Exploitation of Woman through the character of Radha in Aju Mukhopadhyay’s In Train

Abstract

Aju Mukhopadhyay is versatile writer and has authored in almost all the major genres of literature. His maiden novel In Train is “Fortunately is a readable novel that helps us to recapture the now forgotten pleasure of fiction- readings”. Aju Mukhopadhyay, with the portrayal of Radha, has tried to expose the multiple throes pinned by society when she (a woman) is helpless, torn, desolate, dejected and above all, not married (or without the shade of a man). However, the portrayal of Aju Mukhopadhyay is not entirely dismissive and dark, he projects Radha as the icon of rebel and protest who defies fake social norms and customs. This novel is more in the style of a Bildungsroman as it depicts the growth and maturity of a rebel woman who always defied social norms and constraints. The protagonist Radha was kidnapped in the prime of her youth by a gang of miscreants who forced her into a life of slavery. Her rise from that level of subhuman existence to one of peace and spiritual growth forms the subject- matter of this novel.