Sunday Reading: Gujarati Short Stories by Mahendrasinh Parmar

Hello Beautiful People,

I am Riddhi Bhatt. And yes, today I am coming with something interesting .You know what our today's blog is very interesting and amazing. This Sunday reading task Gujarati Short Stories by Mahendrasinh Parmar is assigned by Prof. Dr. Dilip Barad sir, Head of the English Department of Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavsinhji Bhavnagar University (MKBU).

Whenever I am writing this blog and also these things , I have one question in my mind that why this Sunday reading task and thinking activity all are given by our professor. Answer is that this is not compulsory for every student but necessary for all literature students who studied in masters. This all task gives us a new sense to see how the world is actually. Ok friends now we talk about our today’s topic….

Today we are discussing two short stories in Gujarati language by Prof. Mahendrasinh Parmar.These stories are from 'Polytechnic' - a collection of short stories published in 2016. As a literature student shall I attempt at impressionistic criticism. What impressions do these short stories create in my mind?  The immediate contemporary events which gave rise to these stories can be associated very easily. So let’s start….

First I want to give a brief introduction about the author and his book also.Mahendrasinh Parmar (મહેન્દ્રસિંહ પરમાર) is a Gujarati writer and professor also he is  Head of the Gujarati Department of Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavsinhji Bhavnagar University (MKBU) Gujarat, India. His works include Polytechnic (2016) and Rakhdu no Kagal (2016). He has also written plays. MORE INFORMATION 

Here I want to talk about these two short stories in this book Polytechnic...

1)ISI no Haath

2) Intellectual Indubhai 

1) ISI no Haath : 

'ISI no Haath' is a very interesting short story in Polytechnic by Mahendrasinh_Parmar. This story is  satire on religion and very narrow minded people. When I read this story title the first thought that comes in on my mind is about terrorists and Muslims. Later on we come to know that the story is about the partial behavioural pattern of religion and how it creates terrorists.If we talk about the characters so there are many characters.. 

1)S. P. Singh 

2)Indrajit Dholakiya 

3)Ishawar Dabhi 

4)Sharad Joshi

5)Town’s People

When we start reading a story we think that some terrorists and Muslims  are in the event. This event as some kind of people put a bomb in the town's new temple.All the people think that there are some bad people like ISI do this. But actually this things done by these ISI..

I - Ishvar Dabhi

S - Sharad Joshi

I - Indrajit Dholakiya

Our first ‘I’ ‘Ishvar Dabhi was doing  alcohol business in Karachaliyapara after s.p. his business was distorted.then he was a Scavenger or trashman who collected newspapers and wastage things in home. He collected old newspapers but when this Temple was built they told the people to give the old newspaper to them. But people think that it would be good to give newspapers to temples so that type of  religion people don't give  old newspapers to Ishwar Dabhi.so because of that his business was destroyed and he became jobless.

Our second ‘S’, Sharad Joshi  was from poor family. His mother was good cook. His father  and his mother feed people and earning  money. But because of the temple their business was broken because temple provide food to people in 600 Rs per month. Sharad's father can't face reality. He was worried about his son and home and than he was died.

Our third ‘I’,Indrajit Dholakiya was a chemistry professor. He talked about the profession of the religious people. Temple became the profession for earning money. He talked about the land on which the temple was built. This land was given by the king but later on this land was taken by religious people to build temples. So how religion ruined education.

This story is based on some real event and is connected with religion and temple building named ‘ vadi’. The story is based on Religion, Business , education and power.This ‘vadi’ was described the place for business used in the religion. This story is based on the theme of how people are being fools by their religion.When temple was builded so many troubles in some people’s lives. Prof. Dhodakiya made a bomb to alert the people that they all make them fools. At the end we can see Professor, Sarad and Iswar being part of this temple and S.P. Sing disappeared. 

Connection with contemporary event:

This event is actually real based.The reality of Aksharwadi Temple of Bhavnagar. In this story when we chemistry professor Indrajit said to , s.p  that this land was donated to the University for educational purpose by King Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji, the last Maharaja of Gohilwad. The professor from the chemistry department, from Sir P.P Institute is connected with the Aksharwadi temple and we can say that this event actually happened in the past.Also here using word ‘vadi’ is near by word ‘Aksharwadi.we can see the imaginative power of the writer that indirectly described the particular event.

This is satire on the blind religion. How these Baba and sadhu make fools to people by religion. Each and every place people were used for creating money by religion. And the end of the story is very shocking because the person who was against all their shit, they will be the part of them. It reflects  how people blindly follow religion.  For making that temple , University was ready to give place. So, many politics happened, scandals happened but at the end temple Committee won. It described the poor situation of India and our country. Our history has proof that how people deceive by religion.

Whenever I think about a big temple, in my mind, what is actually religion.If we see this biggest temple so only royalty and luxury in baba’s hut. Also we see that there are ‘VIP’ lines and normal lines for bhaktajan. Really? If god is really live in earth that he do that?. If we all say that God is for all then why this partiality behaviour in temple.These religion create big gape of cast,class. It makes people frustrated at that level,that they ready to do anything.We see religion as a devil in this story.How the temple is turned into a business centre!!!!

If you want to read this full story, I putting the link of the story here….

ISI no Haath  by Mahendrasinh Parmar

2) Intellectual Indubhai:

'Intellectual Indubhai' is a very interesting short story in Polytechnic by Mahendrasinh Parmar.This short story is about one professor, Indubhai. He was a very intellectual and kind hearted person. He was teaching a lesson of humanity. He was also  taught his thoughts of Gandhiji, Narsinh Mehta, Meera, Eliot and Rilke. But one day he faced the cruel situation in which majority and minority communal riots happened and people killed and burned each other. After seeing that kind of situation Indubhai remembered the western thinkers. Here, the writer of this story seems very knowledgeable because he reminds me of western literature.Story begins with one sister telling a story to his brother about Indubhai.’Intellectual Indubhai’. Beginning of the story is quite interesting . Both Brother and sister create satire on English words. It also describes still lots of people having trouble of English language and education. At the end of the story Indubhai becomes made. He lost his memory and just indicated everyone by using the name of a great poet, philosopher and authors.

Connection with contemporary event:

This short story is real based on ‘Godhra Kand’.When we read this words 'February a cruelest month', 'Majority and Minority' and 'Burning train' the ‘Godhra Kand’ comes to our mind. This story is about the Post- Godhra riots in which many people lost their lives, mass rapes of the women, looting shops, burning children and women.The event is widely perceived as the trigger for the Gujarat riots that followed, which resulted in widespread loss of life, destruction of property and homelessness. If we se that 2002 Gujarat riots. This things happens only reason because of minority and majority concept. 
What is majority and minority ?
Relating to a population in which more than half represent social, ethnic, or racial minorities, and in which fewer members of the more socially, politically, or financially dominant group are represented.
Louis Wirth defined a minority group as "a group of people who, because of their physical or cultural characteristics, are singled out from the others in the society in which they live for differential and unequal treatment, and who therefore regard themselves as objects of collective discrimination.
Here I want to present some of images of the dialogue and also interpreter this things...

1) Here we see that how is all things happen when Indubhai is not at home. All the crulest people was come to their home and destroyed home of Indubhai. Also we see here that first train was burned than after and after all kind of home, shop, motor,body. Really body ? It means people were died.

Also here was one dialogue that ....
"આ મકાન સામાવાળાનું છે. સળગાવી દો સાલાનું મકાન !"
It's like people are thirsty for people's blood. They do only violence nothing to much.

2) Here, we can say that writer very wonderfully wrote that the books of Ramayana, Mahabharat, Krishna nu Jivan sangeet and Saraswatichandra and also Gandhi's Satya na prayogo all books are burned so it means all the moral thoughts are also burned in the mind of people. Inteactual Indubhai was mad for this book and this literature now how is situation.

Here words is like...

"જેના એક એક અક્ષરને તેઓ આકંઠ પી ગયેલા એ બધા પુસ્તકો અગ્નિ માં સ્વાહા..    "

3) Here we see that how youngsters were involves in this event.Indubhai was professor. He was sawn these all collegians he also thought that what is this?. I given to these students pen and paper. I taught them to how we save our country and how we became bright future to our society and nation. And they all what they doind this ?. He was also went to stop them but hey said that not stop them. This is not college.One boy said that...

"સર …! એ અમિતાભગીરી કોલેજ માં હો !!'

If you want to read full story,I putting the link of the story here...

Intellectual Indubhai by Mahendrasinh Parmar

So here I have try to do that these two short story's critical view. Also a literature student I shall attempt at impressionistic criticism. These short story creates very deeper impressions in our mandate immediate contemporary events which gave rise to these stories can be associated very easily.Ihope you all enjoy this blog and also known very intresting facts and things also..

THANK YOU.......

(words : 1815)