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Raag Darbari by Shrilal Shukla

I usually do a video when talking about a book that I really like. But this time, it’s safe to say I was left speechless after reading “Raag Darbari.” (Hence, no video this time! 😊)

The book had been patiently waiting on my bookshelf, and I finally took it out because I wanted to read something ‘light.’ However, I had two apprehensions before diving in:

I don’t typically read fiction.
I couldn’t remember why I purchased this book in the first place.

But a few pages in, I discovered what a true literary masterpiece looks like. I looked up the author, Shrilal Shukla, and recalled reading him during my school days. That’s probably why I bought this book!

Raag Darbari is everything a satire should be. No sugarcoating. No fakery. A crystal clear mirror to the society reminding us who we have always been. Our culture and our mindset, the ingrained corruption, casteism, politics, the entire system is intelligibly portrayed. The novel came out in 1968 and yet everything about ‘Shivpalganj’ stands perfectly true even today. Chances are, a good 100-150 kms from every Indian city, there exists a Shivpalganj. And Raag Darbari’s characters are all alive and breathing.

“Raag Darbari” is everything a satire should be – no sugarcoating, no fakery. It’s a crystal-clear mirror reflecting our society and reminding us of who we’ve always been. Our culture, mindset, the ingrained corruption, casteism, and politics – the entire ‘system’ is portrayed with such clarity. The novel came out in 1968, yet everything about “Shivpalganj” feels incredibly relevant even today. Chances are, if you travel just 100-150 km from any Indian city, you’ll find a “Shivpalganj.” And the characters from Raag Darbari still alive and breathing!

Now, when I really, really love a book and finish reading it, I dive into learning more about it. After a bit of googling, I stumbled upon a clip of Ravish Kumar from 2018 discussing the 50 years of Raag Darbari. He shared such a beautiful insight about the book that I honestly feel I don’t need to add anything more:

राग दरबारी आपने नहीं पढ़ी होगी तो भी मैं दावा कर सकता हूँ के आपने राग दरबारी पढ़ी है. क्योंकि आप भारतीय व्यवस्था के किसी भी अंग के करीब जाएँगे, राग दरबारी का ही अनुभव करते हुए लौटेंगे.