1. Rural Life

A classic story of poverty and sibling love set in a remote Bengali village at the beginning of the 20th century.

The life of a poor Brahmin family is seen through the eyes of young Opu and his older sister Durga. With their father, Horihor, often away from home in search of work, tension mounts as their mother, Shorbojoya, struggles on her own.

Written by Bibhuti Bhushan Banerji

Dramatised in two parts by Tanika Gupta from a translation by TW Clark & Tarapada Mukerji

Adult Opu.....Sagar Arya
Indir ..... Meera Syal
Durga.....Rhea Somaiya
Shorbojoya.....Ayesha Dharker
Horihor.....Shiv Grewal
Shejbou/Dashi.....Pooja Ghai
Palit.....Ace Bhatti
Chid Opu .....Adnan Chowdhury
Tunu ....Nuha Fabiha Sultana
Baby Opu.....Ava Taylor

It is a beautiful and atmospheric novel that inspired an iconic film by Satyajit Ray in 1955. The heart of the novel and this dramatisation is the love between brother and sister. It charts family life through a collection of daily events that cumulatively create a vivid and unforgettable world.

Director: Nadia Molinari

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2013.