A Tale with Seven Answers

A Tale with Seven Answers can be read on various planes-as a political novel, as a psychological study of characters with different ideological moorings, as a sociological analysis of public life in India and more interestingly as an autobiographical novel. First published in Marathi in 1981, it depicts primarily the course of life of seven friends who represent seven different discourses in the Nationalist freedom movement in India and post independence developments. Employing the methods of deconstruction, as it were, the novel not only unfolds the dilemmas, contradictions, dialogue, stories of love, longing, friendships and personal character of the lead players through an omnipresent narrator as well through exchange of letters, entries in diaries etc., it also details out the variety of choices and trajectories discussed, weighed and chosen during the freedom movement and after independence. An instructive and delightful read and an important contribution to the growing body of Indian fiction in English translation, the novel is a rare offering from one of the eminent political leaders of contemporary times.

Prof. G.P. Pradhan (1922 2010), was a veteran socialist leader, reputed educationist, formerly Leader of the Opposition, Maharashtra Legislative Council and a committed public statesman. Starting out as a Lecturer in English in Pune's Fergusson College where he taught for two decades (1945 65), he left the job to join politics and began working for Socialist Party. Elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Council in 1966 from graduates' constituency, Prof. Pradhan came under the influence of visionary novelist Vi.Sa. Khandekar and of the humanitarian attitude of Sane Guruji early on in life. He wrote extensively on social movements, issues and biographies of great leaders of India including Tilak's biography for National Book Trust, India. He also wrote an imaginary interview with Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and letters to Tolstoy. The University of Pune conferred a D Lit on him in 1998.

**Contents and Sample Pages**