उल्का

by Vishnu Sakharam Khandekar

The Conflict between Idealistic & zero-idealistic had always been a much favored topic since ages. Only the ideals have changed, the conflict has remained forever. The conflict in the ideals presented in Ulka represent the 1st half of the 20th Century

Genres: Marathi

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1934

About the author

In 1920, Khandekar started working as a school teacher in a small town.He worked in that school until 1938.While working as a teacher,Khandekar produced in his spare time abundant Marathi literature in various forms. In his lifetime, he wrote sixteen novels, six plays, around 250 short stories, 50 allegorical stories, 100 essays, and over 200 critiques.

Reviews

[Vishwanath Rathod · Rating 4 out of 5]

प्रस्तावनेतच वि. स. खांडेकर उल्का माझी सगळ्यात आवडती कादंबरी आहे का म्हणतात हे हळू हळू उलगडत जाते. ही एक प्रेमकथा तसेच संघर्ष कथा आहे ज्यात दारिद्र्याचे आणि मानवी वृत्तीचे उत्तम चित्रण केले आहे. आणि नेहमीप्रमाणेच वि. स. खांडेकर यांनी प्रत्येक पान आपल्या अलंकारिक लेखनशैलीने फुलवले आहे.

[Megha · Rating 3 out of 5]

चंद्रकांंतच्या उल्केवरील निर्मळ प्रेमाची गोष्ट !!

[Levi · Rating 3 out of 5]

वि.स.खांडेकर यांची उल्का ही कादंबरी मला फार आवडली. उल्का या कादंबरीत तत्वाच्या संघर्षाची पार्श्वभूमी ही विसाव्या शतकात कशी होती ते या कादंबरीत उमटून दिसते. पुनर्विवाह केलेल्या एका तत्त्वनिष्ठ बापाच्या कन्येची जन्मापासून खूप लाडकी असलेली आणि कोमल ठेवलेली मुलगी आपल्या आयुष्यात काय काय सोचते हे या कादंबरीत चांगलेच दिसून येते तरी पूर्वीच्या काळात पुनर्विवाह करणे हे काही विष पिण्यासारखेच होते तरी काळजावर दगड ठेवून भाऊसाहेबांनी एका विधवेशी पुनर्विवाह केला त्यांची सारी नाते दुरावून गेली . तरीही भाऊसाहेबांनी काही हार मानली नाही मोठे शिक्षण झाले तरी त्यांनी साधेच शिक्षकाची नोकरी निभावली त्यांना एका कन्येची प्राप्ती झाली तिचे नाव होते तारा लाडाने सर्व तिला उल्का म्हणत तर तिच्याच आयुष्याची ही कहाणी तरी विसाव्या शतकात क्रांतिकारक कसे जगत कशी त्यांना शिक्षा होत हेही यात दिसून येते. समाजाने भाऊसाहेबांना घरी ठेवले कारण पुनर्विवाहाचा कलंक त्यांच्या माथ्यावर होतात या पुनर्विवाह म्हणे उल्काच्या लग्नास मात्र अडचण आली ती कशी भाऊसाहेबांचा भाचा वसंत हा लग्नास तयार झाला परंतु गरिबीमुळे तितके पैसे ,तितका हुंडा ते देऊ शकले नाही. उल्काचे लग्न मोडले परंतु परत त्यात तिचे लग्न ठरले ते होते माणिकराव श्रीमंत होते ते फार त्यांनीही उल्का शी लग्न मोडले, नंतर काय तिचे लग्न एका मोठ्या जमीनदाराशी ठरले परंतु जमीनदार वयस्कर होता दोनदा लग्न मोडलेले पाहून तिनेही लग्न करायला होकार दिली या सगळ्यात तिला सावरायला फक्त दोनच व्यक्ती होते ती म्हणजे एक भाऊ आणि दुसरी चंद्रकांत हो चंद्रकांत उल्काच्या जीवनातला हा एक ताराच होता जणू! आणि ह्या सगळ्यात उल्का जीवन कसे जगते हे त्यात सांगितलेले.

वि स खांडेकरांच्या या कादंबरीत खूप साऱ्या गोष्टी लपलेल्या दिसतात अप्रत्यक्षपणे लेखक हे सर्व मांडतात.

[Parag Chitnis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well establishment of the characters and their principles. Amazing book!!! Give me a lot to think about.

[Sahil Kadu · Rating 5 out of 5]

उल्का [Ulka] meaning meteor is a Marathi novel by V. S. Khandekar. Set in 1930s India, the story centers on Tara, the daughter of a schoolteacher, Bhausaheb, from his second marriage.

Through her relationships with friends like Indu, Neera, Vasant, Chandrakant, and Manikrao, the novel explores the complexities of human nature. Growing up, Tara gradually becomes aware of the manipulation, hypocrisy, and contradictions present in society. Even though this shapes the way she perceives things around her, she firmly sticks to her principles, thanks to the the moral guidance of her father and Chandrakant.

First half of the novel unfolds like a coming-of-age story, where Tara navigates friendships, emotional growth, and romantic interests. During those days when educational and professional opportunities for women were severely limited, Tara initially believes that a woman’s life ultimately revolves around choosing the right man.

However, the final chapters bring a dramatic tonal shift. A series of unfortunate events shatters her innocence and naivety; transforming her into Ulka. In a powerful moment of courage, Ulka performs an act of defiance that astonishes everyone around her.

Khandekar’s idealistic storytelling style deliberately creates this romantic illusion in the beginning. But when that illusion collapses in the end, the emotional impact hits hard. Like a meteor that burns brightly upon entering Earth’s atmosphere before disappearing, Ulka’s moment of bravery shines brilliantly but comes at a tremendous personal cost. What begins as a fairytale-like story ultimately culminates in tragedy.

[Vasanti · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 ⭐

V.S. Khandekar’s Ulka tells the story of Tara, a strong-willed girl raised by her father, Bhausaheb, an honest teacher who never gives up on his values, even when society turns against him. As Tara grows up, she sees the difference between her father’s honest way of living and the practical choices made by people like her aunt, Manikrao, Indu, and Baburao. Chandrakant, a thoughtful and kind man, also comes into her life and shows her another side of strong values.

Tara is like a meteor — bright and bold, choosing her own path. Khandekar beautifully shows her inner struggle, the choices she faces, and the pull between truth and compromise. Ulka is not just one girl’s story, but also a simple and powerful tale about how people deal with right and wrong in their daily lives.

One of the strongest points of this book — and of Khandekar’s writing in general — is the structure and sentence construction. His way of building thoughts, layer by layer, is always surprising and elegant. The writing holds your attention through its clarity and rhythm.

But at times, a few parts of the book feel disconnected from the main storyline. These sections make the reader pause and wonder about their relevance, which slightly pulls attention away from the main message.

Final verdict- You will enjoy the book if you like novels which show differences in the society, deeply rooted traditions which do more harm than good.

[Vishwanath Rathod · Rating 4 out of 5]

प्रस्तावनेतच वि. स. खांडेकर उल्का माझी सगळ्यात आवडती कादंबरी आहे का म्हणतात हे हळू हळू उलगडत जाते. ही एक प्रेमकथा तसेच संघर्ष कथा आहे ज्यात दारिद्र्याचे आणि मानवी वृत्तीचे उत्तम चित्रण केले आहे. आणि नेहमीप्रमाणेच वि. स. खांडेकर यांनी प्रत्येक पान आपल्या अलंकारिक लेखनशैलीने फुलवले आहे.

[अनिकेत · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good novel written by the author, the novel revolves around 5 characters, tara, bhau, manik, vasant & chandrakant

[Ernst · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book. What a gem! Khandekar has given justice to every character in this book. So glad that I purchased a hard copy of this book. Worth it