The Rainbow Days – An Eternal Love Story
The Rainbow Days by Prabir Kumar Datta is a documentary description of 
author’s own childhood memories. This is an inspirational journey through the childhood days dating back 1960(s), a time when India was undergoing drastic changes at political front and hence in geography as well.
Papu, the protagonist of the story, is a young boy, who happens to be a student of grade eighth and has visited the Village of Bairam pur with his father. The village is still under the influence of feudal lords but there lies a hope for change soon. The story is about the life of this family consisting of four members including, Papu himself, his father – Nabin Babu, his mother and a younger brother, changes and gets affected with changed circumstances and surroundings. They belong to an affluent class family but with changing mindset and for the betterment of the society Nabin Babu (Papu’s father) decides to shift away from family.
Life is not an easy affair and author has very beautifully described the struggles and successes. It is not just a narration of events as observed by the main players but a story with a social cause driving a change which stands truth, even today. Though un-touch ability is not practiced openly in today’s society, it still reigns at the back of the mind of a major section of so-called educated society. Not limiting to this, the author expands his influence beyond social cause to education, relations, family and humanity, with a true heart and has pulled off the topics and story line well.
Though, editing and grammar usage are two fronts that could have polished the story in a better face but none-the-less a commendable effort. One thing that I personally feel (for all the books following such an approach) is that there could have been a separate page dedicated to dictionary or say, translations of the local language vocabulary. This eases the flow of story. Initially, I felt a little confusing and experienced many breaks in the flow of story but as I dived more into it, I enjoyed reading it wholeheartedly.
The author has followed a descriptive style of writing that accentuates the emotions but sometimes makes the sentences complex and paragraphs confusing. An attempt to make the sentences shorter and a shift in selection of tense usage could have added to the reading appeal of the story. The best part was how Papu matures under influence of his father. Despite the opposition from the village residents, the family slowly wins hearts with different shades of life, similar to different shades of rainbow. The author succeeds in transferring the message to the readers that one should not lose hope and keep trying (read it as fighting) and you will succeed as the right time comes.
Read this book if you are fond reading about childhood memories, you feel connected with your roots and have love for humanity.
Note: I thank, the Spectral hues team for providing me with the review e-copy of the book. I look forward to a promising association ahead.
Book Introduction
This is the story of the childhood of a simple boy named Papu in a remote village of Bengal, India, in the last century, between 1967 to 1972.
Bengal, the center of the revolt against British rule, was bisected by them during the independence of India to form East Pakistan (which later became Bangladesh), causing immense plight to a whole generation when many families became refugees. Papu’s family also came to India from erstwhile East Pakistan, leaving everything behind.
Papu’s father, a vastly learned man and an uncompromising selfless ex-revolutionary, never ran after government benefits for the freedom fighters and came to the village as a teacher. There, too, he had to fight against powerful corrupted establishment and face huge odds. His mother, who is the daughter of rich parents, also experienced dire poverty. But Papu, a brilliant student, was highly influenced by his father. They all fought huge adversities but did not bow down or perish.
It is the story of that struggle, although there are many memorable moments with loving friends, affectionate parents, serene village nature, and many passionate moments. There are family intrigue of the relatives, naughty activities of childhood, and sad deaths. There are moments of suspense, dramatic twist of events and an underlying message of value subtly conveyed through a highly interesting story of magnetic attraction giving the readers a huge pleasure of reading at the same time.
All taken together, experiences of his colorful childhood have a universal appeal and is a documentary of a contemporary history.
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