Shrilal Shukla, celebrated Hindi writer and IAS officer, is being remembered on his 100th birth anniversary. His seminal 1968 satirical novel, "Raag Darbari," initially faced criticism but later won the Sahitya Akademi award and became a widely read and translated work. The novel, set in the fictional village of Shivpalganj, critiques India's socio-political structure and moral decay. Shukla, who wrote over 25 books, described the novel's creation as a personally taxing experience that isolated him for years.