Marathi novel "Shala" - a review

Ambika

Shala. School. Once you leave its precincts, you long for its familiar comfort, angst and some robust rib-tickling fun. I was quite terrified at the prospect of meeting my old school friends at a reunion. And,why not? They have seen me in my worst and to a lesser extent best form. Warts, blemishes, scars, heart aches, heart breaks and failures...they know it all. And, the reunion did remind me that they still remember a few episodes which I had forgotten. Put together, school and the students have an elephantine memory!

And, so every time I need to reassure myself that 'all izzzz well' in my world, I turn to Shala – a novel written in Marathi by Milind Bokil. 

Maybe you have also read that the movie based on the novel fetched National Award for Best Feature Film in Marathi.

The movie has its moments, but I prefer reading the book. It brings back memories of the fumbling, bumbling innocence, the worldly-wise friends, teachers who drone on and on on (like duracell batteries), and that one special person who makes the brick and mortar building so inviting.

It's a tale of four friends, from a town/village located on the railway line connecting its denizens to Mumbai. It's set in 70s, right during the Emergency period. And, so you can go right back to your childhood (I wasn't born in the 70s, but I know the allure of playing chess and carom with your neighbours, when TV was a rarity).

Looking back it seems that life was so peaceful. But, was it really? There was tumult caused by monster-teachers (I do apologise, but some teachers do instil fear in students), fear of failure, fear of losing out on that special person and so many irritants that you wish to grow up and fork out your own path.

In these tumult and angst filled years, you also forge a deep and abiding friendship. For Shala's protagonist Joshi, he has his mama (uncle) as his friend, philosopher and guide. Young, suave, but level-headed he keeps his nephew on the straight and narrow path. And, fathers too can be surprisingly receptive about the going-ons in the school.

It's not really a feel-good book, but, yes, it does offer you a chance to look back on your school years and laugh at the private miseries that had threatened happiness and unleashed a flood of tears. It lets you become a teenager again, to commit mistakes and set them right and hope for a thriving future.