Gold Sand, Gold Water

Nalini Bera, Sowvendra Shekhar Hansda

• Publisher: Seagull Books
• Year: 2026
• Print ISBN:
  9781803095912
• eBook ISBN:
  9781803095929
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Literature General
• Index: Literature

A river that once carried gold now bears the weight of memory and the struggles of those who call its banks home.

The Subarnarekha River shimmers with legend; once said to carry flecks of gold, it remains a source of both promise and hardship for those who live along its banks. In Gold Sand, Gold Water, Nalini Bera conjures a world where folklore and reality flow together, and forbidden love defies caste. Through the eyes of young Lolin, we witness the daily struggles of the Hatua people—part of the marginalized Adivasi and Dalit communities—as they navigate a world where ancient traditions are slowly being eroded by modern industry.

The novel paints an intimate, kaleidoscopic portrait of a vanishing way of life. Lyrical and haunting, Gold Sand, Gold Water is an essential addition to Bengali literature in translation—one that ensures these overlooked stories, like the river itself, continue to flow.
 

Table of contents

• Bera’s Copyright page
• A Note from the Bengali Publisher
• Speech by the recipient of the Ananda Puraskar 2019
• Chapter 1. The Forest of the Crying Ships
• Chapter 2. The Golden Waters of the Subarnarekha
• Chapter 3. The Boat People and the Fish People
• Chapter 4. Robin Hood, Gandhi and the Kama Sutra
• Chapter 5. The Ghost of the Bhadu Tree
• Chapter 6. The Ghost Bride
• Chapter 7. Wheat Dam and Silk Cotton
• Chapter 8. What Ate a Bullock and a Man
• Chapter 9. Elephants, Invaders and Old Mansions
• Chapter 10. Hostel Horror
• Chapter 11. The Lament of Bhramargarh
• Chapter 12. The Sacred Thread and the Thief
• Chapter 13. The Passing of Anjanasundari
• Chapter 14. The Woman Who Wouldn’t Cry
• Chapter 15. The Battle of Boisakhi Paal
• Chapter 16. Chhoto Pishi’s Mind
• Chapter 17. First Step into an Unfamiliar World
• Chapter 18. Today Is for Songs, Now Is the Time to Sing
• Translator’s Note and Acknowledgements