Those Boyhood Years

A lost classic—a quiet gem of a novel first published in the 1920s. A story of same-sex love that was years ahead of its time. Shibram Chakraborty was one of Bengal’s most prolific and beloved humourists and novelists. However, his debut novel, Chhele Boyoshe, a tender exploration of love between two boys, has been almost forgotten. Now, it appears for the first time in English. Ashanto and Mohun, two teenaged boys, meet in Kolkata and are immediately attracted to one another. Circumstances bring them to the same hostel in the town of Malda, where they grow even closer. Their young love, untainted by the gaze of adults, finally puts them at risk, and soon they need to learn to protect it. Alongside, there is the story of Deben and Sudhir, older, and deeply embroiled in the underground armed resistance against the British. Yet even in this world of intrigue and danger, they too continue to love each other. Sometimes diverging, and at times intertwining, the threads take the reader into the world of boys’ hostels, the nationalist movement, peasant resistance, often combining love stories with the thrill of chases and shadowy conspiracies. Chakraborty writes with astonishing openness of the hugs, caresses and kisses shared by the boys, and their bold proclamations of love, even as he reflects on the horrors of rape and violence. What emerges is a story that is unusual in its frank and sweet depiction of same-sex love, while attempting to also bow to the prevailing sensibilities of the times. For its rare portrayal of gay romance and the milieu of pre-Independence Bengal, and for the manner in which it combines sensitive storytelling with philosophical reflection, Those Boyhood Years is a pioneering work of modern Indian literature.