The Nest

Pakhibsa is a story of the decadence of a family and their dream. This multi-dimensional novel includes a downtrodden family saga and the socio-economic picture of Odisha. The novel portrays a chain of events of an untouchable, downtrodden cattle bone collector, called Satnemis (through the protagonist Antaraa) and his family in western Orissa. Antaraa, the head of the family; his wife Sarasi; their three sons Sanyaasi, Daaktar, and Okil; and their daughter Parabaa. A downtrodden man dreams of seeing his sons established in their lives. So, he names them Collector, Doctor (Daaktar), and Lawyer (Okil). He dreams of seeing his only daughter, Parabaa, as a bride, but was it ever possible? The elder son, Sanyaasi, became a bohemian artist. The second son Daaktar became a bonded labourer. The third son Okil joins the Naxals. Days of hunger force Parabaa to be raped for a plate of rice by a forest guard, and later, she adopts the profession of prostitution. The novel ends with the death of Okil. The author juxtaposes lines from Bhagavat (a holy book in every Odia family) to build melancholy and generate intense emotional outages for the characters. The author's tone in the novel is dauntless, upholding the reader's perception. According to the author, on every household in the tribal hamlets of Odisha, hangs two pairs of withered eyes, waiting for their children to return home.