''Delhi Gadhakal'' (''Tales from Delhi'') is a
Malayalam language
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...
novel by
M. Mukundan. It was first published as a book by
D. C. Books
DC Books is a publisher in Kerala publisher of books in Malayalam, and one of the publishers in India . It also operates one of the largest book store chains in India, with a network of over 45 bookshops under the DC Books and Current Books b ...
in November 2011. The novel portrays the various events that greatly influenced the author's life during the 40 years spent in
New Delhi
New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...
, since 1962. The novel has as protagonist a leftist Kerala youth, named Sahadevan, who had the shock of his life when he landed in Delhi to hear the news of Chinese attack on India. It was translated from Malayalam by Fathima E. V. and Nandakumar K. under the title ''Delhi: A Soliloquy''.
It took three years for Mukundan to finish the novel.
It was released on 1 November 2011.
["Finished work belongs to readers: Mukundan"](_blank)
''The Hindu
''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...
''. 2 November 2011. Retrieved 7 December 2011. The novel received much critical praise and soon went on to become one of the best-selling novels of the year. It also won several awards including the first Kamala Suraiyya Award.
Background
''Delhi Gadhakal'' has been penned in the backdrop of
New Delhi
New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...
, the city to which the author's name has been associated probably even more than his hometown,
Mayyazhi (Mahe). The novel was inspired by various events that greatly influenced the author's life during the 40 years spent in New Delhi, since 1962. Mukundan had traveled to Delhi in 1962, as a young man, in search of a job, and over the next four decades, while working in the French Embassy, he has observed how the city has been transformed from a small village to a megapolis.
The novel begins with the
Sino-Indian War
The Sino-Indian War took place between China and India from October to November 1962, as a major flare-up of the Sino-Indian border dispute. There had been a series of violent border skirmishes between the two countries after the 1959 Tib ...
. Mukundan says, "That war was a historical jolt for the Left movement in India. The Left was counting so much on
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
and its Premier,
Zhou Enlai
Zhou Enlai (; 5 March 1898 – 8 January 1976) was a Chinese statesman and military officer who served as the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, premier of the People's Republic of China from 1 October 1949 until his death on 8 J ...
. In fact, in the
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
of those days, we talked more about Zhou, rather than
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...
and
Pandit Nehru."
In the novel, Mukundan also describes the impact of the 1965 and 1971 wars against
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
on the people of Delhi. But the most important section is on the 1975 Emergency which was imposed by Prime Minister
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (; Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and a central figure of the Indian National Congress. She was elected as third prime minister of India in 1966 ...
. The novel also describes in detail the assassination of Indira Gandhi in 1984 and the subsequent anti-Sikh riots.
Plot summary
The novel narrates a story set in Delhi through the eyes of a Malayali youth, named Sahadevan, who lands in the capital after securing a job in a travel agency. On his arrival in the capital, carrying high hopes and aspirations, Sahadevan is welcomed by a shocker when he learns that China had attacked India. It was a historical jolt for the Left movement. This along with his first sight of old Delhi, which in those days looked like an ordinary village with plenty of wheat and cauliflower fields forms the first chapters of the novel. In the following chapters, several historical incidents such as Indo-Pak Wars of
1965
Events January–February
* January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years.
* January 20
** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...
and
1971 *
The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6).
The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history.
Events
Ja ...
,
The 1975 Emergency, assassination of Indira Gandhi and the subsequent anti-Sikh riots, and their impact on the people of Delhi have been tellingly narrated. The novel ends with a dream sequence in which a dying Sahadevan sees hundred thousands of beggars storm the
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
.
Characters
* Sahadevan - the protagonist.
* Sreedharanunni - A third-grade employee in the
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
. It is Sreedharanunni who brings Sahadevan to Delhi.
* Devi - Sreedharanunni's wife.
* Sathyanathan - Sreedharanunni's son.
* Vidya - Sreedharanunni's daughter.
* Kunhikrishnan - A journalist working in Delhi.
* Lalita - Kunhikrishnan's wife.
* Vasavappanicker - An artist working in Delhi.
* Rosily - A Malayalee Christian woman who is forced to become a prostitute in Delhi.
* Kunhikkannan Master - A
naxalist leader in Kerala.
* Janakikutty - Kunhikkannan Master's daughter.
* Uttam Singh - Sahadevan's house owner at Amrit Puri.
* Pinki - Singh's younger daughter.
* Jaswinder - Singh's elder daughter.
* Dasappan - A barber working in Delhi.
* Gulshan Wadhwa - Sahadevan's employer.
* Om Prakash Jain - Sahadevan's house owner at
Jangpura
Jangpura is a neighbourhood in South East Delhi district of Delhi. Beginning from the east and moving clockwise, it is bordered by the Mathura Road, Ring Railway line, Silver Oak Park beyond the Defence Colony Flyover, and the Barapulla Nullah. ...
.
* Ashok Chimber - Sahadevan's house owner at
Malviya Nagar.
* Kuber Lal - Sahadevan's house owner at
Mayur Vihar
Mayur Vihar is an upmarket residential area in East Delhi close to the Noida-Delhi border, situated just across the Yamuna River, and is divided into three distinct phases. As the name suggests, it has been the dwelling (''vihar'') of peacocks ( ...
.
* Harilal Shukla - An art lover and Vasavappanicker's mentor.
* Vanaja - Sahadevan's sister.
* Shyamala - Sahadevan's sister.
* Abdul Abdunnissar - Vanaja's lover.
* Abdul Aleem - Sahadevan's employee.
* Divakaran Potti - Sahadevan's employee.
* Seetharam - the
dhobi
Dhobi known in some places as Dhoba or Rajaka, Madivala is a group of community in India and the greater Indian subcontinent whose traditional occupations are washing and ironing, Cultivator, agricultural workers.
They are a large community, ...
. He is a victim of forced-
sterilisation during
the Emergency.
* Jamaludheen - a Bangladeshi refugee.
Writing
''Delhi Gadhakal'' is M. Mukundan's 18th published work. The novelist has been highly successful with his earlier novel ''Delhi'' which had rewritten the conventional nuances of Malayalam novels by deviating from the then existing genre. Later, he had also penned a short-story on Delhi titled "Delhi1981". But the writer says that his latest work in no way should be treated a sequel to the earlier ''Delhi''.
According to the author, this novel is different from his other novels both thematically and in the style of narration.
It took three years for Mukundan to finish the novel.
He says that the idea of painting Delhi in such a huge canvas has always been in his mind, and he spent most of the time back in Delhi to pen the novel after completing his five-year term as the office-bearer of the Kerala Sahithya Akademi.
Release
The novel was released by former Kerala education minister
M. A. Baby on 1 November 2011, at a cultural festival organised in connection with the 13th DC International Book Fair. In the event, Baby lauded the writer for his efforts to explore and recreate the mindset of the people during the Emergency and ‘their view of Indira Gandhi's misjudgement about people's power.'
Awards
*2012: Kamala Suraiyya Award
*2012: VVK Award
*2021:
JCB Prize for Literature
JCB Prize for Literature is an Indian literary award established in 2018. It is awarded annually with prize to a distinguished work of fiction by an Indian writer working in English or translated fiction by an Indian writer. The winners will be an ...
References
External links
*
{{Malayalam Literature , state=collapsed
2011 Indian novels
Malayalam novels
Novels by M. Mukundan
Novels set in Delhi
DC Books books