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Daura: A Novel
A young District Collector is posted to one of the furthest outposts of rural Rajasthan. As he becomes more and more involved with the lives and troubles of the common people in his district, he finds himself sucked deeper and deeper into the dark heart of the desert. And there, with the help of the mysterious musician, the Sarangiya, he has an encounter with beauty in its purest, most absolute form. An encounter that precipitates a dangerous descent.
The pages from the journal he keeps are combined with the narratives of those around him—a Tehsildar, a Circuit House guard, a camel-herder, a pair of tribal girls, a Medical Officer, a Police Superintendent and the Collector's orderly—to create a compelling account of his slide away from reality.
Half-real and half-fable, and redolent with the songs and myths of Rajasthan, Anukrti Upadhyay's Daura announces the arrival of a powerful new literary talent.
The pages from the journal he keeps are combined with the narratives of those around him—a Tehsildar, a Circuit House guard, a camel-herder, a pair of tribal girls, a Medical Officer, a Police Superintendent and the Collector's orderly—to create a compelling account of his slide away from reality.
Half-real and half-fable, and redolent with the songs and myths of Rajasthan, Anukrti Upadhyay's Daura announces the arrival of a powerful new literary talent.
160 pages, Paperback
Published June 10, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
June 19, 2019
I raced through this book in a single sitting. Brilliant writing, stunning prose and an equally engaging story made this book a great read.
This book is about a DC (District collector), who is posted into one if the rural and far away districts of Rajasthan (a state in North India). The DC becomes oddly mesmerized and engrossed in the people's lives, and with the mysterious sarangiya, he plummets himself in danger. It's a collection of accounts of the people who worked with the DC and narrated their experiences.
The book is written in an epistolary format. The story reads like a folktale and we are engulfed in it. I loved the use of local language, the dialects of Dhoondhani and Mewati. I admired how the colloquial words didn't become a hindrance in reading, Upadhyay made the words reader friendly. I loved the subtle imagery used in the story. I also loved the eclectic mix of characters, especially the Sarangiya (one who plays the Sarangi)
At its core, 'Daura' is a delicate folktale, with its heart in the desert, the music and the many alluring secrets of the desert.
This is a perfect book in learning how bureaucracy works in the country. The all too familiar incidents of people stooping low to win favours, worshipping the government and ignoring the rights of certain people are written cleverly.
If you want a short and an impactful read about the lives of the people in Rajasthan, I highly recommend this one. This makes up for a quiant and scenic read. The mystical tree was so symbolic! The book is simple and unadulterated. A fresh story which will take you to the heart of the desert and will make you ponder over its strange beauty and Rajasthan.
This book is about a DC (District collector), who is posted into one if the rural and far away districts of Rajasthan (a state in North India). The DC becomes oddly mesmerized and engrossed in the people's lives, and with the mysterious sarangiya, he plummets himself in danger. It's a collection of accounts of the people who worked with the DC and narrated their experiences.
The book is written in an epistolary format. The story reads like a folktale and we are engulfed in it. I loved the use of local language, the dialects of Dhoondhani and Mewati. I admired how the colloquial words didn't become a hindrance in reading, Upadhyay made the words reader friendly. I loved the subtle imagery used in the story. I also loved the eclectic mix of characters, especially the Sarangiya (one who plays the Sarangi)
At its core, 'Daura' is a delicate folktale, with its heart in the desert, the music and the many alluring secrets of the desert.
This is a perfect book in learning how bureaucracy works in the country. The all too familiar incidents of people stooping low to win favours, worshipping the government and ignoring the rights of certain people are written cleverly.
If you want a short and an impactful read about the lives of the people in Rajasthan, I highly recommend this one. This makes up for a quiant and scenic read. The mystical tree was so symbolic! The book is simple and unadulterated. A fresh story which will take you to the heart of the desert and will make you ponder over its strange beauty and Rajasthan.
March 25, 2022
Get all your sanity drown in this one.
A story told from different perspectives trying to solve a unique mystery of a young District Collector when he got posted in a far off rural place in Rajasthan.
Mysterious events are happening; a musician was never seen or found again; a mystical character keeps happening in the subconscious minds. We will have to see what can be real and what can be hearsay.
I find the storytelling quite intriguing and different. The writing is beautiful and lyrical. The love of beauty and music can be felt throughout this book.
However, be ready to get into an ending of the story of your own.
The book is short but it may take you longer than you expect in reading it.
A wild ride I say!
A story told from different perspectives trying to solve a unique mystery of a young District Collector when he got posted in a far off rural place in Rajasthan.
Mysterious events are happening; a musician was never seen or found again; a mystical character keeps happening in the subconscious minds. We will have to see what can be real and what can be hearsay.
I find the storytelling quite intriguing and different. The writing is beautiful and lyrical. The love of beauty and music can be felt throughout this book.
However, be ready to get into an ending of the story of your own.
The book is short but it may take you longer than you expect in reading it.
A wild ride I say!
July 15, 2019
A player of the instrument Sarangi bewitched the young Collector in a village in Rajasthan. With him he brings the tales of kings and peasants alike and the story of a Princess so beautiful, she denied the company of anyone and turned herself into a tree. But is this just some folklore or a love story waiting to happen? Written by individuals who observe the collector through their eyes, this story is layered and mysterious and for some of us, very believable.
You'll love this book if you love magical realism and storytelling that involves elements from various folk lores.
You'll love this book if you love magical realism and storytelling that involves elements from various folk lores.
December 15, 2019
I started reading this book and didn't put it down till I finished it. It took me all of 2 hours approximately. So mesmerizing and magical was this tale set in the haunting deserts of Rajasthan. The lines between fable and reality are often blurred and the story takes place in an unnamed village, all of which adds to the enchanting atmosphere. Along the way we also learn many interesting tidbits about the villagers' way of life, their customs and beliefs including popular Rajasthani folktales.
I only wish there was a glossary of the Rajasthani words that the book is peppered with. They are so authentic and true to the region that it's difficult to interpret them even through context, which sometimes takes away the full enjoyment of the read.
Ah, but the magic is powerful enough to overpower that small niggle.
I only wish there was a glossary of the Rajasthani words that the book is peppered with. They are so authentic and true to the region that it's difficult to interpret them even through context, which sometimes takes away the full enjoyment of the read.
Ah, but the magic is powerful enough to overpower that small niggle.
August 25, 2019
Daura.
~
Let me start off by admiring how stunning the cover is. The tree which initially seemed meaningless to me, only made sense once I finished reading the book. Set in Rajasthan, Daura is a story of mystery and folklore. I enjoyed how the book was segregated into different parts, narrated by many people who bore witness to the acts carried out by the protagonist of the story.
~
The story revolves around different characters to only come back to the District Collector. When the DC moves to a remote village in Rajasthan, he's immediately captivated by the huge tree which stands gloriously just opposite to his residence. The DC enjoys his travels while savouring the food of the locals and admiring their culture. Soon the local Sarangiya lures in the DC through his mesmerizing music. There's a sudden change in the protagonist's behaviour as he abandons his food and house while seeking refuge under the giant tree. What then begins is the villagers'take on what happened to the DC.
~
The story is narrated by a series of men who watched the protagonist closely. There are perspectives by his orderly, the cook, the guard, the Medical Officer, SSP and many others. It is said that the DC is captivated by the Princess who lives in the tree. Her beauty has enraptured the DC while driving the Tehsildar mad with fear. One fine day both the DC and the Sarangiya are said to disappear while their music can still be heard. In addition to the book being about the folklore, it also shows the different levels of power that the officials hold over the people and nomads. It displays a stark image of bureaucracy. Given the way in which the story has been narrated, I would have enjoyed it much more if there was ample amount of story coming from the DC. A short read of just 150 pages, this was a welcome change. The author definitely has a flair to lure in the readers.
~
Rating - 3.5/5.
~
Let me start off by admiring how stunning the cover is. The tree which initially seemed meaningless to me, only made sense once I finished reading the book. Set in Rajasthan, Daura is a story of mystery and folklore. I enjoyed how the book was segregated into different parts, narrated by many people who bore witness to the acts carried out by the protagonist of the story.
~
The story revolves around different characters to only come back to the District Collector. When the DC moves to a remote village in Rajasthan, he's immediately captivated by the huge tree which stands gloriously just opposite to his residence. The DC enjoys his travels while savouring the food of the locals and admiring their culture. Soon the local Sarangiya lures in the DC through his mesmerizing music. There's a sudden change in the protagonist's behaviour as he abandons his food and house while seeking refuge under the giant tree. What then begins is the villagers'take on what happened to the DC.
~
The story is narrated by a series of men who watched the protagonist closely. There are perspectives by his orderly, the cook, the guard, the Medical Officer, SSP and many others. It is said that the DC is captivated by the Princess who lives in the tree. Her beauty has enraptured the DC while driving the Tehsildar mad with fear. One fine day both the DC and the Sarangiya are said to disappear while their music can still be heard. In addition to the book being about the folklore, it also shows the different levels of power that the officials hold over the people and nomads. It displays a stark image of bureaucracy. Given the way in which the story has been narrated, I would have enjoyed it much more if there was ample amount of story coming from the DC. A short read of just 150 pages, this was a welcome change. The author definitely has a flair to lure in the readers.
~
Rating - 3.5/5.
June 3, 2019
A District Collector tours a remote location in a tehsil and is consumed by the locals' fables. Something untoward happens to - or, due to - the collector, and an investigation of sorts is set in motion. It is the reports and exhibits of this investigation that are presented to us as the novel.
Upadhyay employs a slew of narrators - speaking, as they would, while giving testimonies. Most of them are involved in what might be called a bureaucratic capacity. This affected polyphony is handled admirably, with the voice changing deftly depending on whether it is the orderly speaking or the guard or the Chief Secretary. The novelty of the structure and the developing narrative excites the reader initially, giving the illusion that we are circling towards a figurative center. But the tables turn quickly after about the middle; and as we move on, the folk gothic begins to wobble on the credibility front. This can, roughly, be traced to when the DC's diary notes are made available to us. It proves to be our only brief dalliance with our protagonist. Thereafter, with the Medical Officer, the Chief Secretary, and the SSP giving testimonies, it irks to see the novel's denouement being carried out by characters that have no direct engagement with the action. It is as if the center of the novel had applied a centrifugal force, relegating us to listening to distant, indifferent, rational observers. This amounts to a lot being observed and told and very little being shown.
That said, given the structure that the writer has adopted, and given the sensibility (music, folk tales, and the natural world combining to wield an other-worldly power) I don't see how a better novel could have been written. There is definite literary merit here. The writing, at the sentence and the paragraph level, is near-perfect. Upadhyay is definitely someone to look out for.
Upadhyay employs a slew of narrators - speaking, as they would, while giving testimonies. Most of them are involved in what might be called a bureaucratic capacity. This affected polyphony is handled admirably, with the voice changing deftly depending on whether it is the orderly speaking or the guard or the Chief Secretary. The novelty of the structure and the developing narrative excites the reader initially, giving the illusion that we are circling towards a figurative center. But the tables turn quickly after about the middle; and as we move on, the folk gothic begins to wobble on the credibility front. This can, roughly, be traced to when the DC's diary notes are made available to us. It proves to be our only brief dalliance with our protagonist. Thereafter, with the Medical Officer, the Chief Secretary, and the SSP giving testimonies, it irks to see the novel's denouement being carried out by characters that have no direct engagement with the action. It is as if the center of the novel had applied a centrifugal force, relegating us to listening to distant, indifferent, rational observers. This amounts to a lot being observed and told and very little being shown.
That said, given the structure that the writer has adopted, and given the sensibility (music, folk tales, and the natural world combining to wield an other-worldly power) I don't see how a better novel could have been written. There is definite literary merit here. The writing, at the sentence and the paragraph level, is near-perfect. Upadhyay is definitely someone to look out for.
December 15, 2019
I wish I could have read this in one sitting, lost in the magical world that Anukrti created. Instead, I had to snatch the words from the listless jaws of time while traveling in obscure villages. It’s a pity because this dreamlike fable is a wondrous work of art. I wasn’t sure of what I read, or what really happened. But it isn’t important because the words like the desert are just carried into the wind.
August 31, 2019
An idealistic District Collector is posted to a remote region in Rajasthan of North India—where he meets mysterious circumstances. Daura, by Anukrti Upadhyay, opens at this point, just as a medical officer is trying to get to the root of this curiosity.
As he interviews people and reads the district collector’s diary, the novella begins to lead readers closer and closer to the truth—or, some would say, the myth. For Upadhyay’s long fiction is a myth in itself, a fable, a folk tale reimagined and reinterpreted. Rich with the dialects of Dhoondhani and Mewati, tender in its rendition of the unforgiving Thar desert, cleverly entwining readers towards a spiralling end, Daura is bursting with rustic beauty. While it has its share of disappointments and absurdities, Upadhyay’s first published work in English (released alongside another novella, Bhaunri), is a fresh, intricate, delicate addition to the literary world.
The novella follows an epistolary style, with multiple characters providing varied opinions of the district collector. The orderly introduces us to his Saheb with an odd liking for “queer places, uncouth people.” He paints the picture of a flute-playing, people-loving, hard-working official with no sense of hierarchy or decorum. Next, the tehsildaar—a status quo lover, who drips sycophancy and irritation through his seeming compliance. One who resents the collector mingling with locals and is shocked at land rights being granted to women. He heavily hints at the collector having gone cuckoo in the desert. The Nat girls have a different story. These locals call the collector “a boon, better than the rains in Asadh.” So we hear from the guard, the camel herder, and so on, till the medical officer gives us his report on the matter.
It is then that we learn the district collector is suspected of having a ‘daura’—a bout of madness. It coincides with another meaning of ‘daura’—a trip—which is what he makes to the village, refusing to go back to the headquarters. By coincidence, this word, in Nepali, refers to the traditional clothing for men, which the collector would undoubtedly wear in Nepal as a government official. This ‘daura’ then, is the crux of this work. What has caused the gentle collector to abandon the comforts of city life and take refuge under a tree in the village? Into the midst of this arrives an enigmatic character, the bard of all bards, the sarangiya whose instrument weeps as he plays, because its strings are “bathed in tears, in the heart’s blood.” This character arrives one day to sing about the exalted princess, and everything shifts at that instant.
Daura is an interesting work in that it hides layers of possibilities and meanings under its folksy cloak. In the correlation drawn between trees and life-giving water, it is an appeal to be kinder to the earth. In the protest against the inhuman way local tribes are treated by so-called higher castes, it is an admonition to root out inequalities and caste-based discrimination. It is also a satire against the red tape and corruption that plagues bureaucracy, in the way the collector dares to work for the people instead of carrying out formal orders with no understanding of the local context. Above all, Daura is a sadhana, a meditation, on the power of art and creation. The idea of this novella begins and ends with an ode to music, the power of art to give birth to and destroy, the need to respect those who hold this power. The sarangiya—with hair white, like the silk-cotton of the semal tree, and face like a map of pain—as the kalavant whose art is for his own pleasure, is a tribute to artistry in all forms. “There are few true pleasures,” says the guard, “and even fewer are those who are able to recognise them.” The novella, then, exerts us to recognise them before it is too late and we end up like the unappreciative tehsildar or orderly, who “is blind to the beauty and invitation of the desert spring all around him.”
The story is told with poetic rhythm, with a furling of reality and fancy that is a perfect complement to its tone. For example, this exploration of the desert’s dhanis which is enough to transport readers: “The huts are small and built-in neat little clusters with whatever is handy—mud, cow dung, dried twigs and palm fronds. Their mud walls are decorated with murals from stories told in these parts, with turmeric or vermillion handprints of women and children. The women draw patterns on the floor with lime and red clay, a different one for each festival. These clusters of grass-and-mud huts are often screened by the dunes completely. You need to climb the soft sand slopes or descend into troughs to discover them. At times, what you take for a ripple in the sand detaches itself and rises, and you see that it is actually a camel’s hump, and at others, what looks like a rounded mud roof turns out to be a dune.”
There is a certain intimacy that Upadhyay has with the desert and its language, which seeps into her words and renders them fragrant. The author loves her cuisine, and describes dried beans and kadhi, bitter kankoda and ripe-smelling kachari, camel-milk kheer and hand-crushed bajra with near-reverence. With the same confidence, she sprinkles words in the local language generously throughout. Chaupad, chulha, tehsil, daaru, naashvaan, tikkad, baati, chaach, saavan, baoli, khejri, sangar. To speakers, learners and lovers of this language, the words are like cool, pleasant whisperings. To non-speakers, they will taste gritty and feel distant and might be a deterrent to reading on, for they are sans explanations in many places.
The novella, in its attempt to paint the Saheb as a good character, goes overboard at times. This saccharine sweetness, so difficult to digest, the constant repetition and assertion that the Saheb is a bhagwan, a daata, this grovelling servitude to the saviour complex just doesn’t suit the flow of the book. It is also plain annoying that a work of fiction should have all these dashes that request you to fill in the blanks, with a coyness to not divulge the name of the tehsil, the date of the complaint, the location of the camel fair, and so on.
Beyond that though, Upadhyay is definitely a very different kind of writer who deserves to be welcomed. Daura, and the strong-willed girl’s tale Bhaunri, both make for great short reads, whose depth and musicality linger in the mind for a long time.
As he interviews people and reads the district collector’s diary, the novella begins to lead readers closer and closer to the truth—or, some would say, the myth. For Upadhyay’s long fiction is a myth in itself, a fable, a folk tale reimagined and reinterpreted. Rich with the dialects of Dhoondhani and Mewati, tender in its rendition of the unforgiving Thar desert, cleverly entwining readers towards a spiralling end, Daura is bursting with rustic beauty. While it has its share of disappointments and absurdities, Upadhyay’s first published work in English (released alongside another novella, Bhaunri), is a fresh, intricate, delicate addition to the literary world.
The novella follows an epistolary style, with multiple characters providing varied opinions of the district collector. The orderly introduces us to his Saheb with an odd liking for “queer places, uncouth people.” He paints the picture of a flute-playing, people-loving, hard-working official with no sense of hierarchy or decorum. Next, the tehsildaar—a status quo lover, who drips sycophancy and irritation through his seeming compliance. One who resents the collector mingling with locals and is shocked at land rights being granted to women. He heavily hints at the collector having gone cuckoo in the desert. The Nat girls have a different story. These locals call the collector “a boon, better than the rains in Asadh.” So we hear from the guard, the camel herder, and so on, till the medical officer gives us his report on the matter.
It is then that we learn the district collector is suspected of having a ‘daura’—a bout of madness. It coincides with another meaning of ‘daura’—a trip—which is what he makes to the village, refusing to go back to the headquarters. By coincidence, this word, in Nepali, refers to the traditional clothing for men, which the collector would undoubtedly wear in Nepal as a government official. This ‘daura’ then, is the crux of this work. What has caused the gentle collector to abandon the comforts of city life and take refuge under a tree in the village? Into the midst of this arrives an enigmatic character, the bard of all bards, the sarangiya whose instrument weeps as he plays, because its strings are “bathed in tears, in the heart’s blood.” This character arrives one day to sing about the exalted princess, and everything shifts at that instant.
Daura is an interesting work in that it hides layers of possibilities and meanings under its folksy cloak. In the correlation drawn between trees and life-giving water, it is an appeal to be kinder to the earth. In the protest against the inhuman way local tribes are treated by so-called higher castes, it is an admonition to root out inequalities and caste-based discrimination. It is also a satire against the red tape and corruption that plagues bureaucracy, in the way the collector dares to work for the people instead of carrying out formal orders with no understanding of the local context. Above all, Daura is a sadhana, a meditation, on the power of art and creation. The idea of this novella begins and ends with an ode to music, the power of art to give birth to and destroy, the need to respect those who hold this power. The sarangiya—with hair white, like the silk-cotton of the semal tree, and face like a map of pain—as the kalavant whose art is for his own pleasure, is a tribute to artistry in all forms. “There are few true pleasures,” says the guard, “and even fewer are those who are able to recognise them.” The novella, then, exerts us to recognise them before it is too late and we end up like the unappreciative tehsildar or orderly, who “is blind to the beauty and invitation of the desert spring all around him.”
The story is told with poetic rhythm, with a furling of reality and fancy that is a perfect complement to its tone. For example, this exploration of the desert’s dhanis which is enough to transport readers: “The huts are small and built-in neat little clusters with whatever is handy—mud, cow dung, dried twigs and palm fronds. Their mud walls are decorated with murals from stories told in these parts, with turmeric or vermillion handprints of women and children. The women draw patterns on the floor with lime and red clay, a different one for each festival. These clusters of grass-and-mud huts are often screened by the dunes completely. You need to climb the soft sand slopes or descend into troughs to discover them. At times, what you take for a ripple in the sand detaches itself and rises, and you see that it is actually a camel’s hump, and at others, what looks like a rounded mud roof turns out to be a dune.”
There is a certain intimacy that Upadhyay has with the desert and its language, which seeps into her words and renders them fragrant. The author loves her cuisine, and describes dried beans and kadhi, bitter kankoda and ripe-smelling kachari, camel-milk kheer and hand-crushed bajra with near-reverence. With the same confidence, she sprinkles words in the local language generously throughout. Chaupad, chulha, tehsil, daaru, naashvaan, tikkad, baati, chaach, saavan, baoli, khejri, sangar. To speakers, learners and lovers of this language, the words are like cool, pleasant whisperings. To non-speakers, they will taste gritty and feel distant and might be a deterrent to reading on, for they are sans explanations in many places.
The novella, in its attempt to paint the Saheb as a good character, goes overboard at times. This saccharine sweetness, so difficult to digest, the constant repetition and assertion that the Saheb is a bhagwan, a daata, this grovelling servitude to the saviour complex just doesn’t suit the flow of the book. It is also plain annoying that a work of fiction should have all these dashes that request you to fill in the blanks, with a coyness to not divulge the name of the tehsil, the date of the complaint, the location of the camel fair, and so on.
Beyond that though, Upadhyay is definitely a very different kind of writer who deserves to be welcomed. Daura, and the strong-willed girl’s tale Bhaunri, both make for great short reads, whose depth and musicality linger in the mind for a long time.
July 6, 2021
If asked to describe this read in form of a phrase, I guess I might go with this: A folktale kinda story amidst numerous real-life stories. Well, the phrase owes its genesis to Anukrti's storytelling that makes one gasp in awe and wonder as she blends the desert folks, their art, their culture, their tales, and their troubles with the Indian administration that seems to turn a blind eye to them until their God, their Messiah, the DC (District Collector) arrives.
What I genuinely liked the most in Daura is the way the story is narrated i.e., in the form of accounts by different people ranging from the administrators to the local villagers, each holding a distinguished image of the same picture in place. Also, being a Rajasthani, it was really engaging for me as I could easily relate to the local terms used throughout the pages. However, Anukrti makes sure through her apt writing skills that one understands them with ease and even gets well acquainted with this part of the country and their people.
Also, look at the book cover! Isn't it more than beautiful? (Hint: Of course!)
Lastly, I would like to thank my dearest friend, Vijaya, for gifting me these pages of wonder on my 25th birthday.
Happy reading! :)
What I genuinely liked the most in Daura is the way the story is narrated i.e., in the form of accounts by different people ranging from the administrators to the local villagers, each holding a distinguished image of the same picture in place. Also, being a Rajasthani, it was really engaging for me as I could easily relate to the local terms used throughout the pages. However, Anukrti makes sure through her apt writing skills that one understands them with ease and even gets well acquainted with this part of the country and their people.
Also, look at the book cover! Isn't it more than beautiful? (Hint: Of course!)
Lastly, I would like to thank my dearest friend, Vijaya, for gifting me these pages of wonder on my 25th birthday.
Happy reading! :)
December 28, 2025
The name and the cover page intrigued me. I started reading this book without knowing anything about it, I didn't read the 'about the book' section on GR or Google. I started reading this book assuming it to be a collection of Rajasthani folk tales but, as I read, this book surprised me. I can't quite tell what it is but it's a mix of mystic and investigative narrative about the disappearance of a young District Collector posted in a remote tehsil of Rajasthan. You read the rest, trust me it's worth it. Simple and lucid language yet the plot has an essence.
April 17, 2020
When times are so bleak, we all need a touch of magic in our lives. Daura proved to be just the book that I needed right now.
Set admist an obscure village in Rajasthan, we meet different people through the pages of this book. The crux of the story revolves around the District Collector who invariably gets mixed up with the village people and their lives. As the story progresses, we are transported to this place where people often put their faiths in folklore and beliefs than anything else. The mysterious Sarangiya with his melodious tunes is perhaps my favourite character in this book as he is the one who invigorate's the story's magical flow. Infused with layers of superstitions, mysterious tree, missing princess and other slightly odd things, the author manages to take you on this whimsical journey. There were lot of elements that came as a surprise for me and I liked how the story tied up towards the end. Also loved the use of local dialects that managed to add that extra touch to the story.
Set admist an obscure village in Rajasthan, we meet different people through the pages of this book. The crux of the story revolves around the District Collector who invariably gets mixed up with the village people and their lives. As the story progresses, we are transported to this place where people often put their faiths in folklore and beliefs than anything else. The mysterious Sarangiya with his melodious tunes is perhaps my favourite character in this book as he is the one who invigorate's the story's magical flow. Infused with layers of superstitions, mysterious tree, missing princess and other slightly odd things, the author manages to take you on this whimsical journey. There were lot of elements that came as a surprise for me and I liked how the story tied up towards the end. Also loved the use of local dialects that managed to add that extra touch to the story.
October 8, 2020
A young District Collector ( DC) is posted to a rural desert area of Rajasthan. Unlike his predecessors , he strives hard for the upliftment of villagers with empty barren lands. Barring opposition from higher authorities & subordinates , he resolves their various land issuess & lays foundation for canal facility in that scorchingly parched place. DC himself being a flute player meets a Sarangia thanks to villagers and gets mesmerised & delusioned with soothing music meandering from his sarangi. This Sarangia is believed to possess some magical powers by the resident villagers.
🌼🌼🌼
I was totally enamored by the framework of the plot -obtaining testimonies from all the people revolving around missing DC. Anukriti Upadhyay has concocted a perfect potion of mysticism & mystery in the story. She has described immaticulately breathing life into everything with her writing about Thar desert- camel rides, huge sand dunes & swirling sand winds ; and also about it's dwellers- cuisines, outfits, musical instruments, folktales & songs. Besides grippingly recounting investigation on mysterious happenings in the tehsil, she peppered the story with captivating magical realism. The author has intelligently tackled the narration by ripping off layer by layer letting us know what has actually happened , at the same time leaving many things to readers imagination.
🌼🌼🌼
The nomads & tribals who are deprived off adequate shower of rainfall & a single chunk of lush pasture survive by singing & spreading their ancestral folktales. They who search reality in fables, revere a mortal helping hand as God. It might seems to be a stupid superstition for a third person , but for them its a distant sight of mirage towards which their thirsted desert journey is treaded on.
June 12, 2019
Daura is one a very rare book which left me with an omnibus of emotions and till date it is very difficult for me to compile my thoughts.
This book is about a district collector who got posted into one of a significantly afar rural outpost in Rajasthan. After spending few days there he got so oddly mesmerized by the lives and the daily commotion they face that he felt himself drowning deeper and deeper into it. Then came the Sarangiya into the role. Sarangiya is a nomad sarangi(musical instrument) player. He was a very mysterious kind of uncanny person. But his role in the life of DC is pretty significant. DC with the help of Sarangiya experienced the beauty in the most unadulterated form - an encounter that precipitates a dangerous descent.
Daura is the book which gave me a deep insight into the lives of people living in the deserts of Rajasthan. Occasional use of the local language and terms makes this book a very authentic and a rustic read. It is an amalgamation of both fiction and non-fiction which is written very poetically beautiful. This book gave me the feels of folktales our grandparents used to narrate to us and somehow I felt some parts of this are the local folklores, although I am not sure about it.
It is a very elegant read yet pretty fast paced. Also it is a short book with 150 pages but you won't feel like rushing through the book. After first few pages you'll love to give this book some time to feel the aura of the book. To feel the setup of the book around you. It is a very picturesque read and while reading you'll discover that you're there in it. You'll listen to the music of Sarangiya playing his sarangi, DC talking with sarangiya. It's like everything is happening around you.
Characters are developed very well. I absolutely loved the character of Sarangiya. He was weird yet satisfying. District collector's characters was built very amazingly. Even the character of Mathura, although it is not that significant but has a very witty tone to it which I absolutely loved.
This book is a clash of the desert nomads and the government employees which has a very serious undertone with its heart resting in the folkloric aura is something which you'll cherish for a long time after reading it.
This book is about a district collector who got posted into one of a significantly afar rural outpost in Rajasthan. After spending few days there he got so oddly mesmerized by the lives and the daily commotion they face that he felt himself drowning deeper and deeper into it. Then came the Sarangiya into the role. Sarangiya is a nomad sarangi(musical instrument) player. He was a very mysterious kind of uncanny person. But his role in the life of DC is pretty significant. DC with the help of Sarangiya experienced the beauty in the most unadulterated form - an encounter that precipitates a dangerous descent.
Daura is the book which gave me a deep insight into the lives of people living in the deserts of Rajasthan. Occasional use of the local language and terms makes this book a very authentic and a rustic read. It is an amalgamation of both fiction and non-fiction which is written very poetically beautiful. This book gave me the feels of folktales our grandparents used to narrate to us and somehow I felt some parts of this are the local folklores, although I am not sure about it.
It is a very elegant read yet pretty fast paced. Also it is a short book with 150 pages but you won't feel like rushing through the book. After first few pages you'll love to give this book some time to feel the aura of the book. To feel the setup of the book around you. It is a very picturesque read and while reading you'll discover that you're there in it. You'll listen to the music of Sarangiya playing his sarangi, DC talking with sarangiya. It's like everything is happening around you.
Characters are developed very well. I absolutely loved the character of Sarangiya. He was weird yet satisfying. District collector's characters was built very amazingly. Even the character of Mathura, although it is not that significant but has a very witty tone to it which I absolutely loved.
This book is a clash of the desert nomads and the government employees which has a very serious undertone with its heart resting in the folkloric aura is something which you'll cherish for a long time after reading it.
December 15, 2020
The word "DAURA"(दौरा) is engrossing, it means "A TOUR" as well as "A BOUT OF MADNESS". A young district collector is posted to one of the furthest village of Rajasthan & finds himself drawn deeper and deeper into the lives & troubles of common people there. He puts all his efforts to bring a visible change in the lives of desert people. Then his path crosses with mysterious musician, the Sarangiya, who helps the collector Saheb to encounter with beauty in it's purest and most absolute form.
One day the Saheb senses that the reality of dreams is clashing with the dreams of reality and he disappears in the sky of desert. A team of investigators has set up to find out the true reason behind the sudden disappears taking various witnessers into account.
💌The story progresses through the narration of every witnesser and readers experience a web of enchantment. The author has an unique sense of beauty which is imprinted in her work, assists her readers to listen to the melodies of desert, experience the dunes with sand whirls, train of camels, first rain over barren and all these aid in witnessing the mirage in the story.
This book is a delightful read coz I feel the heat of northwest of India with apricity during this winter season in the opposite side of the country. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
One day the Saheb senses that the reality of dreams is clashing with the dreams of reality and he disappears in the sky of desert. A team of investigators has set up to find out the true reason behind the sudden disappears taking various witnessers into account.
💌The story progresses through the narration of every witnesser and readers experience a web of enchantment. The author has an unique sense of beauty which is imprinted in her work, assists her readers to listen to the melodies of desert, experience the dunes with sand whirls, train of camels, first rain over barren and all these aid in witnessing the mirage in the story.
This book is a delightful read coz I feel the heat of northwest of India with apricity during this winter season in the opposite side of the country. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
November 30, 2020
A brilliant tale woven around the legend of a small-town official and his infatuation with local customs and music. The story is set in an unnamed small town in Rajasthan. A nomadic sarangi player plays at the house of a local district official and sings of a local mythical legend. The legend starts slowly coming true as the office (on tour - known in Hindi as "Daura") as the local official (tehsildar) start having bouts of delirium ("Daura" also means a fit/delirium) where
The story is written as a series of testimonials/witness statements and official reports that add up to the finale (which is the report of the investigating officer). I found the narrative structure very innovative. The narrative is gripping from the beginning. A mesmerizing tale of magic realism. Also loved the brilliant wordplay in the story title of the double meaning of "Daura".
The story is written as a series of testimonials/witness statements and official reports that add up to the finale (which is the report of the investigating officer). I found the narrative structure very innovative. The narrative is gripping from the beginning. A mesmerizing tale of magic realism. Also loved the brilliant wordplay in the story title of the double meaning of "Daura".
November 1, 2023
A beautiful blend of folklore and facts.
July 31, 2024
Good but I think I love Bhaunri more. But still so good
July 20, 2019
Full Review: https://soundingwords.blogspot.com/20...
What I loved most about Anukrti Upadhyay’s Daura, was how mystic folktales of Rajasthan was integrated into the story.
Author has written this book in a form of series of documents and journal entries. I liked the way characters were explored and dissected. It transports you deep into their lives. Writing is clear and unique without any dramatic peaks.
Story begins with an excerpt from the journal of Collector, who got posted into rural Rajasthan, while working on the water-canal project amidst desert he felt instant connection to lives of tribal people.
As the story progresses, Collector Saheb meets with a wonderful set of characters, Saranagiya, Camel-herder, Chief Secretary, Nat Girls and Guard. There are bits and pieces of everyone journalized throughout this book, representing their foils and reflections. It made me feel happy inside, author even worked on minor characters with so much dedication, and managed to capture the heart of nomadic lives.
“The Sarangiya used to come often, I think oftener than he does now. He does not need roads to travel, the desert is full of paths, but it seems that none of them led to the place, he is trying to reach… Then as now, he used to come to the Dak Bangla, sit under the tree or by the large rock you can see at some distance, and play his sarangi. Sometimes especially on full moon nights, he played until the moon set. When morning came around, his arms would be as stiff as the wood of sarangi and his eyes would be like sun-mirrors. His sarangi has learnt to speak due to his penance. It has learnt to cry. Not everyone knows how to cry. The Sarangiya himself doesn’t know how to – he is too proud. His eyes burn but not a drop falls. That instrument of his has to do all the crying for him”
When Collector met with this nomad sarangi player, he understood an art is the answer and immersed himself into their world. Author shows his new perception about art and beliefs, collector’s obsession about folktales, and his longing to get a single glance of a princess, trapped into mystic tree.
“Who has told me that collector saheb has been bewitched? Why would anyone need to tell me? Don’t I keep my ears open all the time, and keep one eye open even when I sleep? The people around are illiterate and most of them are full of nonsense, gibbering about this and that, but they are as cunning as they come”
Besides that, In Anukrti’s Daura, the subject of bureaucracy in India treated in the most glancing way. Author played on the ground of freedom and courage. She explored human emotions, greed and disheveled morality as well. Many parts of book read like a monologue, with startling cadence of desert. Her sentences are hum and vibrant, ability to suck you into the story. It makes you think and suffer and then leaves you with questions that don’t need to get answered.
“To me, though, everything that has happened in the past is fresh, as if it has just happened. Each day, as my age increases, my memory burnishes, grows lighter like silver coins published with use, I can’t explain why it is so, I know that the older you grow, the less you are supposed to remember. Age gives you Maan – the honour to be remembered and the right to forget. At time I think I myself am the memory from the past… I am the only one left who knows the past now, the only one who can tell old stories, and with each telling, I remember them better. Usually, I tell them to myself, for who else is there to hear them” — The guard’s story
Like, Author’s twin novel, Bhaunri, it offers the taste of Rajasthan by delivering story with colloquial words, though it didn’t interrupt the reading, even enhanced the beauty of prose.
Anukrti upadhayay has woven her characters with so honesty, it won me over instantly. With her sparkling writing, author managed to keep me hooked till the end. If you are music lover, you are going to savour it.
Daura is surely a riveting tale. I applaud the author; she dealt an important issue in such an interesting way. I couldn’t wait to read her next one.
What I loved most about Anukrti Upadhyay’s Daura, was how mystic folktales of Rajasthan was integrated into the story.
Author has written this book in a form of series of documents and journal entries. I liked the way characters were explored and dissected. It transports you deep into their lives. Writing is clear and unique without any dramatic peaks.
Story begins with an excerpt from the journal of Collector, who got posted into rural Rajasthan, while working on the water-canal project amidst desert he felt instant connection to lives of tribal people.
As the story progresses, Collector Saheb meets with a wonderful set of characters, Saranagiya, Camel-herder, Chief Secretary, Nat Girls and Guard. There are bits and pieces of everyone journalized throughout this book, representing their foils and reflections. It made me feel happy inside, author even worked on minor characters with so much dedication, and managed to capture the heart of nomadic lives.
“The Sarangiya used to come often, I think oftener than he does now. He does not need roads to travel, the desert is full of paths, but it seems that none of them led to the place, he is trying to reach… Then as now, he used to come to the Dak Bangla, sit under the tree or by the large rock you can see at some distance, and play his sarangi. Sometimes especially on full moon nights, he played until the moon set. When morning came around, his arms would be as stiff as the wood of sarangi and his eyes would be like sun-mirrors. His sarangi has learnt to speak due to his penance. It has learnt to cry. Not everyone knows how to cry. The Sarangiya himself doesn’t know how to – he is too proud. His eyes burn but not a drop falls. That instrument of his has to do all the crying for him”
When Collector met with this nomad sarangi player, he understood an art is the answer and immersed himself into their world. Author shows his new perception about art and beliefs, collector’s obsession about folktales, and his longing to get a single glance of a princess, trapped into mystic tree.
“Who has told me that collector saheb has been bewitched? Why would anyone need to tell me? Don’t I keep my ears open all the time, and keep one eye open even when I sleep? The people around are illiterate and most of them are full of nonsense, gibbering about this and that, but they are as cunning as they come”
Besides that, In Anukrti’s Daura, the subject of bureaucracy in India treated in the most glancing way. Author played on the ground of freedom and courage. She explored human emotions, greed and disheveled morality as well. Many parts of book read like a monologue, with startling cadence of desert. Her sentences are hum and vibrant, ability to suck you into the story. It makes you think and suffer and then leaves you with questions that don’t need to get answered.
“To me, though, everything that has happened in the past is fresh, as if it has just happened. Each day, as my age increases, my memory burnishes, grows lighter like silver coins published with use, I can’t explain why it is so, I know that the older you grow, the less you are supposed to remember. Age gives you Maan – the honour to be remembered and the right to forget. At time I think I myself am the memory from the past… I am the only one left who knows the past now, the only one who can tell old stories, and with each telling, I remember them better. Usually, I tell them to myself, for who else is there to hear them” — The guard’s story
Like, Author’s twin novel, Bhaunri, it offers the taste of Rajasthan by delivering story with colloquial words, though it didn’t interrupt the reading, even enhanced the beauty of prose.
Anukrti upadhayay has woven her characters with so honesty, it won me over instantly. With her sparkling writing, author managed to keep me hooked till the end. If you are music lover, you are going to savour it.
Daura is surely a riveting tale. I applaud the author; she dealt an important issue in such an interesting way. I couldn’t wait to read her next one.
November 16, 2020
We see the language and culture of the desert. Through the narrative we see the superstitions, the prejudices and the biases of the narrator. We see their sense of decorum, societal ways of the way things were expected to be, limits and boundaries of people around. Status, caste, sarkari service. And more often than not, you as a reader find yourself in mental argument with the narrator. I suppose this was purposefully meant to be. It adds an experience to the reading.
The story continues like a report, supposed to be formal but mostly informal, since village folk are informal and their accounts of the tale make it believable, giving it perspectives. We see their opinion of the desert life, the nomadic tribes, the villagers, the collector sahib and the supposed talk of magic and mayhem. Witchcraft and wizardry. The mirages that are the desert's best kept secret. But we don't know whether they are lying, and how much if their report of the said incident can be taken as fact.
But a tad bit long and repetitive.
But at 126 pages only, that's alright.
And the perspectives give it a thriller like feel.
The story continues like a report, supposed to be formal but mostly informal, since village folk are informal and their accounts of the tale make it believable, giving it perspectives. We see their opinion of the desert life, the nomadic tribes, the villagers, the collector sahib and the supposed talk of magic and mayhem. Witchcraft and wizardry. The mirages that are the desert's best kept secret. But we don't know whether they are lying, and how much if their report of the said incident can be taken as fact.
But a tad bit long and repetitive.
But at 126 pages only, that's alright.
And the perspectives give it a thriller like feel.
May 2, 2020
Beautiful, mysterious and magical.
This is an extraordinary story. This is no mystery or suspense, and yet it makes you read page after page without stopping. The prose, I wouldn't call it lyrical and yet the story reads, in many parts, like a poem and a song, beautiful, rhythmic, and metaphorical.
I was born and brought up in a town-ish place, meaning I'm not a sophisticated city bred guy nor am I a person of a village with firm roots in culture and folklore. I didn't think I would enjoy this as much, from whatever I gathered from the blurb of the book alone. Although I passionately consume folklore they are not my first preference, fantasy and crime being my favoured delicacies. And yet I can't but stop and salute this work that has moved me to some of my raw emotions. The story and structure reminded me of R.K Narayan (my personal favourite) and Khaled Hosseini in places. Not that it mirrors their structure, but more like it reminded those authors in a subtle way that felt good.
A must read. One must read it to enjoy it. I believe someone from Rajasthan would enjoy it better, since there are many words in this text that outsiders wouldn't know. I wish there was a glossary towards the end that could be referred to. Continuous google search made my reading choppy and frustrated me a little.
A must read nevertheless.
This is an extraordinary story. This is no mystery or suspense, and yet it makes you read page after page without stopping. The prose, I wouldn't call it lyrical and yet the story reads, in many parts, like a poem and a song, beautiful, rhythmic, and metaphorical.
I was born and brought up in a town-ish place, meaning I'm not a sophisticated city bred guy nor am I a person of a village with firm roots in culture and folklore. I didn't think I would enjoy this as much, from whatever I gathered from the blurb of the book alone. Although I passionately consume folklore they are not my first preference, fantasy and crime being my favoured delicacies. And yet I can't but stop and salute this work that has moved me to some of my raw emotions. The story and structure reminded me of R.K Narayan (my personal favourite) and Khaled Hosseini in places. Not that it mirrors their structure, but more like it reminded those authors in a subtle way that felt good.
A must read. One must read it to enjoy it. I believe someone from Rajasthan would enjoy it better, since there are many words in this text that outsiders wouldn't know. I wish there was a glossary towards the end that could be referred to. Continuous google search made my reading choppy and frustrated me a little.
A must read nevertheless.
March 21, 2021
I finished reading this book more than a week back and while I have been ruminating for the last few days, I still don’t know how to review this beautiful piece of work. All I can say is the words are calming and the plot is so smooth, in spite of the chills & the mystery. There is a Rumi-esque flavour to this book and it was difficult to not lap it up in one sitting. I cannot wait to pick my next piece by Anukrti.
October 8, 2020
This story sounded like an oft repeated fable, full of magic and mystery. While the logician in me was wont to question certain things, while reading this book I couldn't do so. Such was the author's compelling storytelling. Great albeit short read. I really wish one of the author's books were longer.
December 27, 2021
In midst of an arid landscape, a collector goes missing.
An investigation is swiftly put into place.
It is found that the collector was previously inspected and enquired upon, due to his uncanny closeness to the local nomads - who were inhabiting the area for eons, before the current government placed its jurisdiction in the turf.
We see the story unfolding through various eyes - details emerging from testimonies shared and merging over one another - the orderly of the collector, his guard, the tehesildar of the turf, two nomad girls and a sarangiya-player he befriended, or a distant camel-herder. More pitched in are, official reports of chief-secretary, a medico and police superintendent along with some journal pages of the collector himself.
Knitting local flavors around an enchanted folktale, the author embeds her story in vivid imagery of mysterious secrets of the desert, long forgotten, some even outside the confines of the locals. Civic rights are tossed in air, in name of maintaining bureaucratic infrastructures and appropriating civilization, that ultimately tragedise this tale in a disconsolating aftermath.
The shadow of mystery slowly conjures you in, while the lyrical realism of the atmosphere layered within the pages entraps you. By the time the music of the fable is heard, you are already swirling in this crisp page-turner, having a "daura"
An investigation is swiftly put into place.
It is found that the collector was previously inspected and enquired upon, due to his uncanny closeness to the local nomads - who were inhabiting the area for eons, before the current government placed its jurisdiction in the turf.
We see the story unfolding through various eyes - details emerging from testimonies shared and merging over one another - the orderly of the collector, his guard, the tehesildar of the turf, two nomad girls and a sarangiya-player he befriended, or a distant camel-herder. More pitched in are, official reports of chief-secretary, a medico and police superintendent along with some journal pages of the collector himself.
Knitting local flavors around an enchanted folktale, the author embeds her story in vivid imagery of mysterious secrets of the desert, long forgotten, some even outside the confines of the locals. Civic rights are tossed in air, in name of maintaining bureaucratic infrastructures and appropriating civilization, that ultimately tragedise this tale in a disconsolating aftermath.
The shadow of mystery slowly conjures you in, while the lyrical realism of the atmosphere layered within the pages entraps you. By the time the music of the fable is heard, you are already swirling in this crisp page-turner, having a "daura"
October 5, 2020
Loved this one. Beautiful. Mysterious. I can't really explain or understand what happened but that's not even important. The writing is lush, the imagery is magical. One of a kind read.
December 8, 2021
3.5/5. The author has a way with words. Interesting plot and mysterious elements with a flavour of Rajasthan.
December 7, 2025
Ah! Such a disappointing end, in the last couple of years haven’t felt so displeased with a book. A very short book, narrated in an epistolary manner, which particularly didn’t enthuse me. It starts off with a District Collector on a tour of his district, where he is enamoured by the desert and the sarangi player named sarangiya. Drawn into folktales and a unique tree, the DC goes through his own daura.
The story starts off intriguing and I hoped for a better trajectory and ending. But it fizzled out. The narration is not very easy to go through, lot of local words sans any explanation which can throw you off the story. It took me a while to actually know what the title of the book meant which unfortunately has many meanings. So, it didn’t specially impress me on the whole. I picked it up because it would be a quick read and an Indian author too, but regrettably, wasn’t the right choice.
The story starts off intriguing and I hoped for a better trajectory and ending. But it fizzled out. The narration is not very easy to go through, lot of local words sans any explanation which can throw you off the story. It took me a while to actually know what the title of the book meant which unfortunately has many meanings. So, it didn’t specially impress me on the whole. I picked it up because it would be a quick read and an Indian author too, but regrettably, wasn’t the right choice.
May 11, 2023
When times are deserted and dry, we all need a touch of magic in our lives. That's what this book "Daura" by Anukrti Upadhyay gives us!
An idealistic District Collector is posted to a remote region in Rajasthan of North India,where he meets mysterious circumstances.Readers will read everyone’s account and know what exactly happened to the DC once he gets involved with some so-called magic force.
Set amidst a rural village in Rajasthan, we meet different people through the pages of this book.The story revolves around the District Collector who invariably gets mixed up with the village people and their lives.The mysterious Sarangiya with his melody gives this book a magical flow! It’s impossible to be true but then we can’t outright deny the possibility too!
If you are ready to pour your sanity down and get into this bizarre story then give it a try, I am sure the writing style, story and how it develops won’t disappoint you.This is my second book by the author and I just can’t wait to read more!
An idealistic District Collector is posted to a remote region in Rajasthan of North India,where he meets mysterious circumstances.Readers will read everyone’s account and know what exactly happened to the DC once he gets involved with some so-called magic force.
Set amidst a rural village in Rajasthan, we meet different people through the pages of this book.The story revolves around the District Collector who invariably gets mixed up with the village people and their lives.The mysterious Sarangiya with his melody gives this book a magical flow! It’s impossible to be true but then we can’t outright deny the possibility too!
If you are ready to pour your sanity down and get into this bizarre story then give it a try, I am sure the writing style, story and how it develops won’t disappoint you.This is my second book by the author and I just can’t wait to read more!
July 8, 2019
For who knows the sun better than his wife, chaaya (shadow), who exists because of the sun & yet can hold him back?
'Music in the desert is like a magnet. Even the hoarse toads & mute scorpions 🦂 will come to hear if you know how to play a song.
The Sarangiya is an old kalavant, he's peerless in the desert where musicians are as numerous as grains of sand.
Everything is possible. It's dark in the shade though the day is bright 🔆. There's rain ☔ in the desert 🏜 for those who've seen it, but none for those who haven't.
The book starts on an offbeat in the state of Rajasthan which is encapsulated in every bit with desert life. The folk living here spend their livelihood on desert stories. Life is harsh, yet joy is in limitless bounds. This book gives us a clear understanding of how life is in remotest villages of India. The novel’s primordial interest lies in the magical mythical mystical tree & the plot entirely revolves around the Sarangiya - the one with the sarangi. He plays his instrument relentlessly with seemingly ceaseless efforts with no fear or care for the world. He isn't bound with any materialistic need or monetary pleasures.
Many a times, people who believe folklores to be a myth or superstitious madeup stories. However, what they fail to understand is that often fictions come from real-life stories & they're hard to believe which makes people fragment based on their conjuring inability to comprehend the truths or facts behind it.
As I've lived a long life, with many vast experiences embedded with research which serves as my purpose for logical & rational realistic reality. So evidently, I do often believe them irrespective of the source of the information. Only time & fate will decide - what is true & what isn't.
The blurb of the book is given below -
A journey into the dark heart of the desert. A young District Collector is posted to one of the furthest outposts of rural Rajasthan, and finds himself drawn deeper and deeper into the lives and troubles of the common people there. Then one day, with the help of a mysterious musician, the Sarangiya, he has an encounter with beauty in its purest, most absolute form - an encounter that precipitates a dangerous descent. The pages from the journal he keeps are combined with the narratives of various people around him to create a compelling account of his slide away from reality. Half real and half fable, and redolent with the songs and myths, the beauty and mystery of Rajasthan.
Though the book may sound perfect. However, it has many dramatic drawbacks. The writing style is way too simple & monotonous. The narration is so tasteless that it took me a lot of difficulty in finishing it. The book is so pragmatic that many times, I couldn't understand what's going on or where exactly the story is headed to. Time lines are off. The progression from one context or section or part of the book to another is seemingly off.
'Music in the desert is like a magnet. Even the hoarse toads & mute scorpions 🦂 will come to hear if you know how to play a song.
The Sarangiya is an old kalavant, he's peerless in the desert where musicians are as numerous as grains of sand.
Everything is possible. It's dark in the shade though the day is bright 🔆. There's rain ☔ in the desert 🏜 for those who've seen it, but none for those who haven't.
The book starts on an offbeat in the state of Rajasthan which is encapsulated in every bit with desert life. The folk living here spend their livelihood on desert stories. Life is harsh, yet joy is in limitless bounds. This book gives us a clear understanding of how life is in remotest villages of India. The novel’s primordial interest lies in the magical mythical mystical tree & the plot entirely revolves around the Sarangiya - the one with the sarangi. He plays his instrument relentlessly with seemingly ceaseless efforts with no fear or care for the world. He isn't bound with any materialistic need or monetary pleasures.
Many a times, people who believe folklores to be a myth or superstitious madeup stories. However, what they fail to understand is that often fictions come from real-life stories & they're hard to believe which makes people fragment based on their conjuring inability to comprehend the truths or facts behind it.
As I've lived a long life, with many vast experiences embedded with research which serves as my purpose for logical & rational realistic reality. So evidently, I do often believe them irrespective of the source of the information. Only time & fate will decide - what is true & what isn't.
The blurb of the book is given below -
A journey into the dark heart of the desert. A young District Collector is posted to one of the furthest outposts of rural Rajasthan, and finds himself drawn deeper and deeper into the lives and troubles of the common people there. Then one day, with the help of a mysterious musician, the Sarangiya, he has an encounter with beauty in its purest, most absolute form - an encounter that precipitates a dangerous descent. The pages from the journal he keeps are combined with the narratives of various people around him to create a compelling account of his slide away from reality. Half real and half fable, and redolent with the songs and myths, the beauty and mystery of Rajasthan.
Though the book may sound perfect. However, it has many dramatic drawbacks. The writing style is way too simple & monotonous. The narration is so tasteless that it took me a lot of difficulty in finishing it. The book is so pragmatic that many times, I couldn't understand what's going on or where exactly the story is headed to. Time lines are off. The progression from one context or section or part of the book to another is seemingly off.
January 31, 2021
I guess some stories cannot be explained until & unless you've lived it. Daura by Anukrti Upadhyay is one such mind-bending experience. The premises started playing on my mind gradually. Daura carries an eerie enchanter. The desert landscape served as a surreal setting and created a magnetic atmosphere.
I read this story twice over in one sitting; forward first and then backward. I was pulled into the plot. Started searching for clues, trails to solve this mystery. I have that thing-the need to solve mystery.
There was a nagging thought in my head that the characters could be delirious, giving life and energy to a delusion, as I read through Chapter 4. And that idea expounded to me at the end of chapter 6 from the excerpts of the collector's journal. The appointed medical officer confirmed my suspicions. Desolated entirely on a hostile terrain, cut off from the rest of the world, in this instance the desert is pathologically mind-bending. One is at the mercy of their mind be it mangled or not. Images conjured up and embodied. The human mind has an infinite capacity to delude itself. Now battered by heat and poverty while walking the perennial sand dunes, the mind of the villagers also walked on the tightrope - unable to fathom the real from the surreal. Fantasies prevailed in this space between rationale and the unbelievable. Just as they did in Daura's characters. Folks, the desert mirage is a real, bewildering hardship.
Each chapter is a tête-à-tête of each character contributing to the strangeness. Anu wrote each voice deftly. From the purblind guard who spoke of his mumbo-jumbo ideas conceived in his mind's eye to the god-to-be collector who got hoodwinked into it all and slipped into the hysteria gradually. A childhood tale manifested into a hallucination and ingrained to of course become a cult. The tale evolved into songs, narrated from one to another time and again, it becomes a magnificent piece of practiced bluff. The cult following breathed life into the phantom of their vivid imagination while vaping up a chillum to create a smokescreen to their daily life travails. A spine-chilling sarangi music set the background score and completed the whole inderjaal. The Sarangiya better known to be the conjurer sealed the deal with his songs about the phantom having her own life form in the kalpavriksha.
I think they all needed an epiphany. Wanting to be rescued from the loneliness from a never-ending nothingness. Wanting to be part of something bigger, to be unbridled and to feel the excitement. I think this wanting led to them looming on the periphery of delirium.
I laughed out loud at the prescription given by the Medical officer to this problem at the end of Chapter 7. I mean he made sense. Why upset this epiphany? A desert spring was revived at the heart of it. A greater good was achieved after all. In exchange for sanity. Even crazier to learn how the law enforcer ruined it for them at the end. Made me think which was the lesser evil.
Daura, the psychedelia
5/5 stars. Read it twice over. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
#daura #anukrtiupadhyay #sarangi #Sarangiya #inderjaal #bookstagram #Igreads #singaporereads #readingnationsg #nlbsg #nationallibraryofsingapore #paperback
I read this story twice over in one sitting; forward first and then backward. I was pulled into the plot. Started searching for clues, trails to solve this mystery. I have that thing-the need to solve mystery.
There was a nagging thought in my head that the characters could be delirious, giving life and energy to a delusion, as I read through Chapter 4. And that idea expounded to me at the end of chapter 6 from the excerpts of the collector's journal. The appointed medical officer confirmed my suspicions. Desolated entirely on a hostile terrain, cut off from the rest of the world, in this instance the desert is pathologically mind-bending. One is at the mercy of their mind be it mangled or not. Images conjured up and embodied. The human mind has an infinite capacity to delude itself. Now battered by heat and poverty while walking the perennial sand dunes, the mind of the villagers also walked on the tightrope - unable to fathom the real from the surreal. Fantasies prevailed in this space between rationale and the unbelievable. Just as they did in Daura's characters. Folks, the desert mirage is a real, bewildering hardship.
Each chapter is a tête-à-tête of each character contributing to the strangeness. Anu wrote each voice deftly. From the purblind guard who spoke of his mumbo-jumbo ideas conceived in his mind's eye to the god-to-be collector who got hoodwinked into it all and slipped into the hysteria gradually. A childhood tale manifested into a hallucination and ingrained to of course become a cult. The tale evolved into songs, narrated from one to another time and again, it becomes a magnificent piece of practiced bluff. The cult following breathed life into the phantom of their vivid imagination while vaping up a chillum to create a smokescreen to their daily life travails. A spine-chilling sarangi music set the background score and completed the whole inderjaal. The Sarangiya better known to be the conjurer sealed the deal with his songs about the phantom having her own life form in the kalpavriksha.
I think they all needed an epiphany. Wanting to be rescued from the loneliness from a never-ending nothingness. Wanting to be part of something bigger, to be unbridled and to feel the excitement. I think this wanting led to them looming on the periphery of delirium.
I laughed out loud at the prescription given by the Medical officer to this problem at the end of Chapter 7. I mean he made sense. Why upset this epiphany? A desert spring was revived at the heart of it. A greater good was achieved after all. In exchange for sanity. Even crazier to learn how the law enforcer ruined it for them at the end. Made me think which was the lesser evil.
Daura, the psychedelia
5/5 stars. Read it twice over. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
#daura #anukrtiupadhyay #sarangi #Sarangiya #inderjaal #bookstagram #Igreads #singaporereads #readingnationsg #nlbsg #nationallibraryofsingapore #paperback
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