Subject: English

Class: M.A.
Year/Semester: IIIrd sem.
Name of the Paper: Post-colonial Theory and Literature
Topic: Raag Darbari
Sub-topic: Raag Darbari as a post colonial novel and its contemporary
relevance
Key-words: ganjahe, chamrahi, melody of the court, mundane, alienation,
beneficiaries, music of escapism, ulta logic, nihilistic, episodic

Name- Dr. Kiran Singh

Department of English & other Foreign Languages
Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith
Varanasi-02
E:mail: [email protected]
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Shrilal Shukla was a prolific Hindi writer. He worked as an IAS Officer
for the state government of Uttar Pradesh. He is chiefly known for his
satires. He has written more than 25 books including Raag Darbari,
Makaan, Sooni Ghaati Ka Suraj, Pehla Padaav & Bisrampur Ka Sant.
He has done his graduation from the University of Allahabad.
Through his novels Shukla has highlighted the moral degradation and
failing of values in the post independence Indian society and has
exposed the negative aspects of life, both in urban and rural areas of
the country. He received various awards for his literary contribution.
His works have been translated into many other languages and also
adopted for stage performance and TV serials.
NOVELS SATIRES SHORT MEMOIRS LITERARY CHILDREN TRANSLATIONS
STORIES CRITICISM LITERATURE

Sooni Ghaati Ka Angad Ka Paanv – Yeh Ghar Mera Mere Bhagwati Charan Babbar Singh Aur Pehla
Sooraj – 1957 1958 Nahin – 1979 Saakshaatkaar – Varma – 1989 Uske Padaav(Translated
2002 Saathi(Translated in English as
in English as Opening Moves) • Sahitya Akademi
Babbar Singh and
his Friends) award,1969
• Jnanpith Award,2011
Agyaatvaas –
1962
Yahaan Se
Vahaan – 1970
Suraksha Tatha
Anya Kahaaniyan –
Kuchh Saahitya
Charcha Bhi –
Amritlal Naagar –
1994
Makaan(Translate
d in Bengali)
• Vyas samman,1999
1991 2008 • Padma Bhushan,2008
Raag Darbari – Meri Shreshtha Iss Umra Mein – Agyeya: Kuchh Raag
• Sahitya Bhushan,2005
1968 Vyangya 2003 Rang Kuchh Darbari(Translated • Goyal Sahitya Puraskar
Rachnayein-1979 Raag – 1999 in English and
other Indian by Kurukshetra
languages)
University
Aadmi Ka Umraaonagar Dus Pratinidhi
• Lohiya Ativishishta
Zahar – 1972 Mein Kuchh Din – Kahaaniyan – 2003 Samman
•
1986
Sharad Joshi Samman
Seemayein Kuchh Zameen by M.P.government
•
Tootati Hain- Mein Kuchh Hava
1973 Mein-1990 Maithilisharan Gupta
Makaan-1976 Aao Baith Lein Samman.
Kuchh Der-1995
Pehla Padaav- Agli Shataabdi Ka
1987 Sheher-1996
Bisrampur Ka Jahaalat Ke
Sant-1998 Pachaas Saal-2003
Khabron Ki
Jugaali-2005
• Raag Darbari is a satirical Hindi novel written by Shrilal Shukla.
• It was published in the year 1968.
• Shrilal Shukla was awarded with sahitya Academy Award in 1969 for this novel.
• It was translated into English by Gillian Wright in1992.
• In her translation Gillian Wright has tried her best to maintain the pace and rhythm
of life in Shivpalganj which is the Centre of power politics.
• It has also been translated into 15 Indian languages.
• Shukla has written this novel drawn from his experiences as a bureaucrat in Uttar
Pradesh.
• The main theme of the novel is politics and government.
• A very realistic picture of village politics has been presented by the novelist.
• The story of the novel comprises 35 chapters.
• The story of the of the novel is narrated from the viewpoint of a young research
scholar in history, Rangnath.
• Here he learns how his uncle uses all village institutions – the village school, the
village panchayat, the cooperative society, the local government officials for his
political purposes.
• He comes to the village of Shivpalganj for few months in order to spend some time
with his uncle, Vaidya ji , in the serene and calm atmosphere of a rural area.
• The conduct of his uncle and petty village politicians is radically different from the
ideals taught in our universities.
• The illagers feel proud to e addressed as ganjahe , hi h gi es the a spe ial
identity and suggests their way of life.
• The title of the novel Raag Darbari suggests the name of one of the most
difficult ragas of Indian classical music , but here the writer has taken its
literal meaning – the melody of the court.
• It does not refer to the Rag of Indian classic music, but the song sung by
village politician Vaidya ji, on whose tune everyone in the village dance.
• It gives an absolutely correct description of village politics and the working
of government machinery.
• It also portrays a gloomy picture of social and political corruption and its
highly delicate dynamics prevalent in post independence India.
• It also exposes the failure and helplessness of the educated and intellectual
class of society as well as high ideals and policies made in our assemblies in
the face of a strong and corrupt nexus between criminals, businessmen,
police and politicians.
 Post colonial literature designates any
It refers to the nations that gained
national literature which is written after
independence between the last quarter of
the nation gained independence from
the19th century and the 1960s.
colonizing power

Globally it refers to the literature of the

nations Caribbean , Central and South
It equally applies to India, Ireland, Australia,
America, Africa, the South Pacific islands
Newzeland, Canada and the Philippines
and Malaysia.

Major themes of postcolonial fiction are

exile and alienation, rebellion , struggle
and opposition against colonial powers,
subjugation and racialism etc.
Raag dar ari as ritte a d pu lished just four ears after Pt. Nehru s death, i the earl ears
of I dira Ga dhi s go er e t.

The setting of the novel is in the late 50s .

The story spans the period of Ra g ath s stay in Shivpaganj since that point he started
experiencing the mundane politics of villages.

The o el tra es the differe e et ee Pt. Ja aharlal Nehru s gra d isio of de elop e t
plans, large scale reform projects in agriculture sector , democracy and secularization and the
aims of socio-economic equality and the hard realities on the ground level.

The novel caricatures the postcolonial Indian political scenario dominated by certain sectarian
interests, motives and evil political practices.
The plot of the novel tells the story of Shivpalganj, a typical north
Indian village in Uttar Pradesh.

This village is one of the ideal beneficiaries of government policies

of village development.

Despite ensuring village upliftment, the rural development programmes

All the grassroots institutions like cooperative unions, village initiated by state government ,have become the source of power ,politics
panchayat, ,the village council and the college are there. and personal income for village administration.

The plot also involves a rivalry between two fractions of college teachers
and Rangnath is unintentionally dragged into it.

The political standing and authoritative position of Vaidya ji is challenged

by the rebel group of teachers, who are supported by Vaidya ji's arch
enemy, Ramdin, the opium dealer and gambling don of the village.
• Vaid a ji s politi al po er pla s a pi otal role i affe ti g perso al life as ell as so ial
image.

• Everything in society is under control of local politics which has its connection to
urban politics.

• Burglaries, Bhang drinking sessions, gambling, wrestling, pan chewing and other
a tio s k o as Ga ja ha its ha e e o e the i separa le parts of illage life.

• The economic and political power connections and issues like inter-caste marriages,
family planning, the Indian habit of pontification and speech giving have found a better
articulation .

• The eccentric legal system and the flexible tyranny of police is brutally exposed.

• A big gap between government and common public and the deriving sense of alienation
fro the orldl affairs is e e plified through the stor of La gar s e dless struggle
and unsuccessful efforts for finding a copy of a court document without giving any
bribe.
 Selection of
Sanichar for the
post of Pradhan by
Vaidya ji exposes
the power politics
and fake
democracy.

Tricks applied by Depiction of

candidates to win Chamrahi and bus
the election are stop discloses the
ensuring the reality of village
failure of development
democratic ideals. plans.

Treatment of lower
Roles played by class people by
Ruppan Babu and upper class and the
Badri Pahalwan are absence of female
showing how characters except
power and politics Bela (present
are used for virtually) reveal the
personal interest. fact of social
equality.
 a realistic and
pessimistic
representation of
post colonial India
where the social
and Political
systems are totally exposes in a very
corrupt and refined way social
Also clarifies that spoiled. and political
the rural world is
dynamics of rural
possibly more
life in the country
corrupt than the
in the following
Urban society.
years of
independence.
RAAG
Vaidya ji s
instrumental role in all
DARBARI mocks the whole
local social institutions system in totality
including village for its ridiculous
college, openly shows
that the whole
deceptive
education system in strategies for
India is absolutely befooling the
represents a complete
Questionable and common people.
reversal of the
impractical.
romantic thoughts
about rural world as
described in our
literature, where the
goodness of village has
always been profusely
incorporated.
The novel finally ends on a note of escapism. The hero of the novel, who visits the
village Shivpalganj with a hope to find an untouched and serene environment, wants
to leave the village. He feels choked there because of the corrupt suffocating
atmosphere. It is a place of sadness, feudalism, maladies, urgency and misdirection,
running the life of people. Huge infractions of justice are done in the name of
democracy and village development. Futility of university education and high ideals
are pro e i the losi g li es of the o el i the ords of ollege pri ipal: Ba u
Rangnath, our ideas are er ele ated. But all i all, the just pro e that ou re a fool.

…Es ape fro here… Ru , ru , ru !

You are ei g pursued realit .
Raag Darbari is a social critique presenting
the ulta logic of the modern world where
every day life has become a topsy-turvy
world in which things are totally different as
they appear.

Causes have become effects and effects,

causes, ideals are perverted in every way
possible.

Corruption is justified in such a twisted way

that is managed to appear as the natural.
 Raag Darbari is
contemporary in that there
The 21st century writers
are some surprising
have returned to more
commonalities between this
populist modes and styles.
novel and the 21st century
Indian writings.

They have reanimated

They have adopted more I dia s Tier II ities a d s all
satiric and even nihilistic towns in their writings as
streak and experiments with sites of futurity, rather than
ulta logi . only the cosmopolitan
cities.

As in Raag Darbari
contemporary writers have
also started to comment on
the failure of system.
 .

Like Raag Darbari 21st century writers have also refused the
orientalist representation of India.

The romanticization of rural life has been satirized by these writers.

The new literature also hearkens back to the anchalik literature of the
immediate post colonial decades and the depiction of a range of
Indian accent belying the strict division between English and Bhashas.

Daily life experiences have also been described in the novels of 21st
century writers.
Problems raised by Toda s literar s e e
Raag Darbari are Modern youth still
suffers from the sense reflects the same impulses
still persisting in exemplified in Raag Darbari
society. of alienation and wants
to escape from the hard and thus this satirical,
realities of life. nihilistic, episodic bhasha
novel of the 1960s has
found its futurity in the
populist, provincialist
novels of the day.

Shrilal Shukla (17 May 2007 ,Lucknow)

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1. Discuss Raag Darbari as a post colonial novel.
2. Shrilal Shukla s Raag Dar ari is a satirical novel. Do you
agree with it?
3. In Raag Darbari Shrilal Shukla has presented the harsh
realities of post independence Indian politics and society
.Give your statement in this respect.
4. Give a critical analysis of Raag Darbari as a modern Indian
novel.
5. Evaluate the contemporary relevance of Raag Darbari.