A Rag Called Happiness

by Nirmal Verma

A boy from Allahabad follows his cousin to the capital. He hovers at the edge of his cousin's theatre set, as they try and bring into their lives the idealism they enact on stage. Verma's distinctive lyrical voice captures with melancholic perfection the characters afloat in the turbulent world of Delhi in the 1960's and '70s.

Genres: Fiction, Indian Literature

179 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

A well-known name in Hindi literature, Nirmal Verma is known mainly for his fictional works. Born on April 3, 1929, he obtained a M.A. in history from Delhi University. He studied Czech at the Oriental Institute in Prague, and has been a Fellow with the International Institute for Asian Studies. Nirmal Verma is a recipient of India's highest literary award, the Jnanpith, and his short stories Kavve aur kala pani won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1985. Some of his more popular novels are Antim aranya, Rat ka riportar, Ek Chithra Sukh, and Lal tin ki chat.

Vedina, his first novel, is set in Prague, Czechoslavakia. Like all his works, it is rich in symbolism with a style that is simple yet sophisticated. As one of the most important prose Hindi writers of our times, Nirmal Verma's creativity extends to the description and travel to places in Europe especially on Czechoslovakia and literary criticism. Among his nonfiction writings is Kal ka jokhim an investigation of the Indic arts in the 20th century. His diary, Dhundh se uthati dhun, describes his life in detail while addressing issues related to Hindi literature. His works have been widely translated into English and Gujarati.

Reviews

[Suyash Jha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those classic Indian novels everyone should read. For those of us who sadly lost touch with Hindi literature after school, this is a very well done translation. There is a tone of sadness and melancholia throughout which defines this book and makes the reader question their notions of happines at the end.

[Kiran · Rating 3 out of 5]

How does an evocative account of love,dissonance and regret look like?

Why is there such a longing, an enigma,a sense of melancholia associated with the past?

This Novella makes you ponder about life's surreal trappings & the subterfuge called "Happiness"

This book is a reflection of the society or the youth of Delhi in the 70's and 80's juxtaposed between the charade of traditional middle class values and the reality of emerging liberal values seen through the lens of inherently middle class but largely disillusioned & craven characters. A case in point is Nitti Bhai, the ambivalent architect-lover torn between his family and his muse Ira.Another case being that of the fiercely unequivocal Bitty whose delusional independent lifestyle hinges on remittances from her paternal home at Allahabad as she masquerades as a liberal theatre artist in Delhi. In this poignant work, the incontrovertible reality of ordinary middle-class life and its trappings are laid bare in the quintessential realist style of the Master story-teller Nirmal Verma.

[Vivart · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are many unanswered questions in the novel: why did Nittibhai die? What was there in the letter that Ira gave to the boy, who then delivered it to Nittibhai, after which he took his life, a few days later? What about Ira, how did she react to this? To the death of her lover Nittibhai?

The novel is well written, but not well crafted. It leaves too many questions unanswered.

[Neha · Rating 5 out of 5]

The narrative transforms silence into a memory of a young boy, accompaniment to his older cousin Bitty, who left her town to come to Delhi. Despair follows her around even as her chosen circle of friends come in and leave. The young boy watches all this and more through his innocence that gradually shifts to something more relevant: participation. He questions his presence, all the while delicately touching on Bitty's influence on him and her imprint on his memory.