Giligadu: The Lost Days

by Chitra Mudgal, Priyanka Sarkar (Translator)

the lost days, by the 2018 Sahitya Akademi Award winner Chitra Mudgal, is a multi-layered novelette short in length, yet deep in meaning and messages for urban India. It is unique in the subtle way it conveys, both to the aged (who chafe at the apparent loss of respect and control) and to the not-so-old (who deserve to live their life on their terms), through the pen of a creative genius, a dignified way out of this two-pronged a bold break with traditions and setting new societal rules. It can prove a relief to the mini-wars waged within families and be a recipe for lasting peace and amicable relations. Set in a time frame of 13 days, with two old men as the main Characters, it analyses the relevance of older values in present day life and the need to change with the times. A page-turner that leaves the reader satisfied and encourages introspection.

128 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2019

About the author

Chitra Mudgal is an Indian writer and one of the leading literary figures of modern Hindi literature.

She is the first Indian woman to receive the coveted Vyas Samman for her novel "Avaan".

In 2019 she was awarded India's highest literary award, the Sahitya Akademi, for her novel "Post Box No. 203, Naalasopara".

Reviews

[Girish · Rating 2 out of 5]

Giligadu was like watching a 90s Doordarshan drama with sad music and melodramatic characters. This is a book with the heart at the right place and nothing else at all.

I am not going to trivialise the responsibility of children to their parents in the old age. But the character chosen - Jaswant Babu suffers from a victim complex. His entire POV of how his son and daughter in law treat him after his wife's demise is a lot monochromatic.

On top of this, the character Colonel Swamy and his contrasting stories do not ring true. What could be the motivation of a man who has to boast to a man who is cribbing about how he is being ignored?

I am not sure how much has been lost in translation, but this book was a waste of time.

[dely · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy reading this book. The characters are not believable and the end was also predictable.
The author doesn't show the inner trouble and feelings of the characters, but tells you about them. Thus I couldn't relate to any of the characters.

[Parvati Mohan · Rating 2 out of 5]

It feels like the author concocted a Malayali family without ever actually talking to any Malayalis. The number of inaccuracies gave me second-hand embarrassment. And the story is extremely predictable. No surprises whatsoever.

The one thing I liked is that the book defies the usual Indian norm of glorifying the elderly as people who can do no wrong. The protagonist, Jaswant Singh, is shown as having been amoral in his youth.

But vis-à-vis every other aspect, please don't bother with this one.

[Ashish Iyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

यह किताब वह आईना है जिसमें समाज स्वयं को देख सकता है। ठीक है किताब, मैं कहानी से बहुत अधिक आशा कर रहा था।