What happens when a lawyer practicing in Delhi, locked down at home due to Covid – 19, sets out to write a book of fiction? Well, the reading public gets to know, How Gourango Lost His O. Purportedly a work of fiction, How Gourango Lost His O features a number of lawyers, clients, their families and most importantly, court clerks, for every lawyer worth his/her salt knows how important court clerks are to the smooth functioning of courts. The characters in How Gourango Lost His O come in all shapes, sizes and ages. Some are good, many are clever and a few (like Narendra Biswas aka Nasty Naru) are downright nasty, because fate had been unkind to him ‘and compassion and kindness had left him years ago’.
How Gourango Lost His O had been on my reading list
ever since it came out many months ago, but it was only very recently that I
managed to read it. I read it in one go, since I found it
unputdownable. The best thing about How Gourango Lost His O’s cast is
that everyone is real. Real as in, I’m sure the characters either existed or continue to
exist, somewhere in India, most probably in the vicinity of various chartered
High Courts and the Supreme Court. Since the author Sanjoy Ghose is a lawyer
who practices in various courts and tribunals in the NCR region, including the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court, it is possible that the
main protagonist Gourango might bear some resemblance to Ghose and some of the
characters in How Gourango Lost His O (like Gourango’s senior Indumati
Khilani) might remind the reader of well-known lawyers who grace the corridors of courts in Mumbai and Delhi. However Ghose doesn't offer any clue as to where facts end and fiction begins.
Noor Malik is forced to litigate when the government frames
a new rule that would prevent him from being the headmaster of the Madarassa
where he teaches. Enter (no, not Gourango at this stage) Keshto Bannerjee, a
Kolkata lawyer who is decent enough to not hold out false hopes to his clients.
Ghose tells us from the beginning that Noor Malik does not have a strong case
and that the odds are stacked against him. However, Ghose builds up the reader's
sympathy for Noor from the beginning and there is always a glimmer of hope.
Wasn’t it George Orwell who said that the best books are
those that tell you something you know already? As someone with more than a
passing familiarity with courts and lawyers, How Gourango Lost His O
told me a lot of things I already knew about lawyers and courts, but in a nice
way, tickling my funny bone quite frequently, but more often than not, it
brought in a flood of memories.
Ghose writes in limpid, but
elegant prose, which makes it all the more easier to turn the pages of this
finely crafted, not-too-thick, not-too-thin storybook. How Gourango Lost His O has at least
fifteen significant characters and for each of them, Ghose paints a fine portrait,
in the most economical manner. For example, we are told that Keshto’s clerk
Jobu is someone who has made himself indispensable to Keshto and also ensured
the sacking of four juniors who made the monumental mistake of miscalculating
that Keshto was the boss of his own office. In contrast, Ghose would have us
know that Parambrato Basak, a ‘service judge’ was not a compassionate man.
However, while serving as a district judge in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, two
judges of the Calcutta High Court visited him to hear appeals against Basak’s
orders. Basak was at the aerodrome, to receive the judges, as per custom. Mrs.
Basak hosted a lavish dinner for them on their first evening on the island. The
judges go back to Calcutta with stories of Basak’s honesty and industry. Within
weeks, Basak is promoted to the High Court!
Does Noor receive justice from the Indian legal system? Do
kind, capable and not-so-expensive lawyers like Keshto Bannerjee and Gourango
find answers to Noor Malik’s prayers? Please do read this excellent novel to
find out more.
MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD
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