What do you think?
Rate this book
चित्तकोबरा
Hindi
- GenresFiction
65 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
17 people are currently reading
231 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 30, 2023
Highlight - Abstract coquettish conversations.
Roleplay. Fantasies. Intimate talks. Intense feelings. Infidelity. Insecurities.
The protagonist, Manu, expresses her repressed feelings of a middle class housewife. Mother of two kids, she has no complaints from her husband. But her mind seeks elsewhere to quench that sense of emptiness. She gets attracted to a Scottish theatre artist and missionary priest - Richard. Together they realize their potential for true love.
There are some detailed scenes, due to which the author got arrested for obscenity. The book has excerpts of the author's interview and conversations regarding her arrest. Objectification of men, and the disconnect of mind and body is beautifully expressed.
Overall:
Most of the book is composed of monologues and dialogues. Laden with various emotions, these are the best parts to relish. Published in 1979, the thoughts presented were much ahead of their time, and hence caused a stir in the social and moral ethics of that era. As for modern times, it makes a good, heavy and yet fast read.
P.S.: An English translation done by the author got published recently under Speaking Tiger.
Speaking tiger has become my go to publisher for trying out random translation experiments across the globe.
Roleplay. Fantasies. Intimate talks. Intense feelings. Infidelity. Insecurities.
The protagonist, Manu, expresses her repressed feelings of a middle class housewife. Mother of two kids, she has no complaints from her husband. But her mind seeks elsewhere to quench that sense of emptiness. She gets attracted to a Scottish theatre artist and missionary priest - Richard. Together they realize their potential for true love.
There are some detailed scenes, due to which the author got arrested for obscenity. The book has excerpts of the author's interview and conversations regarding her arrest. Objectification of men, and the disconnect of mind and body is beautifully expressed.
Overall:
Most of the book is composed of monologues and dialogues. Laden with various emotions, these are the best parts to relish. Published in 1979, the thoughts presented were much ahead of their time, and hence caused a stir in the social and moral ethics of that era. As for modern times, it makes a good, heavy and yet fast read.
P.S.: An English translation done by the author got published recently under Speaking Tiger.
Speaking tiger has become my go to publisher for trying out random translation experiments across the globe.
May 23, 2023
उच्च मध्यम वर्ग की एक सुखी विवाहित भारतीय महिला और एक खुशहाल विवाहित स्कॉटिश पुजारी केअंतर्गत व्यभिचारी रिश्ते की निर्भीक कथा। एक संवेदनशील वैवाहिक निजी दृश्य के कारण १९८० में लेखक की गिरफ्तारी और बाद में रिहाई हुई जिसका विवरण पुस्तक के अंत में दिया गया है।
July 28, 2025
2,35⭐️
April 21, 2025
Books-- fiction, nonfiction-- in English on women challenging social codes just by existing and having thoughts have significantly shaped my mind. But it's the Hindi novels on these themes that actually loosen the tight grip of the log-kya-kahenge-syndrome on small town soul.
The book follows the relationship between a married Scottish priest and a married Hindu woman. She stays, he roams around the world. They spend some time together in Delhi, fall in love, and meet only for 5 days each for a few following years. What stands out is that there's no guilt, no repentance, in fact, there's self actualisation as a writer for the woman.
The author was arrested for a few pages of a sexually explicit scene. She also shared in an interview that most of the book is based on her own experience. In the same interview she shares that there are some thoughts a person, more so a woman, cannot share if they want a peaceful (read: conflict free) life. She appreciates fiction as an outlet for those and I appreciate her and Hindi novels like these for the same.
One star less than 5 because sometimes the pages and pages of dialogue got annoying and some prose was too abstract (perhaps will be appreciated in a second reading).
The book follows the relationship between a married Scottish priest and a married Hindu woman. She stays, he roams around the world. They spend some time together in Delhi, fall in love, and meet only for 5 days each for a few following years. What stands out is that there's no guilt, no repentance, in fact, there's self actualisation as a writer for the woman.
The author was arrested for a few pages of a sexually explicit scene. She also shared in an interview that most of the book is based on her own experience. In the same interview she shares that there are some thoughts a person, more so a woman, cannot share if they want a peaceful (read: conflict free) life. She appreciates fiction as an outlet for those and I appreciate her and Hindi novels like these for the same.
One star less than 5 because sometimes the pages and pages of dialogue got annoying and some prose was too abstract (perhaps will be appreciated in a second reading).
November 20, 2018
Initially Published In Hindi As ‘Chittacobra’ Back In The Mid-70’s Of The Last Century, It Is Hard To Believe That Not Only Was It Banned But Actually Got The Author MRIDULA GARG Arrested As This Book Was Actually Labelled Obscene Back In Those Dark Days Of The Emergency!!
What Was So Scandalous Back Then Was The Very Thought Of A Traditional Indian Housewife Actually Stepping So Much Out Of Line As To Have A Relationship With A Missionary Who Too Was Married Back Home..It Was A Shocker That A Woman Could Write Such Literature And For That The Author Had To Pay A Steep Price For It Not Just With The Ban Of Her Book But Also Being Arrested.
The Story Of A Married Housewife Mannu Not Just Being Attracted But Also Rebelling And Conducting An Extra-Marital Affair With A Gypsy Missionary Richard Threatened To Virtually Tear Apart The Very Core Of The Moral Fabric Of Society And Back Then That Was Not Just Scandalously Unheard Of Or So The Government Of Those Times Wanted Us To Believe Almost 5 Decades Ago.
Since The Very Seed Of The Idea Was So Threatening Those In Power Decided To Sweep ‘Chittacobra’ Under The Moralistic Carpet And Battering It Senseless With The By The Ban Baton And Arresting The Author Lest She Got Bolder With Her Themes If She Continued To Write, Not Having Learnt Her Lesson.
Now After Almost 40 Years Once Again ‘Chittacobra’ Has Raised It’s Head To Make It’s Presence Felt This Time In It’s New Avatar As ‘Banjara Love’
Looking Back Into The Future One Cannot Help But Wonder How Much Has Actually Changed In The Four Decades Between ‘Chittacobra ‘ And It’s Reincarnation ‘Banjara Love’ And How Tolerant Are We Even Today To Ideas That Make Us Uncomfortable And Wriggle In Our Seats...Have We Really Evolved Or Is Everything Still The Same Below The Surface And Only The Timeline Stamp & The Titles Have Changed?
Like Love That Does Not Stale Nor Reaches Any Conclusion Banjara Love Or Chittacobra Is Absolutely Abstract..So Much So That At Times It Seems To Stand Still And At Other Times It Appears To Meander Aimlessly With No Sense Or Desire Of Direction.
Returning Back To The Past, One Simply Cannot Help But Wonder If The Moral Custodians Back Then Actually Read All Those 300 + Pages Of ‘Chittacobra’ Cover To Cover’ Or Was The Blurb On The Jackets And A Two Page Serialisation In A Weekly Magazine Sufficient To Ban The Book & Throw The Author Into Prison? Disturbing Questions That Continue To Haunt Just Like The Book Itself That Refuses To End Even After There Is Nothing More To Read As The Author Leaves A Lot Unsaid In ‘Banjara Love’!!
What Was So Scandalous Back Then Was The Very Thought Of A Traditional Indian Housewife Actually Stepping So Much Out Of Line As To Have A Relationship With A Missionary Who Too Was Married Back Home..It Was A Shocker That A Woman Could Write Such Literature And For That The Author Had To Pay A Steep Price For It Not Just With The Ban Of Her Book But Also Being Arrested.
The Story Of A Married Housewife Mannu Not Just Being Attracted But Also Rebelling And Conducting An Extra-Marital Affair With A Gypsy Missionary Richard Threatened To Virtually Tear Apart The Very Core Of The Moral Fabric Of Society And Back Then That Was Not Just Scandalously Unheard Of Or So The Government Of Those Times Wanted Us To Believe Almost 5 Decades Ago.
Since The Very Seed Of The Idea Was So Threatening Those In Power Decided To Sweep ‘Chittacobra’ Under The Moralistic Carpet And Battering It Senseless With The By The Ban Baton And Arresting The Author Lest She Got Bolder With Her Themes If She Continued To Write, Not Having Learnt Her Lesson.
Now After Almost 40 Years Once Again ‘Chittacobra’ Has Raised It’s Head To Make It’s Presence Felt This Time In It’s New Avatar As ‘Banjara Love’
Looking Back Into The Future One Cannot Help But Wonder How Much Has Actually Changed In The Four Decades Between ‘Chittacobra ‘ And It’s Reincarnation ‘Banjara Love’ And How Tolerant Are We Even Today To Ideas That Make Us Uncomfortable And Wriggle In Our Seats...Have We Really Evolved Or Is Everything Still The Same Below The Surface And Only The Timeline Stamp & The Titles Have Changed?
Like Love That Does Not Stale Nor Reaches Any Conclusion Banjara Love Or Chittacobra Is Absolutely Abstract..So Much So That At Times It Seems To Stand Still And At Other Times It Appears To Meander Aimlessly With No Sense Or Desire Of Direction.
Returning Back To The Past, One Simply Cannot Help But Wonder If The Moral Custodians Back Then Actually Read All Those 300 + Pages Of ‘Chittacobra’ Cover To Cover’ Or Was The Blurb On The Jackets And A Two Page Serialisation In A Weekly Magazine Sufficient To Ban The Book & Throw The Author Into Prison? Disturbing Questions That Continue To Haunt Just Like The Book Itself That Refuses To End Even After There Is Nothing More To Read As The Author Leaves A Lot Unsaid In ‘Banjara Love’!!
August 31, 2024
Sar mein dard hota hai to kya hum sochte hain ki ye dard kyun ho Raha hai ... Shaayad kuch meri palkon pe thera hoga aur mujhe aur kuch kehna chahta hoga .... Kya ye abhi aaya hoga ya maine he ise bulaya hoga .... Pata nahi kab ye mere Saathi ban gaya hoga... Sar mein dard
Read
July 16, 2023Cant rate this because i reviewed it! For Asian Review of Books and you can read it here https://asianreviewofbooks.com/conten...
November 20, 2025
A below average babble. Only a foolish action of lodging a case by someone made this book famous, otherwise nothing useful, worthwhile or literary is there in this useless book.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews