The 1968 classic by Shrilal Shukla was originally written in Hindi and fetched the beaurocrat a Sahitya Academy award. It was translated from the Hindi by Gillian Wright in the 1990s. Much has been surely lost in translation but thanks to Wright I could get a sense of the original.
The story is set in a fictional town called Shivpalganj (inhabited by a bunch of chilled out villagers who called themselves ganjahas). One young man Rangnath, fresh from University with his head full of noble ideas of the world comes to the place to regain his health and stays with his uncle Vaidyaji. Vaidyaji is an ayurvedic doctor, President of the Cooperative Union, founder of the college and be all and end all of the village. His two sons. Badri, a wrestler and Ruppan Babu, a student leader, lend him their muscle. Vaidyaji rules the village and controls everything through his stooges such as the Principal of the college, a no gooder who he props as the village pradhan and so on. Trouble brews when Rangnath's ideas of justice and fairness upset the equilibrium of the village and others such as Khanna master who protests against the Principal rebel. A disturbed Vaidyaji resigns from his post and promptly props his eldest son to the post of President and gets rid of the masters and so on. Rangnath also leaves, when he finds that his health is much better but not before experiencing the full gamut of the ways and means of society's machinations and manipulations. Posts, cops, common men, lies, emotions, grandstanding all work together and create a satirical take on life as we know it.
Raad Darbari is a complex tune they say and the novel which represents a microcosm of India and its complexity is named after it. Shrilal Shukla brings to life the rhythm of society in India - privilege, caste, politics, duplicity, hypocrisy, helplessness - all within that little town and its few characters. It's funny because its just too true and Shrilal Shukla captures every bit as it is. Thanks Vinod bhai for the book. Loved it.
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