The Restless Waters of the Ichhamati is Bibhutibhushan Bandhopadhyay’s last book before he passed away in 1950. Set in 19th century Bengal, in Mollahatti, Jessore, the book is about the little known practice and aspects of indigo cultivation in Bengal. The British forced villagers to cultivate indigo, which ruined their arable land, pushing them into poverty. Set along the river Ichhamati, the book reflects and portrays the caste stratified Indian society of the previous century. The book showcases the predicament of indigo planters, plantation life and the rigid caste system in Bengal. The author very poetically and aesthetically describes the banks of the Ichhamati river and also unveils the hypocrisy of the Brahminical order through several characters of the book.
