Ghachar Ghochar, Kannadiga writer Vivek Shanbhag’s terrific novel which was translated by Srinath Perur is a treat to read with its tightly-woven plot, engrossing characters that capture the essence of post-liberalization rags-to-riches of India with its pervasive, quirky family dynamics and a climax worthy of satisfying and mind-bending thriller. It is rendered seamlessly with a marvelous brevity of writing that makes one to yearn for more as the last page is turned over.
Sikh band ‘White sun’ wins Grammy Award
Shanbhag’s characters in Ghachar Ghochar seem like pebbles on the bed of a shallow stream, unruffled with enduring the daily grind, tug of small tides. Shanbhag shifts contours, thrusts upheaval and suspense at a moment’s notice. He examines his characters as minutely as the reflections startle us at times, make us wiser as we turn the pages.
Ghachar Ghochar spans only in 118 pages. The story of Ghachar Ghochar revolves around the fortunes of a Bangalore-based joint family who from living in almost penury, dependent on a single ageing breadwinner, join the legions of the successful rich in India, after a wily, young family member launches his own business of selling spices. The family members immediately become subservient to every wish and whim of the businessman, who lives under the same roof as his elder brother and his wife, his nephew and his wife and a niece, who divorces her husband and comes back home.
Funny suggestion by Aziz Ansari on Islamophobia
Shanbagh is a master at playing with imagination and he reveals and revels in hiding, a section that deals with the wedding of the narrator, from his hesitant contact with his erudite fiancée, to the wedding day, culminating in the first night, the first touch and honeymoon, is a master class of the highest form of writing.
Ghachar Ghochar is a novel not to be missed.
By Premji
