> Creative > Book Review
If you are looking for an exotic tale of mystery and romance here it is – The Elephant Girl by Chitta Ranjan. Use of the flashback technique enhances the mysterious tone of novel and keeps the readers gripped to the development of the adventure. Set in the wilderness of the northeast India in the colonial era, this novel unfolds the tale of a mysterious maiden heading a herd of elephants and who is rarely spotted. She is the pagli sahan, believed to be the deity of the forest, and whose wrath is feared by the people. Tales surrounding her and the spirited archers keep everyone away from the swampy territory of the Santhalis.
Raj Narayan, the crown prince of Paschim Behar, is an avid wildlife enthusiast who is invited by Bert Jenkins, the DFO of Kachugaon forest division, in the Goalpara district of Assam, to take up a trip on India’s only forest tramway to view the deep jungles of the Himalayan foothills. His initial hesitation gave way for the adventurer in Raj to accompany Jenkins to Kachugaon and relive his childhood memories. Chitta Ranjan’s use of the flashback technique sets the aura of mystery when we are teased into a glimpse of Raj Narayan’s childhood. A childhood that introduces characters who are still around Raj Narayan’s life has layers of unknown, unspoken facets that seduce the reader to go deeper into the dense forests and the walls of the Paschim Behar royal palace.
One can feel the unsettling of the otherwise peaceful ambience of Kachugaon the very moment Raj Narayan sets his foot there. It is evident in the very introduction of the ways of Robert Brown, the Assistant Conservator of Forest, and Rajah Sahib, the zamindar of Parbatipur. The train ride through the jungles stir not only the curiosity of Raj, but also of the reader to go deeper into the unusual happenings that take place on the way. This leads to more characters like Gathela and Ranger Baruah who stoke further the already inflamed curiosity. At the same time, one cannot also overlook characters like the maharani or the stepmother of Raj and Dr Delrome, the personal doctor of Raj’s father, the Maharajah, who are ‘suspiciously’ folded into the setting.
The two attempts on the life of Raj and the murder of his father, the Maharajah, leave the reader to wonder if there is any link between the palace and the wilderness of the Himalayan foothills or more precisely, the Elephant girl. The author very cleverly leads the reader through a maze while holding firmly the reins of the adventure. He never lets the reader forget the Elephant girl in spite of meandering into the insights of the many characters that come along the way. It is for this mysterious Elephant girl that Raj leaves aside the advanced pregnancy of his wife and also his duties towards the royal office after the Maharajah’s demise, and goes out to find himself entangled further in the maze.
The wilderness of The Elephant Girl is magical, and casts a spell on its readers to go deeper and deeper into it in quest for the mystery that it holds. The lush green dense forests, the wild animals, and above all, the majestic hordes of elephants are a sight never to be missed. They enhance further the already mysterious ambiance that the author has set for his readers to dwell upon.
The only superfluous part seems to be the concluding chapter that turns out to let the scattered pieces fall in places. This has mellowed down the effect of mystery that the story aligned itself to be. An open ending would have kept the readers gripped to the story. The hunger to read a little bit more and a thirst to know what must have happened thereafter would have enhanced the mysterious aura of the novel. Nonetheless, The Elephant Girl is a successful story of suspense, mystery and romance, and Chitta Ranjan has made a commendable debut.
Navigations 
Quick Contact
Subscribe Us
Quick Mail
