Dada Kamred

by Yashpal

Partly autobiographical and Yashpal's first novel, Dada Comrade is an extraordinary book, fast-paced and philosophical by turn. It tells the story of a young revolutionary, Harish, who, towards the end of the 1930s, is expelled from his revolutionary party, which also plans to kill him as he knows too much. Meanwhile, he and Shailbala, a member of the party and the daughter of a wealthy Lahore industrialist, develop a romantic relationship. An unusual heroine, Shailbala is outspoken about sexual freedom and constantly challenges others about their patriarchal mindsets.

As Harish escapes the party's clutches and organizes the railway workers of Lahore into striking en masse, he is framed by the British government that leads to his trial. Shailbala, on the other hand, confronts her father and decides to keep the child conceived with Harish. She finds a new ally in this decision-Dada, the ageing leader of Harish's revolutionary party who had earlier condemned him.

Raising questions about the means to achieve freedom and equality, as well as about desire, marriage and birth control, Dada Comrade was far ahead of its time and heralded the arrival of a literary genius. Translated seamlessly and including a scholarly introduction by Simona Sawhney, it will resonate with and compel today's readers to examine their ideals and values.

Genres: Fiction

147 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Kushal Srivastava · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 'Dada Comrade', Yashpal brings to life dramatized version of an episode from his own life. Yahspal was an integral part of the revolutionary organization HSRA active in the first part of 20th century. 'Dada' is a character based on the popular revolutionary and commander of HSRA, Chandra Shekhar Azad. Azad was not well read and used to 'old methods', he was also famously temperamental. Comrade is Harish or Yashpal himself. There is deep love and affection between Harish and Dada but also misunderstanding chiefly brought by other party members.

If you have read Yashpal's autobiography (which you must) you would start noticing the eerie coincidences like Dada deciding to shoot Harish, Harish being questioned about his expenses and then his affiliations with communists. The story however ends in stark difference to real life. Harish is hanged and dada survives, quite different from the way how Azad shot himself and Yashpal lived. Maybe this is what Yashpal wanted? A martyr's life?

But this is not a story about revolutionaries, it is the story of women emancipation. Yashpal brings to life an absolute heroine, Shailbala, whether this is based on her own wife is not clear. Shailbala is a fiercely independent girl, Who along with Harish wants to bring a change in the country. She is initially romantically involved with Robert, but gradually falls in love with Harish. She supports him throughout his big fight, the mill workers' strike and the novel ends when she decides to raise his unborn child. Along the entire breadth of the book she raises plenty of questions about the status of women in the society (which to be fair, has hardly changed given the 80 odd years since the novel's placement).

There are however glaring issues with the characters, a character Yashoda introduced in the first chapter is hardly utilized and the story never brought to a closure, similarly with Robert (who is a Christian missionary and then becomes an atheist) they were two interesting characters who are just left midway, and because of this the book seems a bit hurried. A good introduction if you want to get introduced to Yashpal's philosophy.

[Sumallya Mukhopadhyay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A novel to create an enduring impression on the readers must narrate the story well. And Yashpal’s Dada Comrade is exceptional in this regard. Simply reading the novel is a learning exercise, in a sense that we get to know how to build a story, how to develop it. The narrative starts abruptly, takes the readers by surprise – we do not get to know the name of the protagonist in the first chapter. A wonderful technique to be honest, keeps us on the edge. And, it moves from one episode to the other. The initial incident paves the way for the first plot to emerge, when Harish is accused by BM of indulging in anti-party activity. And the action keeps rising from thereon. If the first plot is about Harish betraying the ideals of the party, the second is about his involvement in the labour movement. The climax being the scenes in the court after Harish and Akhtar are arrested – a brilliant tribute to Bhagat Singh and his comrades who used the courtroom to make people understand their brand of politics, following the re-opening of the Saunders’ murder case. Most importantly, Dada Comrade ends with a note of promise and possibilty. I was reminded of the ending of Ulysses when I finished reading Dada Comrade – Ulysses ends with the line ‘yes I said yes I will yes’, and here we have dada and Shail agreeing that ‘we will go as we are’.
The spectrum of left politics is vast. The transformation we see in Harish, and later in Dada as well, is symbolic because it stands for something. It speaks volumes about revision and criticism are allowed within the domain of left politics. The militant revolutionary that Harish is, he realises that his brand of politics is dissociating him with the masses. The novel shows that there can be multiple definition of radicalism. On one hand, resorting to violence to strike terror in the heart of the rulers is a form of radical politics. And yes, we are all aware of it. But equally radically is to accommodate the needs and aspirations of the people when one is organising a mass movement. Because the more people are with you, the more it helps strengthen the movement.

[Joseph Eapen · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Dada Comrade" presents a rather mundane narrative by contemporary standards, yet one cannot overlook its potential to have been a revolutionary piece of literature in a more opportune historical context. While it does not entirely resonate with the zeitgeist of our era, its thematic undercurrents remain eerily relevant. The depiction of exploitative mills bears a striking resemblance to the machinations of modern corporate giants like Ambani and Adani, exposing the persistence of capitalist hegemony. Yashpal’s critique of the judiciary is particularly incisive, highlighting its failure to uphold the profound pursuit of truth. Though much of the storytelling feels unremarkable, certain passages are undeniably compelling, subtly laying the groundwork for a discourse on dissent and revolution in an autocratic society. Ultimately, the novel functions less as a gripping narrative and more as a historical artifact—an ideological prelude to the radical upheavals it seeks to inspire.

[Neera Kapahi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is a fascinating read. It is a work of fiction but some events parallel Yashpal’s life. It has an interesting start, Yashpal knows how to draw in the reader.

Harish is a revolutionary in pre Independence India who questions some of his party’s practices and is expelled from his party. He eventually becomes a labor activist. Some of the topics addressed were ahead of their time. The book was written in 1941 and I found it interesting that topics such as the sexual freedom for woman and birth control were discussed.

The book is written in Hindi with an excellent translation by Simone Sawhney.

[Rajiv Chopra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had not heard of Yashpal until my sister gave me this book to read. Simona Sawhney's translation is excellent. Her introduction is long, but I believe it is mandatory to read this introduction. Her section gives good insight into Yashpal, his history and his writing.

The story itself is simple and easy to follow. What sets the book apart from others is the commentary on the social mores prevailing. Yashpal weaved them into the conversations between the main protagonists. He was clearly ahead of his time. I'd say he was ahead of our time today.

[Ankit Rathore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading a book eighty years after it's been published comes with a disadvantages that a reader is much more aware of the ideologies and their flaws. Yet, the newness here lied in the fact that the revolutionaries, who often are so obsessed with their means and goals, had a chance of self-introspection to upgrade their ways. It's not about who will win in the end, but that every point of view gets a voice.

[RaveAnt]

Yashpal writes budding/taboo romances so welll and like Manushya Ke Roop also has this but here it's a lot more the CENTRALITY and it's done in a really cool way - some of the bio/essentialist stuff and the ENDING w pregnancy being tied to the revolution living on is a bit bleh - but just the character dialogue/interactions are really fun... also just... yeah v fun action thrillery elements -- gooood translation

[Vandna · Rating 3 out of 5]

वैसे तो यह दादा कामरेड उपन्यास ब्रिटिश सरकार के विरुद्ध क्रांतिकारी दलों द्वारा गुप्त रूप से सक्रियता बनाने तथा उनमें व्याप्त अंतर विरोधों पर आधारित है। यशपाल जी स्वयं भी भगत सिंह, सुखदेव, बोहरा और आजाद आदि के साथ क्रांतिकारी कार्यों में हिस्सा लेते रहे थे, अतः उन्होंने इस उपन्यास में अपने यथार्थ अनुभवों के आधार पर अत्यंत विश्वसनीय एवं सजीव चित्र प्रस्तुत किए हैं। फिर भी, ‘दादा कामरेड’ उपन्यास में उन्होंने स्त्री-पुरुष संबंधों पर भी प्रकाश डाला है। उनके इस उपन्यास में स्त्री पुरुष संबंधों में भी मार्क्सवादी दृष्टिकोण देखने को मिलता है। स्त्री विमर्श के दृष्टिकोण से यह उपन्यास बहुत ही महत्वपूर्ण है।

[David - marigold_bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fascinating novel, Dada Comrade, was originally published in Hindi in 1941 by political activist turned writer, Yashpal (1903-1976). This excellent English translation by Simona Sawhney was released by Penguin India in 2021, together with an enlightening and introduction by the translator.

The book is semi-biographical, and centres around the life of Harish, a young revolutionary in Lahore during the tumultuous political period prior to Partition. Harish disagrees with his party comrades over the use of violence and the role of women in the struggle for independence. He becomes a labour activist involved in mill strikes, supported by his lover and comrade Shailbala. As Harish struggles against the mill owners and Police, Shailbala finds support from their erstwhile comrade and mentor, Dada.

It is a surprising accessible novel, despite covering a lot of ground that must have been controversial at the time. Apart from the political revolutionary aspects, it addresses the role of women, freedom, equality, sexuality and the institution of matrimony

[Mahender Singh · Rating 4 out of 5]

आजादी के संघर्ष पर आधारित अच्छा उपन्यास। लेखक खुद कभी आज़ादी के संघर्ष में शामिल रहा ।