काजळमाया

by G.A. Kulkarni, जी ए कुलकर्णी

जी. ए. कुलकर्णी यांच्या समर्थ लेखणीतून उतरलेला हा कथासंग्रह. प्रदक्षिणा, अंजन, शेवटचे हिरवे पान, स्वप्न, दूत, वंश, ठिपका, कसाब, भोवरा, गुलाम, कळसुत्र, पुनरपि, रत्न, विदुषक या १४ कथांतून एक रहस्यमय विश्व समोर येतं. या विश्वात जे काही घडत असतं, ते सगळं कालातीत. कोडं सोडवायला जावं, तर त्यात अधिकच गुंतण होतं. कधी न सुटणारी कोडी, कधी न उलगडणारी आयुष्य, अनाकलनीयाचा वेध घेण्याची धडपड. प्रतिक आणि घटनाप्रधान. ज्येष्ठ समीक्षक द. भि. कुळकर्णी लिहितात, 'जी. एं.च्या कथा प्रतीतीच्या दृष्टीने अतिशय बांधेसूद, अतिशय गोळीबंद, अतिशय दाट, सुक्ष्म आणि घट्ट विणीच्या असतात, फार घाटदार असतात.'

In this Sahitya Akademi Award winning collection, G.A. delves into the sorrow, frustration and despair of a human being on his eternal quest for meaning in life. This feeling of helplessness hangs like a black cloud over his characters' lives. Such is the author's craft, that in spite of the general pessimism, the reader comes away with the thought that there is still hope!

Genres: Marathi, Fiction

287 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1972

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

[Aniket Patil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little bit difficult to read, different style, the general theme of this book is sadness, despair, negativity in life, dark shades. for the change of topic, I picked it up and read. Author's writing style is convincing and detailed. I like this book but I wont read any other books of this author,one seems more than enough for me.

Latest re-review= I will read all books of G A kulkarni. Finally ,Read whole book, I like all the stories. some of my favourite stories are Pradakshina (very depressing), Kalsutra, Ratna (abstract), Vidushak (philosophical masterpeice and my most favourite).

[Sujay Sawant · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Masterpiece in Marathi Literature! एखाद्या कादंबरीचा आवाका असलेल्या ह्या दीर्घकथा थरारक अनुभव देतात!
"अंजन", "दूत" ह्या कथेंतील रहस्य चुटपुट लावतं. "विदूषक" अस्सल Storytelling चा नितांत सुंदर अविष्कार!
G A यांच्या कथांतून आजही अद्भुत Fantasy चित्रपट बनू शकतात.

[DILIP MANIKRAO]

I AM FAN OF GA IN EIGHTYES. I READ THIS BOOK ,MANY TIMES AND STILL LIKE TO READ IT. IT IS ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I READ.

[Shubham Bhambure · Rating 5 out of 5]

प्रत्येक कथा एका वेगळ्या दुनियेत घेऊन जाते.. एखाद्या कादंबरीला लाजवेल अशा.. Great of all time.. GA♥️

[Priya Kale · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rarely write reviews for books online, but Kajal Maya compelled me to do so. This book is an absolute masterpiece. It’s a collection of short stories by G. A. Kulkarni, and my first introduction to his work, yet it left me completely awestruck.

Kulkarni is an exceptional writer. There are many things in this book that you might not fully understand at first, but the parts that you do grasp will stay with you forever. The sentences are so rich, layered, and beautifully crafted that you almost want to pause and reread them just to soak in their depth.

This is one of the most beautifully written Marathi books I’ve ever come across. If you want to explore Marathi literature or experience G. A. Kulkarni’s genius, I think Kajal Maya is the perfect place to start.

[Siddarth Gore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very "meta" stories. The best part is that time/place does not matter for such fantasy settings. They never grow old because they are about human beings. About us.

The stories are not to be analyzed. They have to be felt and then let go.

[Iqra Tasmiae]

Watched a short film "Chaitra" based on Kulkarni's short story. From there got to know of him.

[Shravani Godse]

Good

[Yash Walawalkar · Rating 5 out of 5]

अप्रतिम पुस्तक

[Mangesh Vanjari · Rating 5 out of 5]

अप्रतिम केवळ अप्रतिम

[अनिकेत · Rating 5 out of 5]

As rightly said in the description of the book, its all about human sorrow,emotions.Favourite author,favourite book...these are gems of my personal liabrary

[Prachi Sawant · Rating 5 out of 5]

i loved it

[Supriya Kotian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this book.... I just love his imagination....
Yes, stories are depressing but the imagination and life lessons are convincing.