Shades Of Love In Modern Marathi Literature: Five Famous Novels

Romance and literature go hand in hand. While romance is a feeling, literature gives it a definite shape. It gives a safe platform to express itself through novels, stories, poems and a lot more. The concept of love has been explored in many ways in Indian novels and is highly popular. Indian romance is often described in subtle ways. Holding hands, passing a cup of tea, gifting flowers and gajras (flower garlands), and sharing unspoken glances are all subtle ways in which a thousand emotions are depicted. The genre of love and romance is widely celebrated in Indian literature. Not only on a pan-Indian scale, but love is a favourite genre of many in regional literature also.

Modern Marathi literature and the genre of love

When we look at modern Marathi literature we notice a plethora of work based on the genre of love. Be it mythological, historical romance, tragic love stories, coming of age stories and college romance, the literature has it all. Many of these novels have been translated into other languages and also adapted into TV shows and movies. Given below are five famous Marathi novels that have been readers’ favourites for ages and are available in English and Hindi  translations as well.

           

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                            Image 2 credit – Published by Pan  Macmillain India,  2016. English translation by Vikas Pandey   

              

Rau by N.S. Inamdar

The romance of Peshwa Bajirao and his Mastani is the stuff of legends. This tale has been written about in numerous novels and stories, adapted in TV shows and movies. The recent cinematic marvel starring Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone playing the titular roles was based on an Indian novel written by Marathi author, N.S. Inamdar. The novel titled ‘Rau’ was one of his most celebrated ones. It depicts the passionate love story of Bajirao and his love Mastani Bai. Their love blossoms in the backdrop of complex court politics, fatal plans by their own people and the rigid religious practices prevalent in those days. While writing about the love affair, the author also sheds light on the plight of Kashibai, the chief queen of Bajirao. She devotes her life to her husband and even accepts the presence of Mastani because she is the source of her husband’s happiness. While narrating the complex lives led by the three, Bajirao, Kashibai and Mastani, the author seamlessly includes the details about the contemporary lifestyle, royal lives, dressing styles and cuisines. This attention to detail and narrating a passionate love affair while bringing out its nuances is what makes this a complete historical romance novel.

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Image 4 Source – Published by Harper Perennial, 2014. Translated in english by Vikrant Pandey

 

Shala by Milind Bokil

Almost every individual has experienced the first brush of love or romance in their school days. Shala is a novel by Milind Bokil that depicts one such innocent romance that takes place in a school. The story of Joshi, a smart and intelligent boy from a typical middle-class family and his crush, Shirodkar takes us back to the 80’s. The novel narrates the first brush of love between a 14-year-old Mukund Joshi and his classmate Shirodkar. The author weaves around the magic of small gestures of love during school trips and classes. These two young love birds are unable to openly talk to each other but find means of communicating. They talk, laugh and dream of a future. But what happens next? Does their love meet its destiny or does their story prove that there’s not one definition of successful love? This coming-of-age love story set against the backdrop of emergency in India and the air of change is a must-read for the fans of the Indian romance genre.

 

                                                           

Image 5  source –  Mehta Publishing House, Pune, 2013

Image 6 source – Published by Orient Publishing, 2012. Translated in english by Y.P.Kulkari

 

Yayati by V.S. Khandekar

Mythological love stories have been written about in Indian novels. One such novel is Yayati written by V.S. Khandekar. Devyani is the daughter of the guru of demons, Shukracharya. She gets married to Yayati, an ancestor of the Pandavas and Kauravas. Yayati had a troubled childhood and finds the outlet of his grief through carnal pleasures. Overcome by carnal desires he wastes away a major part of his young life. Although married to Devyani he doesn’t find solace in her. He finds himself drawn to her maidservant, Sharmishtha who becomes one with him, mind and body. He finds himself compatible with her but for some reason, she runs away from the palace. The author narrates Yayati’s disturbed state of mind, his attempts at finding true peace, his refusal to reign in his carnal desires, and the neglect he shows towards his duties before being cursed by his father-in-law that he will turn into an old man forever. The novel takes us through the plight of the central characters with Yayati, Devyani and Sharmishtha narrating the story in first person. This novel is filled with love and ornamental language. One of the best mythological novels in modern Marathi literature, it received several awards, including the Sahitya Akademi Award and Jnanpith Award.

 

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Image 8 source – Published by Westland Publications Limited, 2019

Swami by Ranjit Desai

The love story between Peshwa Madhavrao, the grandson of Peshwa Bajirao, and his wife Ramabai is legendary. This story has been presented in modern Marathi literature often. But the best depiction of this story was by Ranjit Desai, a renowned historian and writer. His novel titled ‘Swami’ takes us back to the turbulent times in Maharashtra history, the aftermath of the third battle of Panipat, skirmishes with the powers in Deccan, plots to overthrow the Peshwas, and a love story blossoming in these times. Through the everyday interactions between Madhavrao and his wife Rama, we see their care and affection towards each other, their simple romance. The love story of Madhavrao and Ramabai starts with their marriage and progresses with time, as he learns how to be a king at the tender age of 20 something and she takes up the responsibility of the palace at the mere age of 18.

They grow together, learning and constantly having each other’s back and dreaming of the future when they can spend quality time with each other. This story gets cut short as Madhavrao gets diagnosed with a respiratory issue. After that, it shows the struggles of Ramabai to handle the palace affairs and the deteriorating health of her husband. The ending leaves the readers with teary eyes as Ramabai commits sati (self-immolation). This novel too has been adapted into several TV shows and movies. It leaves the readers mesmerized by their innocent love story and tearful at the tragic end.

Image 9 source – Published by Shashideep Prakashan, 2013. Translated in Hindi

 

Duniyadari by Suhas Shirvalkar

College life and young love are inseparable. Through Suhas Shirvalkar’s Duniyadari the readers get to live their college lives again. The story follows the life of Shreyas Talwalkar, son of a rich industrialist who shifts to the well-known SP College in Pune. There his life takes an unexpected turn when he comes across a set of friends who are different from him in both nature and background. He tries to fit in by smoking, drinking and indulging in love affairs. This katta gang consisting of Shreyas, Digya, Nitya, Umya and Ashkya pass their time together and get into many sorts of issues. Then enters the love of Shreyas, Shirin and they start a steamy romance. This novel is a classic blend of reality and imagination. The characters feel real and their story feels ordinary but with an extraordinary touch of love. One of the best works of Shirvalkar, this novel is widely popular and has been adapted into movies in three different languages.

Duniyadari by Suhas Shirvalkar refreshed the memories of every individual about their college days and the ties of friendship and love. It was popular and became a cult classic novel and movie in Marathi regions. Novels by Ranjit Desai often depict historical romances while writing about famous historical personalities. Shala was yet another novel from modern Marathi literature that not only became popular but also was adapted into a movie that was praised all over. The concept of love may be handled in a  subtler and shyer way than in Indian novels but it weaves its own magic.

 

Bibliography

Bokil, Milind. Shala. Mouj Prakashan, 20004.

Desai, Ranjit. Swami. Mehta Publishing House , 1962.

N.S.Inamdar. Rau. Continental Prakashan , 1972.

Shirvalkar, Suhas. Duniyadari. Sashideep Prakashan, 1982.

V.S.Khandekar. Yayati . Mehta Publishing House , 1959.