Andher Nagari

A disciple walks into a town where sweets and vegetables cost the same amount of money. Thrilled at being able to eat sweets so cheaply, he decides to stay there, ignoring his guru’s warnings. Bharatendu Harishchandra is one of the greatest playwrights in Hindi and Andher Nagari, written in 1881, is his masterpiece. Harishchandra’s vision of a kingdom so ill-run that it is effectively blind to injustice remains a powerful image even today and the phrase ‘andher nagari chaupat raja’ (in the city of darkness, the king is insane) has passed into popular usage.