‘ADGAL’ IS A BEAUTIFUL NOVEL THAT DEPICT THE STATE OF HELPLESSNESS AND REFUSAL FACED BY AN AGED RENOWNED DALIT WRITER. THE VIBRANT WAVE OF DALIT LITERATURE EXPRESSING THE DREADFUL EXPERIENCES OF THE BURNING REALITIES OF LIFE AROSE AND MINGLED IN PAST SIXTY MARATHI LITERATURE. DALIT LITERATURE DESCRIBED THE DISASTROUS CONSEQUENCES OF AN ANTI- ESTABLISHMENT REBELLIOUS FIGHT. IT EXPRESSES THE HEART- VENTING EXPERIENCES IN THE THEN UNFAMILIAR AND STRICKING STYLE. IT EXPRESSED LARGELY THROUGH STORIES, POEMS AND BIOGRAPHIES, BUT VERY RARELY IN NOVEL FORM.
LATER, AFTER THE POST NINTY CONTEMPORARY LITERATRUE THE VIBRANT WAVE OF DALIT LITERATURE DECLIVED. ON THAT BACKGROUND THE PRESENT NOVEL WITH ITS MODERATE, TENDER AND GENTLE STYLE SIDELINED SEVERAL ESTABLISHED FRAMES AND TRENDS OF DALIT LITERATURE SEEMS TURING BACK TO CLASSICAL FORM AND AESTHETIC GRANDEUR, MAY THIS BE TURING TO NEO-ESTABLISHMENT.
JUGA KALE A RETIRED PERSON, STARTED WRITING VERY LATE OF HIS AGE, AT 66. HE HAD A GREAT RESERVOIR OF EXPERIENCES OF LIFE AND A BIG RANGE, HE BECAME A PROFILE AND PERPETUAL WRITER. HE WROTE IN VOLUMES THOUGH HE BEGAN LATE. HE WAS RECEIVED AND APPRECIATED BY THE READING PUBLIC ON A LARGE. HE RECEIVED SEVERAL AWARDS AND HONOURS, AND OF COURSE IT FOLLOWED THE POPULARITY. ALL THOUGH THESE LIVED YEARS HE HAD TASTED THE SWEETS AND SORES OF THE LIFE. HE HAD THE TOUCHING MEMORIES OF THE DAYS SPENT IN THE VASTI WITH THE FELLOW PEOPLE. THE SAGA OF THE AGONIES AND SUFFERINGS IS STILL BURING AND ALIVE IN HIS HEART. THE LIFE IN THE DALIT VASTI HAS A GREAT IMPACT ON HIS MIND. AFTER RETIREMENT FROM THE JOB IN A BANK HE JOINED AS A TRUSTEE IN AN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE FOUNDED AND RUN BY A MP. MORE GURUJI. AS HE WAS HONEST, COMMITTED AND SENSITIVE PERSON HE TRIED TO WORK WITH THAT ZEAL AND COMMITMENT. HIS STRICT, SCRUPULOUS AND NON-CORRUPT WAYS BROUGHT DIFFICULTIES FOR HIM. HIS INSISTENCE FOR FINANCIAL CORRECTNESS ADMINISTRATIVE STRICKNESS DISAPPOINTED MAN AND THE FOUNDER MORE GURUJI ALSO. THERE GREW CERTAIN DIFFERENCES ON THE ISSUES OF VALUES. HE SUFFERED MUCH. THIS HAD BEEN A SCHOCKING AND EYE-OPENING EXPERIENCE FOR HIM.
BESIDES ALL THIS GRASPING ALL THESE EXPERIENCES JUGA GOES ON WRITING. THE DAYS SPENT IN THE DALIT LOCALITY, THE BONDINGS WITH THE PEOPLE THERE TOGETHER WITH THE FURTHER LIFE HE LIVED, THE EDUCATION THE STAYING AWAY FROM VASTI FOR THE JOB, THE FAMILIARITY WITH DIFFERENT PLACES, PEOPLE, TRADITIONS, CUSTOMS, ALSO THE CHANGING PATERNS OF LIFE ENRICHED HIS PERCEPTION UNDERSTANDING AND VISION OF LIFE AND THE WORLD AROUND. HE OBSERVED THE VARIOUS WAYS OF THE WORLD. ALL THIS HE PICTURISED POIGNANTLY.
THE NOVEL ‘ADGAL’ DRAWS A NICE PICTURE OF SELFSENTIMENTS, APPEALS, TREMORS AND ROLES OF THE AUTHOR. THOUGH THE WRITOR IS A DALIT, HE LOOKS AT THINGS WITH A CONSIDERATE WAY RATHER THAN A REBELLIONS ONE. HE LOOKS AT THE WORLD WITH AN INDEPENDENT, FREESOME THOUGHT AND THAT BY AND FACTUAL WORLD AND SUFFERINGS. THIS IS THE DISTINCT CHARACTERISTIC OF THIS NOVEL.
ILLITERATE WIFE JANAKA, EDUCATED BUT NEW GENERATION SONS SUDHIR AND ARUN COULD NOT UNDERSTAND HIS YEARNING. HENCE HIS LIFE BECOMES A MESS MAKING HIM UNSTABLE, PEACELESS, SUFFERING, BROKEN AND SUFFOCATING BECAUSE OF ROUTINE CONFLICTS, COMMENTS AND QUARRELS. JUGA KALE IS A SENSITIVE TENDERHEARTED AUTHOR BUT HIS FAMILY IS DRY TASTLESS AND INSENSITIVE TOWARDS HIS CREATIVITY. THIS PARADOX IS THE UNDERCURRENT OF HIS NOVEL. IN SHORT THE NOVEL DESCRIBES THE LIFE FULL OF PARADOXES, CONFLICTS, AGONIES, FRUSTRATIONS, DISILLUSIONMENTS, SUFFERINGS BECAUSE OF THE CALLOUSNESS HIDDEN BEHIND.... AT FAMILY LEVEL AND IN THE WORLD AROUND HIM. THE GENERATION GAP AND ILLITERACY A CAUSING A DISTANCE AMONG FAMILY MEMERS, HELPLESSNESS OF THE SENSITIVE WRITER ALL THIS IS EXPRESSED WITH A GRAT SPEED FLUCENCY AND CHARM. A NICE STYLE COMMAND ON LANGUAGE CREATES A VERY BEAUTIFUL WORLD OF THE NOVEL AND GIVES A GREAT AESTHETIC EXPERIENCE TO THE READERS.
THIS WILL BE THE TREND TURNING NOVEL BY A DALLIT WRITER MAKING IT CLASSICAL, SMOOTH AND GENTLE. "
बँकेतून सेवानिवृत्त झालेले जुगा काळे हे ‘अडगळ’ या कादंबरीचे नायक. वयाच्या सहासष्टीनंतर ते लिहायला लागतात. अल्पावधीत विपुल लेखन होते. सन्मान होतो. नावलौकिकही मिळतो; पण बायको आणि मुलांना त्यांच्या लेखनात, त्यांना मिळालेल्या मानसन्मानांमध्ये रस नाही. सेवानिवृत्तीनंतर माजी मंत्री व विद्यमान खासदार मोरे गुरुजींच्या शिक्षण संस्थेचं काम ते निरलसपणे करत असतात; पण त्या संस्थेतून त्यांना पद्धतशीरपणे बाहेर काढलं जातं. वस्तीशी असलेलं काळ्यांचं नातं, त्यांची समाजसेवा मुलांना रुचत नाही. वयाच्या या टप्प्यावर आपण घरातली अडगळ आहोत, असं काळ्यांना वाटायला लागतं. मसणजोगी समाजात जन्मलेले काळे दारिद्य्रात, अवतीभवतीच्या असंस्कृत वातावरणात वाढतात; पण शिक्षण आणि संवेद्य मन याच्या जोरावर ते व्यावहारिक आणि आत्मिक उन्नती करून घेतात. तरी समाजमन आणि व्यक्तिमन याचे गूढ व्यापार त्यांना प्रश्नांकित करतात आणि चिंतन करायला भाग पाडतात. दलित आणि दलितेतर या संबंधाचा माणूस म्हणून घेतलेला शोध आणि त्या अनुषंगाने प्रकटलेलं चिंतन, यासाठी ‘अडगळ’ जरूर वाचायला हवी.