House of Cards-Summary&Analysis
Sudha Murty, a bilingual writer, both in English and Kannada, is a widely read novelist in India. She is a philanthropist,educator,writer, and former chairperson of the Infosys foundation. She has been nominated for Rajyasabha by the president Droupadi Murmu. Her novels focus much on conflicts in relationships that arise due to materialism, family statuses, selfishness, ambition, the ill effects of money on relationships, marital, and generational issues. She depicts strong female characters who evolve into new women despite hurdles in life. Shrikant's insatiable thirst for money and power and over ambition are causes for the conflict in "gently falls bakula". Social stigma of vitiligo skin disease, differences in family status, and betrayal of a male spouse are the major reasons for conflict in "Mahasweta". The conflict between a materialistic mother-in-law and an affectionate bahu is portrayed in "Dollar Bahu".
house of cards:-
Main Characters :-
Mridula -Dr. Sanjay
Shishir- son of Mridula and Sanjay
Kantamma- mother of Dr. Sanjay
Lakshmi and Suresh- Dr. Sanjay's sister and brother-in-law
Bhemanna and Rukuma Bai- Mridula's parents
Champa Bai- Mridula's neighbour
Dr. Chandrakanth Jog- Champak Bai's nephew who lives in Bombay
Alex - Dr. Sanjay's friend.
Anita- wife of Alex.
As with her other novels, this one is also woven around Indian middle class family themes. House of Cards is a story revolving around the life of Mridula, a beautiful and intelligent girl from Aladahalli village in Karnataka. Her parents are Bheemanna and Rukma Bai, a well-to-do family in the village. She says to the villagers, “I am Amma's girl and Appa's world" (3). Mridula is not like all other village girls; she is enthusiastic and wishes to spend every day fruitfully. “Every day was to be lived to its fullest, and every beautiful minute was to be enjoyed” (2). Mridula gets a government school teacher job. She meets Dr. Sanjay at her friend Surekha’s wedding in Hubli. Teachers’ association plans to visit tourist places in Maharashtra such as Pune,, Ajanta, Ellora, and Elephanta Caves in Bombay.
Mridula calls Dr.Chandrakant Jog in Bombay, the nephew of Champa Bai, to seek help when she is unwell during her trip. Champa Bai is her neighbour in Aladahalli. On the request of Dr. Jog, Dr. Sanjay brings her to their hospital and takes care of her till she recovers. Dr. Sanjay and Mridula both belong to the same community and speak the same language, Kannada.
Dr. Sanjay hails from T. Narsipura village, a pilgrimage place, on the banks of the River Kaveri, and belongs to an ordinary family. During their visit to the Elephanta Islands on boat, Mridula realises that he has a deformity in his hand, i.e., one of Sanjay's arms is shorter than the other. Sanjay hands over his first love letter with hesitation at the VT station while the train is about to leave.
Dr. Sanjay’s mother is Ratnamma, a popular money lender in his native village. She supported her son’s medical education in Bangalore despite having a lot of financial problems.
Dr. Sanjay and Mridula marry with their parents' consent. Mridula takes a transfer to a government school in Yelahanka. They both start a new life in Bangalore. While working in a hospital, Dr. Sanjay prepares for a post-graduation exam. He recalls Dr. Jog's words: 'If you concentrate and learn, acquire knowledge and skill, then that is real talent. If you run after money more than work, then money will run away from you. If you acquire skills, money will run after you'(65).
Dr. Sanjay gets admission to the PG course in gynecology. Mridula's salary is the main source of income for them. They move to Vijayanagar and fortunately, Mridula gets a transfer to Vijayanagar High school. After four years, Sanjay starts working as a doctor and lecturer in a government hospital.
Lakshmi becomes upset upon learning that her brother, Sanjay, is working for a low salary in a government hospital. She feels he is wasting his valuable time doing a permanent job with the government instead of opening a private clinic in a good location. Dr. Sanjay is an idealist and service-oriented man. He wants to go to the USA with government-recommended sponsorship from WHO funds. He gets depressed by the health officials' lackadaisical attitude. Alex, his friend, who comes from the Middle East,puts forth a proposal with Sanjay to start a nursing home in Bangalore, as the city is growing with software company offices. Though Dr. Sanjay's mind agrees with Alex's, his heart doesn't accept it. Mridula leaves her son Shishir at Muniyappa House while she is going to work. Muniyappa and Kantamma became surrogate grandparents.
Vatsala, Mrudula's brother's wife, wishes to move to Hubli and visits Aladahalli only on weekends. Vatsala is unfriendly with Mridula and picks up fights whenever she visits Aladahalli.
Dr. Sanjay is transferred to Bellary on false charges. He visits the health minister for cancellation, but to no avail. Sanjay quits his government job and starts a nursing home, investing 25 lakhs with Alex. Soon, the hospital became popular. Fourteen years have passed since Dr. Sanjay amassed wealth, a Mercedes car, and a posh bungalow in JP Nagar.
Shishir secures a rank in a medical examination. Dr. Sanjay pampers him and suggests that money is the most important thing in the world. Mridula opposes his immoral education.
When Mridula checks the cupboard in the hospital, she finds out the joint account bank passbook of Sanjay and his sister, Lakshmi, the gift deed of a car to Anil, the receipt of 10 lakhs sent to his mother, and the documents of a house purchased for Lakshmi. She believes Sanjay deceived her. Mridula gets upset knowing that Sanjay has charged for Anuradha's (sister-in-law of Muniyappa's) delivery, though she tells him not to charge.Muniyappa and Kantamma have taken care of Shishir at their home, when Mridula leaves for work. Mridula has had some sessions with Dr. Rao, a psychologist, to get out of depression. She feels Sanjay has changed a lot with money, success and power. Mridula overhears Alex and Sanjay talk on the phone about placing Lakshmi as a director instead of her. Mridula leaves Sanjay and moves to Aladahalli to live a life of her own.
The novel ends with the scene in which Mridula swings to the Banyan tree without any bondage and with a free mind. Sanjay holds the swing with one good arm.
Analysis:-
Dr. Sanjay's character is an example of how human behaviour can change over time with the flow of excess money and pride in life. At the beginning of his career, Sanjay was the people's doctor, but his bitter experiences in government hospitals turned him into a money-minded doctor. He fleeced gullible patients in his private clinic.
The couple has different ideologies. The author depicts the clash between ethics and materialism. Murty draws contrasts between the simple life of Aladahalli village and commercialised Bangalore city life. Mridula is an idealist. She is the embodiment of innocence, simplicity, and affection. She emphasises moral virtues and sincerity in life, whereas Sanjay strongly feels money is the most important thing that can bring success.
At the opening of the private hospital,their unwritten agreement was that Mridula would look after the accounts, and he would take care of the hospital. Sanjay deceives Mridula by hiding the details of money given to his sister, brother-in-law, and nephew,Anil. This creates a rift between them. "Every girl dreams of a wonderful marriage but for most, that dream never becomes real. Life after marriage is a battle"(207). Mridula on one of her visits to Dr. Rao, a psychologist, tells how Sanjay has changed over time. After a thorough study, Dr. Rao put forth the reasons for Sanjay's attitude."The situation was different then. He was concentrating on studying and working hard. His motive wasn't making money and your decisions were important. He may have gone through difficult situations where he was humiliated because he wasn't powerful. Maybe that's why he believes that power is money’(210). She was the decision-maker then, but now money and success have brought up ego issues for Sanjay. He has no good communication with his wife. He feels money makes him powerful.
Mridula begins an independent new life in Aladahalli. The novel ends with the line "Sanjay was holding the swing, with his one good arm" (232). It can be understood that Sanjay supports her wish to live a free life.
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