Book Review

        Saraswatichandra

                                A Classic Novel by Govardhanram Tripathi

                                       Name of Book: Saraswatichandra

    Author: Govardhanram Tripathi

    Genre: Novel, Romance

    Pages: 1184 pages

    First Published: 1887 to 1901

    Language: Gujarati

    ISBN: 9351221776

    Publisher: R. R. Sheth & Co. Pvt. Ltd. 

 

Saraswatichandra is the outstandingly classic novel written in Gujarati by Govardhanram Madhavaram Tripathi. It is set in 19^th century Bombay and surrounding areas which were erstwhile parts of Gujarat. Widely celebrated as one of the greatest masterpieces not only of Gujarati literature but also of world literature, the book is divided into four parts, though each of them dealing with different theme, the novel maintains a strong uniformity with respect to its central theme - an educated man called Saraswatichandra’s journey to spiritual enlightenment.

Saraswatichandra has such a captivating story that keeps one charged and curious throughout the bulky book. It is fashioned in the mode of picaresque novel though not fulfilling all the criteria. We have a host of characters like Saraswatichandra, Kumud, Lakshminandan, Buddhidhan, Vidyachatur, Gunasundari, Chandrakant, Maanchatur, Kusum, Vishnudas, Manoharpuri and many more. Each of them is representing qualities of their name. Saraswatichandra, the central figure, is a barrister by qualification. He is refined, well-educated and a brilliant scholar in literature, philosophy and languages, who is still in search for meaning in life. Finding ample occasion, he abandons his home in Mumbai permanently forsaking his father, step mother, friends and renouncing the worldly comforts and riches of his father’s business. He assumes a new   name   of Navinchandra so that no one can recognize him and reaches to Buddhidhan to whose son his love, Kumud was married. Overwhelmed by Navinchandra’s worldly   wisdom, Buddhidhan allows him to live in his house. The reader gets chance to enter into the world of Buddhidhan. After staying with Buddhidhan’s family, he leaves for Vidhyachatur. Whereby on the way, he is robbed. Everyone assumes him dead in the incident. He, in the meantime, has been saved by a group of sadhus and taken to their ashram on the adjoining Sundargiri hills. Here also, Saraswatichandra overwhelms the main sadhu, Vishnudas, by expressing his knowledge and eventually names him as the inheritor to his sadhu position. Kumud has, on the other hand, also survived in the other incident. She was similarly caught by Lady Ascetic Chandravali. The group takes Kumud to Vishnudas's ashram and she and Saraswatichandra find out about each other's presence there. The story grows more and more captivating as it leads to its end where everything is settled with Saraswatichandra marrying Kusum and the possibility of meeting the two pure love also comes to the end which is rather tragic from the perspective of the genuine love between Saraswatichandra and Kumud.

Incredible Govardhanram Madhavaram Tripathi! Even more incredible is his novel, Saraswatichandra. Hats off to Tripathi’s art fully at work in his grand epic novel. What wonders me since long time why Govardhanram Madhavaram Tripathi preferred Gujarati language for expressing his self even though he was a scholar of many languages. Perhaps it was his respect for Gujarati language and he wanted to create something grand in Gujarati which had been in his mind since long. He wanted to heighten the language. The book is the milestone or even the magnum opus in Gujarati literature. It was adapted into several plays, radio plays, films and TV series. The presentation of Govardhanram Tripathi is so vivid that the reader assumes himself to be a close friend of Navinchandra involved in actions with the hero himself. The reader becomes witness to the intense love of Navinchandra for Kumad and vice versa.

I had been infatuated with novel since long when one of my teachers recommended it to me. I was then introduced it as a romantic novel delineating love of Saraswatichandra and Kumud. The thought of reading the novel resided deep in a corner of my mind and the feeling of the nature of love Saraswatichandra had, was in my heart. The residual dream became reality after a great length of time. When I started to read the novel, I found it much more what had thought of. I can with conviction recognize every character of the novel in the present time. The novel is the type as well as the most individual. And every one would find it interesting to read the novel because he/she would find a match for himself/herself in the novel. The book is ‘Everyone’ for everyone. What impressed me about the book is its universality. Whether you are a literature lover, fond of philosophy, history, psychology, religion, spirituality, etc., the present book is surely for you. Go for it and you will have great time, perhaps it would be the greatest book ever read by you.