The book is about the life and times of the protagonist Achyuta Raya, no doubt, but it is also about the socio-economic conditions in the villages of India during pre-second world war. The hardships and the dependency of poor people on uncertain factors such as rains, and on the unscrupulous money-lenders/rich, manipulative zamindars and traders are depicted extensively in the story. The book talks about teachers and their impact on the society or lack of it. There aren’t really villains in this saga – the culprit is the situation itself.
Although it is a bleak picture of the times of the past, it also paints wonderful and positive picture of the resilience of the people, especially the womenfolk. Most often than not, it is the women characters that come across strong, purposeful (Achyuta Raya’s mother and sister) and independent in thinking (Subbi the maid supporting Achyuta’s household)
What I liked the most about the book is that the author portrays the characters sensitively, without really judging anyone based on their morality. There isn’t anything right or wrong in the decisions taken by them – they are mostly the victims of their circumstances. The writing is highly descriptive, flows like a calm river that can just go on and on, however, it is never boring. Readers ought to keep one thing in mind, this book may not interest those who are not familiar with the geographical area (since there is not much of ‘action’ happening in the rural backdrop).
This book stayed with me much longer after I had finished it. It could also be because my roots are in these villages too.
I would rate this book 3.5/5.0
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