Book Review: The Watchmaker

The novel  “The Watchmaker” (originally named Pavittar Papi in Punjabi) by Nanak Singh tells the heart-breaking saga of a young man Kedar who bound by his feeling of guilt goes out of his way to help a helpless family. The novel was very popular when it first came into print due to its emotional connect with readers and has been translated into many languages. It has also been adapted into a film by the name “Pavitra Papi”.

 Pannalal is employed as an accountant in a shop owned by Attar Singh and is replaced by Kedar. Kedar  is an orphan who has recently lost his mother .After the death of his mother he left his home and is living as a vagabond. Out of hunger and poverty, he is desperate for a job. He takes a job at Attar Singh’s shop as a watchmaker  cum accountant not knowing that he is replacing Pannalal.

Bad times have fallen upon Pannalal who has come from riches to rags.The character of Pannalal is that of a loving husband and doting father. He is badly in need of money to pay off his debts and to marry off his daughter Veena.When Pannalal  loses his job, he curses Kedar as being the cause of his family becoming destitute and writes a letter to him saying that this has driven him to suicide and disappears. Here we see Pannalal as a person who is not able to face the circumstances and flees from the battleground of life. Kedar is guilt ridden and goes out of his way to help Pannalal’s family.

Kedar rents a room with them, writes letters to Pannalal’s wife on behalf of her husband and teaches Veena during his free time.He becomes an integral part of his family.Gradually the void created by his mother’s demise is filled by Maya. Kedar lost his father at an early age followed by his mother’s death.This has lead to a longing for love in his heart. Kedar falls in love with Maya’s elder daughter Veena but she sees him as a brother. This love story goes through a roller-coaster ride throughout the novel. But when Maya tells him that Veena's marriage is already arranged he backs out of the lovestory and helps in the marriage of Veena .When Maya tells him that she has no money to pay for the marriage expenses, he sells the house of his forefathers and tells Maya that the money is from Pannalal. Bound by a feeling of guilt and duty, Kedar even steals money from his employer to pay off Pannalal’s  family’s debts.

Once the truth is known to all, Kedar being ashamed runs away. But even then he continues to help Pannalal’s family. He also repays Sardar Attar Singh’s money which he had stolen earlier. His goodwill bears fruit when reader knows that Pannalal had not commited suicide and he returns home. But alas Veena is dead. Maya’s heart is shattered when she knows what was in Kedar’s heart for Veena. She sends Pannalal to find Kedar and bring him back. Meanwhile Kedar ‘s health has deteriorated very much. When he finds from Pannalal that Veena has died, he is completely heart-broken and refuses to come with Pannalal. Next day, he dies  after telling his lifestory to his Sikh neighbor. From the prologue we know that the neighbor is Nanak Singh.

In this aspect, the influence of Devdas is clearly visible. The protagonists suffer and the story has a tragic ending.

Bringing emotions to the core, the novel strikes a captivating balance between realism in literature without losing the entertainment   quotient. The characters are developed well. The novel chronicles their lives, their trials and tribulations, as they cope up with circumstances. Through them, Nanak Singh portrays the message that a human is merely a pawn in the hands of circumstances. Pannalal and Kedar are examples of this. Pannalal’s loss of job was neither Kedar’s fault nor Pannalal’s. Only the circumstances forced one to commit suicide and the other to live forever in agony. The reader starts to sympathize with Kedar from the beginning.

Kedar is portrayed as a do-gooder who is torn between his duties towards Pannalal’s family and his love for Veena.He is the hero who sacrifices his love for the happiness of his beloved ones.  Veena is confused about her love. She does not know how to love Kedar-as a brother or a lover. Their lovestory is the greatest tragedy of the film. This lovestory has been a direct or indirect source of inspiration for later literary works(most prominently Dharmveer Bharti’s  “Gunahon Ka Devta”).

Attar Singh, the employer of Pannalal is shown as a miser and greedy man who exploits his employee Pannalal. This depiction is synchronous  with depiction of evil zamindars and greedy moneylenders in other literary works and movies of that era. Most prominent of such characters is “Sukhi Lala” of Mehboob Khan’s “Aurat” which was  remade into “Mother India.”

The portrayal of Maya is of a typical housewife caring for her family even pleading to her son-in-law‘s family for the sake of her daughter’s future. She is kind-hearted by nature. It is shown in the way she is moved by Kedar’s sorrow and treats Kedar as her own son .

In short, it can be said that this heart-moving  tale of “Pavitra Papi” (Holy Sinner) renders the reader astonished and speechless by its sheer portrayal of human relations and emotions.