Griha Bhanga - SL Bhyrappa

"banchaat bhaaDkov bosuDi boLimagane...", if u can digest these kinda dialogues which appear million times in the book , then "GRUHABHANGA" makes a fantastic read. This is my first book of SL BHYRAPPA. I have heard a lot about Bhyrappa and his writings. Many of his books have gone for multiple re-prints , translated to different Indian languages and some have even made it to television and movies. So, here is what I felt after reading GRUHABHANGA.

Its take a while for a reader to get adjusted to the language, characters, period and societal norms presented in the book. But, once u get adjusted to it, it takes u to an altogether different world. The proceedings are so interesting and even more interestingly told, that u can visualize it happening around u. Every character is given an interesting shade and the situation / dialogues bring out these shades very effectively.

GRUHABHANGA though starts of with Gangamma( mother in law) and ends with Vishwa( grandson), it is mainly the story of Nanjavva (Daughter in law). It traces through the various situations faced by Nanjavva from her family as well as nature and how she handles each of them. As you go through the book, you start routing for nanjavva's pains and end up being happy when nanjavva overcomes her problems in a smart way. Through nanjavva's character, the author showcases that even though many mowen are subjected to social atrocities , a woman can still achieve in life is she has education and presence of mind. The author also succeeds in giving an apt ending to the story and I could not think of any other better ending to it as a reader.

Of the array of characters in the book, few characters which stay in mind are chennigaraaya ( good for nothing, tobacco chewing husband of nanjavva) and kanTijoyisa ( Rough and tough father of nanjavva) . W.r.t scenes, it would be difficult to pick the best ones as there are way too many of them.

The book is also a bank of so many beautiful kannada words which is not used in recent days. If you are looking out for a book that delivers a strong story in a rustic back drop which makes a worthy use of your time, read GRUHABHANGA. It has made me curious about other works of SL Bhyrappa and I am looking forward to read some of them soon!!