“Bikhre Sapne”: The Story Of Shattered Dreams

‘Bikhre Sapne’ is a Hindi novel written by the talented author M. Murtaza. As the literal meaning of the name of the novel suggests it’s the story of shattered dreams. The story line is set in the backdrop of a village named Shivpur.  The story surrounds the characters – Rukmini, her son Raajan, her husband who got killed by a leopard and the landlord of Anandapur Haveli. I am not going to discuss the story line here, otherwise it will spoil the thrill of reading the book for first time readers.

Rather let me discuss about the contents. The best part of the writing is the way the different characters have been sketched. The character arcs are so neatly built that the readers start to become a part of the emotional journey that these characters experience. Rukmini is a critically built character which reflects different dimensions of a woman. The turbulence Raajan goes through is really gripping and interest provoking. The same has been the treatment even for lesser important characters like Lata and Shyam Lal Chacha.   However, the editing could have been improved a little bit to offer a smooth reading.

Writing style of the author is truly impressive and he gives a lot of importance to scene detailing. It can be very well adapted into a movie any day and I will not be surprised if it makes it to the silver screen as well some day.

Overall, the treatment of the characters makes this book a very special one. One will not find too many Hindi books of the same caliber written in the last one decade or so. Well, it’ll not be an overstatement to say Murtaza had already shown signs of becoming the next Chandradhar Sharma Guleri in the world of Hindi literature.

I will like to rate it as 4*/5*. To summarize, if you are a reader with a knack of Hindi literature, you can’t give this book a miss. Go ahead, pick up the book and get ready for an “un-putdownable” experience.