Pather Panchali, published in 1929, is set in Nischindipur, a village in rural Bengal. Harihar Ray is a poor priest and would-be writer who drifts in search of work, leaving his wife Sarbajaya to stretch scraps into meals and to keep up appearances among better-off neighbours. Living with them is Indir Thakrun, an aged and dependent relative whose presence the harried mother resents.
The heart of the book is the childhood of Apu and his elder sister Durga, who roam orchards and bamboo groves, steal fruit, watch a travelling theatre troupe and dream of seeing a train. Bibhutibhushan renders the natural world, the seasons and the small events of village life with unusual tenderness, so that poverty and wonder exist side by side on almost every page.
There is little conventional plot; the novel moves by episodes and moods. Its achievement is to make an obscure family's struggles feel universal without romanticising hardship. Satyajit Ray's 1955 film adapted the first part, and with its sequel Aparajito the book forms the basis of the celebrated Apu trilogy. It remains a cornerstone of modern Bengali prose.
Book details
| Author | Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay |
|---|---|
| First published | 1929 |
| Original language | Bengali |
| Translated by | T. W. Clark and Tarapada Mukherji |
| Genre | Classic |
| Type | Fiction |
| Pages (approx.) | 320 |
| Setting | Nischindipur village, rural Bengal, early twentieth century |
Themes
- Childhood
- Rural poverty
- Nature
- Sibling bond
- Wonder and loss
Who should read it
Readers who love gentle, observant novels of childhood and village life, and admirers of Satyajit Ray's Apu trilogy.