Nilasavala

by G.A. Kulkarni

This is the first collection of twelve short stories that introduced readers of Marathi fiction to the genius of G.A. Kulkarni.

Genres: Marathi

122 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1959

About the author

G.A. Kulkarni or simply "GA” was a legendary Marathi writer of short stories.

GA, who bought new strength and vitality to the Marathi short story, is admittedly the most distinguished exponent of that genre. He did not subscribe to the cause of modernism in literature. He charted his own separate course and cultivated new acuity and taste for a class of faithful readers.

GA created a world of his own in his short stories where his characters are in pursuit of the unknowable destiny. A dark mode reflects the inscrutable ways in which destiny shadows his characters. His use of symbolism, allegory and irony provides his stories a unique texture and ethos. His world encompasses a wide diversity of locales, situations, characters and experiences. The mythic, allegorical experiences make it difficult to sort out the realities from the dreams, themes, and meditations. Yet, it is possible for the reader to identify with is characters, places, and experiences because of his keen observation of human, animal, and social worlds in their beauty and deformity.

Critics observe that characters in GA’s world are multifaceted, but they are not independent. They lead their lives as if they are puppets guided by an unseen hand are unable to change the direction. Why they follow that path to their demise or why they cannot change it by their volition is not known. In that sense, his work is a reversal of direction fostered by the modernist short story in Marathi. GA's earlier short stories depicted the tragic and cruel aspects of human situation.

Reviews

[Salil Kanitkar · Rating 4 out of 5]

अंतर्मुख करून सोडण्याची लक्षणीय ताकद जीएंच्या सगळ्याच लिखाणामध्ये आहे आणि दर वेळेला त्यांचं एखादं पुस्तक वाचलं कि त्याची नव्याने जाणिव होते. अर्थातच "निळासांवळा" हा कथासंग्रह याला अपवाद कसा असेल! अवघ्या दहा-पंधरा पानांच्या कथेमध्ये सुद्धा त्यांची पात्रं अतिशय स्वष्टपणे डोळ्यांसमोर उभी राहतात आणि मनात घर करून सोडतात. अगदी सहजतेने ढोंगी माणुसकीचे पापुद्रे काढुन रूक्ष, रोखठोक मानवी स्वभावावर अगदी लक्ख प्रकाश पाडतात. तसं अधिकृतपणे बघायला गेलं तर जीएंचा हा प्रकाशित झालेला पहिला कथासंग्रह, पण भाषाप्रभुत्व आणि विलक्षण कल्पकता जन्मतःच उपजत असल्यामुळें मुद्दामहून सांगितल्याशिवाय हि जीएंची पहिली कलाकृती आहे असं वाटणारचं नाही!

[Bhavnesh Pohan · Rating 4 out of 5]

माणसांचे हावभाव, रंग आणि रूप अशा सर्व गोष्टी एखादा चित्रकार किंवा छायाचित्रकार अचूक पद्धतीने टिपू शकतात. पण त्यांचं वागणं, स्वभाव, विचार करण्याची पद्धत हे ज्यांना अगदी सूक्ष्मपणे शब्दांत मांडता आलं, ते म्हणजे जी. ए. कुलकर्णी. सर्वांत आधी तर मला त्यांच्या सर्वच पुस्तकांची/कादंबऱ्यांची नावं खूप fascinate करतात. निळासावळा या पुस्तकातल्या सर्वच कथा खूप सुंदर आहेत. त्यातली पहिलीच गोष्ट "चंद्रावळ" अगदी मनाला भिडली. जी. एं च्या लिखाणात between the lines असे खूप संदर्भ पेरलेले असतात. ते समजल्यावर त्या पात्रांबद्दल नेमकी कल्पना येते.

[अनिकेत · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the short stories like sood, daag, Andharachi paule, Raani are hardly covering 2/3 pages each of the entire book, however, their effect on your minds lasts long...Nice, short book & of course it flashes all those aspects of GA's writings features that generally all his books carry.The specialty of his stories is that they are focused on one characters & all others characters come in relevance to support this center, still if you isolate them, they will all stand independent..his way of describing about a thing is completely dreadfully diverse that you cant even think of it in that way, however you know that its true & that is how it is....its just comes out of as a result of his marvelous & minutes observations/approaches towards defining an object.

[Nitesh Malap · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the 1st book published with GA. If you read other books or stories by GA, this will not make you surprised. But over the time if you become fan of GA, then read it. 'Dag' I like it.

[Nitin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic book specially for those who are used and like G.A. Kulkarni writing