42

Indianness in Kanthapura

Pras hant Mishra

Abstract
The early writings in English in India grew in the background of the tensions between European imperialism and colonialism and the Indians aspiration for freedom and independence. It came into existence as a result of the British presence in India. Kanthapura is a truly Indian novel in English that depicts the indigenous social, historical and cultural situations and deals with the problems, tensions and the contradictions prevalent in the Indian society as consequences of its colonization. Through the use of narrative technique, Raja Rao successfully provides epical stature to Indian struggle for freedom in Kanthapura. In the choice of subject matter, treatment of the theme, characterization, use of myth, symbols and images and the use of language, Kanthapura is a deviation from the Western novel mode of writing. Kanthapura presents Indian ideal in which Indian cultural, sociological and political realities have been dealt with vividness and candour. Not only the theme but its architectural treatment is typically Indian. Raja Rao used the ancient Indian Puranic mode of narration and Indian mythical technique in Kanthapura. The Innovative handling of English language by Raja Rao to modify it to provide it a native even regional flavour makes Kanthpura a truly Indian novel in English. The present paper is meant to examine how far Kanthapura reflects Indian sensibility with respect to the theme and its treatment. About the Author(s): Dr. Prashant Mishra is Professor of English at Government S.V.P.G. College, Neemuch, Madhya Pradesh, India

oru Dutt was the first Indian writer to respond to the impact of colonialism. Her novel entitled Bianca or The Young Spanish Maiden, which was

published posthumously, may be mentioned here. But it was Sarojini Naidu who took the baton from Toru Dutts hands and continued the task of interpreting the soul of India to the West. Indian novelists also could not remain ignorant of the growing tensions between the colonial imperialism and the native Indianness. Raja Rao, Mulk Raj Anand Narayan the great trio of Indian English nove l writingresponded and R. K.

to the theme of

Indianness in their own ways and styles by dealing with the ideals of Indian struggle for

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Global Journal of English Language and Literature

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43 freedom. Kanthapura is a truly Indian novel in English that depicts the impact of colonialism on the Indian masses and the consequent revol t against it. Through the use of narrative technique, Raja Rao successfully provides epical stature to Indian struggle for freedom in Kanthapura. Samares C. Sanyal observes that in Kanthapura Raja Rao by blending the story of Indian struggle for independence with religion and spiritualism extended the scope of looking at things with a new dimension. He writes, The novelists pre-occupations with religion, tradition, the intellectual hero and the exploration of spiritual depths by means of symbols are expressed with amazing maturity. Add to these and admirable experience of diverse lands and cultures, and experimentation with the English language to make it adequate for the expression of an essentially Indian sensibility. The novel is a historically authentic saga of the Indian nationalism, invested with the solemn dignity and religiosity of a piece of ancient mythology. It is a landmark in the history of Indian fiction in English. It marks a definite stage in the for mation of an Indian style of writing in English (Sanyal 1984:130). Indian Writing in English came into existence as a consequence of the British presence in India and developed in the background of the European imperialism and colonialism. It reflects the British imperialistic designs and methods of suppr essing the natives and consequent reactions of the natives to get rid of their subaltern state imposed upon them. It is woven out of the fabric provided by the indigenous social, historical and cultural situations. Its upbringing took place in the womb of the problems, tensions, and contradictions prevalent in the Indian society. Indians attitude to life, society, culture and whatever that contributes to Indianness makes Indian Writing in English deviant from its British counterpart. The term Indianness has no longer remained an ambiguous term and has been explicitly defined by various writers and critics. According to V.K. Gokak, the

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44 Indianness of Indian writing consists in the writers intense awareness of his entire culture (Gokak1978:24). Prof. K.R. Srinivas Iyengar is of the view, What makes Indo-Anglian literature an Indian literature and not just a ramshackle outhouse of English Literature, is the quality of its Indianness in the choice of subject, in the texture of thought and play of sentiment, in the organization of material and in the creative use of language(Iyengar 1978:8).Samares C. Sanyal regards Indianness as the spontaneous flow of the heritage of Indian culture and not just tricks that develop an imaginative talent. It is an artistic involvement that affects the Indian creative spiritIt is the under-current of Indian consciousness an off-shoot of traditional wisdom that matters with the creative activity at large (Sanyal 1984:x). The present paper is meant to examine how far Kanthapura reflects Indian sensibility with respect to the theme and its treatment. Kanthapura is a deviation from the Western novel mode of writing. The laws of the Western novel writing cannot be applied to Kanthapura. David McCutchion writes, All the central concerns of the Western novel are absent social relations, psychological motivation, characterization, judgement, a passion for the concrete.(McCutchion1976:143).

Kanthapura presents Indian ideal in which Indian cultural, sociological and political realities have been dealt with vividness and candour. Poverty, illiteracy, superstitions, untouchability and exploitation and the various painful evils found in Indian villages are in existence in Kanthapura too. Kanthapura presents various facets of Indian rural life. It becomes a representative village of pre-independence era. The cast divisions that led to untouchability, superstitions, age-old customs, religious beliefs and ceremonies and rituals found in Kanthapura are found in all the Indian villages. Prof. Narasimhaiah remarks, Kanthapura is India in microcosm, and what happened there is what happened every where in India during those terrible years of our fight for freedom(Narasimahiah 1973:43). All the features of pre-

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45 independe nce Indiaits weaknesses as well as strengths have been described with vividness and great gusto. The division of Kanthapura into Pariah quarter, Weavers quarter and Brahmins quarter provides us a picture of the cast-ridden traditional Indian rural society. Celebration of Sankar-Jayanti and observance of Harikatha give us an inkling into the conventional religious practices observed by the villagers in India. Ex-communication of Moorthy due to his visits to Pariahs quarters is an instance of the evil practice of untouchability observed by orthodox high-caste Hindus. Worship of Goddess Kenchamma, the village deity of Kanthapura, reminds us of the existence of local Gods and Goddesses in rural India. Villagers in India regard local Gods and Goddesses as their protectors as we see in Kanthapura. All the villagers worship godde ss Kenchamma, whose shrine exists in the midst of Kanthapura, as she saves them from the diseases, famines and all the other types of misfortunes. When Moorty was arrested, the villagers expressed their faith in the Goddess and prayed her to help them: The Goddess will free him. She will appear before the judges and free him . The Goddess will never fail us she will free him from the clutches of the Red-man(Kanthapura:134). The aspirations of the Indian people for liberating their country from the tyranny of the British have been brought to forefront in the novel. Like all the disciples of Gandhi, Kanthapurians too followed the non-violent means in their pursuit to bring freedo m. This is evident when Jayaramachar says, Fight, says he, but harm no soul. Love all, says he, Hindu, Mohomedan, Christian or Pariah, for all are equal before God. Dont be attached to riches, says he, for riches create passions, and passions create attachment, and attachment hides the face of Truth. Truth must you tell, he says, for Truth is God, and verily, it is the only God I know(Kanthapura:22).The village does not lag behind in the Indian struggle for freedo m and the villagers fight shoulder to shoulder with their brethren of the other parts of the country in opposing the colonial and imperialistic forces. The launching of the Gandhi move ment in Kanthapura and ove rwhelming response of the

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46 villagers to it has been described with great gusto and realism. Through the Gandhian movement, the writer also depicts the local rivalries, prejudices, jealousies among the rural folks and the social evils like superstitions and untouchability the ba nes of Indian society. The political movement to liberate India from the tyranny of whites has been carried out in the guise of religion through the medium of Harikatha, a typical Indian mode of narration. Epical overtones are provided to the novel and symbolical parallels have been drawn between the struggle for freedom and the struggle between the forces of good and evil which have been goi ng on since the time immemorial. Gandhi is the incarnation of Ram and the whites are just like Ravan, and the struggle for freedom is like the fight between the two opposite forces of good and evil to liberate Bharat Mata or Sita who has been abducted by Ravana or the white. K.R.S.Iyenger rightly says, The reign of the Red-men is Asuric rule, and it is resisted by the Devas, the Satyagrahis. The characters sharply divide into two camps: The Rulers (and their suppor ters) on the one hand and the Satyagrahis (and their sympathisers) on the other (Iyenger1962:391). The stor y of Kanthapura has been built on a complex plot consisting of a main plot and a sub- plot. The main plot of the novel is concerned with the impact of the Gandhi move ment and the sub-plot deals with the events of the Skiffington Coffee Estate. The main plot is related to Kanthapura whereas the sub-plot is concerned with the neighbourhood of this South Indian village. The two plots have been nicely woven to give the impression of a single whole. Both the plots successfully expos e the brutal ways used by the British in exploiting the Indian folks including even the poor coolies of the coffee-plantation. The tyrannical means used by the colonial power to crush the native Indians gave birth to a revolt in the for m of Satyagrah in Kanthapura which, in the course of time, reached the adjacent villages and even the Toddy Booths. The novel deals with the political aspirations, the religious activities and the social evils like superstitions and untoucability prevalent among

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47 the natives of Kanthapura. Religion always remains a part and parcel of the lives of this small village from the be ginning of the nove l to its end. By using mythical technique in the for m of the narration of Harikatha, the novelist has depicted the religious spirits of the people in a characteristic fashion. The political movement of the liberation of India has been carried out under the veil of religious gusto and the Harikatha becomes the medi um of the curious blending of religion and politics. Religion has been symbolically used to give fillip to the freedom struggle. The fusion of myth with politics makes the story rich in content and complex in texture. M.K.Naik regards Kanthapura as Perhaps the only successful attempt to probe the depths to which the nationalistic uprising penetrated, showing how, even in the remote villages, the new patriotic upsurge fused completely with the traditional religious faith, thus rediscovering the traditional Indian soul(Naik1972:64). Kanthapura is an Indian nove l in English bot h with respect to its theme and genre. The theme of the novel and its architectural treatment is typically Indian. Raja Rao has tried to revive the ancient Indian Puranic for m of narration in Kanthapura. In his Foreword to Kanthapura, Raja Rao has made his designs quite clear. He has clearly stated that Indo English nove l must use the traditional Indian for m of stor y telling where we have neither punctuation nor the treacherous ats and ons to bother us we tell one interminable tale(Kanthapura: Foreword ). Though novel is a Western art form, Raja Rao has used it superbly to impart Indianness to it by the characteristic use of Indian anecdotes, Indian philosophy and Indian mythological mode of writing. Through the skilful use of mythical technique Raja Rao has beautifully expressed Indian sensibility in Kanthapura. Kanthapura is a triumph of narrative art. There is a quick and straightforward description of various chronological events justifying the novelists own claim in the preface, We, in India, think quickly, we talk quickly, and when we move we move quickly. There must be something in

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48 the sun of India that makes us rush and tumble and run on. And our paths are paths interminable.(Kanthapura: Foreword). To execute his plan Raja Rao employs an old woman of Kanthapura to narrate the events that have taken place in the remote village in her gossipy and typically Kannada style. This narration of the tale of Kanthapura in its typically Kannada way has provided even regional tinge to the novel.

Raja Rao has skilfully used the Indian mythical technique in Kanthapura and has turned the character of Moorthy to a legendary figure like Shiva in Harikatha. Moorthy, a brave and idealist figure, becomes a local God in Kanthapura. Jayaramachar believes that Shiva will take avatar (incarnation) on earth to restore light and plenty to her. In Gujarat Gandhi is born as an incarnation like Shiva or Krishna to bring back freedom to India. Similarly Moorthy descended on Kanthapura to perform the same mission. Raja Rao inducted him into Gandhian faith and portrayed his character as charismatic as Gandhis who holds control over millions of the countrymen by the simple weapons of truth and non-violence. Moorthy in Kanthapura, slowly and steadily, becomes a Gandhi-like figure with mysterious power to move the villagers. The novelist successfully instills into Moorthy various forms of Shakti. Shakti-worship is an indigenous theme that is manifested through various incarnations in the Indian mythology. Shakti is imbued into the character of Moor thy and the whole atmosphere of Kanthapura is pervaded with the theme of Shakti worship. Various contemporary social and political issues have been skillfully merged into the religious element and all have been synthesized into one entity with the sole aim of defeating the British the very embodiment of the evil forces. Harikatha, Bhajans, fasts, prayers and nonviolent resistance are some of the mythical elements that are found in the tradition of Purans and Epics. Gandhi is the incarnation of Shiva in human form and like God Rama in the Indian

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49 classical epic Ramayana, he is waging a war against Ravana (i.e. the British) to bring back Swaraj (Sita). Just as in a myth, the chief characters are Gods and Goddesses who possess supernatural pow ers in the same vein, the character of Moorthy has been portrayed as an epical figure much above the common run of humanity. He has been idealized by the village folk as a local Mahatma although the real Mahatma (Gandhi) is nowhere physically present and only remains in the background. The stature of Moorthy has been raised to that of an epical hero as he is a Mahatma, with a selfless and dedicated Atma or Soul, who is engaged in fighting against the colonial and imperialistic forces which are engaged in satanic pursuits like oppression, massacres and exploitation of the ruled masses. By transforming the mythical technique to suit the theme of the novel, the past has been fitly juxtaposed with the present. Characters are an integral part of a novel that functions as agents to develop the story. The characters in a Western novel form grow gradually and develop fully towards the end of the nove l. The characters that remain in obl ivion in the beginning of the nove l unf url and acquire distinction towards the end. However, characterization too in Kanthapura is not on the line of the British nove l for m. In Kanthapura characters are engaged in fulfilling their aims whereas in a western novel form characters are seen unfolding themselves from unkn ownness to eminence. They gradually develop themselves. It is due to this reason also that Raja Rao has used mythical technique in Kanthapura. The central character in Kanthapura, Moorthy, is engaged in building the mass movement against the British to fulfill his pursuit of bringing Swaraj to his motherland. We come to know about Moorthy by his work in Kanthapura as we are told by the old woman Achakka about Moorthys efforts to mobilize masses to participate in the struggle for freedom.

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50 The theme of Indianness has been expressed in Kanthapura through an imagery that is distinctively Indian and Raja Raos own. Raja Rao has drawn his similes and metaphors from the common everyday objects of Indian life. They have very little bearing of English culture and society. In the earlier part of the novel, the writers love of the concrete and the particular is evident. However, when we proceed towards the latter part of the novel, we find a significant shift towards the general and the abstract. Raja Rao has nicely mythicised the local heroism by elevating the fight of Moorthy against the alien powers to the level of Lord Krishnas fight and killing of Kali serpent or Ramas fight against the Rava na the very embodiment of evil forces. Similarly, his use of the battle between Ram and Ravana to draw parallel with Moorthys fight against the British is a fine example of mythical analogy. In using mythical technique, he has not only followed the classical Indian tradition but also has practiced it as a device of characterization to exalt the greatness of his characters. In Kanthapura, Raja Rao has used the mythical technique to raise the status of Moorthy to the level of an idealized man like Rama in Ramayana and Krishna in Mahabharata. In short, through the use of mythical mode and characterization, Raja Rao has been successful in creating a new legend or a Sthala Purana. In Kanthapura, Raja Rao deftly used English language to convey the distinctive modes of thinking, manners of observation and instinctive responses of his characters. The evolving of Indian English which adequately expressed Indian, even regional flavour, without ceasing to be English, is his most significant contribution to Indian Writing in English. This innova tive handling of English language gained him pop ularity not only in India but also in the other countries. In the Foreword to Kanthapura, Raja Rao talks about the problem of language and style that a writer writing in a foreign tongue has to face and overcome. He writes:

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51 The telling has not been easy. One has to conve y in a language that is not ones own the spirit that is ones own. One has to conve y the various shades and omissions of certain thought-move ment that looks maltreated in an alien language. I use the word alien, yet English is not an alien language to us. It is the language of our intellectual make-up like Sanskrit or Persian was before but not of our emotional make-up. We are all instinctively bilingual, many of us writing in our ow n language and in English. We cannot write like the English. We should not. We cannot write only as Indians. We have grown to look at the large world as part of us. Our method of expression therefore has to be a dialect which will some day prove to be as distinctive and colourful as the Irish or the American. Time alone will justify it. (Kanthapura: Foreword)

In Kanthapura, Raja Rao successfully executed the plan laid down by him in the Foreword. Kanthapura provi des a vivid account of the Indian masses revolt against the British rulers. The revol t led by Moor thy has been beautifully expressed by using literal translation of Indian idioms, phrases and proverbs. The stylistic features of the novel are typically Indian and show a revolt at the linguistic level too. We notice a dialectal variation at all the levels lexis idioms, phrases and proverbs and the syntax through which the events are narrated. The structuring of the linguistic items is a deviation from the standard core of English grammar. The English syntax is broken and modified to provide a native even regional touch to the nove l. The voc abulary used is English but it is structured in a characteristic Indian fashion of writing to suit the sensibilities of Indian psyche. Kanthapura is written in a narrative mode and to tell an interminable tale Raja Rao relied on the pattern of coordination and repeatedly used and as linker to add one detail after another. For example: And more and more women joined us, and children followed them, and old men followed

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52 the children, and there was a close silence, and everybody sat looking at the tight hall door, when sudde nly it ope ned and our stomachs heaved with joy. (Kanthapura: 226,227) Similarly repetition of various grammatical items like Noun Phrases, Verb Phrases, Adjuncts, Clauses and Sentences is a typical stylistic feature of Indian English used to meet the demands of a puranic mode of narration. For example:

Repetition of Noun Phrases: (1) Oh, Moorthy, if your departed father was alive what would he think of you, my son, my son, my son? (Kanthapura: 59). (2) The people of Tippur are coming to free us, the people of Rampur are coming to free us (Kanthapura: 220) . (3) .. and more women flowed out of the Pariah Street and the Potters street and the Weavers Street, (Kanthapura: 211). (4) Carts after carts went of Alur, carts after carts with the Front House people, and the Temple people and the Post-Office-House people (Kanthapura:38).

Repetition of Verb Phrases: (1) They would say, Dont worry, sister, dont worry; (Kanthapura: 207) (2) the cauldron put back on the bath fire, and the gods put back in their sanctum (Kanthapura: 224). (3) ..banged and banged his head against a tree (Kanthapura: 223). (4) They are coming to o ur rescue, they are coming to help us (Kanthapura:219). (5) Pariah Lingayya ran and ran (Kanthapura:167).

Repetition of Adjuncts:

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53 (1) the rain pours on and o n (Kanthapura: 77) . (2) And the fanner fanned o n and the Mahatma spoke on (Kanthapura: 52) .

Repetition of Clauses: (1) Narsamma cried out that this was a sin and that was a sin (Kanthapura: 59). (2) ..a nd if he doe snt send her, a weeks salary is cut, and if he doe snt send her then, still more money is cut, and if he still doe snt send her, hell get a whipping(Kanthapura:83). (3) And we sought to make out who this woman was and who that woman was, but we could hardly see, for the evening was drawing near (Kanthapura:232).

Repetition of sentences: (1)Oh, theyll excommunicate ustheyll excommunicate us, the Swami will excommunicate us (Kanthapura: 59). (2) We shall win. We shall win the battle (Kanthapura:207). (3) Moorthy forgive us! Mahatma forgive us! Kenchamma forgive us! (Kanthapura:231). (4) Hell never come again, Hell never come again, Hell never come again, Moorthappa (Kanthapura:211).

Use of Proverbial Expressions: Proverbs are frequently used in Indian languages to perform various speech acts like complimenting or satirizing somebody. They are also used in different speech situations to substantiate the statement of the speaker. In Kanthapura too, Raja Rao employs proverbial expressions as an indirect speech act to avoid impolite comments passed on to satirize or criticize somebody. Waterfall Venkamma, for example, expresses her hatred for Moorthy in

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54 the following proverbial expression when Moorthy declares to observe fast to protest against the merciless manner in which the labourers of the Skeffington Coffee Estate have been treated by the British police. She sarcastically says: Ah, the cat has begun to take to asceticism..Only to commit more sins(Kanthapura:88). Similarly another proverb has been used in Kanthapura to criticize Bhatta who is a rival of Moorthy and who has built a fortune through wrong means by supporting the British and exploiting the poor: The sinner may go to the ocean but the water will only touch his knees(Kanthapura:135). The use of proverbs to hide the impolite speech acts like accusing, satirizing, criticizing is commonly used b y the Indian writers of English to pr ovi de an Indian flavour to their writings. The various linguistic means employed by Raja Rao are in accordance with the Puranic mode of narration. The repetition of NPs, VPs, clauses, adjuncts and sentences maintain the interest and excitement in the novel. The repetition of nouns and pr onouns in the beginning of sentences functions as anaphors and maintains the continuity and rhyt hm in the story. Repetition also intensifies the dramatic element of narration. It helps to enhance the emphatic, dramatic and theatrical tone of the narrative mode of the novel, a tone that is truly Indian (Patil 1994: 62). Kanthapura, thus, presents an authentic record of the contemporary social, cultural and political tendencies prevailing in British India. According to Prof. Iyengar, The theme of Kanthapura may be summed up as Gandhi and our village, but the style of narration makes the book more a Gandhi Purana than a piece of mere fiction. Gandhi is the invisible God, Moorthy is the visible avatar (Iyengar1962: 391). The use of myth by Raja Rao is a technique obtained from Puranas. The mythical technique used in Kanthapura is not found in the Western model. The various linguistic devices used by Raja Rao also contribute to Indianness and make Kanthapura deviant from its British counterpart. According to Prof. Z.N.Patil, The main difference between British novels and these novels (Kanthapura,

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55 Untouchable and The Guide) is that in the latter one finds the language domesticated to a large extent. The Indian writers are aware of the inadequacies of the standard literary English for the forging of the consciousness of Indian people. One solution they have found is heavily depende nt on their close familiarity with Indian languages. Into their writings they have incorporated borrowings from the vast number of Indian languages (Patil 1994: 22,23). References Gokak, V.K.1978. The Concept of Indianness with reference to Indian Wrting. In Indian Writing in English. Ed. B y Ramesh Mohan. Madras: Orient Longman. Iyengar, Srinivas.1978. Indian Writing in English : Prospect and Retrospect. In Indian Writing in English. Ed. By Ramesh Mohan. Madras: Orient Longman. ______________.1962. Indian Writing in English. New Delhi: Sterling. McCutchion, David. 1976. Indian Writing in English. Quoted by Uma Parmeswar in A Study of Representative Indo-English Novelists. New Delhi: Vikas Publishing House, 1976. Naik,M.K. 1972.Raja Rao. New York:Twayne. Narasimhaiah, C.D. 1973. Raja Rao. New Delhi: Arnold Heinemann. Patil, Z.N. 1994. Style in Indian English Fiction. New Delhi: Prestige Books. Rao, Raja. 1971. Kanthapura. Delhi: Orient Paperbacks. Sanyal, S.C.1984.Indianness in Major Indo-English Novels.Bareilly:Prakash Book Depot.

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