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Nisha Yadav

Post-Independence Indian Literature

120351103

22 October 2024

The absence of gendered voices in Raag Darbari

Raag Darbari is a popular Hindi fiction novel written by Srilal Shukla in 1968. It's a

satirical novel which satirizes the government, politics, education system, patriarchy and

objectification of women in the 20th century. The English translation of Raag Darbari written by

Gillian Wright, which was published in 1993. Srilal Shukla (1925-2011) known for his satirical

works that represent the rural and urban space of India. Raag Darbari is one of his great works,

which received Sahitya Akademi Award in 1969.

Now we'll discuss the actual points of this essay based on gendered voices or we can say

representation of women in that patriarchal society where men have dominated over the years.

There is no space for women's rights to freedom, they are not the subject of patriarchal society.

In Raag Darbari women are considered as a source of pleasure and to fulfill men's physical

desire . Particularly in Rural areas like here, mention Shivpal Ganj, a village in Uttar Pradesh in

the 1960s, represents the typical life of females, a marginalized section of village. In post

independence India Srilal Shukla focused on corruption, hypocrisy, vulnerability of women in

rural space, corrupt education system and some more negativities of that time in villages. Here in

the novel only one female character is mentioned i.e, Bela daughter of Gayadin (Mahajan or

Baniya) she is a beautiful and charming girl who can read and write and is also well trained in
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household chores. Young boys of Shivpal Ganj flirt with her like Ruppan Babu, Badri wrestler,

and even Rangnath also have some feelings towards her. She is the voiceless character but she is

part of the conversation among men . In this novel women are described by men as bad slang,

women are doing their domestic work, making pickles, etc. They are alienated from the social

and political decision making process of men. It portrays how women are sidelined from the

social and political sphere of the village. The central characters of the novel like Vaidya ji,

Rangnath are showing the masculinity of power dynamics. It mirrors the structural inequalities

that deny women a significant role in public and political strife. Novel deals with the male

centric approach of Shivpal ganj, it's a perfect example of a dystopian novel where mostly

negative aspects are present. Village fairs were organized by government or upper caste people

where males gazed at ,targeted,teasing the women’s body and trying to molest them. Touching

their body without their permission and women could not resist them.At the village fair, this is

subtly illustrated through the behavior of male characters who observe women with a sense of

entitlement or desire, often ignoring their personhood or agency.One of the recurring themes in

Raag Darbari is the objectification of women, and the village fair is no exception. In such a

public space, women are often subjected to the male gaze. In patriarchy men have power to

dominate over women and do whatever they want. Another aspect we see is “Women only

appear as passers-by Or in bedtime fantasies”.

Dreaming of girls in Rangnath’s mind while sleeping always thought of male desires among him

especially during night time. Ruppan wrote love letters to Bela and tore them , he is not able to

directly express his love towards her because of image and superiority in the village. In another

way Badri is also loving Bela for the times and desires to marry her. We can see Ruppan, Badri
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and Rangnath belong to a Brahmanical family but they are teasing a girl who is lower to their

caste. So here is an example of upper caste males who always use lower caste women to fulfill

their physical needs.

As many of the writers wrote about the life of women in rural India and stereotypes that

are followed by females in the family and society. For example Kamla Markandeya wrote in the

book “Nectar in a Sieve”(1954) depicts the true agony of a woman in rural India. Like Srilal

shukla she also has used rural settings and represents the peasant marginalized women of the

gender and class . Women lack socio - economic and educational opportunities during post

independent time. Shukla used some idioms and curses on women that made them more

vulnerable and demeaning their identity. Comments passed by men over women are very sexual

and low level of their minds. In every aspect of matter women as an object for example when

Rangnath arrives in shivpal ganj he saw many women sitting in a row “bundle-like objects in the

twilight on both sides of

the road. These were women sitting in rows, . . . relieving themselves”. Here is an example that

shows treatment of women in patriarchal and caste hierarchical systems. Because definitely these

were the working peasants women or lower caste. The Chamrahi village reference is here

showing another class of lower people called Bhangi / Chamar living. People of Shivpal ganj

visit there seeking pleasure.

Bela has the personal desire and ambition, her agency constantly undermined by the men around

her. She was not allowed to go outside of her home. Whenever she goes to the neighborhood she

crosses roofs of every house and reaches there. Her character reveals the deep rooted gender

inequality that prevent women from exercising personal and intellectual freedom. Bela’s life is
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controlled by the village elite, and her future is dictated by those who hold power, showing how

social, political, and gender hierarchies are interconnected.

In conclusion, In Raag Darbari, women are depicted as secondary citizens, with little influence

over their own lives or the affairs of society. The novel places women within traditional domestic

roles, where their primary responsibilities are linked to maintaining the household or serving

men. Shukla uses humor and irony to expose how women’s marginalization is accepted as a

norm in the village, critiquing the backwardness of the societal attitudes toward gender.Raag

Darbari symbolizes the decay and stagnation of a society entrenched in traditional, outdated

patriarchal values. Women’s oppression becomes a metaphor for the larger systemic failure of the

village. Women's voices and potential contributions are silenced, mirroring the broader social

stagnation and moral degradation of the community.

Bibliography:

Shukla, Shrilal. Raag Darbari.Translated by Gillian Wright. New Delhi, India: Penguin Books,

1991. Print.

Markanandaya, K. (1954). Nectar in a

sieve. J. Day Co.

Shukla, Punit. "Satire on Politics and Government in Raag Darbari". Retrieved 17 April 2020.

University of Delhi (2005). Indian Literature: An Introduction. Pearson Education India. pp.

194–. ISBN 978-81-317-0520-9.