Storm in Chandigarh

by Nayantara Sahgal

‘India, once a uniform piece of territory to administer, was now a welter of separate, sensitive identities, resurrected after independence.’

As the quarrel over boundaries, water and electric power between Punjab and the newly created Haryana intensifies, Gyan Singh, the chief minister of Punjab, threatens to launch a crippling strike that will affect both states. With the chief minister of Haryana, Harpal Singh, refusing to concede any advantages, the stage is set for a confrontation. It is at this point that Vishal Dubey, the Centre’s most able bureaucrat, is sent to Chandigarh to alleviate the situation. As he tries to resolve the chaos in the common capital, Vishal finds himself drawn into the lives of two couples—Jit and Mara and Inder and Saroj—and the small dramas and casual betrayals that are a universal feature of human relationships.

Storm in Chandigarh demonstrates Nayantara Sahgal’s keen understanding of individual relationships and her remarkable ability to tell stories that continue to enthrall readers over the years.

Genres: Indian Literature, India

222 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1969

About the author

Nayantara Sahgal is an Indian writer in English. Her fiction deals with India's elite responding to the crises engendered by political change. She was one of the first female Indian writers in English to receive wide recognition. She is a member of the Nehru family (not the Nehru-Gandhi family as she so often points out), the second of the three daughters born to Jawaharlal Nehru's sister, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit.
She was awarded the 1986 Sahitya Akademi Award for English, for her novel Rich Like Us (1985)awarded by India's National Academy of Letters.

Reviews

[Neha Gupta · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first book I read which is based and named on my favourite city – home sweet home Chandigarh. Come on almost all the books are based around big cities like Bombay, Delhi, NY, London, Calcutta.. Do we ever get to read a book on that small town or city which is on the map not as a destination but as a pass through.. So when I saw this book I had to read it, no matter what. One thing is for sure – there was not one happy married couple in this book. It was a labyrinth of complicated relationships.. now picture this..

Nikhil married to Gauri, but Gauri likes Vishal, but Vishal likes Saroj, and Saroj is married to Inder, but Inder likes Mara, and Mara is married to Jit

There are couples who never fight but are conveniently cheating on each other – on the other hand – there are couples who are loyal but with no trust and are continuously fighting. So does it sound like a typical soap Opera of Balaji Telefims or ‘Bold and Beautiful’. But the fact of the matter is – that it is anything but that. It is a political setting with a garnish of complicated relationships and ideologies. The historical Punjab Haryana split in 1960s is the setting of this novel and the various tussles around it. The tussle between centre and state priorities, the fight of an ideologist politician and an opportunist one, the hollowness of the blind trust or no trust in relationships, the prosperity from agriculture or industry, the male – female bias and claim for independence, the chaotic excitement in big city versus peaceful simplicity of small city.

Nayantara Sahgal comes across as a mature and intelligent writer of juxtapositions. Her study of her subjects is more than an observation but yet tells the most raw story as it would have happened. She presents an intuitive picture of the minds of the various characters but still builds the events and plot through a series of conversations and meetings. All her subjects are emotional characters with a history that makes them but living in a real and practical world.

Some beautiful lines from the book…..

‘Dedication, sacrifice, austerity. In his youth they had used words like that freely and they had not had a hollow ring about them. Each one now clanked tinnily with empty repetition. He never used them in his speeches any more. But he took them out, like valuable old coins no longer in use, and looked at them when he was alone. He was satisfied that they existed and had worth.

‘Love had never been simple for him or even entirely possible. That was why he had found release in compassion, the disinterested equivalent of love, the equal attachment to all. ‘

‘She had learned that terror was not external catastrophe. It was the failure of reason. ‘

‘There’s a great freshness and innocence about you that’s very reviving. Why should anyone who has live, and has been used by life, as we all have, still have the dew upon them? It’s like finding dew on the grass when the Sun is high in the sky and the day half over.

But I’m not like that at all, not a bit like your dew on the grass.

We’re not talking of the same thing. I meant the quality of you as a person. I think you mean chastity. If Chastity is so important and so well worth preserving, it would be easier to safeguard it by keeping men in seclusion, not women. The biological urge is supposed to be much stronger in men, so it is they who should be kept under restraint and not allowed to roam free to indulge their appetites. The entire East might flourish under this sort of reversal of Purdah.’

[Vikas Datta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite masterly... transpose the names and the place and you could have the India of today with the scheming politician and the principled but quiet one, the vacillating top bureaucrat and the junior who attempts to do something but is stymied by lack of support. On the other hand, ends with too much unresolved, not much of a sense of closure

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book (it was on our bookshelves and I was inspired to read it as we are taking a trip to NE India, our first time in this part of India. The book takes place in the newly planned and built city of Chandigarh; the "birth" of the city is a consequence of Partition and the splitting of Punjab into two states. But in addition to the political and economic currents running through the book is the stories of love and relationships. This is an incredibly strong feminist book, written and first published in 1969. There is one of the clearest depictions of power imbalance and abuse in husband/wife relationship that I have read. The women are portrayed as strong, thoughtful women, as are some of the men. I especially loved the adults' relationships with two young children, including the playful interactions. And the description of the differences of the childbirth experience between wealthy and impoverished women. I will see what else this author has written that is published in the US - or see what I can find in India.

[Shr · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this remarkable work, the author crafts a narrative that is both powerful and deeply engaging. From the very first page, it becomes evident that an immense amount of detail and effort has been poured into creating a story that is not only compelling but also rich in substance. The storytelling is exceptional, weaving a tapestry of events and emotions that draw the reader in with every chapter. The depth of the content is vast, offering layers of meaning and insight that resonate long after the final page is turned. Each chapter contributes meaningfully to the overall narrative, building a world that is as intricate as it is believable.The characters are brilliantly developed, each fitting perfectly into the story with their unique flaws and strengths. The interactions between them are authentic and relatable, making the story feel all the more real. However, the journey of the main character is particularly poignant. Despite their resilience and the strength they display throughout the story, the conclusion leaves them alone, without the happy ending in love that they so richly deserve. This element adds a bittersweet note to the story, leaving the reader both satisfied by the narrative arc and longing for a different resolution for the protagonist.The author’s work is nothing short of amazing. Their ability to craft such a detailed and effective story, with characters that stay with you long after the book is closed, is truly commendable. This is a book that not only entertains but also invites the reader to reflect on the complexities of life, love, and the human condition.

[Nivedita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Storm in Chandigarh by Nayantara Sahgal published in 1969 weaves intricately on the surface of human relationships a richly embroidered pattern of expectations, failures, dreams, desires, ambitions and hopes less from oneself and more from the other - from a husband or a wife; from a political rival, from a neighbour or from a country; from a stranger one meets at a party or from a life-long friend. Amid a historical background of the great battle between the mutilated bodies of Haryana and Punjab to possess history and the much-coveted Chandigarh, the narratives tells the story of storm in the lives of three couples - Nikhil and Gauri, Inder and Saroj and Jit and Mara. These are people trying to carve a life for themselves in the new-modern postcolonial India which stands divided in its own diversity while the new aspirants stand divided in the impossible dichotomy between the old and the new, the traditional and the modern, the then and now and the personal and collective. .
.

[Dharshini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice book excellent

[Pawan · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://iandbooks.wordpress.com/
The reason I picked up this book was due to the name Chandigarh in the title, my favorite city. I had heard of the author Nayantara Sahgal before but I had not read anything from her. She is daughter of VijayLakshmi Pandit and related to Nehru-Gandhi family. “Storm in Chandigarh” is the story of interpersonal relationships of few couples who lived in Chandigarh when the division of Punjab into Haryana was being worked out.

My hopes from the book were to get to know more about that time and also learn about history of division which later resulted in so much unrest. Chandigarh was the jewel crown of Punjab and was created to replace Lahore, erstwhile capital of Punjab. It was the best planned city with a great vision of future. Both Punjab and Haryana wanted it to be their capital. In the end, Chandigarh remained undivided and to this date it is capital for both Punjab and Haryana. But the book disappoints in that aspect and provides very little of historical aspects. In the story, a civil servant is sent from Delhi to oversee the transition process but very little is written about his work or how it influenced the shaping of Chandigarh.

The book focuses more of the relationship of Jit and Maya; Inder and Saroj, two couples who are going through difficult times in their life. The book takes a look at their extramarital relationships, issues of husband and wife and families. For today’s age such topic is no longer fascinating as it has stopped to arouse any curiosity but in 1969 when this book was written, it must have been very bold.

Overall, the book became very boring and was tough to finish till end. But it was good to read about Chandigarh, however little it was in the book.

[Sahil Sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that I will be reading again in the future for the author explores so many perspectives in one book that are of great importance in our daily lives. At first I thought it's just about the bitter power struggle that happened in Chandigarh but I couldn't be more wrong. This was my first nayantara sehgal book and it inspires me to read other works of hers too.