Saturday, September 17, 2011

Swami by Ranjit Desai : A book review

"Swami" by Ranjit Desai is special as its the first Marathi book I have read. For me this is a start into a fascinating area of literature which I never explored. As I write this, I have finished about half the book, so some of my opinions may change as I finish it.

"Swami" is a historical account of the rule of Madhavrao Peshwe, based in Pune. The book remains focused on the character of Madhavrao, his rule and his various relationships - mainly focusing on his relationship with his wife Ramabai, his mother Gopikabai and his uncle Raghobadada.

The book progresses very quickly through the story line, keeping a firm grip on the plot. Within the first few pages of the book, Madhavrao's sense of justice is established through the scenes of his darbar in which he admonishes his uncle for not complying with the rules of the treasury. Madhavrao's love for Ramabai is explored through scenes of Theur where he orders that a garden be built for her pleasure. His love for his mother is described through letters exchanged with her. His relationship with his uncle remains defensive and then eventually goes south due to the constant competitiveness of his uncle. Madhavrao was severely compromised on several occasions due to his uncle's pettiness. Madhavrao's uncle was presented with many occasions when the choice was between his personal self and the Maratha empire. Most times he chose in favor of his own self causing severe damage to the Maratha empire.

Though quick in development, the book does stop and smell the roses through vivid descriptions. Most notable are the descriptions of the hunt that Madhavrao goes to along with his uncle and the Nizam while he is under arrest. The hunt is a metaphor for Madhavrao's state of mind while in his uncle's custody. The descriptions of the welcome party on Madhavarao's return to Pune from his battles offers a crescendo to an exciting first part of the book. The vividness of the "pangat" in the Shaniwarwada left me yearning for "varan bhat" with liberal toop on it with bhaji.

The book remains focused firmly on Madhavrao and the other characters remain subordinate in development. Most of the other characters are developed in response to Madhavarao's actions and decisions. The author has the tendency to introduce a large number of characters without clearly explaining their roles in the plot. The author has glossed over much of the details of wars with Madhavarao's opponents making his victories sound almost too easy and hence by consequence him almost divine in his military skills. Surely there must be some complexity of thought, some grey areas at play here which would have made interesting reading and presented a more complete and realistic picture of Madhavrao. Some of Madhavrao's controversial decisions are presented in very laconic, terse sentences such as his decision to appoint the Jadhavs (his uncles potential assassins) as Sardars or his over-reliance on rituals and religious ceremonies in the beginning of the book. Surely, some people would be at the receiving end of these decisions and would not view Madhavrao in the same divine spirit as did his supporters. Presenting these weaknesses would have painted a more complete picture of Madhavrao along with his fallacies making him a more human, believable character.

The complexity of thought of certain moments in the book could be explored a bit more. When Madhavrao decided to fine his uncle (Gopikabai's brother) when he allowed the Nizam to loot Pune, Gopikabai leaves Pune. At face value, this could be read as pure anger on her part. But she goes on to claim that her staying in her son's house when both Madhavrao and Ramabai were now adults would be inappropriate. This is interesting as extrapolating her train of thought one could conclude that she steps away not because she's angry but because her emotions and relationships should not influence Madhavrao's political decisions. Explorations of thought are lacking in the book and these remain exercises for the reader. Though I do believe that it being a historical novel, such explorations would have been conjectures on the author's part and would have compromised historical accuracy.

All in all, "Swami" keeps its promise of being a Marathi all weather classic.

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