When Fiction is Close to Life: Dr Neelakshi Chaliha Gogoi's Dark Chocolate

Finally Dr Neelakshi Chaliha Gogoi came out with the much awaited, Dark Chocolate from Sankardev publication. It is novel of a woman, by a woman, for a woman, on a new topic. This novel brings out a new aspect and direction in Dr Neelakshi's writing. She looks determined and boldly highlights women's sufferings from a biological point of view, hormonal intelligence, sensitivity including sexual behaviour, sexual harassment, all caused by the male patriarchs in the society.

Dark chocolate in each of its pages lays bare the agonies in the hearts of women. By enlightening the conventional restrictions imposed on women in the society, Neelakshi has succeeded in winning readers' minds by giving a loud voice to the silent signs of a woman's heart.

Dr Neelakshi is a seasoned writer. Earlier she wrote on nature, on rivers and not romantically but only for making the society enlightened about the unsung unknown people in the marginal fringes of the society. In her earlier novel 'Xeiya Mor Dibru-Saikhowa probably, for the first time in recent history, a mandarin duck has been spotted near the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park in Assam Dr. Neelakshi informed that the migratory bird had been sighted in the Maguri-Motapung beel situated near the park. "I think the bird has come here due to a mistake. It will attract bird and nature lovers. Now, I request all the concerned authorities to take care of the bird," she said. According to experts mandarin ducks have habitats in the Himalayas and North Africa. It is a beautiful coloured bird.

Earlier she wrote; Xabdor Xugandhi Janaka, Rup Aparup, Mor Swapna Duswapnar Medical College, Don Pharmacit Dupuria, Niranjana Noir Jon , and Xiprishtar Sadh. In this she sings the glory of the green earth like the Irish poet Richard Hendricks. The co-existence of man and nature was a recurrent theme in Wordsworthian poetry while JM Synge focused on the other side of nature that is on the prey of human lives , the nature red in tooth and claw. Dr Neelakshi maintained a balance between the two views. She made it the Wessex of Assam and unlike Hardy she stresses the positive qualities in the struggle of the hills people for existence. Irina's experience in the Tinsukia town, the nostalgic pictures of Doomdooma, Duliajan, Margherita of the daily life of the people gives the novel a wonderful storyline. The far from the madding crowd life of the Mising community people is vividly described in a heart touching way. Dr Neelakshi recorded the words of Irina's father on Nature: "Big plants like fig act as photo-sensitising agents . The history is then one of the exposure to the plants followed by exposure to the sun." This is so beautifully matched in the novel with the expressions of crying children of the Mising community. Like Hardy or Bengali novelist Bibhutibhusan Dr Neelakshi depends on her own personal experience and interactions with the rural people. Being a medical practitioner, she knows diverse kind of people in her daily works. She gives heart rending description of how people die in spite of the caring nurses like Jonaki. She sometimes uses lines from Charles Kingsley, "Once I had sweet little doll, dears /The prettiest doll in the world/ Her cheeks were so red and so white, dears/ and her hair was charmingly curved / But I lost my poor little doll, dears…." Nature never betrays the heart that loves her". Mark Twain described the life of the poor people on the banks of the Mississippi and Missouri in Huckleberry Finn. Here also we get pictures of the riparian culture of Assam. Side by side she throws light on the superstitions that people are immersed in.

The story in Dark Chocolate deals with a tradition engaged with women in rural life. Every sentence is written by dipping the pen in the blood from a woman's heart. But everywhere there is a confirmation of courage. The school students looked at each other's body. At one point she wrote in the novel, "Bidisha opened the hook of her bra and showed Anjana's heart in front of us. Showing something new for sale. Lotus buds like chubby boobs Anjana asked with a naughty smile showing my side-

"Is it small?"

"Not small," I replied

This kind of conversation reinforces the message of the novel. A character from the novel is Madhu. Honey exists in the society. The words uttered by Madhu will touch the readers. The book contains science, literature, tradition and everything. The author has presented the story so beautifully that the reader will feel like interacting with women in real life. When one reads "Bone Bane", one may wander in the deep forest with Jim Corbett. At one place she wrote, ".... Those tears did not fall on any test tube in any laboratory in the world. Those tears flowed like a river that has never been seen by anyone."

Some facts are difficult for male writers to describe in depicting the mind or body of a woman. But the author herself being a woman, has described the physical mental circle of a woman so boldly without mincing any word. Read the book and you will understand. The novel is real life with a sharp focus on human behaviour and the time frame is contemporary. The title Dark Chocolate is very attractive and quite meaningful.

Dark Chocolate is realistic but it never for a single moment sacrifices the aesthetic appeal that a fiction demands. . If you like Dark Chocolate, chances are you will be cultured, classy and sophisticated. You also don't sit on the fence when it comes to opinions you stand your ground and tend to get a tad dramatic. Full of energy, you make strong decisions.

Mary Wollstonecraft once wrote during the first wave of feminism, "I do not wish women to have power over men; but over themselves." In novel after novel Dr Neelakshi tried to convey this message to the society.

The cover design is wonderful and the book is reaching the status of a best seller in Assam.

Dr. Ratan Bhattacharjee

Associate Professor and Head 

Post Graduate Dept of English 

a trilingual poet may be reached at profratanbhattacharjyy@gmail.com

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