The Indomitable Female Spirit

Not only is Indian literature one of the oldest in the world—with its earliest works dating as far back as 1500 BCE—but it is also one of the most extensive. It is a vast umbrella under which several other literary traditions have thrived. Among these major literatures is Bengali literature, the body of work produced in the Bengali language of the Indian subcontinent, primarily in the eastern region of India and in Bangladesh. However, unlike other major literatures under this vast umbrella, Bengali literature emerged later, with the Charyapada among its earliest surviving works. Written between the 8th and 12th centuries CE by siddhacharyas (spiritual teachers), the Charyapada is a collection of mystical poems from the Vajrayana Buddhist tradition. The poems were composed in Abahatta, an evolutionary stage in the eastern group of Indo-Aryan languages, including Bengali and Assamese.

During the medieval period, particularly between 1200 and 1800, Bengali literature was dominated by poetic genres, including the mangal-kavya (literally “auspicious poems”), which are religious texts glorifying Hindu divinities. Religious texts from the Vaishnava movement and Islamic works also characterized this period of Bengali literature. Among the most famous writers of this era are Rama Pandit and Halayudh Misra, while Chandidas was the most prominent poet of the Vaishnava-Sahajiya sect. The Bengali novel began to flourish in the modern period, which commenced with the establishment of British rule in the subcontinent. This also marked the beginning of global recognition for Bengali literature. Despite its relatively later emergence, Bengali literature produced India’s first Nobel Laureate in Literature: Rabindranath Tagore.

Following in Tagore’s footsteps, several other Bengali writers have also made their mark on the global literary landscape. Among the most recognized names in contemporary Bengali literature is Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay (শীর্ষেন্দু মুখোপাধ্যায়). Born on November 2, 1935, in Mymensingh, in present-day Bangladesh, his family relocated to Kolkata during the Partition—an experience that shaped his identity as an Indian. His first work, Jal Taranga, was published in the magazine Desh in 1959. In the same year, he released his first novel, Ghunpoka (ঘুণপোকা). Since then, he has established a prolific literary career, producing numerous short stories and novels for both adults and children. His work has earned him several accolades, and some have even been adapted into films.

I didn’t know what to say. Most people are in the habit of saying unnecessary things even when there is nothing to be said. I don’t have that habit. I never speak when there is no need to. This time too I didn’t try to defend myself or allay her suspicion. I knew she wouldn’t believe me no matter what I said.

Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay, The Aunt Who Wouldn’t Die

However, most of his works remain inaccessible to Anglophone readers. Among those that have been translated into English is The Aunt Who Wouldn’t Die. Originally published in 1993 as গয়নার বাক্স (Goynar Baksho), it was made available to English readers in 2020. Set in a North Bengal town, the heart of the novel—and one of its three female narrators—is Somlata, a young Bengali woman born into a poor family. When we first meet her, she has just been married off to thirty-two-year-old Chakor Mitra, a son of the once-influential zamindar family. Although the Mitras still try to maintain the appearance of aristocracy, their fortune is in decline, driven largely by their laziness and decadent lifestyle. Like most Mitra men, Chakor is “blissfully unemployed.” For men of their social standing, employment was not considered respectable.

To finance their lifestyle, the Mitras sold off the fortune they inherited from their ancestors: some piece of land, heirloom jewelry, and gold, with their prestige as a bargaining chip. TTheir biggest remaining asset is a large, though decaying, family home, with several unexplored rooms—including one that belonged to Somlata’s great-aunt-in-law, Pishima. Aunt Pishima is a domineering presence who assumed the role of a matriarch in the twilight of her life. One afternoon, Somlata dclimbs to the roof for air and passes by the open door to Aunt Pishima’s room. When she peered into Aunt Pishima’s room, seated in her usual chair, she realized that her Aunt had passed away. Feared in the household when she was alive, no one mourned Aunt Pishima’s death. Instead, the family felt relief.

The family’s tolerance for her stern presence was driven by one hope: the jewelry box that contained her dowry—a fortune in gold. Aunt Pishima had kept it under close watch. The original Bengali title of the novel literally translates to “Jewelry Box.” The original Bengali title of the novel translates as jewelry Box. once belonged to the old woman and had been locked away in her room. But despite their efforts, the surviving family members were unable to locate the jewelry box. This elusive treasure, which they hoped would solve their financial problems, seems lost. Yet death does not stop Aunt Pishima from continuing to terrorize the household—she is, after all, the titular aunt who wouldn’t die.

Aunt Pishima, a mean and jealous ghost, now haunts Somlata. The ghost spewed poison, prodding Somlata to put more salt into the meal she’s preparing, rendering it inedible. The ghost was also coaxing her to be involved in an affair. Somlata is roused from her slumber as she sees the spirit of the old woman wandering around her room, muttering, Die, die, die, become a widow, may you have leprosy. Though initially terrified, Somlata eventually grows accustomed to the ghost’s presence. Rather than shrinking back, she pushes back. In fact, it is through her interactions with this stubborn spirit that she begins to reverse the family’s fortunes. Industrious and pragmatic, Somlata lifts the family from the quagmires of poverty.

I had left my entire existence behind in that lonely moonlit valley! I could feel myself wandering around there still. Flowing hair, slow footsteps, a song in my throat, the giant moon sprinkling gold dust everywhere. The muted sound of waves breaking on the pebbles in the river. As beautiful as a deep, impenetrable dream.

Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay, The Aunt Who Wouldn’t Die

Most importantly, Somlata lays the foundation for a more prosperous future for the family, the fruits of which are enjoyed by her daughter Boshon. Boshon is the couple’s only child, and her story provides a third plotline. The novel opens with Boshon’s narration, although her identity as Somlata’s daughter is not immediately revealed. These three women—Aunt Pishima, Somlata, and Boshon—form the backbone of the story. The Aunt Who Wouldn’t Die becomes a vivid examination of the struggles and evolving roles of women in the modern Bengali household. Aunt Pishima embodies the women of yesteryear, victims of an oppressive patriarchal system, vestiges of which remain in existence in certain sections of the world. Married at seven and widowed by twelve, she was denied the chance to live a full life.

Following her husband’s death, Aunt Pishima was reduced to a virtual prisoner, confined to her room, denied joy, and stripped of her social identity. Aunt Pishima was reduced to a virtual prisoner, a specter left to roam the four corners of her room: “There was nothing for her to savour in her life, no joy.” Mukhopadhyay uses her character to represent all widows bound by the strictures of Hindu tradition. Because of their inability to retain their husbands’ souls, widows, even child and adolescent ones, are forbidden to remarry. Widows are forced into austerity, excluded from religious and social life, and forgotten by both their own and their husband’s families. They are forced to hide in the house and removed their jewelry while donning the color of mourning. Widowers, on the other hand, are free to remarry.

Meanwhile, Somlata is a vanguard of the changing landscape of the feminine role in Hindu and Bengali society. Practical and grounded, she was the antithesis of her husband and her husband’s family. She was also resourceful and a quick thinker, possessing the makings of a dutiful wife but also equipped with the acumen of a wise businesswoman. She managed to change the perception of her husband and in-laws through her hard work, showing them ways of resurrecting their social prestige and dignity. Despite Aunt Pishima’s ghost’s taunting presence, Somlata showed that she was no pushover, pushing back without malice. But it was not only Aunt Pishima’s ghost that she pushed back. Her silent courage and dignity also helped her push back against the constraints of her life.

Somlata’s sensibilities were among the novel’s achievements. She was able to to usher extraordinary changes among the arrogant members of the Mitra’s family. Still, Somlata is bound by her love for her husband, a reality she does not want to admit to anyone. The same cannot be said about Boshon. She is a spirited young woman with modern sensibilities, embodying defiance She does not settle for the bare minimum and is unafraid to ask questions. While her mother treaded the fine line between conformance and resilience, Boshon was forthright in challenging societal norms. The ghost of Aunt Pishima becomes a symbolic voice from the past—a force that disrupts, but also pushes for change. The story of these three generations of women drives the novel forward.

My world revolved around him. That I loved him was neither for his good looks nor for his qualities. I loved him because I couldn’t possibly not. It was this love that kept the lamp alive in my heart. I could never tell anyone all this. Not even my husband. I lived and breathed for him. But I also got alarmed if he became too wrapped up in me.

Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay, The Aunt Who Wouldn’t Die

The novel also explores female agency, framed within the shifting tides of time. For Aunt Pishima, it is only in death that she finds a voice, a bawdy spirit no longer bound by silence. She brings comic relief but also acts as a catalyst for Somlata’s transformation. Somlata enjoys more freedom than her great-aunt, yet she still operates within traditional constraints. Over time, however, these restrictions begin to erode. Boshon, by contrast, has far more autonomy; it was lamentable that Boshon’s story was underexplored. Nevertheless, the novel’s strength lies in its fearless examination of women’s concerns, captured through Mukhopadhyay’s unflinching gaze. Humor masks the sting of sardonic commentary woven throughout the story. It also offers a glimpse into the richness and complexity of Bengali culture.

The Aunt Who Wouldn’t Die is deceptively slender, yet it unpacks a wealth of essential themes affecting modern Indian—particularly Bengali—women. Through the lives of Aunt Pishima, Somlata, and Boshon, Mukhopadhyay captures the plight of women navigating a society steeped in patriarchy, where tradition dictates their every move. But the reach of patriarchy extends beyond India; women across the world face similar constraints. The novel is about female agency—in both life and death. Yet it also transcends gender politics. It is a story of human relationships, of generational memory, and of the indomitable spirit that persists through hardship. With its blend of eccentricity and gothic elements, The Aunt Who Wouldn’t Die is a celebration of resilience.

The humiliation seemed to shatter my world. Just when puberty had woven a web of mysteries around me, just when a million lights were playing in the universe that I had conjured up, this heartless affront seemed to be a show of contempt at my blooming womanhood. The world I knew so well was in smithereens. The prolonged despondency of widowhood seemed to rise slowly from the darkness of the netherworld.

Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay, The Aunt Who Wouldn’t Die
Book Specs

Author: Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay
Translator (from Bengali):  Arunava Sinha
Publisher:  HarperVia
Publishing Date: 2020 (1993)
Number of Pages: 146
Genre: Historical, Literary

Synopsis

A funny, tug-at-your-heartstrings tale of love, family, and freedom centered around three generations of Bengali women.

Somlata has just married into the dynastic but declining Mitra family. Only eighteen, she expects to settle into her role as a devout wife in this traditionally multigenerational family until she stumbles into the body of her great aunt-in-law Pishima while wandering the halls of the grand, decaying Mitra mansion.

Pishima has finally passed away at the ripe old age of seventy. But she isn’t letting go just yet. A child bride widowed at age twelve, Pishima has harbored a grudge against the Mitras for ever allowing her to fall in love. Now, her ghost intends to meddle in their lives by making as much mischief as possible.

Boshon is a book-loving, scooter-riding, rebellious teenager who wants nothing to do with the many suitors who ask for her hand. She yearns for freedom and wants to go to college. But when her poor neighbor returns from America, she finds herself falling in love. Perhaps Pishima’s yearning spirit lives on in her heart?

The Aunt Who Wouldn’t Die is a fast-paced, funny, and fresh novel about three generations of the Mitra family who are surprising at every turn and defy all expectations.

About the Author

Sirshendu Mukhopadhyay ((শীর্ষেন্দু মুখোপাধ্যায়).) was born on November 2, 1935, in Bikrampur (Munshiganj), Dhaka, in present day Bangladesh. During the partition, his family migrated to Kolkata. He spent his childhood in Bihar and many places in Bengal and Assam accompanying his father, who worked in the railways. He passed intermediate from the Victoria College, Koch Bihar before taking a Masters in Bengali from Calcutta University. Before pursuing a career in writing, Mukhopadhyay first worked as a school teacher.

His writing career began with the publication of a short story in the famous Bengali magazine Desh, in 1959. In that same year, his first novel Ghunpoka (translated as Woodworm by Shampa Banerjee) was published in the annual, Puja edition of Desh. He has since crafted a prolific literary career that boasts both adult and children’s stories. Among his popular works are পার্থিব (Pārthiba, 1974), পারাপার (Parapar, 1979), মানবজমিন (Manabajamina, 1988), and উজান (Ujan, 1992). Several of his works were adapted into films.

For his works, Mukhopadhyay received several accolades such as the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1989 for Manabajamina. In 1975, his contribution to children’s literature was recognized by the West Bengal Government with the Vidyasagar Puraskar. He is a three time winner of the Ananda Puraskar and a recipient of the Bhualka Puraskar in 1988. Mukhopadhyay is also a staff of Anandabazar Patrika at Kolkata and is associated with the Bengali magazine Desh.