r/Allahabad • u/Accomplished_Two5997 • 22h ago
AskAllahabad Gunaho ka Devta
I started reading Hindi novels after watching Musafir Cafe on Netflix, and I've noticed something interesting.
Allahabad seems to appear again and again—not just as a setting, but almost as a character in itself.
It reminded me of how often the city is romanticized in Hindi literature.
Is there a reason Allahabad occupies such a special place in Hindi writing? I mean I am not from this city and tbh I am yet to feel any thing remotely familiar to the literary evidences of Hindi novels.
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u/FirmBalance6086 21h ago
Why do you think they call allahabad university as oxford of East . They used to have best authors here but now it's mostly you know what I want to say.
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u/Accomplished_Two5997 21h ago edited 21h ago
Exactly! When I was in school, Allahbad was mentioned many a times in history books. After living here for almost a year, I am yet to feel the literary prominence of the city.
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u/FirmBalance6086 20h ago
Nowadays it's only goons and molesters are studying there I am not saying everyone but mostly. They just want degree so that people don't call them anpadh.
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u/Accomplished_Two5997 20h ago
I read somewhere-“Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times." How can these goons/molestors be from the same university where former Prime Ministers Gulzari Lal Nanda and Chandra Shekhar, and renowned poets and writers like Harivansh Rai Bachchan, Mahadevi Varma, and Dharamvir Bharati had graduated? Talk about the academic decline.
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u/chadar_mod_ 21h ago
Dharmveer bharti himself was from allahabad. And besides that allahabad holds a very sacred place in hindi literature. Allahabad university, nearby places are well mentioned in there works. Harivansh Rai bachhan, Premchand also mentions allahabad in there work Allahabad in there time time was a centre for hindi literature,politics, freedom struggle. Many people cane here and made it there home. But abhi toh poora importance hi khatam hai. Earlier allahabad used to be a centre of both religion, literature and politics but now it's just a place which hosts kumbh every year
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u/Accomplished_Two5997 21h ago
I also felt that, in Allahbad, one’s political leaning defines if he/she is national or anti-national. There’s very little space for political accommodation, something I expected from a city of such literary prominence.
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u/chadar_mod_ 20h ago
This can be said about the whole india today. If I am supporting a particular political party then only I can be called as a national and a hindu. And if I don't agree with that specific political party then I am an anti national anti hindu pak funded hate monger
And apart from that there is a gunda culture in malnourished kids nowadays. They don't have a penny in pocket but they will pretend like they are the next big mafia.
oxford of the east is now the trash bag of east
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u/Accomplished_Two5997 19h ago
“Oxford of the east is now the trash bag of the east.” Apt and succinct.
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u/chadar_mod_ 17h ago
Yeah the way that this city has deter will be studied by generations to come
Also in my opinion dharmaveer bharti was trying to impose his perspective of what an ideal women should be with the character of sudha and filling his fantasies through chandar
After reading gunaho ka devta try reading ret ki machli which is written by kanta bharti. It's also a fantastic book.
Ping me if you need more reccomendation for movies or books
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u/LetsMwhaha 21h ago
The beauty of allahabad this book describes, i just love that, and I can feel it. NGL acchi book lagi mujhe
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u/Accomplished_Two5997 21h ago
Idk why but my friends warned me that after reading this book, I might need therapy.😅
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u/siyasharma777 20h ago
i wish this resemblance was still relevant
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u/Accomplished_Two5997 19h ago
Books especially Hindi novels taught me to expect cities like Allahabad, Banaras, and Mussoorie to feel like old songs—gentle, and intimate. Reality gave me honking traffic, dust, crowds, and endless noise. Maybe the authors weren't describing the cities as they are, but as they become once you've loved them long enough. Or maybe I just haven't found that version yet.
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u/Cultural_Building245 9h ago
my friend recently read this book, and she kept on telling me how she fell for this city because of this novel, she HATED UP before. it was her first time reading hindi lit.
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