Nokhalir Rustam Khan
West Bengal cadre IAS officer C Murugan’s novel ‘Nokhalir Rustam Khan’ was released at the Kolkata Press Club on Saturday, shortly before his transfer to Delhi. Literary figure Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay, actor Gargi Roychowdhury, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra and Suvendu Adhikari attended the launch.
The novel is set against the riots surrounding the 1946 Direct Action Day in Calcutta and the communal violence that followed in Noakhali. Its narrative moves between Calcutta and Noakhali, while examining religious identity, social divisions, political instability, communal hatred and questions of humanity.
Rustam Khan, the central character, is a resident of Lamchar in Noakhali. In the story, Rustam falls in love with Nilanjana, the daughter of a zamindar. He comes to Calcutta and later returns to Noakhali as circumstances change.
Murugan said, “Rustam comes to Calcutta as fate takes him there. But a change in circumstances forces him to return to Noakhali. There, he faces an even more difficult reality. On one side is personal love; on the other is the responsibility of saving the lives of people caught in violence and conflict. When people around him are choosing sides on the basis of religious identity, Rustam has to decide which path he will take—whether he will fulfil his own dream or stand by people in distress.”
Murugan is a 2007-batch IAS officer of the West Bengal cadre and was born in Tamil Nadu. After working in West Bengal for around 19 years, he will take charge as joint secretary in the Union Ministry of Road Transport in Delhi. He may leave for Delhi on Sunday. According to sources, he is expected to serve in the post until September 15, 2030.
Murugan began his career as a probationary officer at State Bank of Mysore and later worked as a deputy superintendent of police in the Tamil Nadu Police Service. In West Bengal, he served as additional district magistrate of South Dinajpur and later as deputy chairman of the Tea Board. During the SIR, he served as special roll observer.
‘Nokhalir Rustam Khan’ has been published in Bengali, English and Tamil. The book’s historical setting and its focus on the experiences of people facing violence form the central framework of the novel.
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