The book under review, The Madhouse is the English translation of a novel titled Pagalkhana by the famous satirist Gyan Chaturvedi (originally published in Hindi in 2018). Gyan Chaturvedi is a famous Heart Specialist based in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. He has written many books, which are popular among readers due to their entertaining language and lucid presentation. His books and essays also raise serious questions regarding social problems and evils. Indeed, he has been considered a writer who has carried forward the legacy of many other famous satirists like Harishankar Parsai and Sharad Joshi. The Government of India has awarded him the Padma Shri for his contribution to literature.
Though The Madhouse is written as satire, it deals with the hard-hitting realities of post-globalization India. It is crucial to note that globalization has enhanced the value of the market, which now controls the most pertinent aspects of our lives, including education, medical facilities, livelihood, etc. As the author notes, ‘In its unchecked march, the Bazar never failed in reminding and assuring us again and again that incessant consumerism is the real path of happiness…and that the tsunami of economic globalization is inevitable and an ultimate boon to the human species’ (pp. 7-8). However, the onslaught of the Bazar (market) has caused irreparable damage to the psyche of the common citizens. They are turned into a tool controlled by the market, and constantly losing their self. Indeed, there are only two key characters in the novel: first, the Bazar, unleashed by the free-market forces and facilitated by the state; and second, ‘the citizen’, who has been granted sovereignty by the Constitution of India, but is continuously deprived of citizenship rights due to the larger-than-life role of market forces.