Fool Bahadur

Fool Bahadur, a classic, a novella by Jayanath Pati, translated from Magahi by Abhay K was my last read for the month of April. Yes, this is the first book translated from the Magahi language. Spoken in about 9 districts of Bihar that lie to the south of Ganges & east of river Son, in Jharkhand and West Bengal too, Magahi revered as the sacred language of Buddhism, the official language of Maurya and Gupta empires, quietly slipped into an oblivion over time despite its 20 million speakers.

Fool Bahadur is a satirical take on the rampant corruption in every tier of bureaucracy/judiciary, on people in positions of power demanding favours of all kinds, people mollycoddling their superiors so that they can climb up the hierarchy or receive awards. Set during the British Raj in India, the book begins in 1911 at a railway station where Babu Samlal, a mukhtar (a legal practitioner in a lower court in India during the British Raj), is waiting to receive Maulavi Mojjafer Nawab, the new SDO of Bihar Sharif, the capital of Bihar then. Samlal yearns to get the title of ‘Rai Bahadur’. He knows he doesn't merit it, thus has a plan to coax the SDO into bestowing the honour upon him. The local courtesan Naseeban is a major instrument in his plans. But the circle officer, Haldar Singh who treats Naseeban as his mistress is an impediment. Does Samlal manage to get the coveted title of Rai Bahadur or does his plan go kaput?

In an unscrupulous world, one where corruption and exploitation is rife in corridors of power, Fool Bahadur is a timeless classic. But, in detailing the bureaucratic structure, sections of law, the officers/their roles during the British Raj, it feels restricted, like a period-piece.

The very insightful introductory note (40 pages long) on Magahi language and its literature, on Magadha region in Bihar and its rich history and cultural heritage, penned by the translator Abhay K amply reveals his zeal for his mother tongue. He reminded me of ‘The Man who Talked to Walls’ to preserve his mother tongue from dying in a story by Appadurai Muttulingam. 

Notes:

The first edition of the book Fool Bahadur, the second novel of the author Jayanath Pati, was published on April 1, 1928 , the April Fool's day. This day has significance in the story too. The cover of the first edition had an image of the joker dressed in a western suit with a bell in his right hand and a paper cut out in his left hand. The cut out had the book title in large font on it and below it was written - not meant for women and children, which only meant that women and children were not permitted to read novels at that time. Coincidentally, the calendar image for April at my home had an image of a joker on it and I found it fit to click a pic with the book. The cover of this book is designed by Ahlawat Gunjan.

(A copy of the book was obtained from the publisher in exchange for a review)