Devdas

  Then many people ran after Parvati, and caught her, as she fell, fainting, to the ground.

  Parvati remained unconscious all night. When she came out of it, she called one of the maids. “He came at night, didn’t he? Stayed all night?”

  The maid nodded.

  After that, Parvati was quiet.

  I don’t know how Parvati is. I’ve not had the heart to inquire after her. Only, I feel a great pity for Devdas. Perhaps, you do too, having heard my tale. Yet, if you chance to meet a hopeless, heedless sinner like Devdas, say a little prayer for him, that he will not suffer the kind of death Devdas did. Pray, not that he live, but that at the time of death a loving hand may gently touch his head, that he may behold a loving face as his eyes close upon this world.

  The End

  About the Author:

  Sarat Chandra Chattopadhya (1876-1938)

  His father was Motilal Chattopadhya and mother was Bhubanmohini. His family was very poor and they were supported by an uncle. Sarat Chandra lived with his mother at her family's home in Bhagalpur, Bihar, from where he passed the University Entrance examination. He attended college for about two years, then had to drop out for lack of money.

  He worked as a clerk for a while then gave up this job and left home after a disagreement with his father. After wandering for days, he joined a party of Naga Monks and went to Muzaffarpur with them. During this period, his father died and Sarat came back to Bhagalpur for a short period to complete his last rites. From here, he traveled to Calcutta where he found a job offering him a small salary. A year later in 1903, he went to Rangoon, Burma for another clerical job. However, on request from his uncle, he sent his short story "Mandir" for a competition and won the first prize.

  He continued to write several stories that became very popular and highly regarded then, and still are.

  The clarity and simplicity of Sarat Chandra’s style of writing made a great impact on Bengali literature. It was a bold departure from the flowery prose of previous generations, and made “literature” far more readable.

  ~*~

  This translation is by Devjani Huggins.