By Vivek Shanbhag. Translated by Srinath Perur
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Vivek Shanbhag’s translated short story is an introspective narrative about a South Indian(Kannada) family on the cusp of a status change from middle class to one of high society. The title, Ghachar Ghochar, is a colloquial term for something that is tangled beyond repair.
The narrator, son of the family, details his family’s ascent to riches. He scrutinizes how this has affected each of the family members and how the family dynamics have attuned to progress and safe keep this newfound wealth. In doing so, personal dogma is tested and familial priorities are rearranged.
The narrator discerns how opulence has enhanced vices, such as his sister’s inconsiderate nature, while debilitating his own ambition and the tranquility of the family unit.
The prose is not burdened by any ostentatiousness. The deceptively insightful writing will lay down some gems, such as-
‘One Story, many sides.‘
‘The last strands of a relationship can snap from a single glance or a moment of silence.‘
‘it’s not we who control money, it’s the money that controls us. When there’s only a little it behaves meekly; when it grows, it becomes brash and has it’s way with us.’
Shanbag’s impeccable observation also gives us a vivid parallelism between how the family, especially the mother, deals with an ant infestation and any perceived threat to the family’s footing in society.
Other readers have found the ending a bit abrupt. To me, it just enhanced the essence of this masterpiece, which is not so much in its plot line but in the keen observation of the culture and the psychology of its characters.
Book Broad 