Curfew: A Novel

It has been wisely said by a critic that everything in a book of history is untrue except the names and dates and everything in a novel is true except the names and dates. Novels are a kind of social epics which, at the deft hands of great masters, not only perform the function of entertainment but also paint realistic portraits of situations and characters whom we meet and come across in everyday life. Great novelists like Tolstoy, Dostovesky, Victor Hugo, Dickens, Thackery and many which have become classics and which are read and enjoyed avidly today as much as when they were originally written, the present novel, entitled ?THE CURFEW?, written by an author who is Head of Department of English in an Indian University may not rank among the classics. But it certainly depicts and gripping tale of sensational goings-on in our institutions of higher learning which, though may appear unbelievable, are the hard realities of our times. Its greatest characteristics is simplicity- simplicity of the characters, of situations, of plot and of the lesson it seeks to convey. The author weaves the plot round the unsavoury stories of the escapades and drinking bouts of the Vice-Chancellor of a University who leads an immoral and unprincipled life. He grants 30% additional grace marks to the students appearing in the Intermediate Examination in order to favour his son-in-law to enable him to get first class. This sparks the trouble in the otherwise peaceful campus. Students appearing for the Degree Examination demand the same privilege. Their deputation meets the Vice-Chancellor who rejects their demand outright. The peace is disturbed. Students get unruly, Vice-Chancellor?s ?goons? set Registrar?s Office on fire. Police is called in. Some students are killed. Situation gets tense. Law and order situation gets out a control. Curfew is clamped. The peace of graveyard is restored. Usha, the 20 year old heroine of the novel, gets a blow on her head and is admitted into Hospital. Her uncle is the MLA of the ruling party and President of the Peace Committee. The entire story of the novel is based on the memoirs of Usha who has habit of writing her diary daily and the story of the novel is narrated by her, based on her daily record of events. The heroine is infatuated by her middle aged professor who leaves no stone unturned to exploit her immature and newly arisen passions and sentimental love. The wily professor takes liberty with her and enjoys her emotional outbursts short of sexual molestation. Ultimately peace returns to the town. Curfew is lifted. But Usha finds no outlet to her tempestuous passions. The Novel is full of shady characters, ludicrous scenes which becomes handy for the author to statirise. In fact satires and sarcasms are the spice of the novel with the result that the readers interest in never slackened and it is difficult to stop reading until the book is finished. It is undoubtedly a charming novel with a delightful heroine who charms the readers with her gripping tale of a city which is paralysed by the sudden imposition of curfew and where life is make romantic by a variety of interesting characters.