The Madhouse by Gyan Chaturvedi
Translated from Hindi by Punarvasu Joshi
Niyogi Books, Rs. 595

One way to make a point is using biting satire. Dr Gyan Chaturvedi does that all through 456 pages of The Madhouse.

Originally called Pagalkhana, it was published in Hindi. With the English translation done by Punarvasu Joshi, English readers can regale themselves with the twists and turns of the deeply satirical and allegorical novel that showcases the contradictions and anachronisms of Indian society.

Like children wanting to sell their aged parents on OLX for the best price, they can manage to get.

Like no one reading the Hippocrates Oath in a clinic as everyone is admiring the frame.

Like a flood rising in a town, but no one is bothered as they are busy celebrating the fact that the river has come into their houses. It is such an insane situation. The town is drowning, and soon the suburbs will be underwater too. No one seems worried as they are not even thinking of what the flood is doing to them.

The ineffective government, the constitution that is not being saved by those who wrote it, the stupidity all around in our houses, ridiculous views of society, and inefficient government institutions are all targets of Chaturvedi as he tears them apart with his satire.

On target is the Bazaar. Here, the business world has come to dictate everything, and how there is mindless consumption in what seems like a madhouse after liberalization.

While market forces in the Bazaar are whirling around lives, there is a cloak of fear among commoners, fear of ridiculousness, so much so that it seems so fundamental to the reader.

Chaturvedi deals with people's odd beliefs, imagined fears, aggressive market forces, and helpless commoners struggling to make sense of life.

Chaturvedi weaves in numerous situations to show how the Bazaar dominates life and how it dictates how commoners should live and feel. How personal freedom is non-existent, how logic has flown out of the window.

The Madhouse is also about how people no longer think of consequences or what is happening around them as they move around like zombies. They cannot even see the insanity staring them in the face.

The market culture hangs over everyone like a shroud that will cover them all as they fall prey to consumerism and global market economics.

It should worry every reader as we see what is happening in India today.

If you identify with the characters and the situations they are caught in, it is because you see it in India, where there is an increasing short-sightedness to issues that are burning around them. There is skepticism as faith has been lost. So has hope. You see how societal values are crumbling, and the collateral damage is happening.

It highlights political corruption, lousy governance, chaos, irrationality and absurdity of human behavior that prostrates before the Bazaar and the cruel forces that run it. Obviously, there is deep distress and fear.

Chaturvedi's writing in Hindi has been extraordinary as he lifted satire to new heights and is today seen as one of the trailblazers in that genre in Hindi literature. He published six novels, twelve satire collections and scores of satirical pieces in popular Hindi publications. In 2025, he was honored with a Padma Shri for his literary contributions. What is impressive is that he is a cardiologist by profession. But look at his vast body of work.

The translation has been done by Punarvasu Joshi, who has a PhD in nanotechnology from Arizona State University. He has done numerous translations from Hindi literature.

If you love satire, this is a book you should read.