The sudden wealth syndrome and loss of rectitude in Vivek Shanbhag’s Ghachar Ghochar

Abstract

Middle-class mores in the southern part of India are largely homogenous, though even here one can see that there exists the lower middle class and upper middle class. The differences, however, vary in application on a gradient of material possessions and upgradation in lifestyle. What unifies the middle class is the value systems that they practice. A stable job, thrift, financial stability, and most importantly adherence to societal norms characterizes this section of society. When such families experience a windfall of unexpected wealth it can destabilize the family structure, create mistrust and anxiety among members, undermine moral rectitude and ethics, and topple the very value system that held the family together. This paper examines the primary source, the novel, Ghachar Ghochar by Vivek Shanbhag, to point out that consumerism and materialism, if not balanced with reflection and introspection, can stunt spiritual growth and lead towards a loss of basic human ethics and morality. The narrator’s family members, hitherto used to a steady income from a salaried job, switch to becoming entrepreneurs, trading in spices and ready spice powders, and enjoying a bounty of wealth. They fall back on unethical business practices and their wealth multiplies, changing their lifestyles and bringing up cracks in their relationships. They are blasé about the sudden wealth and splurge on luxuries as if in haste to wipe out their middle-class upbringing, letting go of the middle-class values of moral rectitude and ethical living that had held them together and made them upright citizens.