Ek Chap Ka is a mystery-thriller book written by Nosib Ponchom Zehadi. The book was first published in 2023. The book is published by Book Street. Today’s discussion will revolve around the story of this amazing book.
How is a novel written?
It begins with letters that shape words, words that give birth to sentences, and sentences that flow together to weave a story. A novel is not merely a long tale—it is an intricate tapestry of many stories, seamlessly threaded together. Marlboro R. Hasan, a novelist of quiet fame, is known for his ability to write under a pseudonym, crafting narratives that speak to countless readers. A writer, after all, lives in two worlds: one, the ordinary existence of a common man; the other, a realm where he is transformed into a storyteller.
But what, truly, is a novel? Is it just a river of imagination coursing through the mind, stirred by the subtle dance of neurons? Or is it something more—a quiet alchemy of memory, experience, and emotion? Who can say for certain? Perhaps only the writer knows. Or perhaps, it is the writing itself that holds the answers.
Now, let us turn to the story at hand.
Zaheer and Kislu—two friends whose lives were abruptly cast into chaos. A single mistake, spurred by the machinations of senior leaders tangled in university politics, brought their academic journey to an untimely halt. Yet, life does not pause for the broken. To survive, one must eat, one must work. And so, surrendering to the strange current of fate, they tread a darker path.
Kislu finds work first—using a forged certificate to secure a job. In time, he brings Zaheer into the fold. Fortune smiles briefly; Zaheer is hired as an accountant in the office of one of their university’s elder brothers, Rupak Bashir Mortaza. What begins as mere employment gradually turns into something more. In the quiet turbulence of personal loss and shifting loyalties, Zaheer discovers an unexpected kinship with Rupak. That bond, fragile yet growing, leads to a generous offer: Rupak invites both Zaheer and Kislu to live under his roof.
From that point on, the narrative begins to change.
*
Rupak Bashir Mortaza stands as one of the central figures in this story. By profession, he is a successful businessman—but behind closed doors, he harbors a secret life as a writer. Unknown to the world, it is he who pens stories under the pseudonym Marlboro R. Hasan. The identity remains tightly guarded, locked away like so many other secrets in his life.
Despite his outward success, Rupak's life is steeped in sorrow. Loneliness has wrapped itself around him like a second skin. His parents passed away years ago, leaving him without a familial anchor. Then came the tragedies that tore through his personal life like storms—his wife was found hanging from the ceiling fan in their home. The silence of that horror still lingers in the walls. Even before that, their only child vanished without a trace. The only remnant ever recovered was a severed fragment of a leg—gruesome, incomplete, and haunting.
Whether these devastations slowly fractured Rupak’s mind or whether he had always been teetering on the edge of instability remains unclear. Perhaps he was already a man chasing shadows—his past is as murky and unfathomable as his character. In the quiet hours of his unraveling, he turns to psychologists, searching for something—understanding, maybe, or absolution.
To one such therapist, he entrusted a manuscript. It is autobiographical in form, but more than a narrative—it is a confession. A fragile, explosive truth lies hidden within its pages. If made public, it would not only unravel the enigma of Rupak Bashir Mortaza—it would shatter the carefully constructed image of Marlboro R. Hasan, the beloved novelist.
What secrets does this confession hold? Why did Rupak attempt to take his own life before handing over the manuscript? Was it guilt, fear, or the unbearable weight of truth?
And perhaps the most pressing question of all: will that confession ever be revealed?
*
Zaheer, for his part, found himself increasingly drawn to the enigma that was Rupak Bashir Mortaza. The more he learned of the strange, tragic events that marked Rupak’s life—and the more he immersed himself in Rupak’s hauntingly beautiful prose—the deeper his curiosity grew. What began as quiet admiration soon morphed into an obsession. The lines between fiction and reality blurred, leaving Zaheer caught in a maze of questions.
There were incidents that defied explanation. A meeting with a friend Rupak claimed didn’t exist. A visit to that friend’s home. A woman—completely naked, her head concealed beneath a red bucket—locked inside a shackled closet. And, bizarrely, the best tea Zaheer had ever tasted, prepared by that very woman.
Were these events real? Had Zaheer truly experienced them? Or were they figments of Rupak’s fragmented imagination—hallucinations that had begun to seep into Zaheer’s own reality?
Determined to uncover the truth, Zaheer began to dig deeper into the labyrinth of Rupak’s life.
Before his employment with Rupak, Zaheer had lived on the edges of legality—working as a low-level drug courier. It was during that time he met Jane, a girl whose presence offered him rare warmth and quiet companionship. A delicate bond grew between them, something tender, something healing.
Jane’s father, Tarun Pasha, added another unexpected dimension to Zaheer’s quest. An eccentric yet sharp-minded amateur detective with connections that reached into the upper echelons of power, Tarun possessed both the curiosity and the means to uncover what lay hidden.
And with Tarun’s help, Zaheer discovered something extraordinary—something that pulled the ground from beneath his feet, something that made him question not only Rupak’s truth, but his own.
 |
| Cover of the first edition of Nosib Ponchom Zehadi’s “Ek Chap Ka”. |
Author Nosib Ponchom Zehadi masterfully propels the story forward, weaving a narrative that is as gripping as it is thought-provoking. With deft craftsmanship, he introduces unexpected twists—particularly near the conclusion—that reframe the reader's entire understanding of the tale. Alongside the core thriller, he seamlessly integrates a cast of eccentric side characters and moments of wry, often dark, humor, enriching the texture of the novel without ever straying from its suspenseful heart.
Step by step, Zehadi invites his readers to wander deeper into the maze. He does not shout his questions—he whispers them, planting seeds of doubt and wonder that quietly grow page by page. One of the most haunting elements of the novel—the mysterious red bucket—appears in various countries across the world, tied to inexplicable and often disturbing circumstances. But what is it really? A symbol? A warning? A curse?
And what of Rupak Bashir Mortaza? Was he merely a grieving husband? Or was he, perhaps, something far more sinister? Did he, in some unfathomable way, play a role in the death of his wife?
And finally—what lies at the end of it all?
The answers do not come easily. They are layered, elusive, often unsettling. But at the root of everything—beneath the grief, the madness, the red bucket, the confessions and delusions—rests a single phrase, whispered like an incantation: Ek Chap Ka (এক চাপ কা).
Thumbnail Image (Sculpture) Source: Pexels{alertInfo}
Post a Comment