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MAHAJATRA
This is one of the exceptional novel
of Sarojini,where the protagonist is not a female one,but
Barun, a middle aged smart intellectual, an editor of very
little read Daily News Paper. Barun, an atheist by belief,
addicted to the the forbidden ‘five
M’ of Hinduism, didn’t know why he became
a part of the pilgrim party and was climbing the elevated
14KM icy rocky path to Kedarnath, the Divine Temple of
the Himalayas. Thus the novel describes the journey of
pilgrims. The novel has a mythical resemblance with the
Swarga yatra of Pandavas in Mahabharata, where none except
Yudhisthira could reach to the Heaven. Here, in Mahajatra,
none but |
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Barun,
an atheist, who did not adopt neither Brahmacharya
nor Banaprastha in his life time , could reach the destination.
The other pilgrims either
left behind or went to
the plain for various reason.
Every character in this novel is
separate from the other. Yet they started their travel from
the Har ki Paudi at Haridwar with a travel trip organized by
an travel agent. Before that they were not known to each other.
On the way they had left the rivers Mandakini,Bhagirathi,and
Alaknanda behind as well as places like Rudra Prayag, Son Prayag
and Gourikunda. But with the rise of height from sea level,
some of the troop members felt sick. One of the young member,
a personal servant of a Professor was found missing. It is
a very complex novel, having cluster of many characters and
each character has his own past behind.each past has its own
long story, own memorable events, own hidden sins, own unforgettable
melancholy.Every charactesr in the novel are different from
each other.Their dreams are different,failures are different
yet there is a similarity in those characters.They reflect
a same image of strange exclusive helplessness.
The travelers troupe was going to reduce day by day.Some one left the team by
being bored of such tiresome journey.Some one left the team because he had to
go in search of the missing one.Some one had to return back due to his sickness,someone
had to leave the team for nursing the sick.At the end Barun found himself alone
to the travel team.
At the foothills of Kedarnath, Barun realized the feelings that it was not at
all required for him to come here. It was better for Major or Professor Mohapatra
or the old lady Parida Mausi to come here. They had their own goal, own beliefs,
but Barun had nothing out of these. Why did he join the troupe? To have an experience
with glaciers or to encounter the God?He did not want any ‘Mukti’ or
liberation of soul from the earthly needs. He had no idea to go for Banaprastha.
It seemed, he had been living a wrong life till then.He should have some courage
and motive force like the Major,should have love and sensibility like the Professor
Mohapatra,should have some softness like Gouri.Barun realized,it is the time
to return back to the sea and to start his life again with a new motto, then
only he could start trekking to understand the arribadas. |
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