Ghachar Ghochar

A strange title for a novel, that's what i thought when i first heard the name of Ghachar Ghochar. Later i found out that it's actually a phrase without any apparent meaning, randomly invented by one of the characters in the story, and loosely translates as : a knot which is tangled up beyond repair. We all have some idea about such annoying knots. (In fact, there is a word we have in Bangla - রামগিট্টু :P) The novella received considerable acclaim post its publication and there are some reason behind that.

Ghachar Ghochar is a subtly-plotted tense story about a lower middle class family which went from rags to riches but couldn't avoid the payoff that comes with wealth and prosperity. I liked the simplicity of the storytelling and the attention that is given to the small details throughout the narration. I liked how deftly the writer explored the themes such as class-morality (or the lack of it) and “wilful-blindness”, which are some inevitable peculiarities of human existence. The narrative flow was superb and there were no unnecessary tinkering with form or prose style.

But i did not like the ending much. I do have some qualms about the term “open-ended/ ambiguous ending”. Writers tend to implement this formula just because they don't have a coherent ending ready, sometimes i suspect. Anyway, Srinath Perur's translation is really impressive. While reading the book i almost forgot that it was originally written in the south Indian language, Kannada. Books like Ghachar Ghochar keep reminding me the fact that, India's regional literature is far ahead of the much-hyped Indian-English literature. Just a few dedicated translators are needed to drive the point home. That's it.