‘Kanthapura' as a Gandhian Epic

‘Kanthapura' as a Gandhian Epic'

There were three Indian modern writer of classic. Their contribution in classic is very significant. They are:-

(1)        Raja Rao        

(2)        R. K. Narayan

(3)        Mulk Raj Anand

Raja Rao

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.

·         Creative works of Raja  Rao

(1)        Kanthapura                                                     (1938)

(2)        Cow of the Barricades and other Stories       

(3)        The Serpent and the rope                                (1960)

(4)        The cat and Shakespeare                                 (1965)

(5)        Comrade Kirillow                                           (1976)

(6)        The policeman and the Rose                           (1978)

(7)        The Chess master and his moves                    (1988)

(8)        On the Ganga Ghat                                         (1989)

·         Epic

Ø  “An epic is a long narrative poem and a great and serious subject related in an elevated style, and centered on a heroic or quasidivine figure on whose action depend the fate of tribe a nation or the human race.”

- M.H. Abram

Ø  An epic is the greatest and most sublime form of poetry. The epic is a poem, divided into several books, celebration the life, heroic deeds and achievement of a national hero, whether historical or legendry.

‘KANTHAPURA’ - novel - Gandhian epic

                       

                        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’.

‘KANTHAPURA’ - Village

                        Kanthapura does not exist but it is a imagination of Raja Rao’s mind. Kanthapura village is situated on the Western Ghats in the Valley of Himmavathi River. There it lies ‘curled up like a child on its mother’s lap’. This single image makes the village spirit into life. The reader is able to visualize it as it as lies, sheltered and secluded like a child in its mother’s lap.

Village’s Cotemporary Situation

(I)                Social Background

(II)       Religion Background

(III)     Political Background

(I)        Social Background:-

“I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their Dirty feet”.

- Gandhiji….

            The novel has a dormant pattern to the treatment of castes and communities Kanthapura, a tiny village representative of any other village in south Indian. There were four divisions in caste….

(1)   Brahmin   

(2) Parihar      

(3) Potter

(4) Weaver

There were conflict between castisim and other issues, but finally all get together and helped each other for the struggle for independence.

(II)       Religion Background:-

“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians, and your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

- Gandhiji…

            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.  

Kenchamma, Kenchamma,

Goddess benign, and bounteous,

Mother of earth, blood off life,

Harvest – queen – rain, crowned,

Kenchamma, Kenchamma,

Goddess benign and bounteous…..

 (III)    Political Background:-

Lift the flag high,

            O. Lift the flag high,

            Brothers, Sisters, Friends and Mother,

            This is the flag of the revolution……

- Gandhiji…

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.

First they ignore you,

Then they ridicule you,

Then they fight you, and

            Then you win……

- Gandhiji…

            Kanthapura is one the earliest example of Gandhian Novel. Raja Rao’s novel is the most powerful of Indo – Anglian novel, portraying the impact of the Gandhian Movement on the Indian people. Kanthapura is long narrative novel telling of heroic acts, the birth and death of a hero. So it is an Epic. Kanthapura is telling of impact that Gandhi had on the nation. He concerted the whole nation into an army of Freedom fighters. Gandhiji was no less than the hero of an epic, the freedom struggle of India was an epic struggle. Thousands of people sacrifice their lives. It was remaining in the background through the novel; Gandhi is no doubt the hero of movement on a small village Kanthapura. Here, in the Kanthapura Moorthy is the Gandhi and Hero of the village.

            The main character of the novel is Moorthy. He is Brahmin boy who discovered a half buried ‘Ligna’ from the village and installed it. It is Moorthy who organize Gandhi work in the village, he is indeed life and spirit behind the movement in Kanthapura just as a Gandhi was the life and spirit of freedom struggle in India, but very soon the people of Kanthapura as a whole are actively involved and the novel becomes an account of their suffering and their heroic sacrifice. The people of Kanthapura has been enthused with spirit of Gandhiji and they march ahead heroically despite all the suffering and the hardship they have undergo.

Ø  “Moorthy is not man of modern novel. He is a ‘very Prince’, ‘our Rama’ and ‘small mountain’…..

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.

Moorthy as a Gandhiji

Moorthy also left his study and hope of a glorious future for the sake of country; he devoted his life to the struggle of Independence after he had a vision of Gandhiji and worked of other social evils. Moorthy worked for upliftment of Parihas as Gandhji also helped Harijan.

The Gandhian movement was brought to Kanthapura by Moorthy and to the boy of village. He went to from door to door to tell the people about Gandhi and his views and principle. He distributed Charkhas among the people of Kanthapura at free of cost. He had contact with the city congress and Charkhas were given to him by free of cost for the distributing among the villagers in the beginning he found it difficult to convince the villagers to take Charkha and started spinning, do the on a regular basis, ultimately he was able to convince most of them that it was essential not only for them but also for the achieving political freedom, with time more and more people joined congress and now people of Kanthapura regarded Moorthy as The Gandhi of Kanthapura.

"G"

Truth Peace Non Violence Satyagraha

[‘G’ Stands for the Gandhian Ideas]

Ø  “An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind.”

- Gandhiji…

This all are Gandhian ideas which Gandhiji has used in his life and used into freedom fighting. Though Gandhiji is not present in the whole novel but only Gandhian ideas remain and can be found which were adopted by Moorthy. These ideas helped the people of Kanthapura to get freedom from Britishers.

Moorthy sticks to above Gandhian Ideas and reforms the position of village including Social, Religious, Political background.

            Moorthy did not stop working for the upliftment of pariahs though swami has said to him that he would be excommunicated. But Moorthy did not take it seriously like Gandhi he also kept a fast of three days because he felt that he had   not been able to live up ideas of the Mahatma. He held himself responsible for the skeffington coffee estate. After the fast he started the ‘Don’t touch the Government Campaign’ unless his leadership the people of Kanthapura picked non – violence like a true followers of 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.

Ø  Advocate Shankar:-

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.

Ø  Rangamma:-

She 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.

Ø  Ratna:-

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.

-          “The weak can never forgive,

Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”

- Gandhiji…

‘Gandhiji’ never appears on the scene and plot of novel but his presence was felt all the time by Gandhian Ideas, Philosophy through the novel.