Bara

First published as a short story in 1976 in Kannada, the late U.R. Ananthamurthy’s Bara is a sensitive and multilayered portrayal of a civil servant’s quest for an ethical life amidst desperate social circumstances. Satisha and his wife, Rekha, seek to creatively affirm their existence and discharge their social responsibilities. Satisha strives to do his best for the drought-stricken people, but the treacherous logic of local political processes eludes him. While portraying their lives, the story captures the political passions and dilemmas of a large section of Indians. The social and personal dramas, which explore the limits of ideological mindedness, also provide rich glimpses into the realities of mofussil life. Bara is a powerful allegory of India’s political modernity which anticipated the thematic concerns of postcolonial scholarship over the past three decades.