The writer used the pseudonym Tekchand Thakur for this novel.
The novel describes the society of the nineteenth-century Calcutta with a focus on the lifestyle of its intemperate and prodigal protagonist, Matilal.
The novel is a landmark in the history of Bengali language and Bengali literature, as it used Cholitobhasa (colloquial form of the Bengali language) for the first time in print; the simple prose style introduced came to be known as "Alali-style" [citation needed].
[1] The novel was first published serially in a monthly magazine, Masik Patrika.
Later, a dramatised version was staged at the Bengal Theatre (January 1875).