Exploring Manik Bandapadhyay's 'The Final Solution': A Feminist Perspective on Partition Trauma -- englit.in

The partition has been one of the traumatic events in the history of the Indian subcontinent. Twentieth century’s major figure Manik Bandapadhyay was marked by his acute poverty and frequent illness, who wrote, ‘The Final Solution’(1988). The story demonstrates “dark, and obscure” aspects. And it also rambles around an impoverished family that migrates to West Bengal after the partition of Bengal. In the story, Mallika meets a pimp, Pramatha, who has bad intentions on women. Consequently, we utilize Bandapadhyay’s work to express the spiritual desiccations, and bringing out the absurdity of human existence.

At the inception of the short story, everyone spends the days and nights on a railway platform. Mallika, Bhushan (her husband), her children, and her sister-in-law Asha “had a place the length of one spread mattress.” The next morning, Mallika and her family had nothing to eat, and her children were whimpering. In a while, Mallika elates her eyes to behold Prathama of the “help and welfare society.” Pramatha had done nothing for her, and Mallika bluntly says, “we are relying on you and you are doing nothing for us.” Mallika was angry, but the agony of the helpless is not shown on her face. In this regard, the line shows the reality of pathetic circumstances of humans; when they get close to danger, they do not protest against unruled works.

Mallika expresses that her husband and sister-in-law need a job. Pramatha expresses that there are some jobs available for women, and Mallika accepts it. In this context, “Pramatha felt happy to kill two birds with one stone”; it expresses the society’s allurement upon the women. In addition, Mallika does a plea, laments to God, and expresses “Oh God, even this was in my fate,” and she cried out. Thus, Mallika and her family get a room and little milk and meet a young boy and a girl who ask, “Did he say he will get you a job?” However, Ramlochan fetched a police officer; the boys say “we are student volunteers.” The police officer warns Mallika not to trust all, only “Be on guard.”

Mallika turns to Asha and says, “you are the cause of our ruin!” and expresses to work for bringing some relief. She also discloses here, “she wouldn’t allow herself to be entrapped by Prathama.” Mallika thinks if she dies, then her sons will die. In this regard, she nominates to give her sons into Pramatha’s machinations. Into the bargain, Pramatha also gives shelter to other four families, and Mallika couldn’t visualize, “Pramatha had rented a room at a high price in a disreputable colony.”

When Mallika straight looked at Pramatha, she knows the taming idea of the wild creature that was made by Pramatha. In a while, Pramatha comes and sits beside her. After a little conversation, Pramatha expresses tenderly, “It’s how I want you…come and be with me for a while and then you can go back.” Lastly, at the very last segment, Mallika laughs because she finds a way to get the final solution.

To recapitulate, Bandapadhyay’s story ‘The Final Solution’ captures women’s experiences of the partition, and the significance of women’s point of view. It also tried to analyze the multi-dimensional facets of social reality. The story reaches the objective of feminist historiography in the words of Joan Wallah Scott as it makes “woman is a focus of enquiry, a subject and an agent of the narrative.” While examining, “I can find you a job if you wish,” the line ironically expresses sexualities where Pramatha has bad intentions to offer the job to Mallika.