Name: Gujarati Krishna V
Roll no.: 20
Paper
name:-4: Indian writing in English-pre Independence:
Topic name:
Gandhi as a epic
Submitted to:-
Heenaba zala
Department of English
M.K. Bhavnagar University
‘KANTHAPURA’ - GANDHIAN
EPIC
Raja Rao
belongs to a very old south Indian family of Brahmin. He was born in 1909 in
the village of Hussana, in Mysore. His father was a professor of commerce in
Hyderabad. He has completed his matriculated from Hyderabad, and then he went
over to Aligarh for higher Education. He took his B.A. Degree from Nizam
College Hyderabad. He got scholarship from Hyderabad University and then he
went to France to continue his study of French Literature there.The first Novel written in Bengali was ‘ Alaler Gharer
Dulal’ which is come out in 1858. However the real beginnings with the
work of the great Bankim Chandra Chatterjee. His first novel publish in English
“Rajmohan’s Wife’ . It was followed next year by ‘ Durgeshnandini’ in Bengali.
His other novels are:
(1) Kapalkundala
(2) Vishavriksha
(3) Krishnakantar
Uyil
(4) Anandamath
(5) Dexi
chaudhurani
In the meantime Raj Lakshmi Devi’s ‘the Hindu
wife’ was published in 1876 . Toru Dutt’s ‘Bianca’ in 1878.There novels,
written in English have for us today no more than an antiquarian or historical
interest.
This is beginning of the novel form. Mulk Raj Anand, R. K.
Narayan, and Raja Rao, there are great novelist in India writing in English.
Creative works of
Raja Rao
(1) Kanthapura
(2) Cow of the Barricades and other
Stories
(3) The Serpent and the
rope
(4) The cat and Shakespeare
(5) Comrade
Kirillow
(6) The policeman and the
Rose
(7) The Chess master and his
moves
(8) On the Ganga
Ghat
‘KANTHAPURA’ - novel - Gandhian Epic: Raja rao’s Kanthapura is
best cited to illustrate this purpose. The novel recodes the Gandhian impact on
atypical Indian village through an informal but very intimate narration of an
elderly widow, Acchakka. Gandhi is again portrayed here as Rama, Krishna,
and Shiva whose birth has a divine significance. As the novel says, once
Valmiki,the great sage and the writer of Ramayana, in the novel goes to the
Lord Brahma and says:
“O Brahma, you who have sent us the Prince propagators
Of the Holy Law and sages that smote the darkness of
Ignorance, you have forgotten us so long that men have
Come from across the seas and the oceans to trample on
Our wisdom and spit on virtue itself….. O Brahma, deign to
Send us one of your gods so that he may incarnate on
Earth and bring back light and plenty to your enslaved
Daughter. O’ sage…siva himself will forthwith go and
Incarnate on the earth and free my beloved daughter from
Her enforced slavery.”
Kanthapura is
Rao’s first major Indian novel in English. It is published in 1938. The novel
deals with civil disobedience movement. The title of the novel is adopted by
village Kanthapura. The title is apt and suitable for the novel is about a
south Indian village named ‘KANTHAPURA’. The story is narrated in flashback by
‘Achakka’.
Village’s Cotemporary condition:
(1) Social Background: Raja Rao’s first novel Kanthapura is the story of a village
in south Indian named kanthapura .Kanthpura is a traditional caste ridden
Indian village. There are four Dominant castes like……..
(1) Brahmin
(3) Potter
(3) Weaver
(4) Pariah
(2) Religion Background:The village has a people who have strong rigid and orthodox
background of religious. The Brahmin is upper cast of society.In the Kanthapura
people are ignorant, poor and superstitious, but they are also deeply
religious. They were faith in Goodness ‘Kenchamma’. She is in the centre of the
village. Marriage, sickness, death, ploughing, harvesting, arrest, release all
are watched by Kenchamma. There may be small pox or influence around but you
make vow to the Goodness, the next morning, you walked and you find the fever
has left you. There is a also temple of Kanthapurishwari.
(3) Background Political: In ‘Kanthapura’ –
novel political ideas also be found, Earlier, British ruled over India and then
slowly and steadily education got reformation and Gandhian ideas started to
apply by Moorthy.The main
character of the novel Moorthy is a Brahmin who discovered a half buried
‘linga’ from the village and installed it. A temple is built there, which later
became the centre point of the village life. All ceremonies and festivals are
celebrated within the temple premises.Hari-Kathas, a traditional form of
storytelling, was practiced in the village. Hari-Kathas are stories of
Hari(God). One Hari-Katha man, Jayaramachar, narrated a Hari Katha based on
Gandhi and his ideals. The narrator was arrested because of the political
propaganda instilled in the story.
The novel begins its course of action
when Moorthy leaves for the city where he got familiar with Gandhian philosophy
through pamphlets and other literatures. He followed Gandhi in letter and
spirit. He wore home spun khaddar. Discarded foreign clothes and fought against
untouchability. This turned the village priest, a Brahmin, against him who
complained to the swami who was a supporter of foreign government and Moorthy
was ex-communicated. Heartbroken to hear it, his mother Narasamma
passed away.Bade Khan was a police officer, a non hindu of Kanthapura. He was
brought and supported by the coffee planters who were Englishmen. Considered as
an outsider, Bade khan is an enemy of the people who refuses to provide shelter
to him.
ÆMoorthy is a character in Raja Rao's novel Kanthapura, which records the
influence of Gandhian ideals
on a remote South Indian village during the
years of the Indian
independence movement. Though it is a story
of Gandhiji's charismatic effect on the village, the Mahatma does not appear in
the novel. His spokesman is his disciple Moorthy who follows his master by
fasting and preaching against the caste system.
Like a thousand of young men all over the country Moorthy gave up his studies
and joined freedom movement. He dedicated his life to the country after he
followed the principal of Gandhiji. He burnet his foreign clothes and started
using Khadi. He did not marry and devoted his life totally to the struggle for
independence. He sacrifices his personal life and happiness for the sake of
freedom fighters in the village Kanthapura.Gandhiji. He was arrested by police
many times and during his trial, he behaved like a true Gandhian.There is also
other character like Advocate Shankar, Rangamma and Ratna who were also
followers of Gandhian ideology.
Æ Shankar is a great follower of Gandhian
ideas. He is honest and upright man. He did not take any false cases a d if he
knew his client had tried lie to him and was guilty, he gave up case
immediately. He lived simple life and refused to go to the marriage or any
party where people were not dressed in Khadi. The character of Shankar is
reflection of Gandhiji.
Æ Rangamma actively participated in the work
of congress. Her house becomes the office of congress in the Kanthapura. The
freedom fighter used to assemble at her house to discuss their plan of action.
Æ Ratna was also followers of Gandhian
ideas. She was widow and only 15 years old. She becomes the leader of the
freedom fighters in the Kanthapura in absence of Moorthy.
So, above
characters and Moorthy also represent Gandhian ideas and follows them, though
Gandhi is not present throughout whole novel, but his ideas are presented in
characters. There were also many other people in Kanthapura like, Rachna,
Range, Govda etc…..who also followers of Gandhiji.
- Freedom
is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.
- Gandhiji…
By this time the Satyanarayan Puja was organized and most of
people of Kanthapura had joined the Gandhian movement. So, throughout novel we
can see the influence of Gandhiji on the character s of Kanthapura village.
Throughout the novel Moorthy acted as a local Gandhiji and followed Gandhian
Philosophy were we can compare Moorthy and Gandhiji.
The novel has a Gandhian ideology and freedom struggle. The story of
Satyagrahi’s moved forward steadily till it reached to its climax. It was a
story of people of a small village who realized that they never new to rise and
fight for freedom of their motherland. They made effort in their
direction and they fail. They left Kanthapura and settled in Kashipura as a
result of the final clash between freedom fighters and the solider. Many people
died and many people injured. Then whole village was set on fire and destroyed.
Many people arrested. The remaining people left the village and never came
back.
Conclusion: It is remarkable to not that culmination of
Kanthapura has an element of doubt while shifting from Gandhis to Nehruism and
it is here that sane critics raise question and it is on the integrity of Rao
as a Gandhian thought doth Gandhi and Nehru have the same destination, there is
difference in his ‘barrowing and difference’, Gandhi is abit
nostalgic and principle unscientific and so unwelcomed. Right from the
beginning a reader feels orthodox village, the great village, the great is
completely transformed Moorthy, the motivation is complete and experience a
sort of nationalism. Transformation continues ; Moothy continues to develop,
though he does not get support from all quarters and imperialism seems to be
crumbling. Achakka’s thinking and behavior reflects her understanding of the
dynamic between the village and the Indian nation as the blending of tradition
and modeninty. Kanthapura undergoes the process and the process is an internal
one. Achakka is a perpetuator of Hindu revivalist propaganda and Rao stands as
aHindu reformers to encourage self exploration.
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