Rajhmundri Jail, an Anglo-Indian Jailer who firmly believes in thrashing inmates of his jail as he believes getting thrashed by him is a part of their punishment. This Jailer who drinks whisky at night & has his doberman Chump giving him company at home is Mr. Glad. He is very particular about his duty irrespective of the regime he's serving, first it's the British Regime & then Indian. For Mr. Glad the change is merely that of Union Jack to Tiranga.
Then enters a convict awarded capital punishment by the court for waging war against the nation aptly named "Virbhushan Patnaik". A lad in his early 30s, who keeps on reading Mayakovsky's poems despite of being awarded capital punishment & being put in Glad's jail.
Their first meeting on Virbhushan's first day in jail establishes that Virbhushan is a surgeon by qualification turned Communist Revolutionary who has waged war against the oppressions carried out by the State & dreams of revolution & Communist India. India for everyone, where no one is oppressed on the basis of class/caste/creed/ gender etc. An idealist who wants to seek redemption by waging war against the oppressors & seeking justice for the oppressed.
With this backdrop what unfolds in next 200 odd pages is an intriguing duel between Mr. Glad & Virbhushan Patnaik or Kaidi number 742 as Mr. Glad addresses him. Mr. Glad who has lost his wife to Nazis starts developing a Humane approach towards his inmates due to his conversations with Kaidi Number 742. He tries to understand how poor commit petty offences in order to get them lodged in the police lock up during rainy season including a pregnant woman & two young boys studying for their boards. Surprisingly he even writes a mercy petition to the President Of India for Virbhushan; which Virbhushan refuses to sign. The Novel further takes an unexpected turn when Mr. Glad's pregnant daughter Jenny comes to stay with him for her childbirth. Mr. Glad acting unlike Mr. Glad takes Jenny to meet Virbhushan. Jenny & Virbhushan develop a strong bond through literature. Jenny goes to the extent of wanting Virbhushan to be reincarnated as her son.
The last few pages & conclusion of this novel leaves the reader speechless & awestruck. Just one night prior to the execution of his capital punishment Virbhushan gets called by Mr. Glad at his residence to perform C section of his beloved Jenny as its a stormy night & no surgeon is available. Virbhushan like a true surgeon performs C section & Jenny delivers a baby. While Virbhushan is about to go to jail & ultimately to the gallows Mr. Glad takes out his service revolver, addresses him as Comrade & fires shots on his chest & tells him he hasn't shot him in the back. Understanding the reality Virbhushan screams "Thank you Mr. Glad". Kaidi No. 742 Dr. Virbhushan Patnaik gets a hero's death, Mr. Glad ends in his own prison & this brilliant novel ends.
I usually avoid writing about things such as books, movies as the Fan boy in me gets too dominant on the blogger in me but the situation we are going through politically reminded me of my inclination towards Communism & what drew me towards it. I read Thank You Mr. Glad in my standard 9 vacation when I was deciding things for my own self. It was a period when Ganesh idol drank milk & people stood in queues outside temples, period where we witnessed riots post Babari Demolition a period when religion was really proving to be an opium for the people in our country. In those days I thought the only possible answer to all this lies in Communism & revolution which could've only be possible by means of violence & bloodshed. I read a lot about communism & various socio-political thoughts but somewhere started realising violence & bloodshed cannot be the answers & in democracy change only can be achieved through Ballot papers.
Though I moved away from thoughts Communist Revolution what I read due to Thank you Mr. Glad laid a foundation for my own thought processes and contributed largely to the individual I am today. Thus, like Dr. Virbhushan Patnaik I also scream from the bottom of my heart " Thank You, Thank You Mr. Glad".
No comments:
Post a Comment