Mansion

Bhisham Sahni's Mansion unfolds in the decades after the Khalsa regime collapsed and before the British Raj settled into its full authority. At its center is the grand house of Diwan Dhanpat Rai, a building that stands over a town while rulers, loyalties and fortunes change around it. The cast is large and varied. Dhanpat Rai is a shrewd, calculating man who knows how to use influence. Lekhraj is an idealist, Rukmo is innocent, and Bhagsuddhi speaks her mind without hesitation. As events beyond their control sweep through the town, each of them struggles to keep a footing, and many lose what they once thought secure. The novel is really about power: the pride and show that come with it, the people who chase it, and those who turn away from it or dread it. The mansion outlasts all of them, so the town's long history is seen through a house that has watched every rise and fall.