TARPHULA
Kuhusu kitabu pepe hiki
‘‘...टारफुला एका खेड्यातील परिवर्तनाचे चक्र चित्रित करते. हिचे आशयसूत्र मराठी कादंबरीच्या परंपरागत साचेबंदपणाला आव्हान देते. एका गावाच्या बेबंदशाहीतून, सुरक्षिततेच्या प्रश्नातून आपल्या सबंध समाजाला रूपकात्मक अर्थ देण्याचे सामथ्र्य या कादंबरीत आहे. हे खरे तर १९६४च्या सुमारास सबंध देशाचेही रूपक होते. त्यामुळे स्थान प्रधानतेच्या बाहेर कृतीकडे वळणारे नैतिक तपशील ह्या कादंबरीत आहेत. एका जबर शासनाच्या अस्तित्वाशिवाय असा समूह नीट चालत नाही हे एका जबर पाटलाच्या अस्तित्वाने आणि त्याच्या मृत्यूनंतरच्या भीतिदायक बेबंदपणाने नानाविध सूचक तंत्रांनी दर्शविले आहे. आबा कुळकण्र्याला हे विघटित समाजजीवन सांभाळता येत नाही, हे कुळकर्णी कुटुंबातल्या अस्थिर, दुर्बळ वातावरणातून शंकर पाटलांनी ज्या अल्पशब्दकतेतून चितारले आहे ते १९६४ साली अपूर्व होते. गावातल्या विविध कुटुंबांतील नवरा-बायकोचे संवाद, गावातल्या गुंडांचे संबंध इ. प्रत्येक तपशिलातून दबावदार नेतृत्वाची गरज सुचवण्यात लेखकाने दाखवलेला निग्रह अभिजात मराठी कथनशैलीचा नमुना आहे. सबंध गावातील व्यवहारांचा भेदरलेल्या समाजजीवनातून विशाल पट दाखवत ही कादंबरी नव्या पाटलाने जम बसवेपर्यंतचे चिरेबंद रूप मांडते...’’
Tarphula pictures the transformation of a village. This novel has questioned the uniformity of the traditional Marathi novels. This novel possesses the quality of giving an allegorical meaning to the society through the anarchy of a village, through the questioned security of this village. Actually, the country itself was passing through this phase in 1964 and this novel represents it. So, it inclines towards the ethical details living out the boundaries of the place. This novel reveals the fact that the community always needs a strong ruler with his strict rules. His being alive runs everything smoothly whereas his death gives rise to anarchy. The author has made use of different techniques to picturize this. Aaba Kulkarni is unable to take proper care of the disintegrated societal life. Shankar Patil has penned this down very effectively creating an environment around an unstable and weak family. He has succeeded in bringing back the year 1964 truly. The family life of many in the village, the relationship between many couples, their dialogues, the rowdy people has been very skillfully presented by him. His restraint on showing the need for a powerful leadership through each and every detail, places his writing at the top. This novel is complete in its own sense as it starts with the simple routine life of the worried and diffident villagers and covers the efforts of the new 'Patil' to establish himself properly.
