This novel is written by Jaywant Dalwi. He is one of my favorite writers in Marathi. His writing style is very original and his stories are mostly based on experiences with life, human relationships etc.
He is one writer who can weave humor and tragedy at the same time in the story. My favorite books by him are ‘Saare Pravasi Ghadiche’, ‘Chakra’, ‘Durgi’.
I picked up this novel to read only because it was by Jaywant Dalwi. I did not know anything about the story, later on I found out that a very well known Marathi play named ‘Guntata Hriday he’ is based on this book.
But this is unusual book with a story with lot of social and cultural background.
It’s a love story but various aspects like cultural beliefs just suited of selfish needs, social conditions at that time, emotions like love, Lust , disappointment, happiness, remorse are greatly visible in the story.
This story happens during time when the concept of ‘Devdasi’ was getting dissolved slowly in rural parts of Maharashtra.
The term ‘Devdasi’ refers to woman who is dedicated to God, she is deliberately married to God and has to provide lifelong service to the local temple like cleaning, taking care of temple, perform rituals etc. But apart from just being dedicated to God, she can indulge in her desires and keep sexual relationships with people of her choice.
It’s a story of a young man named ‘Babulnath’ from Urban area who visits his uncle’s house in Konkan. This young man is quite educated and looking forward to live a good life in city. Only till he meets a girl named Mahananda from the village.
This girl is perfect beauty as heroines portrayed in films.
She is a daughter of a ‘Bhavin’ (Devdasi). Although she could not be forced into being a Devdasi like her mother because the concept is outlawed by Government, her mother still wishes she follows the same tradition.
Babulnath meets Mahananda’s mother Kalyani first in the temple and is mesmerized by her persona. Although she is at old age, He fantasizes of having married her if he was born 20-25 years before, when she was young.
He keeps getting fascinated by her that he peeps into vicinity of her house every now and then to get a glimpse of how she lives her life and hopes that she has a daughter who is equally mesmerizing like her.
He seems a bit shallow with his views of love and marriage here because he is interested in pleasures of experiencing something new and gets attracted to sweet talk by Kalyani and while wishing Kalyani could have been young he spots her daughter while peeping through Kalyani’s house, and he immediately gets attracted to her and soon falls madly in love and wants to marry too.
This seems a bit unrealistic and made out kind of a story.
Babulnath and Mahananda develop a relationship pretty fast and Babulnath promises to marry. But Kalyani is against this because she wants Mahananda to follow the same tradition. She is a lady with old beliefs and god-fearing nature, she thinks if ‘Mahananda’ does not follow same tradition, the God might shower them with misfortunes.
Babulnath goes back to city and returns only with a sole aim to marry Mahananda and to take her to city along with him.
But before he reaches Mahananda's home, Mahananda is sent to her uncle’s place and Kalyani repeats the same stories of misfortune that people had to face because they went against ‘God’s wish and married Devdasis. She also tells something shocking to Babulnath which is a turning point for the rest of the story. Babulnath immediately drops the plans to marry Mahananda and without knowing the truth abandons her and goes back to the city.
He lives his life unmarried, working as a teacher and changing from one place to other.
Here as a reader, I was questioning the real feelings of Babulnath. He was traditional, egoistic, shallow, custom-fearing looser. His feeling of love for Mahananda was only for her exterior look.
That’s why he develops relationship with Mahananda very fast and is so much in love with her so much as he gives a part of himself to her.
But how come he fails to trust her when a situation arises where a person who truly loves would have at least tried to meet with her once.
That was the time he should have stood by her side. But he does not and instead of even meeting her he trusts whatever is told by Kalyani and goes his way.
He remains unmarried thoughout his life, but that can not prove his feelings of love for Mahananda. He remains unmarried because he is selfish and coward at the same time.
He is selfish and thats the reason he wants to only marry her hence remains unmarried.
He is coward at the same time because he does not have a courage to accept her in life and fight with the tradition and against all odds.
Instead of fighting with the world and customs he fights with his own self and ruins
his life and ultimately his happiness.
Mahananda is example of a woman betrayed twice. One: by her own mother and Other: by her lover, her character is more real and in-depth.
Kalyani is also a strong character who remains firm on her beliefs even if it destroys the life of her daughter. She does not care about life of her daughter and has no concern if her life goes waste in servicing to so called ‘God’ but actually servicing ‘Men’.
She is a woman who has resigned to traditions and she does not believe in self-identity. She wants to live at the feet of the master and the Master although means ‘God’ in reality it’s the Man who supports her financially. She wants her daughter to face the same tradition.
Babulnath knows his uncle visits Kalyani regularly and pities his aunt as he always has seen her like dead woman walking, without her existence like a woman with no happiness and having grim burden of something all the time. And he questions himself whether such behavior of his uncle towards his wife is justified.
Although it’s a love story there are lot of questions and thoughts when you read this book.
The selfish traditions and how lives were affected by stupid beliefs of a few at that time is visible throughout the story.
Chauvinism, misuse of power and money and fake tradition to enjoy favors of a female by making her ‘Devdasi’, leaving her with no identity and no self-made choices
as per her own wishes, all these facts are deep routed in this story.
