ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Prashenjit Shome is a published author of
four fictions. Last year his book ORDEAL OF A MAN received golden book award
2024. Currently, he is working as a teacher and psychotherapist and living in
Dibrugarh with wife and son.
Confession of a Terrorist and Other
Stories
Confession of a Terrorist and Other Stories
is published by Literature Chronicle. Prashenjit Shome’s Confession of a
Terrorist and Other Stories is a bold and unsettling collection of short
fiction that traverses some of the darkest and most complex terrains of
contemporary society. Through twelve diverse stories, Shome sheds light on
lives caught in the crossfire of poverty, violence, custom, and political
neglect, exploring how ordinary individuals are shaped, and often shattered, by
forces beyond their control.
The collection opens with its most
ambitious piece, the titular Confession of a Terrorist. It follows Bashir, a
soft-spoken madrasa teacher whose seemingly pious life hides a secret
allegiance to radical networks. The narrative unfolds through his arrest,
interrogation, and eventual narco-analysis, gradually revealing his descent
into extremism. Shome handles this with chilling detail — from the
indoctrination camps of Kashmir and Kerala jungles to the planning of
coordinated bombings in Bangalore and Ahmedabad.
What stands out is the psychological
portrait
Bashir is both a victim of manipulation and
a willing conspirator, making the reader confront the uneasy grey areas of
fanaticism. The story exposes how ideology, poverty, and charisma of leaders
can warp fragile minds into instruments of terror.
Several stories shift focus to the
villages of Assam and Bengal, capturing the raw struggle of survival:
The Poor Peasant and Compensation is
heartbreaking in its simplicity, following Netra Gohain, an old farmer who,
after losing his bullocks, tries to plough the fields himself — a futile
struggle that ends in tragedy. The irony of government compensation arriving
too late underscores the systemic apathy rural poor face.
Flood vividly documents devastation in
Moria village on the banks of the Brahmaputra. Here, floodwaters not only
destroy homes but also erode dignity, as survivors face police brutality when
they demand rehabilitation.
Hunger personalizes drought through a
woman’s stubborn fight to keep her children alive — a battle that ends in
surrender to starvation.These narratives highlight how disaster, whether
natural or man-made, is compounded by government indifference, leaving the
marginalized to endure endless cycles of suffering.
Social Commentary and Cultural Nuance
Not all the stories are tragedies of
poverty and terrorism. Shome’s “Unity in Diversity” is a refreshing exploration
of harmony: Rama Pillai’s family celebrates both Hindu and Christian traditions
under one roof, symbolizing an ideal of coexistence. In contrast, “The Little
Widow” returns to social critique, portraying young Shanti, crushed under the
archaic and exploitative customs of widowhood.
The cluster of stories about surrogate
women (Rekha, Hema, Ranjita, Urmila, Renuka) expose another layer of
exploitation — women’s bodies turned into commodities for wealthier couples.
These stories touch on themes of desperation, morality, and the unseen costs of
modern reproductive practices.
Themes and Impact
Across the collection, several recurring
themes stand out:
Injustice and systemic neglect — from
peasants denied timely support to flood victims silenced by force.
Women’s suffering under patriarchy —
widows, surrogate mothers, deceived wives.
The seduction of extremism — ordinary men
turned into symbols of destruction.
Hope in coexistence — glimpses of unity
amidst chaos.
The emotional range is wide: anger, grief,
pity, and occasionally hope. But overall, the book leaves the reader unsettled,
forcing them to confront uncomfortable truths about society.
