Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Absurdity and Chaos
Nature vs. Modernity
Traditions, Customs, and Expectations
Exploitation of Spirituality
Summary
Analysis
As the incidents with the drunken monkeys occur more and more often, Mr. Chawla surveys the nice, profitable orchard he’s put together, complete with advertisements, stalls, signs, and all. He feels that these monkeys represent a threat to what he’s built and the money he’s been discreetly storing in a bank account. He tells Sampath that perhaps it’s time for him to live in a proper concrete hermitage, where the environment could be more controlled and the monkeys would no longer be a problem. Irritated by Sampath’s incredulous look, Mr. Chawla goes on to tell his son that he can’t live in a tree forever, and that the monsoon is coming soon anyway. He tells Sampath that he can’t keep saying nonsense either, and advises him to learn real religion and philosophy.
With the added pressure of the unruly monkeys in the orchard, the subtle tension in the orchard finally bubbles to the surface. Mr. Chawla’s suggestion to put Sampath in a hermitage reflects Mr. Chawla’s endless need for expansion, growth, and civilization as he exploits the orchard’s visitors. He claims to care about how a “proper” holy man should live, but his only true concern is the orchard’s profits. Nature is fighting back against his exploitative, modernized vision of the orchard, but he isn’t giving up so easily. This conversation makes Sampath realize that modernity is quickly catching up with him. Even up in a tree, his father has strict expectations for him that threaten to tie him down and erode his new freedom.
Themes
Sampath utterly refuses to ever leave his tree, despite Mr. Chawla’s insistence that the monkeys will ruin the orchard’s reputation. Sampath sits in furious silence as he reflects on how he and his father are completely different. As Kulfi brings him dinner, he feels tenderness for her as he fondly remembers getting sick and missing school for a whole glorious week after eating something she cooked for him once. She understands why he never wishes to leave the tree, just as she always understands his ways. That night, Sampath warns the monkeys to behave themselves, or else they’ll all be in serious trouble.
The contrast between Sampath’s parents is clearer than ever in this moment. In Sampath’s view, Mr. Chawla represents everything he (Sampath) tried to flee from: responsibility, expectations, and the exhausting complications of modernity. Meanwhile, Kulfi remains a source of comfort as she continues to understand and support his decision to leave society behind. Through this lens, Kulfi and Mr. Chawla practically symbolize the forces of nature and modernity, respectively. Sampath appreciates his mother’s simple, unconditional love for himself and nature, especially as Mr. Chawla’s modern complications threaten to swallow him up.
Themes
Soon enough, the monkeys disregard Sampath’s advice and invade a liquor stall in the Shahkot bazaar. After drinking all the alcohol they can get their paws on, they return to the orchard, rowdier and more violent than ever. They ignore Sampath’s attempts to calm them down as they cause absolute havoc at the orchard. Sampath can’t help but remember a traumatic experience he’d once had with a frightening drunk man, but he privately thinks to himself that the monkeys are different. He still admires them, even as he watches them destroy property and terrorize the orchard’s guests, who’ve taken to fighting the monkeys back with makeshift slingshots.
Sampath’s traumatic memory of the drunk man offers another glimpse into his view of nature and modernity. The drunkard Sampath remembers was a product of society—his erratic behavior was frightening because he was a grown man, worn down and broken by modern life. In contrast, the monkeys are innocent and childlike in Sampath’s view, even as they cause complete chaos. It’s only natural that the monkeys should make mischief, as far as Sampath is concerned.
Themes
After laying waste to the rest of the orchard, the monkeys violently rustle the branches of Sampath’s tree. They shake him about as he watches the world blur around him, unable to process how quickly all this chaos has come to the orchard. He nearly falls from the tree, clinging to the branches for dear life and still refusing to come down, even for his own safety. When at last the monkeys turn their attention elsewhere and depart, crashing wildly through the nearby university research forest, Mr. Chawla decides that he must take action immediately. The next day, he sets off for Shahkot, determined to let the town’s government officials know that it’s their responsibility to do something about these apes and restore peace and order to the area.
At this point, the perfect simplicity of Sampath’s orchard has been all but shattered. Despite the monkeys’ wild behavior, it’s arguably the modern addition of alcohol that created this chaos. Regardless of who or what is to blame, Mr. Chawla characteristically relies on the organized society he’s familiar with to clean up this mess. In the face of absolute chaos and absurdity, he turns to the authorities to bring order to the orchard. Just as he expects Sampath to behave in a certain way according to what society requires, he expects the government of Shahkot to adhere to its responsibilities.
Themes
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