Illustration: Yafiz Siddiqui

The word 'courage' comes to mind upon reading Muhammad Zafar Iqbal's works of literature. Through his novels one embarks upon characters such as Dipu, Rashed, Ibu and Topu, who were not just fictional characters but a very big part of one's childhood. One such character is Robin, aka Hakarbin, from Zafar Iqbal's Haat Kata Robin.

Robin was first introduced in 1976 when the book was published from Maola Brothers.Narrated by Topon, the story revolves around a group of friends searching for the slightest bit of adventure in their mundane lives. One fine morning, when they were busy with their usual routine of sitting on a tree and complaining of boredom, the news of a new boy moving to the area reaches them. Robin's attire baffles Topon and the gang, but not more than Robin's severed left hand. Soon Robin rescues the gang from boredom by opening up a detective agency and starting football tournaments. They thought their young lives were at its peak when suddenly one night while taking a stroll they met a group of bandits. Suddenly, their made up detective agency wasn't so made up anymore when they decided to take the case.

If anything, Robin was a brave young man! Not only did he challenge the rival groups from the neighbouring areas to a football tournament, but he also ran after bandits! Those who read the book are familiar with the cover showing Robin holding a gun with his hand as others surround him— that actually says a lot about the character. The writer wonderfully showcased how even without a hand, Robin was always on the front lines— and that sends a very powerful message to young readers. 

To this day, Robin can be considered as one of the most loveable characters of Bangladesh's fictional narratives. In this day and age, when our childhood is somewhat crushed beneath the coaching centres and stress, we can look at Robin— as he can show us that it's never too late to go on an adventure.