Must Reads by Mannu Bhandari, a Post-Independence Writer Who’s No More With Us
Eminent Hindi author Mannu Bhandari recently passed away at the age of 91. Here’s to remembering her best works.
It felt like what we call an end of an era when celebrated author Mannu Bhandari passed away on November 15. For those of us who grew up reading her stories, it was a shock that suddenly took us back to the good old days.
Born in 1931 in Madhya Pradesh to a freedom fighter father, Mannu Bhandari also spent her early years marching down the streets and raising slogans. She was raised in Ajmer in a Marwari family that focused on women’s education. Through her stories, she put forward complex topics in a very simple and non-controversial way. The Hindi literary world will be eternally grateful to her heart-wrenching stories that led many to put things into perspective.
Here’s to remembering some of her best works through which she made a mark on the literary world-
1. Mahabhoj
An outright political novel, Mannu Bhandari, published Mahabhoj in 1979 after 1977 anti-Dalit Belchi massacre in Bihar. It was a nexus of crime and politics and became a huge success, so much so that 32 editions of the novel have been published so far. It has also been translated into multiple languages. The story was picked by theatre director Amal Allana for the National School of Drama.
2. Ek Inch Muskan
A combined effort by Mannu Bhandari and Rajendra Yadav, Ek Inch Muskan, was an experimental novel that described their relationship as a couple. It was one of the pillars of the nayi kahani movement, of which she was one of the early pioneers.
3. Aapka Bunty
The 1971 novel Aapka Bunty had a sensitive plot that was recorded from a child’s
perspective. Bunty’s parents have a complicated marriage that falls apart, and they eventually remarry other people. Her stories were ahead of their time. This one was adapted into a play which was also a huge success, like the novel.
4. Yehi Sach Hai
Yehi Sach Hai is an independent short story wherein a woman who is a young research scholar has to choose between her suitor and old flame. The 1974 movie Rajnigandha, by Basu Chatterjee, was based on this story.
5. Ek Kahani Yeh Bhi
Ek Kahani Yeh Bhi is Bhandari’s autobiography where she described her early years, her part in the freedom movement, college life, and what led her to write the type of stories she writes. She has talked about her married life in the novel, jotting down her experience as being a wife of a celebrated author who also happens to be a stubborn husband. It also notes her highs and lows as a writer and everything else in between.
Her notable works also include Ek Plate Sailab, Main Haar Gayee, Teen Nigahon Ki Ek Tasveer, Trishanku, and Sampoorna Kahaniya.
Mannu Bhandari had a soft yet firm voice, through which she left a mark in the literary world. Her poor health led to her demise at the age of 91 this year. She has left behind a void along with a rich literary legacy. May the soul of our beloved Mannuji, as he was fondly called, rest in peace.
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