Review: Ghachar Ghochar

Ghachar Ghochar by Vivek Shanbhag
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

While I had heard of Ghachar Ghochar quite some time back, I got around to reading it only now. As I had expected, I had a good time reading it.

The narrator of the story is unnamed – he lives in a joint family with his uncle, father, mother, elder sister Malati and wife Anita. The cultural setting is distinctly (South) Indian. This is a family which has come into riches from difficult times. The father loses his job. At this time, the uncle starts a spice trading enterprise called ‘Sona Masala’. This does well, and the family gradually grows to be rich. The changing fortunes bring about a change in attitudes and behaviours.

The author is a director in the firm but is not much of a contributor to it. There are sequences when he thinks about his past friendship with Chitra who vociferously champions for women’s rights. Both of them move on, and the narrator marries Anita. Anita is assertive and direct and has her own expectations from her husband. This places her in conflict with the family on and off. The narrator takes refuge many a times at a coffee shop, where he grows close to and respects the waiter there (Vincent).

There are many problems which crop up, including a bad episode involving someone who comes in search of the narrator’s uncle. A lot of things can be worked out with the money they now have, and yet not all. Many problems linger and take a toll.

The cultural setting is very realistic and one would say – even typical. The buildup of the characters is very quick, and yet detailed enough to understand their attitude and motivation. The translation is excellent as well.

“Ghachar Ghochar” is a cooked-up phrase which Anita tells the narrator as part of a story. A close meaning for this would be “messy” – based on how the characters use it.

Ghachar Ghochar understates a lot of things, and that in fact is one of it’s charms. However, when I reached the end of the book, I felt it left too many things unsaid, leaving too wide an area for speculation. Just maybe, it could have continued its charming narrative at least a little further…..


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