Srilal Shukla - Raag Darbari
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SRILAL SHUKLA — RAAG DARBARI
ShrilalShukla(31December1925–28October2011[1])wasaHindiwriter,notablefor
his satire.HeworkedasaPCSofficerforthestategovernmentofUttarPradesh,later
inductedintotheIAS.Hehaswrittenover25books,[2] includingRaagDarbari,Makaan,
Sooni Ghaati Ka Sooraj,Pehla PadaavandBisrampurKa Sant.
Shukla has highlighted the falling moral values in the Indian society in the post
independenceerathroughhisnovels.Hiswritingsexposethenegativeaspectsoflifein
ruralandurbanIndiainasatiricalmanner.HisbestknownworkRaagDarbarihasbeen
translated into English and 15 Indian languages. A television serial based on this
continued for several months on the national network in the 1980s. Itisalittle-known
fact that healsowroteadetectivenovelentitledAadmiKaZaharwhichwasserialised
in the weekly magazine 'Hindustan'.
ShuklareceivedtheJnanpithAward,thehighestIndianliteraryaward,in2011.Hisfirst
major award was the Sahitya Akademi Award for his novel Raag Darbariin1969.He
receivedtheVyasSammanawardin1999forthenovelBisrampurkaSant.[2][3] In2008,
he was awarded thePadmaBhushan[4] bythePresidentofIndiaforhiscontributionto
Indian literature and culture.
OTHER WORKS
Sooni Ghaati Ka Sooraj– 1957
Agyaatvaas– 1962
2
Raag Darbari (novel) – 1968 – original is in Hindi; an English translation was
published under the same title in 1993 by Penguin Books; also translated and
published by National Book Trust, India in 15 Indian languages.
Aadmi Ka Zahar
INTRODUCTION
RaagDarbariisasatiricalHindinovelwrittenbySriLalSukla,publishedin1968.[1][2] He
wasawardedtheSahityaAcademyAward,thehighestIndianliteraryaward,in1969for
this novel.[3]
The novel illustrates the failing values present in post-Independence Indian society. It
exposes the helplessness of intellectuals in the face of a strong and corrupt nexus
between criminals, businessmen, police and politicians.[4][5]
ThenovelisnarratedfromthepointofviewofRanganath,aresearchstudentinhistory,
who comes to live with his uncle, Vaidyaji, in a village named Shivpalganj in Uttar
Pradeshforafewmonths.Helearnshowhisuncleusesallthevillageinstitutions—the
villageschool,thevillagepanchayat(alocalelectedbody),thelocalgovernmentoffices
for his political purpose. The conduct of his uncleandthepettyvillagepoliticiansisin
stark contrast to the ideals thatRanganathhaslearnttoaspiretoduringhisuniversity
education. The villagers take pride in calling themselves "ganjahe", originating from
"ganj" (which means "place" in Hindi) of Shivpalganj.
Backdrop
3
Shrilal Shukla the author distinctly portrays socio-politico-economic conditions in the
village life of India by representing it coupled with satire in a style of rural fiction and
remarkablereality.[6] ThetitleRagDarbaridoesnotsuggestoneoftheRagasofIndian
classicalmusic,butasongsungbyavillagepolitician,characterizedbyVaidyajiinthe
novel, on whose tone all other in the village dance.[1] The novel portrays gloomy
depiction of social and political corruption and highly delicate dynamics of the same
prevalent during postcolonial India.
SUMMARY
Ranganath,aboyfromthecity,goestoShivpalganjforhealingpurposes(assuggested
bythedoctor).Hemisseshistrainandrequestsatruckdrivertogivehimalift.Taking
him a place officer, truck driver readily gives him lift. On knowingthatRanganathisa
student (M.A. History), the truck driver feels irritated.
On the way, Police appear andfinesthetruckdriveraseverypartofthetruckisworn
out.Whiletravelling,RanganathexplainingtheeducationsystemofIndiaandcompares
itwithabit-chwhichcanbekickedbyeveryone.Accordingtohim,moneyhasbecome
the aim and goal of everyone, from student to a saint.
A man arrives at thepolicestationandtellsthepolicethathehasbeenthreatenedby
some dacoits. His application has already been rejected for grammatical errors.
The people of ShivpalganjblindlybelievethatPolicemenhavemagicalpowersandon
the other hand, policemen alsoconsiderthemselvesthekingsofthevillage.However,
they never lend a helping hand.
4
RuppanBabu,(sonofthedirectorofShivpalganjCollege{Vaidyaji}),alsocomestothe
police station telling the policeman that some dacoits have asked for money to
Ramadhin (who is from another village). Both the policeman and Ruppan Babu try to
guess who could have written the letter.
Their doubt travels from policementostudents.InspectortellsRuppanaboutthestory
of Bakhtavar Singh (a policeman during the British rule). He was beaten by some
hooligans who asked for forgiveness and Bakhtavar Singh adopting them beat the
enemies of those hooligans instead.
Asaresultofanumberofotherhooligansalsoofferedtobeathimbutthelatterrefused
to parent more hooligans. Ruppan Babu after having a heartily laugh asks the
policemanifheisafollowerofBakhtavarSingh.Thepolicemanrepliesthatthesedays
he is a follower of Ruppan’s father instead.
The authortellsaboutRuppanBabu.Heisagrown-upladwhoisinthe10thclassfor
thelast10yearsashedoesnotwanttoleavecollege.ButtherealmotiveofRuppanto
be so is that he wants to keep his rule over the college students intact.
Shukla tells about the college (ChangamalVidyalayaIntermediateCollege).Anumber
of miraculous stories revolve around the establishment of the college. In the college
Motiram,whiletakingclasstalkslessaboutthebooksandmoreabouthisflourmilland
that of his rival’s.
Meanwhile, principle orders a teacher namely Malaviya to take a class. Malaviya is a
supporter of Khanna Master who aspires to become vice-principle(whichmadehima
foe of Principle).
5
KhannaMasteristakinganEnglishclass.ThePrincipalappearsintheclassandscolds
Khanna as he sees students reading obscene things.
In real, principle fears that he willlosehispowersifKhannaMasterbecomesthevice
principle.HethusleavesnostoneunturnedtoabuseandexposesthefaultsofKhanna
Master and his friends.
ShukladescribestheviewofVaidyaji’shouse(thedirectorofthecollege).RuppanBabu
(son of Vaidyaji) returns back from the police station.
Ranganath (cousin ofRuppan)alsoreachesthere.Mangal(servantofVaidyaji)whois
known as Sanichar in the village, is sitting on the veranda of Vaidyaji’s house.
Ranganath enquires about theBadriWrestler(elderbrotherofRuppan).Sanichartells
him that Badri has gone to the bazaar adding “ganjaha’ as a title of respect with the
name of Badri.
Vaidyaji who is an Ayurvedic by professionisattendinghispatients.Heprovides“free
treatment for the poor and money back if not satisfied”.
Ironicallyhehashisownphilosophyofdiseases.Accordingtohim,therearetwotypes
ofdiseases-publicandsecrets.Hebelievesthatalldiseasesarecausedbythelossof
chastity. He also shows his support for the preservation of se-men.
InthechapterShuklaintroducesustoLangarwhohasfiledacaseforsomelandcase.
Hisapplicationhasoftenbeenrejected.Whileintheoffice,hequarrelswiththeclerkas
both decide the different amounts of bribes to settle the case.
6
No compromise is made even after the interference of other officials. Langar returns
back and hopes that his case will be settled someday by Divine. Adiscussionisheld
betweenthePrincipalandVaidyaji.Theformerexpresseshisfearoverhisdemandfor
Khanna.
BadriWrestler(elderbrotherofRuppan)returnsbacktothevillageonRickshaw.Onthe
way, he irritates the rickshaw-walla by asking him to sing a song.
Suddenly Ramadhin (resident of the village adjoining Shivpalganj) appears beforethe
rickshaw.Ramadhinwasarrestedforhisopiumbusinessfor2years.Badrihadinstalled
a flour mill in Ramadhin’s village that flourished thus making Ramadhin jealous of him.
Ramadhin stops Rickshaw and says to Badri that he received a letter from dacoits
demanding money and he doubts that Ruppan Babu might have written a letter for
them. Saying this he asks Badri to keep Ruppan under his control. Badri assuredhis
safety and goes away.
A room having books that belongtoRuppanisgiventoRanganath.Ranganathistold
aboutthestoryofathiefwhoseexistenceisnotsure.ThismakesRanganathconclude
that the generation gap has entered villages also because in earlier times every thief
was more fierce than the other but the thieves of today cannot fight anybody.
SanichartellsRanganathaboutthestoryofarobberDurbinSingh(hisparentswanted
himtogofarinscientificknowledge;sohewasnamedDurbin)wholikeGandhi’sDandi
March,usedtocommitcrimesinordertobreakBritishlawsandeverybodyfearedhim
in the village.
7
However one day after independence, a gang of hooligans captured Sanichar and
started beating him. When he told them that he is a friend of Durbin he was beaten
moreandtoldthatthedaysofDurbinareovernow.Consequently,hehadtorunaway
in order to save his life.
Shukla tells howadvertisementsbecamesubjectsofdiscussionamongthevillagersof
Shivpalganj.Theliterateswouldreadthemandtheilliterateswouldtrytofindoutwhich
personisportrayedinthem. E.g.inoneadvertisementthataskedthevillagerstogrow
more crops as India is an agricultural country, people start saying that the man in it
resembles Badri.
However,theyfailedtofindtheidentityofthegirlwhoisstandingbesidetheman.Some
advertisements would become so famous that they become the headlines of the
newspaper (like Treatment of Piles by Vaidyaji).
Once embezzlement is done in the cooperative union. Union supervisor RamSwarup
loads sacks of wheat (that were for the villagers of Shivpalganj) and runs away to
another village. The director of the union, once, while having a head massage finds
Ram but does not catch him. On reaching Shivpalganj he tells Vaidyaji about the
incident and the latter decides to arrange a meeting to discuss how to catch the convict.
Sanichar while watching three young men tells Ranganath about the story of a man
Kana(asheisblindinoneeye).HisrealnameisPanditRadhelal.Whiledoingthejob
of the watchman in another village, he made friends with another watchman.
8
Heusedtodineathishouse.Helikedthefoodsomuchthathebroughtthewifeofthat
watchman to his own village. The woman used to be called a bit ch afterward in the
village. One of the three young men namely Chote Wrestler comes to Sanichar and
asksaboutBadri.SanichartellsthathehasgonetothemeetingheldbyVaidyaji.Chote
gets angry and tells Ranganath that nothing is done in such meetings.
Allthemenjustbeataboutthebushes.Inthemeeting,itisdecidedthatthegovernment
should either recover the stolen wheat or provide compensation to the villagers.
In Shivpalganj, factionalism dominates the college. It is believed that factionalismisa
tradition fromVedanta.Thus everybody uses factionalismfor his own selfish purposes.
In Shivpalganj an incident happens every four days. Thus people have always
something to discuss.e.g.Aboyiscaughtwritingalovelettertoagirlandisexpelled
fromcollege.Heisadmittedonlywhenhisfatheragreestoprovide50,000bricksforthe
construction of the new college.
The issue of having a vice-principal is raised and Vaidyaji says that the college
committee will decide on the matter. This makes the principal restless and he thus
becomes irritated with everything. A quarrel also takes placebetweenKhannaMaster
and the principal in the office of the latter.
In the evening Ranganath and Badri discuss the incidentinwhichtheterm‘humanity’
wasusedagainandagain.Itconverseshowthetermhumanityhasbeenusedbothby
looters as well as winners to meet their ends.
While talking both of them sleep. Suddenly cries of ‘Thief, thief, thief’ are heard that
wake up both Ranganath and Badri. After long chase thieves are driven away by the
police. Badri who had also gone before the thieves return back to home.
9
RanganathhearsthehaulingofKausaharPrasad-thefatherofChoteWrestler(disciple
of Badri Wrestler). He is quite wounded andhascometoVaidyajitocomplainagainst
hissonwhohasbeatenhim.Hesays,“Maharaj,thistimeChotehasmurderedme.I
can’t stand this anymore. You have tokeepusapartorsometimesoonIwillkill
him with my own hands.”
Vaidyajiremainsunaffectedandadviseshimtovisitthehospital.ThisirritatesKausahar
whogoesawayabusinghisson.ShuklatellshowancestorsofChoteusedtobeattheir
fathers and thus this practice is common to them. Chote’s great-grandfather beat his
father and Gangadayal (Chote’s grandfather) used to beat his father.
Kausahar Prasad’s brother “had learned the art of insulting their fathers.” and
“Kausahar’s hand’s wires accustomed to raising a lathitohisfatheronceevery
weak that when Gangadayal dies they began to gonumbforseveraldaysevery
month.”
WhenKaushargoesaway,Chotecomes.Vaidyajigiveshimadegradinglookandasks
him to leave. However, Bardi shows some sortofsupporttohimwhenChotedefends
his beating.We are introduced to Gayadin who is the vice-chairman of the college
managing committee and also owns a shop. He has a beautiful daughter-Bela with
whom Ruppan is in love.
Ruppan had even written a love letter to her which was caught. Gayadin is rich and
respectable because “he had the favour of Vaidyaji, the police,Ruppan,thelocal
MLA and the district Board’s Tax Collector.”
10
Once a robbery took place in the house of Gayadin and his daughter and sister
purposely hid the identity of the robber when police try to investigate. For Gayadin,
every teacher is a fool.
Once a discussion starts regarding arranging an election in the college by those who
are not on good terms with the Principal. However, Gayadin defends the will and the
action of principle.
Malaviya says that principle wastes government’s money. At this Gayadin says, “It’s
not right to get so upset over the public money. In any case, it’s bind to be
wasted.”
Shukla then describes a place called Chamrahi where untouchableslive.Hetellsthat
even after the abolition of untouchability, such notions still exist in society. Some
masterspassingbytheChamrahifindLangartherewhotellsthatheisabouttogetthe
copy without any bribe.
Shivpalganj, live any other village, has an ahead or Pradhan. Currently, Ramadhin’s
brother is the Pradhan and people are quite dissatisfied with him.
VaidyajiandallotherspresenttheretoannouncethattheywantSanichartobethenext
Pradhan of the village. Sanichar feels very happy and starts dreaming of being
Pardhan.AmelaisheldinShivpalganjandallpeoplegothere.Ruppanalsohopeswith
Jognath (the one who makes advertisement posters). On the way, they meet policemen.
Jognathfearsbeingteasedbythem.InthemelapolicementellRuppanthattheydoubt
that thelatter(threatletterreceivedbyRamadhin)iswrittenbysomestudentandthus
they want his cooperation. At this Ruppan says, “Youhaveourfullcooperation.Ifyou
don’t believe me, go and see what happens if you arrest any student from thecollege.”
11
Sanichar behaveslikePardhanwhenanargumentstartsbetweenJognathandChote.
RanganathmeetsLangarwhotellshimthathisfilestillintheoffice.Ranganathvisitsthe
temple for Darshan inatemple.Hehadbeentoldthat“thetemplehadbeenbuiltin
Sat Yug, millions of years ago.” However on examining he concludesthatinreality
temple is not very old. He would have been beaten as well but Ruppan handles the
situationandtakesRanganathoutandlatersaystohim,“It’snotyourfault,it’syour
education’s.”
Inspector Singh appears in the market who demands Rs 5/- as a bribe to every
shopkeeper accusing them ofadulteration.Butshopkeepersdeclarethattheywillgive
only Rs. 2/- each.An argument begins and both parties remain unchanged. However,
Ruppan interferes and ultimately it is agreed that every shopkeeper should pay Rs.
2.5/-After a while, Singh exclaims, “In earlier dayspeopleusedtogivemoneyand
be grateful to you for taking it. Now they bring someonewiththemlikeRuppan
Babu.”
Meanwhile, a fight begins between Chote and a sweet-vendor. Chote gives himgood
blows. When the police come, Chote says that he had given money, still, he is
demanding money.On the other hand, the shopkeeper says that Chote has not given
himanymoneyandhasalsobeathim.Finally,RuppansettlesthematterbypayingRs.
5/- to the shopkeeper.A whore attracts Ranganath and a man also tries to make
Ranganath take interest in her. However, Ranganath goes away. In the way, he asks
Ruppan about the love letter he wrote to Bela but the latter ignores.
12
KausaharPrasadhasfiledacaseagainsthissonChoteandameetingisheld.Fortwo
hours, Sarpanch beats about the bushes and even calls Kausahar bast ard. At this
Chote loses his temper and abusing Sarpanch and his justice drags his father to
home.The election is held in the college. Principal having thesupportofstudentsand
police makes the arrangement of the even in his favour.
AllthosesupportingprinciplesandVaidyajiareallowedtoparticipateinthemeetingand
thoseopposingarethreatenedanddrivenawaybypoliceandcollegestudents.Vaidyaji
wins unanimously for the post director.
Outside the college, slogan are raised “Victory to Ram Chandra, spouse of Sita!”
“Victory to Mahatma Gandhi!”In the room of Vaidyaji. Principal, while talking about
justice,narratesthestoryofayoungprincetoRanganath.ANawab’sprincefallsilland
cannot be cured by anybody.
Ultimately saint comes to whom queen reveals that the prince is in reality, son of a
Water-Carrier. Thus Hakim makes a joule of Kaurilla plants and prince recovers after
taking it.The principal says that in village kaurilla-brand justice exists. He says,
“Whateverkindofcourtyourequire,youcanfind.”andadds,“Ifakaurillabrand,
lowbredmanoncegetstoacourtthatishigherthanhisstatus,hewillbeledin
destitute”For him, only village courts can providehim fair justice.
Ranganath becomes aware of the unfair means used byVaidyajibywhichheandhis
menwontheelection.Hedoesn’tlikethisandtalksaboutittoRuppan.Ruppantellshim
thathetoohatesthisanddesirestomakeKhannaviceprincipal.Itisaboutonemonth
lefttoelectionsandlikeanyotherpoliticianSanichartoodesirestoarrangemoneyand
spend it in the name of welfare.
13
For this, he considers Kalika Prasad suitable as his “profession was spending
governmentgrantsandloans.Helivedingovernmentmoneyandforgovernment
money.”Thus he has a lot of money and can also arrange money for him by unfair
means. Sanichar tells Vaidyaji that he hasheardthatcooperativefarmingwillhelpmy
grainproduction.Soheisthinkingofopeningacooperativefarminthevillagewiththe
help of Kalika Prasad. Everyone is astonished by his plans.
A complaint is made to the Education Minister against the unfair means used during
elections. In order to handlethesituation,Principaltriesto“improvetheappearance
of buildings.”While he is guiding the labour I digging a pit, Khanna Masterappears
before him with the leave application. Principal ignores him it appears that a fightwill
soon begin.
KhannaMaster,inordertogainsupport,startsabusingPrincipalloudlyandanumberof
people gather there. Principal rejectstheapplicationbecauseofgrammaticalerrors.A
fight breaks out and by the time of day, the matter reaches to police.
TheprincipalgoestoVaidyajitotellabouttheincident.Amancomesfromthecityina
carwhocannotlivewithoutdeliveringalecture.Findingcollegestudents,heassembles
andstartsthrowingwordsonthem.Whenlectureends“Theboysandmasterwended
their ways home imitating the way he’d kept saying ‘Brothers and Sisters’.”
14
Badri Wrestler goes to the neighbouring district to bail out a young man. While he is
away,RanganaththinksofBelaandabouttheloveletterRuppanwrotetoher.Whenthe
letter was caught a number of rumours spread throughout the village against the
character of Bela. “He thought of Bela a lot. So much in fact that hundreds of
breastsandbuttocksallofdifferentshapesandsizesbegantoriseandfallinhis
mind.
The next night,whileheisthinkingofVaidyjiandSanicharandtheinaugurationofthe
cooperative farm by Sanichar, he sleeps and feels as if a girl has hugged him.He
suddenly wakes up and finds a girl who sighs, “Oh Mother!” on seeing Ranganath.
When he gets up she runs away leaving him in chaos.
Police arrests Jognath accusing him of the shelf (at Gayadin’s house). His house is
searched and along with the ornaments, a number of other things are magically
produced.VaidyajiandRuppaninvestigatethematterandtrytofindthepoliticsbehind
his arrest. They conclude that the Police is favouring Ramadhin over Vaidyaji. Hence
when the latter tries to appeal for Jognath’s bail, the inspector rejects his request.
AtRamadhin’shouse,bhangismade.RanganathandSanichar,whileonthewaygoto
his house and find Langartherewhotellsthatheisabouttogethiscopy.Ontheway
back, SanicharandRanganathfindsomegamblersanddescribehowtheyliveintheir
own world with their ownlanguage.Ranganathnarrateshisencounterwithagirlinthe
nightwhilehewassleeping.Ontheotherhand,Ruppantrieshisbesttoprovethatthe
person would not be a girl.
15
Ranganathgoestoaneighboringvillagetobuysomealmonds.Ontheway,hemeetsa
man who introduces himself as the father of a lawyer and tries to prove his son’s
profession more successful over all other professions.While on the way, Ranganath
grasps point tips of long grassandtiesthemintoalargeknottoclearthepath.When
themanasksaboutit,Ranganath,onseeinghiscuriosityjokinglysays,“Uncletoldme
thatonthewaythere’saforestofKansgrass.Tieaknotinthetipsofthegrass.
Lord Hanuman will be pleased.”
After trying another knot Ranganath says loudly, “Victory to Lord Hanuman!” The
person and an old lady seeing him doing so also start doing the same act.
Ranganath does not find any almonds there and returns back with Sanicharwhohad
gone for a haircut. On way back, they find the whole forest in the knotted condition.
A person passing by tells Sanichar that he has done this like others to praise Lord
Hanuman.RanganathtellsaboutthedreamofhisuncleandfindsSanicharalsodoing
thesame.Inavillage,apersonmurderssomeonebutheisliberatedandallchargesare
taken off afterbybriberyandthushearrangesapartyforhissupporters.Anumberof
peoplegofromShivpalganjgothere.ThusRanganathremainsalonewithVaidyaji.The
latter bores Ranganath with his boring lectures throughout the day.
16
In the evening Ranganath goes outandmeetsPrincipal.Anargumentarisesbetween
thetwoandsoongetsheated.Theprincipaltriestoboosthispositionandnarrateshow
he was once given unfair marks when he tried to ask a question to a professor and
offended him. Ranganath tries to calm down the matter by agreeing to whathesays.
Principal thannarratestheincidentwithKhannaanddefendshisaclions.Ontheway,
they find sub-inspectors luggage being loaded as he is going to the city because his
daughter wants to study in a convent school.
Sanichar starts campaigning for election and begs for votes to everyone whom he
meets. On the other hand, Ramadhin’s brother who had become rich because ofthis
position also starts campaigning. On Gandhian Platform (near Chamrahi) Ramadhin
haves a well dug which has already been dug, however this time it is registered
“officially as ‘Well Constitution Scheme’. It has apolitical plot to extract good
seized grant.”
The election takes place in Pardhan, Shukla then tells three different methods- the
Ramnagar Method, the Nevada Method and the Mahipalpur Method).
● Ramnagar Method: One of the two election contestants was arrested
alongwithhismenastheothercontestantbribedpolicefordoingso.Later
theonewhobribedthepoliceannouncedthatheisworkingforthemwho
have been arrested.
● Nevada Method: When election contestants were to be contested
betweenaBrahminandaHarijan,theBrahminmadethepeoplevotehim
by bringing a Baba who predicted that Brahmin will win.
17
● Mahipalpur Method: It was the scientific method. The one who wonthe
election had kept his watch faster. As a result, he made the time of his
watchtobetheofficialtimeofthevillage.Hismenvotedandwhenothers
were supposed to vote at the right time, voting was over and he won. A
case was registered against him, however, no outcome was made.
Sanichar using this method wins the election making all others shocked.A love letter
falls on the roof and Ranganath reads it doubting that Bela might have written to
Ruppan. Badri comes and Ranganath tells about the letter and the former feels restless.
It is the hearingofthecaseofJognathandmostofthepeoplegotothecityas“they
get heartfelt satisfaction from seeingthehooliganhumiliated.Andthehooligantogets
heartfelt satisfaction from thinking as many people have come from the village to
support him.”In the court, Chote comes to “testify for Police against Jognath”.
Langar who have also come narrates that he is about the get his copy and is thus
ridiculed.
Hearing of the case begins and the conversation turns towards the daughter of
Gayadin. However, Jognath’s lawyer opposes the relevance of Bela and starts
questioning the witness who is a disciple of Radhelal who is famousforbearingfalse
witnesses.The lawyer tries hisbesttoprovehimfalsebutfails.NextChoteiscalledin
thewitnessbox.Anargumentbeginsandintheend,itistoldbyChotethatJognathand
Bela are in love and thus to take revenge, Gayadin wants him to be involved in the
case.Sub-inspector also comes and tries to avoid being humiliated for making acase
against Jognath. Ultimately Jognath gets bail and returns back.
18
The hearing is held against the Principal in the court. After that, he visits Vaidyaji to
express his anger but Vaidyaji remains cold to him. Acyclistreachesapeepultreein
Shivpalganj which is believed to be haunted by spirits.Suddenly he hears unusual
sounds behind bushes and at once takes them for the spirit. But he soon learns that
there are some drunkards.Two more cyclists come and start listening to their
conversation.OneofthemisJognathwhoistellingaboutrecenteventsassociatedwith
him.AdrunkardwhohasbeenrobbedgoestoPoliceStationandismadetoreturnback
to constable making by making him aware of hiskarma.
Shukla tellshowtheyounggenerationisbecominglazyandworkless.Politiciansbuild
collegestopreparetheirground“forthenextstateassemblyorparliamentarypolls
and their main achievement was to exploit teachers and government grants.”
Inadditiontotheseschools,therearewrestlingpits.“BadrihadflattenedChotewiththe
dhobi-slab throw. Chote would have cursed himbutcan’tasBadriishisteacher.Both
return back.On the way, Badri inquires about the statement that Chose had given
againstBelainthecourt.Choteremainsunserioustoallthequestions.UltimatelyBardi
says, “This Bela is about to become your mother.” Chote is stunned and asks,
“Guru you’re a Brahmin, she’s a Benia…If VaidyaMaharajobjects,yourscheme
will fall to pieces.” Badri assures safety and asks him to keep his secret disclosed.
ChotethinksabouttherumoursrevolvingaroundBela.Badritauntshimformakingher
match with a fool like Jognath.
Shukla tells how Ruppan is sad because he had heard about the affair of Bela and
Badri. Ranganath is also amazed to knowhowpeoplelikeSanicharwinandcriminals
like Jognath get bail and roam freely.
19
Khanna Master and Malaviya come to Ranganath and Ruppan to talk against the
Principal. Khanna Master tells how Principal assassinated Malaviya’s character by
writing a letter narrating about the affair of Malaviya withacollegeboywhomhetook
with him in a hotel.Ruppan tells that he too heard about it. The conversation turns
towards Badri and Bela, their love affair and all the incident that happen. Ruppan is
heart-brokenashetoolovedBelaandevenwroteloveletterstoher.Ruppan,Principal,
and Vaidyaji go to District School Inspector to complain against Khanna Master. The
office of Inspector is “office kam/ residence yada.On the way back theyvisitabazaar
andwhiletalkingaboutbringinguniforminthecollege,thediscussionturnstotheissue
of Khanna Master. Principal after raising issue tries to turn away when Ruppan gets
angry.
Vaidyaji prays to Shiva to get rid of his enemies and on opening the eyes, he finds
Ruppan screaming on Principal. The argument getsseriouswhenRuppantalksabout
the affair of Badri and Bela. In anger, Ruppan leaves their company.The argument
begins betweenVaidyajiandBadrioverBela.WhenVaidyajicallshimlowcharactered
(for having affair with a girl of low caste), Badri reminds him of his grandfather who
marriedasweeper.RuppangetspunchesfromBadriwhenhetriestointerfereandthus
startsseeingstars.Atasweetshop,RuppanfindsLangarsittingandinquiresabouthis
copy.
20
LangartellsthatheisabouttogetitandaddsthathewasattackedbyMalariabuthas
recovered now. Onthewayback,RuppangoesthroughChamrahi(placeofChamars)
anddoesn’tgetthatwelcomewhichaBrahminusedtogetonvisitingaplaceinhabited
by people of low caste. He meets Churriya who why he had visited the place as
elections are over now.Ruppan continues on his way and sees a man forcing an old
womanshopkeepertosellhimachickenthatshedoesn’twanttosellasshehasraised
it to offer to a Baba. However, he succeeds in buying it.Ruppan guesses that some
officer might be visiting his house. Ruppan meets RanganathandPrincipalandoffers
theformertowatchthemovieforfreethatSanicharisofferingasapartofhissuccess.
Ranganath refuses and both go their ways.Sanichar opens a shop. Ranganath
suggests him to put someone to run the shops it doesn’t suit a Pardhan doing so.
Sanichar says that he is merely a tenant as he considers Vaidyaji Pardhan.
A young man comes to the shop of Sanicharandtalksaboutbirthcontrol.Gayadinis
impressed by his behaviour and his caster (he is an Aggarwal) bringing tohishouse,
introduces him to his daughter Bela.
21
ChotefindsSanicharmeddlingwithsomethinginthefieldsandtellshimthatVaidyajiis
waiting for him. However, he shows he is busy and refuses to obey his order.The
sub-inspector, who had had Jognath arrested is now forced to pay a fixed amount
(which is quite high) to Jognath. He visits Vaidyaji for compromise. However, Vaidyaji
suggests him to discuss the issue with Sanichar.Inspector is surprised to know that
Sanichar has become Pardhan. AtSanichar’sshop,Jognathandsub-inspectorargue.
Sanichar can’t decide and suggests that they should again pay a visit to
Vaidyaji.Ultimately sub-inspector pays some amount. Jognath had arranged apartyin
whichafiercefightstartsamongdrunkardsandwholevillageechoeswiththesoundsof
lathis and stones.Badri had gone to pay for bail of a man in another village who is
accusedoftheillegalpossessionofweapons.BadrireturnsbackandVaidyajitellshim
how Khanna Master and his allies have initiated a case against him and Principal.
Badritellshimthathewillresolveeverythingbymightandrequestshimtoconsiderthe
matter of Bela. “On the other hand, his (Ranganath)healthhadimproved,buton
the other, his mind had become polluted.
Vaidyaji graduallyloseshispoliticalinfluenceandsoongetsassuredaboutitwhenthe
newinspectorisnottransferredonhisrecommendation.Hedecidestoresignfromthe
director’s position. The annual meeting of Cooperative Union takes place and Badri
takes the position of his father and thus becomes the new director.Vaidyaji goes to
Gayadin’s house and asks for Bela’s hand. HecomestoknowthatGayadinhasfixed
her marriage with some Aggarwal who belongs to another village.
22
He returns back unaware of the fact that Gayadin was collecting money that he is
supposedtogivetoAggarwalashisprice,sothathemaymarryhisdaughter.Gayadin
prepares to leave for the city (to pay the amount) and sees Ranganath and hisallies
coming towards him.The conversation begins that develops from buffalo to artificial
inseminationtoBelatoKhannaMaster’scase.Itisalsonarratedthatinrecenthearing
judgetookthesideofPrincipalandscoldedKhannaMasterandhisfriends.Ranganath
requestsGayadintomakeVaidyajihelpKhannaMaster,butGayadinnarratingthestory
ofaleaderoftheirvillage(thefirst-everleader),saysthathedoesn’tliketoheartaunts
of leadership.
Shukla tells about the worst condition of the bus stand in Shivpalganj. The Deputy
Director of Education is about to come. Ruppan and Ranganath visit Khanna Master.
23
On the way they meet Langar who tells that his copy reachedtheoffice,however,he
was attacked by Malaria. As he couldn’t collect the file in time, it was thrown away.
Whiletellingthishestartscrying.RuppanandRanganthtrytoconsolehimandsuggest
hetostartfarming.KhannaMastercatchesaboycopyingintheexam.However,ashe
is a member of Principal’s faction a quarrel starts between Khanna Master and
Principal. The former is forced to leave college. Later on, thealliesofKhannaMaster
encouragehimtoraisehisvoiceagainstPrincipalbutherefuses.Theprincipalgoesto
Viadyaji’shouseandcomestoknowthatBelaismarryingsomeoneelseandexclaims,
“GoodGod!Whatanamazingplacethisvillageis!”SanichartellsthatJognathhas
again been arrested ashewasdrunk,thushedoesnot“getachancetoopenshop
twodaysinnow.”ThemainmotiveoftheDeputyDirectorofEducationwasnotcoming
foraninquiryofcollegebuttofulfillthedesireofhiswifetostaythere.Preparationsare
madeinthecollegetowelcomeDeputyDirectorbuthedoesnotcome.MasterMotiram
comes in the evening and announces that Deputy Director will not come. The
discussion begins between Ranganath, the Principal, and Vaidyaji which turns to the
case of Khanna Master. Vaidyaji decides to resolve the matter. He calls him and his
allies and forces them to resign.Ruppan doesn’t like this and Vaidyaji, in anger
disinherits from his property. In the night, Ranganath wonders where Ruppan would
have gone as he has not seen him since evening. The next day Ranganath meets
Principal who offers him the post of Khanna Master and he refuses angrily.
ANALYSIS OF POST COLONIAL INDIA - In the novel RaagDarbari, Shrilal
Shukla illustrates the picture of the postcolonial Indian political scenario which is
muddledbyvestedsectarianinterests,motives,andevilpoliticalpractices.Thenovelas
24
a political satire explicitly presents the pathetic condition of India by metaphorically
presentingatypicalIndianvillagecalledShivpalganj.InIndia,thepoliticaldomainisnot
an independent one because the arena of politics is closely associated with certain
socio-cultural and religious, institutions.
To a certain extent, the fate of Indian politics and political leaders is deeply
influenced by the magical hands of these social institutions. By using this novel as a
weapon, Shrilal Shukla criticizes relevant socio-political issues and he summons the
nation to raise its voice for a change. The picture of Shivpalganj is a microcosm of
Indianvillageswhicharealienatedandneglectedintermsofmodernmaterialoutlooks
anddevelopments(Anjaria4798).Inanationwherepeoplerangingfromschoolchildto
well-known political leader daily uses charming words like development, modernity,
justice, equality, etc. to point out the index of the progress of our nation.But,thesad
reality is that the majority of the Indian villages and people still follow a ‘primitive
traditionallifestyle’whichisfullofsupernaturalbeliefs,evilsocialpractices,andpathetic
economic conditions.
As a visionary writer Shrilal Shukla, declares the truth that change has to be
madefromthebottomofsociety.Progressmustbebuiltuponthesoulofthisnationand
that is, ‘villages’. In India, politics and government are the two integral aspects that
decide the fate of our country. As Gillian Wright states in her introduction to the
translated version of RaagDarbari ‘Politics and Government’ are the two integral
aspectsofthisnovel.Therefore,thefirstpartofthispapergivesahistoricalbackground
to these two important foundations of this novel. Because without the historical
reference to these institutions, I believe the analysis of the post-colonial political
25
scenario in India will not be complete. India was ruled over Three centuries by the
British and they have made tremendous changes and contributions to our social,
cultural, religious, and economic institutions.
Theideaof‘PoliticsandGovernmentisoneofthesignificantcontributionsmade
bytheBritishtotheIndians.Asanimperialpower,theBritishruledthefragmentedand
diverseIndiaasaunifiedintegralcountry.Britishmadethisherculeantaskpossibleonly
through their own ‘Western political tactics”, and also by introducing Western legal,
social, and economic institutions. That is why Shukla writes about the Police in the
novel, “The British installed them, and in 1947returnedtotheirhomeland”(Shukla9).
This line indicates the truth that the police in theIndianlegaldomainwerecreatedby
the British and now the same system is being followed and the police act as the
safeguardsoflawandorder.Alongwiththis,herethepoliceisnotjustanextensionbut
a representation of the whole judicial system which was implemented in India by the
British for their ownpleasant colonial rule.
EnglisheducationinIndiaisoneofthemostprominentcontributionswhichwere
madebytheBritishtotheIndians.ThisEnglisheducationmadealotofgreatchanges
in our country which can range from the different cultural and social aspects to the
present political systems. Before the arrival of the British, Indians were leading an
‘archaic’kindoflifethatwasfullofsupernaturalbeliefs;evilpracticeslikecasteandsati
werecommonamongtheIndianvillagers.WiththeadventofEnglisheducationinIndia,
our cultural, social, and religious domains began to reflect sudden changes and
progress along with the change from an ‘archaic state’ to a ‘modern nation’. Shrilal
ShuklaclearlyportraystheinfluenceofEnglisheducationinIndiabymakingtheMaster
26
ask a question to his student. There the Master askshisstudent,“Howcanyoulearn
bloodysciencewithoutEnglish?”Thisquestionisnotjustapplicablenotonlytoscience
but also to every Indian toreflectupontheimportanceofEnglishinallspheresoflife.
Our ancestors began to fight for freedom when they realized the value of western
principles of liberty, equality and fraternity through English education.
They read abouttheFrenchrevolutionandAmericanstruggleforindependence
and they gotinspirationfromalltheseepicfreedomfightsinhistorywhichlaterhelped
our ancestors to form a nationalist consciousness, the ultimate result of this kind of
consciousness resulted in the formation of a nation called ‘India’. During the colonial
period,theBritishweretheonlyenemyofthewholecountrybutafterindependence,the
Indiansbegantofightagainstthemselves.OnlytherulerschangedfromBritishelitesto
Indian elites but the servitudes and exploited untouchables under both these regimes
remained the same. So, the fight between the ruling elite Indians and the common
people in our country become a naturalphenomenon.Shivpalganjvillageinthisnovel
gives a clear picture of this kind of anIndiansituationwhereVaidyaji,villagePradhan
and other teachers in the colleges are the representatives of Indian elites, and the
Chamars and the peasants in the village are the people who represent the common
people in India who have to suffer under all authoritative systems.
ThesetransformationsofpowerfromtheWesternelitestotheIndianeliteshave
made a lot of changes in the political arenas of India, especially, soon after the
independence, our country witnessed the marathon rule of the Congresspartyforthe
next two decades. These two decades have had asignificantroleinhistory.Thiswas
27
the period when India began its real growthanddevelopmentthroughthevisionsand
deeds of great visionary leaders.
In the beginning part of the novel ‘RaagDarbari’, Shrilal Shukla illustrates the
influenceofGandhiandCongressontheIndians,soonaftertheIndependencethrough
the description of Rangnath. Shukla describes that; “As the great God Vishnu stands
head to toe like a pure lotus flower, so Rangnath stood head to toe,avisionofwhite
khadi cotton, the homespun cloth popularized by Mahatma Gandhi. He wore a khadi
cap, shirt and pajamas, and over his shoulder hung a bag of the kind used by the
Gandhian‘landgift’movement”(2).ThisdescriptionofRangnathshowshowmuchthe
influence of Gandhi and the ideologies of Congress over the people in India afterthe
independence. On another occasion to describe the secular ideology of Congress
Shukla writes; “Gandhi and Nehru are not the names of caste, but the names of
individuals. This is a simplewaytoridthecountryofthecastesystem.Ifyoutakethe
caste name away from a man and convert it into a surname, thennothingremainsof
caste. It destroys itself.”
Here, Shukla uses Gandhi and Nehru only as the leaders who represented
Congressbutheadvocatestheideologiesofthepartybypraisingthemandgivingthis
kind of secular interpretation to their names. Gandhi as the father of our nation and
Nehru as the first Prime Minister of India made a lot of contributions to our nation
irrespective of all caste, class, and religious discriminations. Especially, Nehru as
thearchitectofmodernIndialaidthefoundationstoneforFive-yearplans,whichplayed
avitalroleinthematerialprogressofIndia.Onthesurfacelevel,peoplealwaysgivean
‘economic’interpretationtotheFive-yearplans.Butinhisbook‘TheIdeaofIndia,’Sunil
28
Khilaniobservesthat“TheenduringlegacyoftheNehruvianstatewasnotitseconomic
achievements,butintheestablishmentofaviablestructureofarelativelyautonomous
and democratic nation-state at the core of society, committed totheideaofbuildinga
reformist, politically independent, capitalist society.
During this period, the state stabilized, and assumed responsibilities, ranging
from the abolition of untouchability, establishment of places of higher education and
culture, to building dams and nuclearreactors”(38).Thereflectionofthisstatementis
also very much visible in Shrilal Shukal’s words too because, in the novel, he writes
abouttheinscriptiononafoundationstoneofawellthatwasbuiltinShivpalganj.There,
a note goes like this, “Third Five-Year Plan. Village Council Shivpalganj” (202). This
inscription on the foundation stone also gives the message that Five-year plans were
made for the progress of the nation.
And this development has to be from the lower strata of society. Another
importantthingisthatthenameoftheShivpalganjvillageonthefoundationstoneisthe
best example of the autonomous rule of the village council in India. The name of the
village council on the foundation stone displays the idea of an autonomous and
self-reliant village council system, which was also implemented by Congress after
independence. In India, the early sixties witnessed a lot of changesintheagricultural
sector; the Green revolution of the 1960s made its grand arrival all over the worldby
increasing all agricultural production. The splendid effect of this revolution was also
visibleintheagriculturalproductionofourcountry.AndourleadersandFive-yearplans
alwaysgavethefirstpreferencetotheagriculturalsector.Inthenovel,Shuklapointsout
that, “After this, they (political leaders) explained that progress in agriculture was
29
progressforthenation”(56).So,thiswastheperiodwhenIndiansstartedtolookupto
agricultural production to create material growth in our country.
Because, as Shukla observes everyone was pleading for an increase in
agricultural production and as a developing nation India alwaystrustedtheagriculture
sectormorethantheindustrialsector.ThatiswhatShuklaexplainsagainwhenhetalks
aboutthe‘greatpolitician’inthenovelwhogivesavisitonceayear.Hedescribesthat
politician likethis,“Hecongratulatedhimselfthatthankstothespeecheshehadmade
last year the winter crop this year wasgoingtobegood.Thefarmerswerecultivating
the landaccordingtohisinstructions.Theyhadrealizedthatlandshouldbeploughed,
andnotonlyfertilizerbutseedstooshouldbeputintoit.Theyhadbeguntounderstand
all they were told, and they had lost their apprehensions about new ideas.
The farmers were becoming progressive,and,inshort,theonlybackwardthing
about them was they were still farmers” (159-60). On one side everyone talks about
industrialdevelopmentandeconomicprogressbutontheotherside,Indianswhoneed
agricultural and economic development will seal the farmers as ‘uncivilized and
downtrodden’. Normally the villages in India are untouched and alienated by both the
government and developments. Political leaders and government officials will deliver
non-stop speeches on villages and progress but when the matter of development
comes to a more practical level thenallthesemenprioritizetheirvestedinterestsand
selfish motives. A classic example from the text to show the distance betweenIndian
villagesandmodernityisthatwhenMasteraskshisstudents,“Whowasitwhobrought
adieselengineintothisvillage?Doesanybodyknow?”Thenaboyanswers“You!You
brought it.” (17).
30
This is the best example that shows the invasion of modernity into Indian
villages.MasterMotiramasanIndianistheonewhospreadsouttheideaofmodernity
throughhisflourmilldieselengine.Here,ShrilalShuklatracestheinvasionofmodernity
intotheIndianvillagesalongwiththedevelopmentsinthe1960s.Anotherexamplethat
can be related to this idea of modernity is the description of Vaidyaji’s house. There,
Shukla explains that “The sort of ‘symbolic’ modernization exemplified by India’s
gleamingairportsandglitteringfivestarhotelshadevenaffectedthearchitectureofthis
house” (25-26).
These are prime examples from the novel which clearly explain the late 1950s
and60squestformodernizationandtheseweretheperiodswhenourcountry’ssocial,
economic, political, and cultural domain started to get a s steady growth. All these
material developments are connected to each other. For instance, through English
education, we Indians realized the truth that social evils like untouchability and sati
decreasedtheaccelerationofthedevelopmentofourcultureandsociety.Inthenovel,
thereisapartwhereVaidyajiremembersthePrimeMinister’sspeech,inthatspeechhe
says,“Villageupliftwasonlypossibleonthebasisofschools,co-operativecommittees
and village panchayats” (104).
Schools, cooperativeunions,communitycenters,andvillagepanchayatsplayed
animportantroleinthedevelopmentofournation.WhenIndiabecameanindependent
nationthefirstproblemthatwasfacedbyourgreatleaderswereilliteracy.Here,itwasa
majorhurdletoallformsofdevelopmentandtheonlywaytoeradicatethisproblemwas
toprovidefreeeducationtoallinourcountry.ItisbecauseofthisShuklaexplainsatthe
beginningoftheTenthchapterthat,“TheChangamalVidyalaIntermediateCollegewas
31
foundedto‘inspiretheyouthfulcitizensofthenationwithgreatidealsandbyproviding
them the best education, to make them the means of the country’s uplift” (73).
In the post-colonial Indian scenario other than educationthegovernmentgave
much preference to certain other factors like community centers, land reform
movements, and village panchayats, etc. All these implementations were made to
emancipate the farmers and the untouchables in the villages. The idea of community
centers was introduced in India to securethehealthofthevillagers(Kumar438).AsI
mentioned earlier, normally Indian villages are very much alienatedfromtheso-called
‘development’andduetothelackofthisprogressivementality,theywerenotawareof
hygiene, health care, and epidemics.
The villagers always equated these issues with supernatural beliefs. So,inthis
kindof‘archaic’world,theideaofcommunitycenterswasagreatrelieftothevillagers
all over the nation. The land reform movement was another significant change in the
post-colonial Indian government. This movement in the country started as a reaction
against the feudal landlords in India who were tryingtodominateandexploitthepoor
farmers.Forinstance,inRaagDarbari,ShrilalShuklaclearlyexplainstheimportanceof
land reform movements in India, by referring to Vinoba Bhave’s Bhoodan Movement.
Both these names suggest the influence and impact of the land reforms of the early
1950s and 60s on society.
ThedivisionofpowerisoneofthemostprominentfeaturesofIndiandemocracy.
InIndia,thevillagecouncilorvillagepanchayatsisthebestexamplethatstandsforthe
divisionofpower.Inthiswork,Shuklaclearlyillustratesthewholeprocessofdemocracy
32
through the villagers of Shivpalganj, their Prdhan, Vidyaji, Sanichar are the best
exampleswhoreflecttheideaofdemocracyeventhoughtheyhavetheirintentionsand
interests behind everything. As Gayadin says to Mata Prashad that, “’Brother Mata
Prashadyoudon’thavethequalitiesofaleader.Aleaderneedstoknoweveryveinin
his people’s body, but the people shouldn’t know anything about the leader.”
ThesecondphaseofIndianpoliticsbeganwiththefallofCongressinIndiainthe
late1960s(Yadav98).Thiswastheperiodthatwitnessedalotoftensionsandconflicts
all over the country. The material progress and steady growth of agricultural sectors
made our leaders dream only about money not about the people whom they
represented. And these leaders become the proponents of sectarian politics. Most of
theleaderswhoaresupposedtoservethepeoplebegantoservetheircasteandclass
of people. In this novel, Rmadhin Bhikhmakheris the best example of a leader who
follows this sectarian politics. Because Shrilal Shukla presents him in this way;“Later
on,whenhefellvictimtofactionalpolitics,notforanyparticularreason,butjustdueto
the influence of village or rather, national, culture…”(42). This kind of politicswhichis
based on caste, class, and religion made the situation in post-colonial India more
complex. Andthepoliticiansbegantomakemoremoneybyusingthepowerandfrom
thathugeamounttheybegantogivealittleportionofthatmoneytothevillagersjustfor
the vote. Common people began to fight against this kind of injustice through certain
militant ways.
Theworkingclassmen,peasants,anduntouchablesofourcountrybegantoform
militant peasant and people’s movements against sectarian leaders and their dirty
politics.Thatiswhyinthenovel,SubInspectorsays,“Bribery,theft,dacoit-nowthey’ve
33
all become the same. Its communism” (10). Here, the Inspector is talking about the
Naxalbari system which was spreading as a reaction against the sectarian politics in
India.AndintheinitialstagesoftheNaxalbarimovement,peoplebegantoassociateit
with Communism because of its nature and ideologies. So, the Naxalbarimovements
were thefirstreactionfromthepeopleagainstsectarianpolitics.Whentheconstitution
ofIndiawasformed,peoplethoughtthatthenewconstitutionwouldprovideequalrights
and justice to all irrespective of caste, race, and class.
But the post-colonial Indian judiciary failed to promise what the constitution
upholds as ‘right’. The common people and the peasants were very much alienated
fromthemainstreamjudicialsystem(Hoddy98).ThatiswhatPrincipalelaboratesinthe
novel,“Forevenbiggerpeopletherearebighighcourts,andforthehighestclassofall
theSupremeCourt.IfanyonecanadmonishingglanceatthemtheygostraighttoDelhi
to file a writ petition” (146). Through the wordsofPrincipal,ShrilalShuklacriticizethe
judicial system in India which stands for the idea ofequaljusticetoallbutinreality,it
provides only injustice. Hence, these statements reveal the truth that the judiciary in
India is very much influenced by politically powerful and rich individuals. For the
commonpeople,thesituationisveryhardandthatiswhyChotesaystotheMagistrate
that “ When you set foot in a court you already have one leg in jail and one out of
it”.(226).Thesewordsreflecttheconditionofthemoderncomplexjudicialsysteminthe
country. Along with this, government and bureaucracy also share an equal stature of
complexity intermsoftheirfunctions.Inthenovel,ShrilalShuklaexplainsbriberyasa
commonphenomenonamongthebureaucratsinIndia.Andheobservescorruptionasa
natural practice among both politicians and bureaucrats.
34
The real situation of agovernmentofficeisverymuchvisibleinLangar’swords
when hetalksabouttheclerkintheTehsiloffice.Therehesays,“So,nowit’scometo
this. He squanders his salary on liquor and meat curry and takes bribes to get his
daughters marries” (34). Again, in the same part, Shrilal Shukla describes what
happenstoanapplicationthatonesubmitstoagovernmentoffice.“Anapplicationcan
be rejected at any time. Too few stamps, the file number incorrect, one column
incomplete- anymistakelikethatispostedonthenoticeboardandifit’snotcorrected
by the prescribed date the application is rejected” (34-35).
Langar’sexperienceisnotanoddone;inIndia,amongtheclerksandothercivil
servants, it is a custom to knock on the office doors several times to get any kind of
service or help from those officials. No one wants to raise their voice against these
kinds of injustice because the majority of the people are still illiterate. The initial
enthusiasm that our governments and other officials have shown in the matter of
education has been lost over time. The cases of literate individuals were more
miserable than the illiterate ones. Because the literate individuals began to become
more selfish and just began to find solace in their own limited surroundings.
They didn’t raise any voices or made any agitations against these kinds of
problems. That is why Shukla explains that “Educated people in India occasionally
afflicted with a certain disease which is known as ‘crisis of conscience’. Among the
educated people, this disease generally attacks those who consider themselves
intellectuals”
35
WhenIndiaasanindependentnationgainedmomentumofsteadygrowthour
politicians and bureaucrats began to forget the common people and theirwelfareand
that is what happened inthecaseofeducationreformstoo.EveninmodernIndia,we
are haunted by the scars of the caste system. For example, in the novel, there is a
descriptionoftheuntouchable’svillagesidecalled‘Chamrahi.“Chamar’isthenameof
acastethatisconsidereduntouchable.Anuntouchableisakindofbipedwhich,before
theenforcementoftheconstitution,peopledidn’tusetotouch”(102).Thisdescriptionof
the village part called ‘Chamrahi’ where the Chamars live shows the segregation of
untouchablesfromthemainstreampublicspheres.Ourconstitutionguaranteesequality;
justiceandrightstoallcitizens,butinreality,that‘equality’isjustanold-fashionedword
confined only to the pages of the constitution.
ThehistoryofIndiaisbuiltuponthelinesofthesetypesofsegregationbasedon
caste, creed, class, and religion, etc. That is why sectarian politics play a vital rolein
definingthefateandfaceofleaderseveninmodernIndia.Whenthereisdivisionthen
thechanceofviolenceisatitspeakandthatiswhatwehavebeenwitnessinginterms
of the history of communal riots in the country. Every day,thenationwakesupwitha
new scams story and communal tension story which is an aftereffect of the colonial
‘divide andrulepolicy.Finally,Iwouldarguethattheonlywaytosaveourcountryand
culture from all those socialevilsisto‘negotiate’withtheother,liketheVaidyajiinthe
novel,whointheendgetsreadytonegotiatewiththeotherandhetriestoembracethe
other. So, the only way to save our democracyistoembracetheotherirrespectiveof
caste,creed,class,andreligionandthatwillhelpustocarryforwardthelegacyasthe
greatest democratic.
36
ANALYSIS OF RURAL INDIA
In the novel Raag Darbari, Shrilal Shukla clearly depicts the picture of post-colonial
Indian political scenariowhichisdominatedbycertainsectarianinterests,motivesand
evilpoliticalpractices.ThisnovelasapoliticalsatireclearlyrevealstherealfaceofIndia
through image of the village Shivpalganj. In India the political domain is not an
independent one because our political field is closely associated with certain
social,religious, cultural and economic institutions. In our country the post-colonial
political leaders and political institutionsaredeeplyinfluencedbytheseinstitutions.By
usingthisnovelasaweapon,ShrilalShuklacriticizesthesekindsofpoliticalandsocial
issues and he summons the whole India for a complete change in all fields of life.
The picture of Shivpalganj stands for the typical Indian village which is very much
alienatedandneglectedbythemoderndevelopmentsandmorecivilized‘modernIndian
citizens’. In our country from a school child to a well-known political leader everyone
dailyusesthewordslikedevelopment,modernity,justice,equalityetc...topointoutthe
progress of our nation but it is very hardtoacceptthetruththatmajorityoftheIndian
villages and village people are still follow a ‘primitive tradition which is full of
supernatural beliefs, evil social practices and pathetic economic conditions. As a
visionary writer ShrilalShukla,declaresthetruththatthechangehastobemadefrom
thebottomofthesociety.Boththesocialandeconomicdevelopmentinthemainstream
ofourcountryhastomakeagreatinfluenceonthealienatedvillagesalloverIndiathat
is why, Mahatma Gandhionce said that “India lives in its villages”.
37
In Srilal Shukla's "Raag Darbari," the village of Shivpalganj is often interpreted as a
microcosm of India due to its representation of various social, political, andeconomic
aspectsthatmirrorthebroadercontextofthecountry.Herearesomekeyelementsthat
contribute to this interpretation:
1. **Diversity of Characters:**
-Shivpalganjisinhabitedbyadiversearrayofcharactersrepresentingdifferentsocial
strata, castes, and professions. This diversity reflects the cultural and social diversity
found in India.
2. **Corruption and Power Dynamics:**
- The novel vividly portrays the corruption and power struggles within the village.
These dynamics mirror the political scenario in the larger Indian context, where
corruption and misuse of power are prevalent issues.
3. **Social Hierarchies and Caste System:**
- Shukla highlights the deep-rooted caste system and social hierarchies in
Shivpalganj. This mirrors thebroaderissuesofcastediscriminationandinequalitythat
persist in various parts of India.
4. **Political Satire:**
38
-Thepoliticalsatirein"RaagDarbari"extendsbeyondthevillageleveltocommenton
the political landscapeoftheentirenation.Thenovelcritiquesthepoliticalsystemand
its impact on rural life, drawing parallels with the political scenario in India.
5. **Economic Disparities:**
- Economic disparities are depicted in the novel through the exploitationoffarmers
andlaborers.Thisthemeresonateswiththeeconomicinequalitiespresentonanational
scale.
6. **Traditional vs. Modern Values:**
-Theclashbetweentraditionalvaluesandmoderninfluencesisarecurringthemein
thenovel.ThismirrorsthebroaderstrugglebetweentraditionandmodernityinIndiaas
the country undergoes social and cultural transformations.
7. **Religious Practices:**
- The representation of religious practices and rituals in Shivpalganj reflects the
diverse religious landscape of India. The novel exploreshowreligioninfluencessocial
dynamics and individual behavior in the village.
8. **Bureaucratic Red Tape:**
-ThebureaucratichurdlesfacedbythecharactersinShivpalganjarereflectiveofthe
bureaucratic challenges prevalent at the national level in India.
39
In essence, Srilal Shukla usesthemicrocosmofShivpalganjtosatiricallycommenton
thelargersocio-politicallandscapeofIndia.Byweavingtogethervariouselements,the
novelprovidesalensthroughwhichreaderscananalyzeandreflectonthecomplexities
of Indian society at large.
NO FEMALE VOICES PRESENT
In "Raag Darbari," Srilal Shukla's portrayal of the absence of female voices is indeed
notable.Thenovelprimarilyfocusesonmalecharacters,andthefemalecharactersare
often marginalized or portrayed in stereotypical roles. Here are some key points
highlighting the absence of female voices in thenovel,alongwithexamplesoffemale
characters:
1. **Limited Presence:**
- Female characters in "Raag Darbari" have a limited presence in terms of both
quantity and depth.Thenarrativepredominantlyrevolvesaroundmalecharacters,and
female voices are seldom given the opportunity to express their perspectives.
2. **Stereotypical Roles:**
-Thefemalecharactersinthenovelareoftenconfinedtostereotypicalrolessuchas
wives, daughters, or mothers.Theiragencyandindividualityareovershadowedbythe
dominant male-centric narrative.
3. **Lack of Dialogue:**
40
- Female characters are given fewer dialogues and interactions compared to their
male counterparts. This lack of dialogue restricts the expression of their thoughts,
opinions, and experiences.
4. **Marginalization:**
-Femalecharactersaremarginalizedindiscussionsanddecision-makingprocesses
within the village. Their contributions to social, economic, or political matters are
downplayed or ignored.
5. **Examples of Female Characters:**
- One notable example is the character of Dhania. She is portrayed as the wife of
RuppanBabu,andherroleislargelylimitedtohouseholdactivities.Hercharacterlacks
depth, and her voice is almost entirely absent from the narrative.
- Another example is the character of Chandrakali, who is portrayed as a dancer.
While she has a more visible presence due to her profession, her character is still
confined to traditional gender roles, and her agency is limited.
6. **Patriarchal Norms:**
-Thenovelreflectsandreinforcespatriarchalnormsprevalentinruralsocietyduring
the time it was written. Women are often depicted in relation to men, reinforcing
traditional gender roles and expectations.
41
7. **Limited Exploration of Female Perspectives:**
-Thenoveldoesnotdelvedeeplyintotheinnerlives,thoughts,orstrugglesoffemale
characters.Theirperspectivesonthesocialandpoliticalissuesaddressedinthenovel
are not explored in detail.
While"RaagDarbari"iscelebratedforitssatiricalcritiqueofruralIndia,itisimportantto
note that the novel has facedcriticismforitslimitedexplorationoffemaleexperiences
andperspectives.Theabsenceofrobustfemalevoicesinthenarrativecontributestoa
one-sided portrayal of the societal dynamics within the village of Shivpalganj.
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