Farida Ahmed Niku delves into lives of the young generation in ‘Chilekothaay Shongshaar’

Farida Ahmed Niku developed a keen interest in writing since she was a school student. Many of her writings have been published in different magazines across the country. Currently, she is the Senior HR Business Partner at Duncan Brothers Bangladesh Ltd.

Farida started writing novels in 2017. Her books, Opekkha Ojut Bochhor and Khomio Khoma, released at the Ekushey Boi Mela in 2018 and 2019 respectively, attracted a significant number of readers. "We released Opekkha Ojut Bochhor in the last week of the Ekushey Boi Mela 2018. Even though the book was at the fair for a limited time, it sold out very quickly. Needless to say, we were immensely happy with the response," asserts Farida. Opekkha Ojut Bochhor is a Nandita Prokash publication, while Khomio Khoma is backed by Raowa Publications.

Her third novel, Chilekothaay Shongshaar, a Ratri Prokashoni publication, is out now at the Ekushey Boi Mela. "I wanted to explore the experiences and the challenges that the youth of today goes through in their everyday lives. The novel is about their viewpoints, romantic dilemmas, accomplishments and hesitations, among other things," says the author.

Farida aims to convey an important message through the novel. "These days, many people complain against the young generation for not conforming to certain expectations – such complaints and criticisms, resulting from a generation gap, are actually a form of injustice," she explains. "I believe that the youth of today are immensely straightforward and confident and I hope that people see them in a new light after reading the book."

An avid reader herself, Farida added that the organising committee of the Ekushey Boi Mela has done a commendable job this year.  "It is good to see books of so many different genres and themes at the fair – I think that events such as the fair should be organised more than once a year - to develop people's reading habits," she says. Chilekothaay Shongshaar is available from Ratri Prokashoni in stalls 464 and 465, for BDT 150.