An extraordinary tome on a defining juncture in modern history—the Bangladesh Liberation War—Neverland: Zero Hour constructs an intricate narrative tapestry, interwoven with profound explorations of human resilience, clandestine stratagems, and the profound sacrifices that underscored this epochal struggle out of which was born Bangaldesh, a new nation. (BACKLINK TO BANGLADESH LIBERATION WAR HISTORY)

The genesis of the novel may be traced to a childhood event in Dr Chowdhury’s life. It was 1971. The Bangladesh Liberation War was brewing. Dr Chowdhury’s father Birajananda Chowdhury was sent on deputation to the Haflong Police Training centre as base superintendent. In a hidden operation, he helped train East Pakistani men in guerilla warfare. They were Bangladesh liberation leader Sheikh Mujibur Rehman’s Muktti Bahini cadres. Dr Chowdhury recalls: ‘I remember witnessing these happenings with great curiosity. It was around that time that I became aware of a larger world, where dramatic events were unfolding every minute.’ Close to half a century later, those childhood memories surfaced to give her narrative a deeper, nuanced understanding of human aspirations of self-expression as the highest liberty. 

Lauded by Hasan Mahmud, then Foreign Minister of Bangladesh, as an “unparalleled contribution” to the nation’s historical memory, Dr. Chowdhury’s magnum opus not only immortalizes the war’s indelible legacy but also catalyzes political reckoning. In a move without precedent,
Mahmud publicly called upon Pakistan to issue a formal apology for the egregious atrocities of the 1971 genocide. The Liberation War of Bangladesh was not merely a geopolitical reconfiguration; it was an epoch of cataclysmic upheaval, culminating in a harrowing genocide that displaced millions. Its reverberations persist, undiminished, even after half a century.

Within Zero Hour, Dr. Chowdhury conceives a metaphorical ‘Neverland’—a liminal space where historical truth and human suffering converge. This literary tour de force delivers an unsettling yet incisive contemplation of history’s geopolitical entanglements, rendered with a narrative dexterity that sears the reader’s conscience and leaves an indelible imprint.

Originally published in Assamese in 2023, this seminal work was subsequently translated into Bengali and met with widespread critical acclaim upon its launch in Dhaka. Among the chorus of commendation was the voice of Bangladeshi freedom fighter Habibul Rahman, who extolled its unprecedented depth and meticulous scholarship—he said it was “an exceptional feat” for a foreign scholar to undertake such an exhaustive chronicle of the Liberation War.

Dr. Chowdhury’s storytelling oscillates between the cerebral and the visceral, daring the reader to grapple with the unresolved traumas of history. The narrative is as revelatory as it is immersive, compelling reflection on the dialectic between historical memory and the unspoken truths that haunt national consciousness.