Dr.Ratan Bhattacharjee’s Twilight Of Love : A Fabulous Feast of Fiction by Vandana Kumari Jena

Book Title : Twilight of Love : (Silhouette,A Collection of 100 Short and Long Stories )

Writer : Dr.Ratan Bhattacharjee

Publisher “ Partridge Publishing ,Singapore

Publishing year  November  2025

ISBN 978-1-5437-8519-7

Page 566

Story telling is an art.“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”(Maya Angelou). To put a wealth of emotions succinctly into a few words is indeed an art. To draw upon one’s life experiences and give them a voice is a gift.  This Christmas Eve brought for the readers a wonderful collection of short stories from Partrtidge Publishing Malaysia and Dr. Ratan Bhattacharjee the ever prolific writer composed 100 long and short stories with an incredible  fluidity, compassion and understanding , indeed a Christmas gift . His first fictional work Six Feet Distance : Looking Back to Lockdown published by AuthorHouse from USA won global acclaim.Twilight of Love , his second book of fiction  from this  writer who is also a columnist in various national dailies contains stories of our everyday life though some are an excellent blend of reality and romance , mystery and supernaturalism ,love of nature and art.  This   wonderful bouquet of one hundred short and long stories are written from his day to day life experiences . The ability to  find inspiration in the small day to day occurrences and transform them into a story is a blessing for any writer.  Dr.Bhattacharjee’s  stories are steeped in reality though he never keeps his eyes closed to the hidden mysteries of life. His travels abroad and foreign assignments have not only shaped his vision but also added depth into his writings. They helped him to breathe life into his characters.

Dr.  Bhattacharjee has a way with words. His prose is lyrical. His words transport us to distant lands. As the title of the book proclaims, the running theme of Dr. Bhattacharjee’s  book is love. The first story, Twilight of Love, about Akash and Megh, is a take on the Pahalgam attack.Some of Dr. Ratan Bhattacharjee’s stories are about love that is fulfilling, that sustains and stands the test of time. Others are about love that remains unrequited. But love is not necessarily romantic love. It is at times, the love of grandparents for a grandchild. ‘The Dawn’ is a beautiful story about the love of grandparents for their granddaughter. ‘Raindrops in Metro Gate 3’ is about putting an end to an unfinished love story, where ambition takes precedence over feelings. ‘Love under the Umbrella’ is about love and longing between Olea and Robi in monsoon drenched Mumbai. ‘Between Marble and Memories’ is an ode to Megh and Akash’s love. Known as ‘Oleander Poet’ for his romantic volume of poetry  Oleander Blooms , he seems to provide flashes of his romantic mind in these stories of love too. The sorrows and joys of elderly couple immersed in loneliness may be a part of the love stories where the lonely parents search for warmth of love from their children settled abroad and one hello from their grandchild can give them all unexpected surprise in their dull and drab life. All these are found in the stories of the ‘Silhouette’ , as the significant subtitle means it .

The stories that I like best are the ones where the poet in Dr Ratan Bhattacharjee takes over. Those stories are poetry in motion. Two of the stories I loved are ‘Pink Sunset’ and ‘Love in Golconda’.  ‘Pink Sunset’, with phrases like “Fatehpur Sikri-always a promise, never a presence,” “Fatehpur Sikri rose from the earth like a forgotten epic,”and“smiling like a man who had just discovered eternity,” is imagery at its finest. ‘Love in Golconda Fort’ too is a lyrical delight, replete with phrases like,“Golconda stood like a sentinel of time—its ramparts weathered, itsarches echoing centuries,” and “This place feels like a library of souls.”

Dr Ratan Bhattacharjeehas the gift of finding inspiration in the small day-to-day occurrences and transforming them into a story. These stories are crafted with characters one sees every day; whom people choose to ignore, because they do not see beyond their faces, unlike Dr Ratan Bhattacharjee,who peels layers after layers till he reaches their core.  He paints in vivid hues places like Kashmir,Kolkata, Siliguri, Darjeeling, Mumbai, and many more. But his writings are not limited to India, for him the entire world is his canvas. He moves effortlessly from India to Canada, the US, Switzerland, France and London.With light stroke she paints a world where, along with anguish there is hope, and along with hatred there are seeds of love. He doesn’t see the world through rose tinted spectacles, but he sees a silver lining where others may see a dark cloud. His stories do not preach,he does not sermonize, but each story leaves behind a message of hope and of resilience, like ‘Full Moon in the Sky’, astory about sharing in times of Eid. His stories are often about unsung heroes, who instead of sinking into an abyss of despair, are able to reinvent themselves and chart a new path. ‘The Unwanted’ is a story of a boy and his courage to stand up against injustice and to fight for what is right, which ensures that he is no longer invisible.’The Pale Evening’ veers around child labour and the resilience of a young boy to overcome his circumstances. Independent Identity is about a woman CEO who decides to give back to society and undertake entrepreneurship and skill development projects to empower women. ‘The Red Letter’ is the story of an eighty-four yearold woman who pays a heavy price after acquiring literacy skills ‘.Foggy Dawn’ is a touching story about a child’s ability to heal wounds and to bring together a dysfunctional family.’The Monster Raves’ is about the courage of a woman in the face of intimidation and humiliation. ‘Pale firmament’ is a commentary on student politics of the day, hooliganism and intimidation and resurgence among youth.’The Cage’ is about a girl burdened with familial expectations in the US.

A few stories are quirky like ‘Ma Durga Comes to Earth’, where the author writes about Ma Durga coming down on earth incognito, just before the Durga puja festivities. In ‘Not Much Human’ he writes about an Artificial Intelligence surgeon, the first humanoid AI in India, who begins to display human emotions. ‘That Dark Night’ too is a quirky story about a woman who waits for her friend in a hotel at night and spends hours talking to him when he arrives, only to learn the next morning that no guest had arrived the night before. ‘Elira’s Magical Adventure’, an offbeat story, is truly magical. ‘Rebirth of Love’ is an unusual story about reincarnation. For many of us who live in urban jungles his stories open up new vistas, take us to the wilds of Kumaon, and the swamps of the Sunderbans.Tales like ‘The Maneater of Sunderban’ sheds a light of the difficult lives the people in the Sunderbansactually lead, with Man-eaters in their vicinity.

Dr. Ratan Bhattacharjee’s stories enthrall but they also make us think. Stories that grapple with broader issues like militancy and literacy, like ‘One Diwali Night’ and

‘One Red Letter’, make us ponder. Stories about old age and loneliness like An Evening Star and Silhouette makeus reflect on the precariousness of life and the tenuous bonds that hold us together. The stories in this collection will definitely enthrall the readers but will also make them introspect, and reflect upon the fragility of life as well as the endurance of the human spirit. Poignant yet optimistic, these stories have a universal appeal. That is what makes Twilight of Love a compelling read.

Reviewed by Vandana Kunari Jena , an eminent fiction writer and Retd. IAS officer Govt of India.