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रणांगण
विश्राम बेडेकर यांची ही गाजलेली कादंबरी साहित्यात मैलाचा दगड मानली जाते. १९३९ साली ति प्रथम प्रकाशित झाली. अल्पावधीतच तिने सामान्य वाच्कांसह समीक्षकांची मने जिंकली. कथेतील बऱ्याचशा व्यक्तिरेखा भारतीय असल्या तरी कथेत साकारलेलं हे जग सामान्य भारतीय असल्या, तरी कथेत साकारलेलं हे जग सामान्य भारतीय जीवनापेक्षा वेगळं आहे.
अनोखं आहे. जिनिव्हा ते मुंबई या दरम्यान प्रवासी वाहतूक करणाऱ्या इटालियन बोटीतील विश्व त्यात साकारलं आहे. त्यानंतरचा भाग परदेशातील. हॅर्टा कादंबरीची नायिका. शुचीतेचं प्रतिक. अन्य पात्रही अनोळखी वाटणारी; पण मानवी स्वभाव ओळखीचे. आज इतक्या वर्षानंतरही कादंबरीचे ताजेपण टिकून आहे. चिरकाल टिकणारी मूल्ये उलगडणारी प्रवाही भाषा हे कादंबरीचे एक वैशिष्ट्य.
अनोखं आहे. जिनिव्हा ते मुंबई या दरम्यान प्रवासी वाहतूक करणाऱ्या इटालियन बोटीतील विश्व त्यात साकारलं आहे. त्यानंतरचा भाग परदेशातील. हॅर्टा कादंबरीची नायिका. शुचीतेचं प्रतिक. अन्य पात्रही अनोळखी वाटणारी; पण मानवी स्वभाव ओळखीचे. आज इतक्या वर्षानंतरही कादंबरीचे ताजेपण टिकून आहे. चिरकाल टिकणारी मूल्ये उलगडणारी प्रवाही भाषा हे कादंबरीचे एक वैशिष्ट्य.
121 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1939
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 13, 2022
"Perhaps the boundaries of narrow patriotism need to be broken all over the world. If the Nazi philosophy spreads, minorities in every country will be tortured. They will be ruined. The next generation will not know where they belong. The world will begin to belong to those who believe that in numbers lie strength, that might is right."
If someone told you the book was written in 1939 in India, you would be surprised. But such is the nature of truth that it becomes timeless.
Ranaangan paints the world just as Germany was in ascension. The borders were being redefined and the book captures the complex emotions of the war on people. Told through a tragic love story abord a ship that is carrying German refugees (Jews) and Indian nationals returning back, the book throws in stories that capture the dichotomy of the situation.
Herta, a German Jew is on the ship with her 75 year old mother with other Germans who are in search of a new nation that will accept them. Meanwhile Chakradhar, spurned by an ex-lover, is skeptical about love and is torn apart by his feelings towards Herta. The other characters like the German boy and his bond with Dr.Shinde and the German trying to pick up English words - the book is filled with vulnerable characters.
The fact that in the first chapter we know how this is going to end makes it more hard hitting. I loved the book's translation which tried to keep it simple.
A worthy book for the times.
If someone told you the book was written in 1939 in India, you would be surprised. But such is the nature of truth that it becomes timeless.
Ranaangan paints the world just as Germany was in ascension. The borders were being redefined and the book captures the complex emotions of the war on people. Told through a tragic love story abord a ship that is carrying German refugees (Jews) and Indian nationals returning back, the book throws in stories that capture the dichotomy of the situation.
Herta, a German Jew is on the ship with her 75 year old mother with other Germans who are in search of a new nation that will accept them. Meanwhile Chakradhar, spurned by an ex-lover, is skeptical about love and is torn apart by his feelings towards Herta. The other characters like the German boy and his bond with Dr.Shinde and the German trying to pick up English words - the book is filled with vulnerable characters.
The fact that in the first chapter we know how this is going to end makes it more hard hitting. I loved the book's translation which tried to keep it simple.
A worthy book for the times.
September 28, 2021
I read the English translation of this book called 'Battlefield'.
The story starts on a italian ship on its way to Shanghai. The main characters meet there, and then it's like you are in a sad musical with brief happy moments. I can't help but admire the character of Herta, our female protagonist who falls in love with Vidwans Chakradhar, a man who pretends to be disgusted by women due to a love failure.
The story is about jews, about minorities, about a nazi, about war. The writer has raised questions which are always going to be relevant to human race.
Herta says 'if my grandmother is polish, my mother is German and I'm a Chinese' then what nation is my own. We need to break the narrow wars of nationalism and see the world through a women's perspective, women who believe in giving birth to generations, not kill them. War is dangerous and it must be avoided to build this world on human values, a world through the lens of women not on values of nationalism.
The story starts on a italian ship on its way to Shanghai. The main characters meet there, and then it's like you are in a sad musical with brief happy moments. I can't help but admire the character of Herta, our female protagonist who falls in love with Vidwans Chakradhar, a man who pretends to be disgusted by women due to a love failure.
The story is about jews, about minorities, about a nazi, about war. The writer has raised questions which are always going to be relevant to human race.
Herta says 'if my grandmother is polish, my mother is German and I'm a Chinese' then what nation is my own. We need to break the narrow wars of nationalism and see the world through a women's perspective, women who believe in giving birth to generations, not kill them. War is dangerous and it must be avoided to build this world on human values, a world through the lens of women not on values of nationalism.
May 25, 2021
(a basic) review coming up
August 23, 2021
Battlefield written by Vishram Bedekar translated from the Marathi by Jerry Pinto is the author's first and only novel. The book is based on Bedekar's own personal experiences. Our protagonist, Chakradhar Vidhwans travels from Europe to India in a ship at the brink of world war II. He meets a Jewish girl named Herta who is fleeing Germany and their romance forms the crux of the story. The entire story takes place in the ship but it is much more than just a romance story. There are numerous incidents that demonstrates racism, sexism and discrimination of that time against Jews. The translation is flawless obviously because it is translated by Jerry Pinto. The events and narrative style feels like vignettes from the journey. There is historical references to learn from various episodes especially that Shanghai in China accepted many Jews while many cities and countries had restricted entry. I have never known this piece of history before. Overall, a slim book that I liked in parts.
July 19, 2021
Definitely read it in English, it was a touching quick read.
June 29, 2021
A WWII story from a non-European perspective was what intrigued me about Vishram Bedekar's first and only novel, based on his own experiences at the brink of the second world war. A love story between a Maharashtrian (Chandrakar) and a Jew (Herta) forms the crux of the story, while the rest of the narrative follows the events on board a ship that carries the protagonist from Europe to Mumbai. Set entirely in the ship, Bedekar delicately handles subjects of racism, casteism, sexism, and discrimination based on religion, age, and anything humans can come up with. Considering the book was written in 1939, before the war officially started but when persecutions were already going on, lends a lot of food for thought and reflection for the reader.
When I couldn't find a copy of the Marathi classic, I settled for the English version, translated by master writer Jerry Pinto, whose works are undoubtedly stellar books in themselves. Thanks to a friend for helping me source out the Marathi original, which I read after the English translation. It was a wonderful experience reading both versions back-to-back and understanding the nuances in each writer's narrative. What stood out about the original is Bedekar's unique narrative structure (for its time, and even now) - the book is literally written as notes from a voyage. It isn't epistolary, but a regular novel with a first person perspective written as diary entries.
Thanks to the publishing house Speaking Tiger I also got the chance to be part of the book discussion with literary stalwarts Shanta Gokhale and Jerry Pinto, who both provided novel insights into the historical context of Ranaangan, the significance of Battlefield in contemporary times, and dissected the very art of translation itself. Read this book in any language you can, but read it. Texts like these are relevant for all times.
When I couldn't find a copy of the Marathi classic, I settled for the English version, translated by master writer Jerry Pinto, whose works are undoubtedly stellar books in themselves. Thanks to a friend for helping me source out the Marathi original, which I read after the English translation. It was a wonderful experience reading both versions back-to-back and understanding the nuances in each writer's narrative. What stood out about the original is Bedekar's unique narrative structure (for its time, and even now) - the book is literally written as notes from a voyage. It isn't epistolary, but a regular novel with a first person perspective written as diary entries.
Thanks to the publishing house Speaking Tiger I also got the chance to be part of the book discussion with literary stalwarts Shanta Gokhale and Jerry Pinto, who both provided novel insights into the historical context of Ranaangan, the significance of Battlefield in contemporary times, and dissected the very art of translation itself. Read this book in any language you can, but read it. Texts like these are relevant for all times.
April 30, 2022
This book is remarkable reading considering it's been written in Marathi in 1939, without knowing how the next half a decade was going to change a large part of the world. It provides an Indian view into what was happening in Germany and the Jews from a non-European lens which is unusual, yet very honest and empathetic. Written based on his own experiences in travel, Vishram Bedekar was also incredibly prescient in some passages within on what that means for the future of India. I suppose he was hinting at the next decade or so but here we are 80 years on still facing similar realities and stereotypes within. Epitomizes the old adage of plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose ...
I did not find the shipboard romance and love story particularly easy to follow - characters and motivations other than the two key protagonists are a bit unclear and half-baked, perhaps this is lost in translation. And there is too much philosophizing for my liking although there is wonderful argument for non-pragmatic passion from Herta.
Still read it for the slice of history from a new perspective and to encourage folks like Jerry Pinto who are doing gods work by translating works from local languages to a wider audience for which they'd forever have been lost _/\_
I did not find the shipboard romance and love story particularly easy to follow - characters and motivations other than the two key protagonists are a bit unclear and half-baked, perhaps this is lost in translation. And there is too much philosophizing for my liking although there is wonderful argument for non-pragmatic passion from Herta.
Still read it for the slice of history from a new perspective and to encourage folks like Jerry Pinto who are doing gods work by translating works from local languages to a wider audience for which they'd forever have been lost _/\_
October 13, 2021
One of the most moving narrations on love, intimacy and a woman. This novella, with the crux of the story playing out aboard a ship sailing to India during the beginning of WWII has an arc that covers world politics, the futility of wars, racism and the universal plight of minorities - as relevant today as it was in 1939. Beautiful read.
April 6, 2024
Revolutionary in its musings on war, humanity and fraternity for the time when India was still under British rule, the central story is of romance, which is not without its depth, but ultimately reads like a male fantasy, which gets tiring to read at times despite the flowery prose.
November 19, 2017
स्त्री च्या प्रीतीच आणि मनाचे आणि विशेषतः देहाचे इतक्या सुंदर शब्दात वर्णन मे प्रथमच वाचले...
June 12, 2022
This book stole my heart.
March 14, 2019
📕रणांगण _____ विश्राम बेडेकर
अप्रतिम लिखाण. नावापुरतं रणांगण. पण आहे एक प्रेमकथा. लेखकाने फारच उत्कृष्टरीत्या लोकांचे आणि जागेचे वर्णन केले आहे.पुस्तक वाचतांना सुरुवातीला थोडं वाटतं कशाबाबत गोष्ट आहे ? काय आहे ? पण हळूहळू सगळं नीट कळायला लागतं, समजतं. ५ वा पाठ तर खुपच जास्त छान आहे. ६ व्या पाठातील पत्रे पण खुप छान लिहिली आहेत.मला हे पुस्तक फार आवडले.
अप्रतिम लिखाण. नावापुरतं रणांगण. पण आहे एक प्रेमकथा. लेखकाने फारच उत्कृष्टरीत्या लोकांचे आणि जागेचे वर्णन केले आहे.पुस्तक वाचतांना सुरुवातीला थोडं वाटतं कशाबाबत गोष्ट आहे ? काय आहे ? पण हळूहळू सगळं नीट कळायला लागतं, समजतं. ५ वा पाठ तर खुपच जास्त छान आहे. ६ व्या पाठातील पत्रे पण खुप छान लिहिली आहेत.मला हे पुस्तक फार आवडले.
May 21, 2018
It is a great pity that this book does not have the recognition it deserves. Found a copy quite by accident and I am glad I did because this novel is one of the finest I have ever read. Set in World War 2,this novel has a pace that is far better than many books I have read these days, characters that stay with you,complex and driven storytelling. The novel is brutally realistic and has no pretenses. For the time it was written in,it was a revolution. This novel may as well be written in the 90's. Please do not think it is yet another obscure book,it is a classic that shocked the literary circles back when it was written.
August 20, 2018
ही कादंबरी ज्या वेळी लिहली त्यावेळी भारत अजून पारतंत्र्यातच होता. पण इतकी वर्षे होऊन पण अजून ह्या कादंबरीतील पात्र संदर्भहीन झाली नाहीत. सुरवातीला वाचताना अर्ध्या पर्यंत कळात नाही की लेखकाला नेमका या पुस्तका मधून काय सांगायचे आहे पण त्यानंतर गोष्ट उलघडायला लागते. आपणाला पात्राबद्दलची सहानुभूतीची भावना अधिकच बळकट व्हायला लागते.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews