Sunday, July 29, 2012

Review of "Raag Darbari"


An excellent satire by Shri Lal Shukla, an eminent scholar of Hindi Literature who has drawn an unparallel painting of current socio-politico-economic condition of India with the help of this creation. The plot may be from a small village backdrop and has all the characters from that small village only but it does represent the condition of country in general. Although this novel dates back to seventies but with every passing decade it becomes much more relevant. Forty years later, this novel seems more relevant to our country in general than it may have been at the time when it was written.
The language used is easy Hindi and Awadhi at some places (depending upon the demand of scene or character). This novel is full of local idioms and phrases used in Hindi heartland of Uttar Pradesh. In short we can say that a colloquial Hindi was used in the novel to make dialogues more effective and real.
The beauty of the novel is relevance of its plot with ever pervading society and characters with unending and unsatisfied ambitions. The ambition is to displace the existing powerful, unlawful person from his present stature as he seems clogged with nepotism, favouritism and corruption. These ambitious contestants of the top players use the same unfair means to defeat him which they have been alleging him for.  
Vaid Ji being the apex man of the village is most respectable and winner of all the power play and has always defeated everyone in this game whomsoever has rose against him. The respect and luxuries of life that anyone can command is through corruption, nepotism and favouritism only. All those who try to be lawful or deny the existence of any of the above three will have to pay a hefty price. Characters like Langad personify the life of person who is lawful and wants to do something through right means. He just tries to get a copy of his land record throughout the novel  without paying bribe and fails but he constantly says to others “tum nahi samjhoge babu, ye sidhant ki ladai hai” and in the last he has to lose the battle.
Vaid ji on top and Langad on bottom, in the power play and corruption game, everyone else is sandwiched between these two. Revolt of Ruppan Babu against his father (Vaid Ji) , acts of devoted followers (principal saab, sanichar alias mangal) of Vaid ji, the initial disinterest of Badri pahlwan in politics of father and then replacing him, as successor defeating the ambitions of younger brother Ruppan are the key actions of key characters which signifies everything is reason driven or trying to find out a reason is foolishness.
The Mayajaal and its power play cannot be explained in a better and entertaining manner than this creation. A shear genius of Shukla Ji will make you to witness all these power play, difference of opinion, fight of beliefs, corruption and its abysmal roots.  A must read book.

1 comment:

Mohammad Athar said...

Nice review. The novel is one of my favourite ones. I am author at www.articlesjar.com