Gaban (literally, Embezzlement) is a Hindi novel by Munshi Premchand, published by Saraswati Press in 1931.[1] Through this novel, he tries to show "the falling moral values among lower middle class Indian youth in the era of British India", and to what depths a person can descend to, to become a pseudo-elite, and maintain a false image as a rich person.[2] Gaban is a cult classic satire of Premchand.
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It tells the story of Ramanath, a handsome, pleasure seeking, boastful, but a morally weak person, who tries to make his wife Jalpa happy by gifting her jewelry which he can't really afford to buy with his meager salary, gets engulfed in a web of debts, which ultimately forces him to commit embezzlement. It is considered Premchand's best work, after Godaan.
It was adapted into a 1966 Hindi film with the same name by Hrishikesh Mukherjee.
Munshi Deendayal is a higher middle class man from a small village in Prayagraj. His daughter, Jalpa, a young girl, on a rainy day, purchases an artificial necklace from a peddler, and it became its favorite toy. Deendayal, once bought an expensive necklace, Chandrahaar, for her wife Manki. Tempted towards it, Jalpa also demanded for the same, however, Manki assured her that the at her wedding, her in- laws will gift her Chandrahaar. Jalpa now spends time, waiting for her marriage, when she will get a Chandrahaar.
7 Years Later
Munshi Dayanath is a worker in court with 50₹ salary, and an acquaintance of Deendayal He lives with his wife, Rameshwari and three sons, Ramanath, Gopinath and Vishwambar. His eldest son Ramanath is a handsome and good-looking, but a careless one. He spends most of his time with his friends, playing chess or cards with them. Dayanath is upset towards his behaviour. Deendayal wants Ramanath to get married to Jalpa, but Dayanath, cannot afford to marry of his son due to his weak financial conditions. Nevertheless, Rameshwari, Dayanath's wife puts pressure on him to marry off his son soon, as she is eager to get her son marry, and she thinks that Ramanath will get responsible after getting married. The wedding was a memorable one for the whole village. Dayanath and Deendayal, both spends money beyond their financial conditions, and when it was time to send the jewels to the bride, Dayanath didn't sent a Chandrahaar, as he borrowed jewelleries from goldsmith, by giving just an advance amount of 1000₹. Jalpa pledged that she will not wear any jewel until she receives a Chandrahaar.
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