পারে।”
― Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay, Aparajito, Yang tak Terkalahkan

“জীবনকে খুব কম মানুষেই চেনে। জন্মগত ভুল সংস্কারের চোখে সবাই জীবনকে বুঝিবার চেষ্টা করে, দেখিবার চেষ্টা করে, দেখাও হয় না, বোঝাও হয় না। তাছাড়া সে চেষ্টাই বা ক'জন করে?”
― Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay, APARAJITA – A NOVEL

“যুগে যুগে অপরাজিত জীবন-রহস্য কি অপূর্ব্ব মহিমাতেই আবার আত্মপ্রকাশ করে!”
― Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay, Aparajito, Yang tak Terkalahkan

“সে নিজে বেশ বুঝতে পারে, এই এক বৎসরে তাহার মনের প্রসারতা এত বাড়িয়া গিয়াছে, এমন একটা নতুনভাবে সে জগৎটাকে, জীবনটাকে দেখিতে আরম্ভ করিয়াছে...
সে এটুকু বেশ বোঝে, কলেজে পড়িয়া ইহা হয় নাই, কোনো প্রফেসরের বক্তৃতাতেও না- যাহা কিছু হইয়াছে, এই বড় আলমারি ভরা লাইব্রেরিটার জন্য, সে তাহার কাছে কৃতজ্ঞ। সে যতক্ষণ লাইব্রেরিতে থাকে, ততক্ষণ তাহার খাওয়াদাওয়ার কথা তত মনে থাকে না। এই সময়টা এক একটা খেয়ালের ঘোরে কাটে। খেয়ালমত এক একা বিষয়ে প্রশ্ন জাগে মনে, তাহার উত্তর খুজিতে গিয়া বিকারের রোগীর মত অদম্য পিপাসায় সে সম্বন্ধে যত বই পাওয়া যায় হাতের কাছে- পড়িতে চেষ্টা করে।”
― Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay, APARAJITA – A NOVEL

“The news of sarbajaya's death aroused a rather strange feeling in Apu's heart. It was partly joy ... incredible as it might seem, the truth was that when he received a telegram from the telis in Monshapota telling him that his mother had died, his immediate reaction was to feel a sudden surge of relief, as if he had just broken away from a shackle. It did not last for more than a few seconds, however, and was quickly replaced by fear and shame. What was he thinking of? How could he feel relief at his mother's death? Hadn't he seen her spend every moment of her life working to make him happy? And did he think of her as a shackle, a stumbling block on his way? How could he be so cruel, so completely heartless?

But no amount of self-reproach could wipe away the truth. He had felt an odd mixture of joy and relief, just for a second, there was no denying that. He, who had loved his mother with all his heart!”
― Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay, Aparajito, Yang tak Terkalahkan

“Death had come to fetch her. Death was standing at her door, but it had come in the guise of her child, to embrace her with love, to lift her with infinite tenderness ... what a sweet smile it had ... death was so utterly beautiful!”
― Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay, Aparajito, Yang tak Terkalahkan

“That night, Sarbajaya made khichuri for Apu. It was one of his favourite dishes. After almost a week, Apu got to eat a full meal.

'Do you eat khichuri in the city?' Sarbajaya asked him.

When Apu was a child, his mother had veiled their poverty and the harsh realities of life through dozens of lies, a hundred little deceptions. Now it was Apu's turn. He replied, 'Yes. They make khichuri quite often.'

'And in the morning? What do you usually have for breakfast?'

Apu promptly gave her details of imaginary breakfasts: he had puris sometimes, he said, and sweets and tea. Food was no problem where he lived, he added.”
― Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay, Aparajito, Yang tak Terkalahkan

“It was three o'clock in the morning by the time the funeral was over. Everyone else went to bathe in the river afterwards, but Apu did not join them. He did not feel any attraction — or respect — for the Ganga in Calcutta. He would have a bath when he got back home.”
― Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay, Aparajito, Yang tak Terkalahkan

“Look, let's make a pact. Give me your hand. We shall never work as petty clerks anywhere, will never hanker after money, or tie ourselves down to anything trivial, all right? We'll... we'll do something really great, something truly worthwhile with our lives!”
― Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay, Aparajito, Yang tak Terkalahkan

“He could tell how much he had changed in the last year. He had learnt to look upon the world through the new eyes; life had a different meaning now. In fact, a year in Calcutta had taught him to view life and the world in such a way that would not have been possible if he had spent as many as ten years in Monshapota or Diwanpur. It was not just going to college that had made the difference; nor the lectures of all his professors. It was the library, and its endless row of books, that had made him a new man. He was so grateful to it.

He could forget his troubles — even hunger and thirst — when he was in the library. The hours he spent there were spent in a sort of trance. An insatiable desire to find answers to the questions that rose in his mind made him read whatever he could find on a given subject.”
― Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay, Aparajito, Yang tak Terkalahkan

“He had made a new friend in college. His name was Pranav Mukherjee. He did not have much money, either, and like Apu, was a regular visitor to the library. It was in library that they first met. It soon became clear that Pranav had read a lot more than Apu. He mentioned names Apu had never even heard of — Nietzsche, Emerson, Turgenev. But that was not all. Pranav was also a far more disciplined reader. Apu read what his eyes fell on. The library was packed with stuff that aroused his curiosity. 'Gases of the Atmosphere' by Sir William Ramsay. Apu had to find out what gases there were. 'Extinct Animals' by E.R. Lancaster. What animals were these? 'Worlds Around Us' by Proctor. Oh, he had to read that one!

Pranav laughed at him. 'You read as if you are playing a game. If you want to be a serious reader, Apurbo, you have to bring order and method in what you read!' Apu tried, but failed, and remained as impulsive as ever. However, encouraged by Pranav, he did read Turgenev, which he greatly enjoyed. He read every book of his that the library could offer, nearly sixteen of them. He felt as if a door to a whole new world had been opened, full of tears and laughter.”
― Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay, Aparajito, Yang tak Terkalahkan