THIS BOOK TRULY PROVES TO ITS TYPE OF BEING A NOVEL. WHILE AS A NOUN IT IS NOVEL, AS AN ADJECTIVE IT IS NOVEL TOO; SIMPLY SUPERB. `JOHAR`IS THE SYNONYM OF `HAYAT`, IT IS THE WAY IN WHICH THE LOWCASTE PEOPLE USED TO GREET THE HIGHCASTE AND HIGHCLASS PEOPLE BY BOWING DOWN BEFORE THEM AND OFFERING A `NAMASKAR`USING THEIR RIGHT HAND. CENTURIES BEFORE, THERE WAS A TERRIBLE DISCRIMINATION BETWEEN THE CLASSES AND MASSES. CASTEISM PREVAILED IN THE SOCIETY THEN. IT WAS BELIEVED THAT ONLY THE HIGHCASTE PEOPLE HAVE THE RIGHT TO ENTER THE TEMPLES. UNTOUCHABILITY WAS THE MOST AGHAST WAY OF MISTREATMENT. SANT CHOKHA MELA WAS BORN THEN. JOHAR… THE TRUE STORY OF CHOKHA MELA, WHO WAS BORN IN THE `MAHAR`COMMUNITY IN THE 16TH CENTURY. THE INTIMACY HE FELT TOWARDS LORD VITTHALA TOOK HIM TO SUCH HEIGHTS THAT EVEN THE GOD HIMSELF HAD TO COME TO VISIT HIM…. OFTEN. ONE OF THE MOST DEDICATED DEVOTEES, CHOKHA HAD TO PROVE HIS TRUE INTENTIONS TOWARDS THE GOD AGAIN AND AGAIN. HE HAD TO ENDURE WORST HARDSHIPS WHILE DOING SO. THOUGH BORN IN A MAHAR FAMILY, HE WAS SUPPORTED BY HIS PARENTS AND LATER BY HIS WIFE. THEY ALSO DEVOTED THEMSELVES TO LORD VITTHALA. BUT CHOKHA WAS LAST TO LEAVE THIS WORLD. IT WAS ONLY WHEN HE HAD NO OTHER THOUGHT BUT THAT OF LORD VITTHALA THAT HIS SOUL WAS ALLOWED TO LEAVE THE BODY, THAT TO AFTER EXPERIENCING THE UTMOST SORROW OF LIFE AND HARDSHIPS. HE HAD FALLEN PREY IN THE CLUTCHES OF DESTINY. IT WAS ONLY AFTER HIS DEATH THAT HIS SOUL WAS PRAISED AND COULD BECOME ONE WITH THAT OF THE GOD HIMSELF. THIS NOVEL IS THE MIRROR TO THE CONTEMPORARY THINKING, THE STRICT DIVISION OF THE SOCIETY BASED ON CASTE, THE ADVERSITY, AND THE MISFORTUNE THAT THE LOWERCLASS PEOPLE HAD TO SUFFER. THE AUTHOR HAS AN ENDLESS POWER TO CAPTIVATE THE MINDS OF THE READERS. HER ASTUTE THOUGHTS REFLECT A CONTINUOUS FLOW OF EMOTIONS. SHE SUCCEEDS IN CARRYING OUR MINDS INTO THE PERIOD OF THE LAST CENTURIES. ONCE A `TRUE READER`STARTS READING THIS BOOK, HE OR SHE WILL NEITHER BE ABLE TO CONTROL THE GUSH OF EMOTIONS NOR THE TEARS.
चोखोबा तर कधीपासून या दिवसाची प्रतीक्षा करत होता. दीपमाळ तर कधीच बांधून झाली होती. सगळ्या पणत्यांतून तेलवात घालून झाली, तेव्हा शुक्राची चांदणी आकाशात दिसत होती. दोन्ही दीपमाळांवरच्या सगळ्या पणत्यांच्या वाती त्यानं पेटवल्या आणि क्षणार्धात सारा आसमंत तेजस्वी प्रकाशाने उजळून निघाला. त्या गहिया अंधारात त्याची आभा क्षितिजापर्यंत पोहोचली आणि क्षितीजही प्रकाशमान झालं. चंद्रभागेच्या पाण्यावर उठणाऱ्या तरंगांमध्ये त्या पणत्यांची लक्षावधी प्रतििंबबं हिंदकळून परावर्तित झाली आणि त्यांच्या तेजानं चंद्रभागा नदीचा कणन्कण जणू थरारला. दोन्ही काठ लख्ख उजळून निघाले. चंद्रभागेचं सगळं पाणी लखलखत होतं आणि चंद्रभागेच्या पलीकडच्या तीरावर अंगभर पणत्यांचं प्रकाशमंडळ लेवून लखलखणाऱ्या दोन दीपमाळा उभ्या होत्या. त्या पणत्यांच्या प्रकाशानं चंद्रभागेचं पाणी तेजाळलं होतं. परिसरातल्या साऱ्या अंधकाराला छेदत प्रकाशाची ती रेषा सगळा आसमंत उजळून टाकत होती. अंधकाराला छेदत ती प्रकाशरेषा चंद्रभागेच्या पलीकडच्या तीरावर वसलेल्या पंढरपुरातल्या विठ्ठल मंदिराच्या गाभायापर्यंत पोहोचली. विठ्ठलाची अवघी मूर्ती उजळली. विठ्ठलाच्या सावळ्या मूर्तीवर तर ते प्रकाशाचे बिंदू अंगभर लेवून जणू दिमाख मिरवीत होते. पूजा बांधण्याच्या आधीच विठ्ठलाची ती सावळी मूर्ती विलक्षण देखणेपणा घेऊन उजळली होती. त्या तेजस्वी कणात न्हाऊन निघालेल्या विठ्ठलाच्या सावळ्या चेहऱ्यावर एक विलक्षण हास्य विलसत होतं. काय नव्हतं त्या हास्यात? विलक्षण समाधान, विजयाचा कैफ, लाडक्या भक्ताबद्दलचा ओसंडून वाहणारा अभिमान, त्याचा संकल्प सिद्धीस गेल्याबद्दलचा आनंद आणि चिकाटीनं त्यानं ते काम पूर्ण केलं, त्याबद्दलचं कौतुक!
* खामगाव येथील `कै.वरणगावकर` स्मृती पुरस्कार, २०१२.
* संत गाडगेमहाराज अध्यासन पुरस्कार २०१४.