Delhi Gadhakal Explained

Delhi Gadhakal (Tales from Delhi) is a Malayalam language novel by M. Mukundan. It was first published as a book by D. C. Books in November 2011. The novel portrays the various events that greatly influenced the author's life during the 40 years spent in New Delhi, since 1962. The novel has as protagonist a leftist Kerala youth, named Sahadevan, who had the shock of his life when he landed in Delhi to hear the news of Chinese attack on India.^[1] It was translated from Malayalam by Fathima E. V. and Nandakumar K. under the title Delhi: A Soliloquy.

It took three years for Mukundan to finish the novel.^[2] It was released on 1 November 2011.^[3] The novel received much critical praise and soon went on to become one of the best-selling novels of the year. It also won several awards including the first Kamala Suraiyya Award.

Background

Delhi Gadhakal has been penned in the backdrop of New Delhi, the city to which the author's name has been associated probably even more than his hometown, Mayyazhi (Mahe). The novel was inspired by various events that greatly influenced the author's life during the 40 years spent in New Delhi, since 1962.^[4]

Characters

• Sahadevan - the protagonist.
• Sreedharanunni - A third-grade employee in the Parliament. It is Sreedharanunni who brings Sahadevan to Delhi.
• Devi - Sreedharanunni's wife.
• Sathyanathan - Sreedharanunni's son.
• Vidya - Sreedharanunni's daughter.
• Kunhikrishnan - A journalist working in Delhi.
• Lalita - Kunhikrishnan's wife.
• Vasavappanicker - An artist working in Delhi.
• Rosily - A Malayalee Christian woman who is forced to become a prostitute in Delhi.
• Kunhikkannan Master - A naxalist leader in Kerala.
• Janakikutty - Kunhikkannan Master's daughter.
• Uttam Singh - Sahadevan's house owner at Amrit Puri.
• Pinki - Singh's younger daughter.
• Jaswinder - Singh's elder daughter.
• Dasappan - A barber working in Delhi.
• Gulshan Wadhwa - Sahadevan's employer.
• Om Prakash Jain - Sahadevan's house owner at Jangpura.
• Ashok Chimber - Sahadevan's house owner at Malviya Nagar.
• Kuber Lal - Sahadevan's house owner at Mayur Vihar.
• Harilal Shukla - An art lover and Vasavappanicker's mentor.
• Vanaja - Sahadevan's sister.
• Shyamala - Sahadevan's sister.
• Abdul Abdunnissar - Vanaja's lover.
• Abdul Aleem - Sahadevan's employee.
• Divakaran Potti - Sahadevan's employee.
• Seetharam - the dhobi. He is a victim of forced-sterilisation during the Emergency.
• Jamaludheen - a Bangladeshi refugee.

Release

The novel was released by former Kerala education minister M. A. Baby on 1 November 2011, at a cultural festival organised in connection with the 13th DC International Book Fair. In the event, Baby lauded the writer for his efforts to explore and recreate the mindset of the people during the Emergency and ‘their view of Indira Gandhi's misjudgement about people's power.'^[3]

Awards

• 2012: Kamala Suraiyya Award ^{[5] [6]}
• 2012: VVK Award ^[7]
• 2021: JCB Prize for Literature^[8]

External links

• Web site: Delhi Ballads. Matheikal.wordpress.com. 17 January 2012.

Notes and References

1. http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/printArticle.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=470970&version=1&template_id=40&parent_id=22 "My works never encouraged drug use, says top author"
2. News: ഇനി ഏത് ദേശത്തെക്കുറിച്ചാണ് ഞാൻ എഴുതേണ്ടത്?. Madhyamam Weekly. 21 November 2011. M. Mukundan. M. Mukundan. ml. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150224145913/http://www.madhyamam.com/weekly/926. 24 February 2015.
3. http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Thiruvananthapuram/article2591185.ece "Finished work belongs to readers: Mukundan"
4. News: The main character is Delhi. 28 October 2011. The New Indian Express. 7 December 2011. 24 February 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150224134855/http://shevlinsebastian.blogspot.in/2011/10/main-character-is-delhi.html?m=1. live.
5. Web site: "Kamala Suraiyya Award distribution, Azhikode remembrance today" . 19 April 2012 . 4 April 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120404201040/http://www.cityjournal.in/Newspaper/20120330/Metro/Metro_2.html . live .
6. http://www.mathrubhumi.com/english/story.php?id=120781 "ONV and Mukundan gets Kamala Surayya award"
7. Web site: VVK Award to M. Mukundan . 9 May 2012 . Latest Awards won by Celebrities in Kerala . 7 July 2018 . 8 July 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180708103844/http://latestawardsinkerala.blogspot.com/2012/05/vvk-award-to-m-mukundan.html . live .
8. Web site: JCB Award to M. Mukundan . 13 November 2021 . Times of India . 13 November 2021 . 13 November 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211113221440/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-times/author-m-mukundan-wins-jcb-prize-for-literature-2021-for-his-novel-delhi-a-soliloquy/articleshow/87689524.cms . live .