There were some things quite easy for me when I was in School. We had a library at Mitramandal Colony, which gave 2 books per day for us. So getting something to read was quite simple and I was out of the smaller books quite early. Out of those readings there are quite a few books that made a great deal of impact on me at the expressionist age.

One of those big books was Durdamya by Gangadhar Gadgil. Before this book I had read “JaNata Raja” and “Maharathi Karna”. I had read these with quite zeal and multiple times but the way Durdamya affected me was quite different.

It was quite realistically written with a very satirical attitude. The writer was involved quite in the book but at the same time was standing quite as an observer. It was as if the writer was born at the time when Tilak and Agarkar was there. And he was a good friend of them. That is quite an amazing achievement. It feels like he has gone under the skin of Tilak and he himself is expressing his views and opinions. It is almost a book on autobiography of Tilak but narrated by somebody else.

Since then I have read the book many a times and am still amused by the way he writes. It is excellent insight into the India in 19th century. He does not have a emphatic approach but a straight forward interpretation of social, economical behavior of the society at that time.

Some of the scenes that happen in the book are so live and expressive that you can feel you are almost present over there. The foundation of the school by the young group of people, their various activities and involvements, the thought process of moving out of the school proceedings is excellent. In fact you get to feel the passion of Tilak for the nation, the people, his interpretations of happenings in a very detailed manner.

Now this book resides in my collection.