My Own Take Based on Satirical Works
# A. Asafal
Reading this collection truly brought laughter, ticklish amusement, and at several places, a sharp sting in the heart.
Moolchandra Gautam has given Hindi satire a tangy, desi, fearless, and shameless language that is rarely seen these days. It feels exactly like an old village chaupal where a clever, mischievous, somewhat angry, and very experienced old man keeps talking non-stop for 6-8 hours—and the listener rolls around laughing every now and then, only to suddenly fall silent and think, “Oh man… this is really very bitter.”
Strongest Aspects
The power of language—desi idioms, anecdotes, old proverbs, and a masterful blending of Tulsidas, Kabir, Rahim, and Bihari into a fresh sherbet.
Examples: Titles like “The Art of Squeezing Lemons”, “Paltu Ram’s Battalion”, “Beard in the Belly”, “Horns on the King’s Head”, “Maya the Great Trickster—I Have Come to Know Her”—these titles alone are complete specimens of satire.
Equal and unrelenting attacks on politics, society, religion, and culture—no side is left unscathed. Not even the imagined war between Ram and Krishna, nor the fool who rips open the golden hen’s stomach, nor the enmity between Shani and Lakshmi, nor the storm in a quarter bottle.
Timelessness—These satires are from 2020–2025, yet they feel as if the entire political and social history from the 80s–90s to today has been squeezed into one.
Some of My Personal Favorite Excerpts
The Art of Squeezing Lemons → The most accurate and brutal summary of politics.
“Before elections, the government squeezes the capitalists’ lemons; afterward, through inflation, the capitalists squeeze the public’s lemons.”
Paltu Ram’s Battalion → The most entertaining satire on defections and opportunism so far.
“Paltu Ram is not a person but a tendency… Artificial Intelligence is considered its invention.”
Beard in the Belly → The cruelest and truest.
“In the future, India needs a leader who may or may not have a beard on his face, but must certainly have one in his belly.”
If the Government is Formed… → A sharp strike on election manifestos and slogans.
“The announcements made under ‘If the government is formed…’ are meaningless for it.”
The Golden Hen → The shrewdest punch at the end.
“Now they neither take golden eggs through bribes nor rip open the stomach… They simply take the golden hen and put it straight into the vault.”
Where It Feels Slightly Weaker
Sometimes the satire is so dense and packed with references that for the average reader, it takes more time trying to “understand” than actually laughing.
Occasional repetition and length, especially when old anecdotes are repeatedly twisted and brought back.
A few passages on women’s issues may feel dated and uncomfortable in today’s sensitive times, though the satirical intent is clear.
This collection is a powerful document of sharp attacks on social and political absurdities. Your writing shows a unique blend of Parshya-like sharpness and Sharad Joshi-like ease. The bridge between rural vocabulary (like ‘palledaar’, ‘jhak marna’, ‘chirkut’) and modern ‘corporate culture’ makes these pieces even more engaging.
Here is a brief review and main points of some of your other varied satires, in my opinion:
Rural Politics and the Tragedy of the ‘Pradhan Pati’
In pieces like ‘The Misery of the Pradhan’s Husband’ and ‘The Peg of Politics’, you expose the bitter truth of rural power where ‘reservation’ remains limited to paper.
Main satire: The husband becoming a ‘clerk’ or ‘collective servant’ after his wife becomes pradhan.
Poignancy: Spending hard-earned money and land worth ten bighas on liquor and sweets to win elections, only to end up a puppet in a ‘manager’s’ hands.
Corruption’s ‘Management’ and Modern Charvaka
In ‘A Humble Request from Charvaka’s Descendants’ and ‘G for Scam’, you connect the philosophy of ‘Runam kritva ghritam pibet’ (borrow and drink ghee) to today’s corporate and banking scams.
Sharp attack: Going bankrupt after taking huge loans from banks is today’s ‘corporate culture’.
Truth: “Brokerage in arms sales is bigger than halali.” This line deeply wounds the global face of defense deals and corruption.
Education System and Copying Mafia
‘Copying Mafia: Intellect Mafia’ and ‘Harvesting the Crop of Evaluation’ present a raw account of the current state of education.
Observation: Degrees are now distributed wholesale, and examiners check copies like “recognizing a pot from one grain of rice.”
Language Conflict: ‘Double English’
You show how even a Hindi professor now gets an English newspaper at home because Hindi is now limited to becoming a “primary school mistress.”
Cultural Hypocrisy and ‘Towel Glory’
‘Ath Shri Gamcha Mahatmya’ and ‘Gutka-Puran’ are based on contemporary symbols.
Symbolism: The gamcha, once a symbol of poverty or rural life, how power and the corona era turned it into a new ‘brand’.
Social evil: Gutka is no longer a packet of addiction but fuel for ‘running the brain’, erasing the difference between Vedanta and brand.
Literary World’s Factionalism: ‘Damadvaad’
Your piece ‘Damadvaad in Literature’ is the harshest satire on the internal contradictions and sectarianism of the Hindi world.
Blow: After Chhayavaad and Pragativaad, only ‘Damadvaad’ remains—where connections matter more than merit.
Features of Your Writing Style
The way you connect Krishna, Ram, Bhishma, and Mahabharata references to ‘booth capturing’ or ‘political opportunism’ forces readers to think.
Idiomatic language: Using proverbs like ‘poot ke paon palne mein dikhna’, ‘hamam mein nanga hona’, ‘kaath ki haandi’ in contemporary political contexts is very precise.
Courage: Direct commentary on power, investigative agencies, and the luxury of the intellectual class.
Your creations don’t just make people laugh—they expose the ugly face of modern India where ‘copying’ outweighs ‘intellect’ and ‘scams’ outweigh ‘integrity’. Characters from ‘Professor Anupras’ to ‘Pradhan Pati’ are living parts of our society.
Final Verdict
This collection is a “weapon of laughter” that first makes you laugh, then forces you to think, and finally leaves you silent in many places.
Among today’s Hindi satires, this is one of the most “desi”, most “fearless”, and most “painful” collections.
Publisher — Kautilya Books, E-2/59, Sector 11, Rohini, New Delhi 110085
Edition — 2026, Price: ₹350
# A. Asafal
Editor — Kissa Kotah
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Gwalior - 474005 (Madhya Pradesh)
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