Hullabaloo tells the story of the lives of the villagers of Shahkot. These people are depicted with wonderfully bright images to create an energetic novel. This energy is so excessive that it creates characters from a fabulous world, bordering on caricature. Desai uses these characters to poke fun at the oppressive Indian culture and the strong traces of the British colonial era that still reside in modern India. The text creates a vibrant world for the reader to explore. Desai's authoritarian imagery produces extravagant characters, used for satirical purposes. The figures are painted with colorful visual images, "to stare in amazement at this lean, long-legged apparition among the leaves" and "her cheeks were like vanilla pudding...pink and white birthday cake." Bright images leave the reader with a clear picture in their mind and allow them to suspend reality in order to accept the satire. The city itself is described as oppressive, a reflection on the satirical themes, "the heat had enveloped all of Shahkot in a murky yellow haze". “When there was almost no space to draw, when the walls, floor and ceiling were full, squeezed to the point of bursting, Sampath was born.” . These two descriptions, through tactile images, give the reader a feeling of claustrophobia and stress. Desai's eccentric characters and the ridiculous situations they find themselves in poke fun at gender roles and Indian society, Hindu mysticism and British colonial influences. These aspects have been an integral part of India for centuries. The Chawlas are described as a typically patriarchal Indian family in which Mr. Chawla often found: “His shirt needed ironing. His shoes were found dusty, dirty and unpolished...... middle of paper ......e being considered ignorant while Sampath's teachings, which are false, are easily accepted. Sampath's false spiritualism caricatures India's Hindu gurus, mocking the people's blind acceptance of their words. Although the context for an Eastern and Western reader is different, Desai allows readers of both audiences to awaken to the issues surrounding modern India. Desai suggests that gender roles, lingering colonial influences and mysticism are holding back India's socio-economic development. The village of Shahkot is presented as a microcosm of the nation. The stark exaggerations highlight the absurdities and inconsistencies in certain attitudes, behaviors and social constructs that are holding back India's future. It is in the color, eccentricity and legendary nature of Shahkot that his work generates its greatest power of revelation..