Godaan

Visited landmark again and bought some more books. Somehow I ended up getting thrillers this time along with a translated version of a hindi classic. I might end up writing about those books.

Have not yet completed reading any of those books. Reading Noah's Ark and Godaan. Godaan meaning offering of cow. I started reading it today. I have not yet completed it but am highly impressed with whatever I have read so far. This is an English transaltion of a hindi classic by Premchand. The book is the last work of Premchand.
Since I have not completed the book, I want to wait till I do a full review of the book. But would like to, shall we say, put the cart before the horse and talk a bit about few characters in this novel.

Hori, a bonded farmer who is a tenant in his zamindar Raja Saheb's lands. seems like he has 5 bigha zameen. there is an interesting character sketch of Hori. He comes out as a not so wiley. He is but worldly wise. knows his position in the social structure of his village in the fact that he feels it necessary to visit his zamindar. he can listen to his master's philosophical ramblings and yet has some of his worldly philosophy to dish out to his family. There is sketch of his world - the world filled with travails and troubles of the working class. His family consisting of is wife dhania, his young son gobar and his daughters. His extended family consisting of his brothers and their wives and the respective dynamics involved in handling them. the interaction of Hora with Bhola, the cowherd. Its interesting to see how each of them have a hidden desire and how they go about trying to realise it with least pain and expense to themselves. Bhola's daughter Junia and the description world - her world through her eyes and experience - shows a relevancy even to this age. Her budding love with Hora's son Gobar. need to see how this goes forward. Hora's interaction with his each of his family, his fellow villagers, his master etc is neatly interwoven in the start.

Right opposite is the world of the zamindar. His oppulence, his interaction with his servants, his peers and his english superiors or the english babus are well pictured here. The fact that his beliefs do not really match what he really does in practical life, his dependencies, his false world are all pictured here very well. Need to see how this will go forward.

A farmer's connection with acquiring a cow for various reasons starting from his wish to provide milk to his growing son, to getting some extra cash, to his belief that a cow enhances the prestige of every farmer. The farmer's hidden desire for a cow has started off in the early stages of the book. will need to wait and see how it proceeds. This is a good picture of pre-independent india which still has a good share of English babus and the last stages of zamindarism, the emergence of women in social structure. Will write more about this book once I am done.