At the end of the novel, it is also suggested that the acceptance of European “machines”(ie, the transition from the agricultural economy to the industrial economy) may be a way to save the unmanageable. Moving away from Indian waste disposal methods and adopting European methods of flushing waste without human contact could mean putting an end to the demands placed on cleaners. However, things are not always that simple. An example of this is the British and Indian criminal law that the poet Iqbal speaks towards the end of the novel. This Code recognizes the rights of all Indians in court, which makes them equal at the court level. Nevertheless, the Hindu caste system was created by simply adapting the profession to the caste-level determinants. This hasn’t changed much, as families tend to do the same job for generations. After spending a day in a Bakha position, it is clear that the caste system is still in place, despite Britain’s attempt to eradicate caste. Some Indian lifestyles have been rejected in the face of possible British dominance, while others have been preserved. It shows a push-and-pull between Indian and British socio-cultural practices. Class struggle At its core, Untouchable is a story about class struggle. The differences in paralysis and polarization between the different caste levels shape the Bakha day and fuel the story. Classes and castes play a role in all the Bakha’s daytime interactions. When Shin promises to give hockey sticks to Bakhas, he evokes the “obedient quality”embedded in Bakhas inherited from his ancestors. Bakha is “strangely humble”and passively happy like a “bottom dog”. This is a clear example of how the caste level and what it symbolizes about one’s position in life can be internalized and then manifested in one’s personality and behavior. Cast inequality isn’t just about personal interaction. It is underpinned by a set of rules that limit the lives and rights of exiles, especially untouchables. For example, exiles are not allowed to draw their water out of public wells because it pollutes the eyes of upper caste Hindus. One needs to overcome the charity of the high caste people who draw water to share with them. The law of untouchables applies to untouchables. They must be careful not to touch other caste members and warn of their presence everywhere. Historically, struggles between caste levels have been prioritized, but there are also conflicts within the caste. Ram Charan’s mother, Gulabo, is a good example of this. Like a Bakhaand his family, she and her family are laundry, so she is an exile, but she and her family are higher in their general exile status than cleaners occupies a position. Gulabo uses her higher station to terrorize Bakhas and sohini. Therefore, caste layering is not only an “inter”issue, but also an “intra”issue. Charity 101 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
Charity has an interesting place in the untouchable world. Exiles rely on high caste charities for freshwater, food, clothing and more. Exile beggars are often answered with contempt and anger by high castes. This unloved reaction is short-sighted when the exiles think they have to plead for water, as they think the caste system is not suitable for drawing their own water. Higher castes do not understand that poverty of exiles is their job, not poverty of exiles. Hindus, on the other hand, must engage in philanthropy to maintain their current position and move up the caste hierarchy in their next lives. The top two castes of Hindu society, Brahmin and Kshatriya, claim to have gained status thanks to all the good deeds they have done in their premortal life. In a sense, high-ranking castes also rely on charities. Periodic suppression The suffering of exiles is periodic, intergenerational, and eternal. This is the central idea of untouchable, an idea that Anand wants to emphasize and criticize. The Hindu caste system and the stigmata it imposes on exiles keep them poor and poor while other castes maintain higher respect and a better lifestyle. They always rely on charitable Hindus because exiles cannot draw their water from community wells or raise funds to make it themselves. This is pointless, and poor people without money will pay more than rich people with money, but it is still somehow justified in the eyes of higher castes. The lives of exiles are cyclical, not only supported by corrupt interpersonal relationships, but also intergenerational. The oppression and terrible standard of living faced by exiles has continued for generations. Like their fathers, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers, began working as cleaners in the bathroom at the age of six. His position and life as a sweeper was inherited and inherited from his ancestors. Unless the untouchables are abandoned, the Hindu caste system is eradicated, and the unequal treatment of exiles ends, Bakha’s children lift their father’s cross. Untouchable Responsibility / Burden The concept of untouchable responsibility or untouchable burden is deeply intertwined with the issue of class struggle and periodic oppression. Apart from working as a sweeper, Untouchable also has the task of keeping out of the high caste and high caste people. The Bakha first mentioned this responsibility after meeting the caste man. One needs to be careful not to touch the Bakha, not to burden the man. Untouchables have to shout this when they go to inform others of their approach. Not only do we need to clean up other people’s trash, but we also need to protect the cleanliness of others. The burden of untouchables is another way to keep untouchables under control. This is best illustrated by Sohini’s brushstrokes with Pundit Kali Nath in the temple. Here is a hi-caste Hindu man who was willing to touch Sohini in an amorous way. When she rejected him, Nath shouted “polluted and polluted,”accusing Sohini of contaminating him. Sohini has no way to protect herself because she cannot be touched. She cannot claim that Eggplant 102 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
touched her on her own will. Such defenses are meaningless to Hindus observing the caste system. Performing physical contact negligence on the untouchable side rather than on the caste allows sexual assault like Sohini to be tolerated. RELIGION Religion is a common thread that connects all untouchable topics. Anand uses clothing to distinguish between Hindus, Muslims, and Christians. The rejection of Indian roots is partly reflected in the conversion of Indians from Hinduism to Christianity. The class struggle between the various caste levels and the cyclical oppression experienced by exiles has its roots in the hierarchy created by Hinduism, as well as the benevolent needs of higher castes. In addition, the Bakha recognizes his responsibility to make the world aware of his existence as a moral obligation. There are also several ways in which religion can act as an explicit mediator between untouchable characters. Of course, Hinduism influences interactions like Gulabo and Sohini, Bakhas and the caste man they touch. However, there are other examples. Colonel Hutchinson’s interest in Bakha is underpinned by his belief that Bakha wants to convert to Christianity. The Bakha was away from his father, Lahka, but he feels a bond with him when he considers how his father, mother, and their ancestors worshiped the Hindu god Rama. Religion is the cause of many of the problems the novel addresses, but it is also the power to bring our characters into contact with each other. 6.3 NARRATIVE TECHNIQUE Indian novel has gone through a major transformation owing to the impact of the West, in the early decades of the twentieth century, ‘This metamorphosis of content and form is evident in the fiction of Mulk Raj Annd who writes in the English language. As a result, they take the novel form from the somewhat narrow provincial boundaries of Indian languages into the longer tradition of the international epic novel. Mulk Raj hand has admitted that he was amply influenced by the technique of James Joyce, And he has unconsciously imbibed the lessons of style and construction of the contemporary novel. The novelist had also gone through the ‘misery, pain and liumiliation in the lives of the outrates as the loyalty of their belief to the Ismaili Aga Khan faith made them a sort of ‘untouchables’ in the eyes of most of the orthodox Hitldlu brotherhood. Therefore, the pity for Bakha is aroused not so much from ‘sympathy’ but from ‘understanding’ of the degradation of outcastes, fiom sharing their pains, humiliations and inner aspirations. By maintaining ‘distance’ and ‘objectivity’, he was able to make his pass-ion turn into compassion. 103 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
Anand’s writings gained authenticity fiom his own awareness of the subhuman conditions. And he developed technical skill to comnlunicate anger without bitterness. He was averse to creatlng a tragic character, for the life of Bakha would then be a t~agedy. He therefore created B&ha as me of the first tragi-comic heroes of Indian fiction. Anand tries not to create these scenes through Bakha’s eyes. As a novelist, he is looking on from the side so that he could see him during his pilgrim’s progress, confronting his routine cosmogny. Says Anand, “Although I could see Bakha alone, a kind of expatriate, an exile, the outcaste, I wanted to put him into his own setting. He was rendered in terms of his own human situations.”The most important thing for the novelist is to impart actuality to the scene through which the sap of his life flows, making everything into his felt experiences and not an abstract statement. The novel succeeds in giving a direct impression of the reality of Bakha’s life, indicating the sources of his inner rhytluns and vibrations. Untouchable is essentially a contemporary novel. There is implicit in this novel the beginning of the free natural man of our era, enslaved by circumstances, and who is in revolt against the suppressions. The narrative techniques of flashback, reverie, reminiscence, instinctive awareness of reality, intuition, etc. coupled with symbolic images, words and phrases, truncated thoughts, and Mulk Raj Anand’s conscious awareness of bringing about the objective correlative from a distance, make Untouchable a mode and novel in the real sense of the term. 6.4 ABOUT THE AUTHOR Mulk Raj Anand (December 12, 1905-September 28, 2004), Famous for portraying poor caste life in English, traditional Indian languageCompany. One of the pioneers of Indian Anglia literature, he with RKNarayan, Ahmad Ali and Rajarao were one of the first English writers to live in India.Acquire international readers. Anand is praised for his novels and short stories, A person who has won the classic status of contemporary Indian English literature. They are known for her keen insight into the lives of oppressed people and her analysis of poverty, exploitation and misery. He alsoThe first writer to introduce Punjabi and Hindustani idioms in English, The honorary bearer of the citizens of Padma Bhushan acclaimed as Charles Dickens of the Indian Independence Movement, Marc Raj Anand focused on the day-to-day issues before and after India’s independence. He is especially known for illuminating the lives of people in the lower castes who are treated with great prejudice and injustice. Almost all of his novels and short stories, such as Untouchable, Coolie, Big Heart, Two Leaves, and Bad, address issues such as political structure, class oppression, and untouchability. The novel is about the consequences of one day in their life. There are no chapters in this book. Therefore, they are divided into different sections for the reader. 104 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
Muk Raj Anand’s novel is published in 1935, it follows the path of the life of a young man named Bakha. Bakha is a term given to those who are members of untouchables, well below the lowest caste of Indian society and are considered to be outside the system. Its job is to clean the streets and toilets for the upper class, who are forbidden to clean or touch human excrement. He was born out of control, so unless reformed in India, this would be a Bakha job of his life. The entire novel happens one day in their life, the day his tolerance for the abuse of lower castes begins to erode. 6.5 CHARACTER SKETCH Bakha, son of Lakha An 18-year-old Indian youth, Bakha is a sweeper and untouchable protagonist. Strong and energetic, he is fascinated by the life and way of life of the British colonial rulers of India.His position as untouchable is highly self-sarcasticdepression. Bakha is judgmental and sometimes helps maintain the system itself continue to oppress him. Paradoxically, he still questioned the status quo,A caste system that is said to be “buried in stone”. Chota Chota, the son of a leather worker, is one of the Bakha’s best friends. Because they are the exiled class, Chota, ranks higher than Bakha in the caste hierarchy. He looks like an Bakha and also crazy about English. Ram Charan Ram Charan is the washer’s son and Bakha’s other best friend. He is also higher in thehierarchy than Bakha because his family only washes other people’s clothes (an act deemedcleaner than clearing refuse). Lakha, Jemadar of the sweepers Bakha’s father. A lazy, abusive man that takes advantage of his children. He resents Bakha’sobsession with the English and urges Bakha to be satisfied with their family’s lot in life asuntouchables and sweepers. Rakha Bakha’s younger brother. Somewhat of a foil to Bakha’s character, he is described as “a truechild of the outcaste colony.” Sohini Bakha’s younger sister, Sohini is described as nubile and beautiful. Patient and resilient,she bears the brunt of her family’s frustrations. Her altercation with a member of the highcaste is one cause of Bakha’s existentialist woe. Havildar Charat Singh 105 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
One of Bakha’s heroes, Singh is a famous hockey player. His personality is jocular, his moodextremely changeable. At the beginning of the novel he harangues Bakha to clean thelatrines but later on he gives Bakha a brand new hockey stick. His willingness to share his afternoon tea with Bakha illustrates his lack of belief in untouchability. Ali, a young man of Bakha’s age group, Ali is the son of a regimental bandsman and Muslim.Bakha asks him questions about Islamic practices and is accused of insulting the religion. Ramanand Described by Bakha as a “peevish old black moneylender,”Ramanand is of a higher classthan Bakha. He interrupts Bakha’s morning musings by shouting at him to clean the latrines. Gulabo A washer woman, Gulabo is Ram Charan’s mother. She has a superiority complex becauseshe has a high place in the hierarchy of the low castes/outcastes. She resents Bakha’s friendship with her sons and hates Sohini. Waziro Waziro is the weaver’s wife and prevents Gulabo from hitting Sohini. Pundit Kali Nath He is one of the priests in charge of the temple in Bulashah, the town Bakha and his familylive outside of. He sexually assaults Sohini and then accuses her of defiling him. Lachman A Hindu water-carrier, he is 26 years old and attracted to Sohini. Hakim Bhagawan Das A local doctor, Hakim Bhagawan saved Bakha’s life when he was a small child. Ram Charan’s sister Bakha’s childhood crush, Ram Charan’s sister is a symbol of the things Bakha is barred frombecause of his low status in the caste system. Colonel Hutchinson The chief of the local Salvation Army, Hutchinson is a Christian missionary tasked withconverting Hindus to Christianity. The face of the Christian religion in the novel, he symbolizes one facet of England’s colonization of India. Mary Hutchinson Mary is the Colonel’s irreligious wife. Miserable about their life in India, she constantlydemeans and disparages her husband’s work amongst Indian peoples, who she refers to as“blackies.” 106 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
Mahatma Gandhi One of several real-life people alluded to/featured in Untouchable, Gandhi was one of theleaders of India’s independence movement. In the novel his purpose is to offer a religious, moral, and political denunciation of untouchability. Kasturabai Gandhi The wife of Mahatma Gandi, like her husband, Kasturabai was heavily involved with India’sindependence movement. In the novel she accompanies Gandhi during his visit to Bakha’stown. Miraben Slade Another real-life person that makes an appearance in the novel, Miraben was the daughterof a British admiral. She left Britain to work at Gandhi’s side for India’s independence in1925. In the novel, she also accompanies Gandhi during his visit to Bakha’s town. Iqbal Nath Sarshar A young poet who defends Gandhi despite his misgivings about the revolutionary’s politicaland economic views. Sarshar offers up a Marxist interpretation of the plight of the untouchables and suggests a Marxist solution. R. N. Bashir An Indian lawyer that studied at Oxford, Bashir is highly critical of Gandhi and the Marxist solution suggested by Sarshar. 6.6 ANALYSIS Bakha’s family The Bakha lives in a mud house and has only one room. He lives with his father, Lakha, his brother, Lakha, and his sister, Sohini. Lakha works as a street cleaner and is the leader of the town’s street cleaners. The city they live in is Bulashah [a fictitious place], and their exiled community is limited to colonies near the city’s toilets. They are always thinking about their friends and are crazy about the “English”way of life. He and his friends call English “Tommy”and try to imitate them in everything. Lakha continues to beat her son with such an interest in English. When an Bakha remembers a lot in bed, his father insults him for not cleaning the toilet. But he doesn’t care and thinks about his deceased mother. He believes that father abuse began after his mother’s death. Whenever he hears another voice ordering the toilet to be cleaned, he always ignores Lakha’s words. When the Bakha heard Habiler Carat Singh’s voice, he immediately fulfilled his duty. He does not pollute himself by showing that he has good skills in his work. Shin comes out after 107 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
taking care of his daily juice and reveals his idea of giving a boy a hockey stick. Carat Singh is a great hockey player, so Bakhas are happy with that promise. Many people go in and out of the bathroom, so Bakhas are happy to get back to work. He collects trash in the chimney and works for the shift. When he returns home, he finds that Lakha is asleep and has no water to drink. Sohini offers to draw water. Settled in a younger family, it is a typical family that can be found in India-a dreaming son, a carefree father who does not remind him of his obligations, a hard-working daughter, and a difficult life. The life of a middle-class family is similar in that life has no goals or meanings and that life is given to life. They represent young people who think beyond family life through English and Carat Singh. Sohini wants water Exiles are not allowed to draw water directly from the well, and water can only be obtained by the grace of the higher caste. As Sohini reaches for the jug, he observes many exiles waiting for a compassionate person to help with the water. She is waiting with others to like the high caste. The waiting group has a laundry named Gulabo, who is very jealous of Sohini. She begins to use derogatory terms such as prostitutes and women, and Sohini feels like a joke. But she doesn’t stop and increases verbal abuse. Sohini recognizes that Gulabo’s intentions are genuine. She wonders about her actions that made Gulabo feel this way. Gulabo even tries to meet Sohini, but the weaver’s wife, Waziro, stops her. Meanwhile, Sepoi comes to the well to fetch water. Unfortunately, he does not listen to the exile and the petition for leaving. Shortly thereafter, the priest and temple official, Pandhita Kali Nath, arrives at the well. He is tracked by a woman when he finally accepts pouring water from his jug into their jug. Gulabo shouts that she came first, and others claim the same. However, Sohini leaves the group and waits for Kali to water Nath. He sees this and sees Sohini. He is attracted to her face and how she refuses to join the group. So he asks her to step forward and pour water into the jug. He also asked them to come to the temple for purification. She receives his orders and goes home with water. When she returns home, Lakha shouts that she is late and uses derogatory language. He’s trying to say something, so he orders her to gather his brothers. However, Lakha runs away and goes out to play, and the Bakha is the only person in the house. When the Bakha approaches his father, Lakha pretends to be ill and forces the Bakha to fulfill his duty as a cleaner. The Bakha is reluctant to accept and is fully aware of the false nature of the illness. He drinks tea and goes to the temple where he has to clean. Class and caste diversification has always been controversial in India. This is because the basic unity that once existed with the reign of the King was destroyed by the establishment of 108 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
the East Indian Company. Everyone felt that being born of the upper caste meant dominating the lower class. This is seen in the behavior of soldiers who come to the wells and in the habit of prohibiting lower castes from pumping water from the wells. The same discrimination has been going on for centuries and India still suffers from such problems today. Sohini is a common example of Gulabo being discriminated against for no reason. On the other hand, the authors reveal that even colonies of exiles have higher and lower castes that lead to such unnecessary but proud conflicts. Bakha and his friends As the Bakha walks towards the city, he finds the air outside the colony fresh and clean. He enjoys the sun and stands on the street, unaware that his friends Ram Charan and Chota are watching him with his brother Rakha . They make fun of Bakhas and joking about his strange behavior. Gulabo’s son, Ram Charan, declares that his sister will get married that day. The Bakha is a little sad because she has feelings for her. Chota asks about the duty of the day the Bakha ordered Lakha to clean the colonial toilet while doing another service. But Lakha doesn’t seem to be interested and goes to his house. The rest forces the Bakha to participate in a game of chance, but he refuses to skip his duty. Two boys come to them as the Bakha tries to move towards the city. They are the sons of a well-known man named Burra Babu, and Bakha greatly welcomes them. They discuss hockey and agree to play later that day. When one of the boys says it’s school time, the Bakha’s curiosity quickly grows because he always wanted to know something about school and education. That’s why he offers Anna, the oldest of the two boys, to the class. He accepts it and says they can meet again to start the class. Chota and Ram Charan are joking about the interests of Bakhas. He takes it lightly and walks towards the city on a promising day. Mulk Raj Anand cleverly portrays the effects of childhood innocence and lack of education through the introduction of Bakha’s friends. None of them suffer from the caste and class system restrictions that the elders follow. They had fun and decided to play with them. The use of blasphemous language, on the other hand, indicates that they are uneducated and do not know how to act. Mulk Raj Anand raises yet another social issue, education, in India. For centuries, there was no proper education for the lower grades, which was limited to older children. This was partly due to the traditions that followed and the hesitation of higher castes to share knowledge with others. There are many people who are interested in education but are not lucky enough to get an education right away. This has led to today’s problem of “reservation”, which makes it difficult for India to survive and prosper. 109 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
HIGH CASTE High class people buy cigarettes and bring coal to ignite Muslims. He is in town and enjoys recording as many scenes and sounds as he can. He is attracted to sweets and shakes off his father’s fear of abusing him to spend money on such things. He asks the shopkeeper to give the four Annas candy, and the shopkeeper tricks the boy by misweighing the scales. The Bakha knows this, but he doesn’t protest and receives what he has been given. He is pleased with the fact that he is eating sweets and nibbles as he walks. When a man with a high caste meets Bakha, he stands up and looks at the sign. The Bakha isnot liable for the high caste man in a hurry, but he begins to offend him and scream about his existence so that others can know. The Bakha apologizes, but the man doesnot listen and soon a large crowd is circling around him. If he needs to escape from the circle, he cannot escape because he has to touch someone. Everyone begins to insult the Bakha with his actions and mistakenly blame him for his previous actions. Fortunately for the Bakha, a carriage with a travel agency comes out on the street and clutters the crowd. However, the high caste man stays in spite of many demands from the merchants and leaves only after banging his face on the Bakha. Many emotions, such as anger, frustration, resentment, and fear, flow out of an angry and crying Bakha. The Bakha decides to take revenge when the travel dealer tries to comfort him. When the shopkeeper remembers the untouchable song, the Bakha goes away. He starts singing chants when he goes to the temple. After this incident, the Bakha faces many questions. Despite the arrogant behavior of the masses, he could not understand the humility he was showing. He regrets not hitting the high caste man when he was slapped for no reason. He questions the relevance of the system and asks why the Dalits are abused. The Bakha understands that his duty to clean the toilet makes him hate anyone in society. Deficiencies discovered by practicing one religion cause men to evacuate another religion. The Hindu civilization was evaluated and confused when four castes lived in harmony and one caste tried to suppress the other. The Bakha knew that no one in the town could ask for a fire to light a cigarette. Therefore, he turns to Islamic men who do not belong to the caste system. In addition, travel agencies are Muslims who help disperse the crowd. The religious conditions that motivated many religious conversions are clearly demonstrated by Mulk Raj Anand. The Bakha isnot thinking of a new religion, but he understands his position in the current religion and feels helpless. The circle of people around the Bakha is a symbol of the suppression of exiles by many high-rise castes that suppress the movement [progress] of the lower castes. The Temple 110 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
The Bakha finally arrives at the temple after observing what is happening in the city. Being in such a quiet place gives him peace when he starts working. He sees some believers approaching and begins chanting his existence to avoid the same treatment. They are always interested in worship and prayers used because he cannot enter the temple. He listens to prayer with joy, but does not understand the language. He doesn’t understand who the gods are! Therefore, the question arises as to who Narayan, Shanti Deva, Hari, etc. One’s curiosity grows and you slowly approach the entrance. Suddenly he is discouraged and returns to work. After cleaning up, the Bakha tries to look inside the temple again and goes to the top stairs. He observes temples, priests, chants, worshipers and is in the state of God. Unfortunately, he hears someone yelling, “Dirty, dirty!”And, surprisingly, it falls to the base position. Slowly he realizes that the scream is not for him, but for his sister Sohini. Pandit Kali Nath accuses Sohini of deliberately touching him and abuses her in various ways. Worshipers force her and the Bakha out of the stairs. Sohini explains that Pandit Kali Nath infuriated Bakha as she tried to touch her. He hugs her sister and comes near the stairs to spit on people because she doesn’t know what really happened. When the Bakha begins to speak angry, all believers are afraid to stay calm. However, Sohini realizes that it can end badly and persuades the Bakha to leave the problem and leave the temple. The Bakha is full of anger, but understands that he is set by tradition and unable to overcome the boundaries seen in the past. So he asks Sohini to go home while walking, The temple is a very sacred place for Hindus, and unholy acts within it lead to temporary or permanent closure. However, social stigma can also be observed here as PanditKali Nath escapes his cheating by showing his height as a man with a higher caste. Worshipers, despite their conflict with Bakhas, do not respond to the issue of caste conflict. Sohini will not be given enough justice, and the two leave desperately. HIGH CASTE WOMAN Bakha begs for food from street to street for the family to eat. No one shows sympathy for him, and he is finally fed up with begging. The Bakha sits in front of the house and sleeps. Sadhu comes to the same house and his voice awakens the boy. At the same time, a woman comes out of the house and is stunned by the presence of Bakha at the door. She insults him and the Bakha walks away from the door. Another woman comes out and gives Sadhu something to eat and gives the Bakha a chapati of the same kindness. She leaves and the first woman comes to Sadhu with food and orders the Bakha to clean the gutter before receiving alms. He does this and she asks him to clean the bathroom he does. Then the higher caste woman throws bread to the ground for the Bakha to choose. An Bakha who cannot do anything picks bread and frustrates and throws a work broom. Women have recently jointly criticized lower caste for being too excited. 111 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
Bakha people are insulted several times a day, which shows how bad the situation of lower caste in the community is. When men try to utilize women in lower castes, women try to utilize the powerlessness of men in lower castes to meet their needs. There is no equality or justice in treating people as superficial, superstitious and out of reach. They are fascinated by the fate of their great and great elders, who have been treated like uncontrollable because of the mistakes they made. Everything is intangible, as Bakhas have been exposed to such humiliation since childhood and can only push a broom from their hands. THE DOCTOR The Bakha goes home desolate, but he finds his father’s frustration because he brought only two pieces of bread. Lakha isnot at home as usual, so she’s supposed to go get food from the barracks for her family. When asked about the small amount of food Laka has collected, the Bakha says he doesn’t know many people in the city. Laka says that he needs to know people because this is the only way to get food for the future. However, Lakha feels the need for her son and asks about it. The Bakha explains what happened that day and is very sad. Lakha tries to convince her son that the high caste people are far superior to them in everything. Therefore, it is their duty to respect them without doubt. It was revealed by a doctor who saved the Bakha from a serious illness. As a kid, Bakhas suffered from an unhealing fever. Therefore, Lakha seeks help from a high-caste doctor. Lakha stood in front of the doctor’s house and asked everyone to give her a massage. No one helped because he wasn’t allowed to be there, and he cannot even buy medicine [although he has money]. Lakha returns desperately to see if his son is alive and, fortunately, if he is alive. However, he finds that the child can hardly breathe and runs away to the doctor. This time, without thinking about the situation and waiting he enters the room directly. He quickly falls to the doctor’s feet while the other patient screams and runs for his presence. Without worrying about her or the angry doctor, Lakha explains the situation and asks the doctor for help. When Lakha’s brother comes in and announces that the Bakha is dying, the doctor understands and begins writing medicine. Lakha doesn’t receive the recipe and rushes home to see her son. When parents are discouraged and cry, the doctor knocks on the door. A senior doctor enters Lakha’s house and saves the life. After hearing the story, the Bakha feels very happy, but controls his emotions. They talk about Lakha and wonder where he is. Soon he will appear with food from the barracks. But Bakhas believe that food is collected from the water used to wash hands after eating. This idea prevented the Bakha from eating and apologized for attending Ram Charan’s sister’s wedding. 112 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
All the negative elements shown on the previous page turn into slightly positive notes in the story of the high caste doctor. Anand shows that not everyone involved in the development of high castes is indifferent to the needs of low castes. In fact, the caste system is supposed to help each other so that everyone can live in harmony. According to Hindu Dharma, Brahmin is supposed to help society through prayer to God and others in performing various rituals. The kshatriya are supposed to protect and rule people according to Dharma principles. Vysyas is supposed to take care of trade and commerce and help everyone get enough goods. Sudras aims to provide work for everyone and ensure a better life in the community. Doctors curse at first, but it’s a good example of how to follow Hindu Dharma while saving a Bakhafrom death. He comes to Lakha’s house and helps a dying child. From this, it can be seen that there is no concept of untouchable. They are created only by a few malicious men of high caste to rule society with great authority. THE WEDDING The Bakha approaches the wedding and thinks of Ram Charan’s sister. When they were children, they played together when they thought about getting married in a game. They were married in this game, and Bakhas always had feelings for them. When he enters the wedding hall, he is shy and cannot step directly into the laundry wedding. He is afraid of Gulabo because she made the name of people’s great hatred. Fortunately, Chota appears and tries to draw the attention of Ram Charan, who is busy eating sugar plums with him. When they get his attention, Gulabo also monitors and drives them away. Lama Charan also runs to the hills with them. Reflecting the beauty of nature, Bakhas recede while their friends move forward. He drinks from the natural pool on the hill and tries to take a nap. While sleeping, Chota tickles his nose and makes a Bakha sneeze louder with a strange noise. He laughs with other, but not naturally occurring, suspicions. The two ask the Bakha, but he says he has nothing to worry about. The Bakha then asks Ram Charan to give him a lot of sugar plums. Ram Charan opens the handkerchief and asks the Bakha to take the sugar plum. But the Bakha refuses it and asks Ram Charan to throw it so he can catch it. This afflicts both Ram Charan and Chota, who understand to their boyfriend that something is terribly wrong. Before that, it didnot make a difference because we ate together and shared the same soda. So they pressured the Bakhas to clarify the reason for this action. The Bakha confesses three previous incidents. Ram Charan is ashamed of the high caste’s behavior and remains silent. Chota tries to comfort the Bakhas and shows great frustration with the way they are treated. However, he relies on cheering on his friends and is reminiscent of hockey games. He also offered to take revenge on the priest for treating Sohini. Ram Charan reminds her that if you have to go to the game, it’s imperative to go home now. Everyone will come back and decide when to 113 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
meet. Chota leaves home and the Bakha heads for Carat Singh in search of a hockey stick as promised. Due to caste restrictions, Bakhas cannot express their feelings for Ram Charan’s sister. An individual with a low caste cannot marry an individual with a high caste. Then there is Gulabo, who is feared in the colony as an ordinary woman who blames everyone in the name of caste. Such holdovers and inevitable thoughts afflict Bakhas, and when he asks Ram Charan to throw candy, his conditioned nature of the lower caste man manifests. This causes drift between friends and quickly eliminates it. It also shows that the Bakha is embracing social barriers and what his father can be. Charat Singh Charat Singh lives in an empty, abandoned barracks. Only two guards can be seen guarding Solar Topy. There are many legends about Topy, and Bakhas have always been attracted to it. He even considered stealing it to own Topy. But his plan to have Topy has diminished over the years. The Bakha sees Topy and wonders if the courage he experienced when he was young is diminishing. He hesitates to talk to the guards about the hat and goes home for fear of being offended. The door to Charat Singh’s house is closed, waiting outside for someone to open it. After a while, Charat Singh comes out and doesn’t notice Bakha. So he gently calls Charat Singh and gladly greets him. He asks about the Bakha’s absence from the last hockey game. Therefore, the boy says he must fulfill his duty. However, Charat Singh tried to emphasize the importance of the game (early this morning he wanted to clean the Bakha toilet) and told the boy that the job could be ignored. The Bakha sees the conflicting ideas of a hockey player, but he enjoys spending time with him because he is a well-known player in the game. Charat Singh asks Bakha to enter the house and get coal from the kitchen. The Bakha is surprised to find that when Carat Singh enters the house, he feels satisfied as a Hindu. He enters the house with great joy and is full of love for Charat Singh. He receives coal from the cook and hurries back to the hockey player. Charat Singh then gives Bakha a new hockey stick. He denies giving him a new stick, but the hockey player asks him to take the stick away. The Bakha receives his gift and is overwhelmed by joy and thinks he is lucky. As soon as he leaves home, he immediately thinks of the lesson that Brabab’s eldest son promised him. Once again, the Bakha witnesses the good treatment of a high-caste man who supports Lakha’s story. This shows that not all high caste men are made equal and some understand their religion without following what others believe to be true. When the reader observes, Charat Singh does not treat Bakha in particular, but treats him as a fellow human being. Such treatments are observed only by the Bakha through his friends and 114 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
not by anyone else. Distributing hockey sticks, putting them in the house, and handling things is easy, but it’s a new and wonderful aspect for Bakhas. He claims to be able to work as a Charat Singh cleaner for the rest of his life. HOCKEY MATCH The youngest of Brababs brings all the hockey equipment they need to play. Chota tells everyone that the Bakha is the bearer of the sahib to hide his true identity. The Bakha shows his new hockey stick and everyone congratulates him. Unfortunately, the youngest does not come to play and is depressed. To comfort him, the Bakha gives him the job of protecting his cloak, which makes a lot of sense to him. At the beginning of the game, you’ll find that Bakhas are unrivaled players on the field. He moves quickly between opponents and scores team goals. This infuriates the goalkeeper who hits a Bakhawith his foot. Chota orders his team to attack and everyone begins a discussion. They throw stones without seeing Brabab’s little son. A stone thrown by Ram Charan hits his head, causing him to lose consciousness and bleed. The Bakha rushes him to his house and hopes the child will be treated. When he gets home, he is abused by his mother for attacking his child. The Bakha is stunned and the eldest son tries to blame Ram Charan. The boy’s mother does not listen and constantly blames the Bakha for his son’s condition. He withdraws from the place and realizes that their hatred is due to its untouchableness. He is discouraged and goes home, hoping for further abuse from his father. He hides the hockey stick under a cactus bush and enters the house. Lakha abused him because he wasn’t at home, and they made them work. When things get worse, Lakha shouts to the Bakha to leave the house and asks him not to come back again. The Bakha couldnot control his anger and jumped over the house, leaving his family behind. He looks back at the colony and runs towards the plains without thinking about anything to do with his life. The Bakha has been burdened with the unmanageable things possible. He was beaten. His sister is insulted, gets food from the ground, and is often insulted by his friend’s mother. He is not worthy of such a fate, as he is a caring and caring person for all. This is clear from his actions in hockey games. He rushes the youngest to his family without noticing the results. The boy’s mother accused the Bakha of being injured from his hatred of inviolable caste. He goes home only to silence and face more insults. They are the ones who do all the hard work while Lakha and Rakha escape their obligations. He goes to weddings and games once, they start blaming him with indescribable words. This case does not make a Bakhareach out to them. Instead, he relentlessly leaves the place. Digging deeper, he may have noticed that speaking is an unnecessary task, as he never hears anything that no one can touch. CHRISTIANITY 115 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
The Bakha settles under the Pipal tree after walking a considerable distance [holy fig]. He expects someone to come and save him from his suffering. But he understands that such expectations are wrong and impossible. However, Colonel Hutchinson comes near the tree and tries to comfort him. Currently, the Colonel is a group of Christian salvation forces trying to convert the unruly to Christianity. His wife often rebukes him for wasting time with his incompetence and uncontrollability. The Bakha is surprised to see the Englishman putting his hand on him. You introduce one’sself and the Colonel talks about Jesus. The Bakha asks who Jesus is, and the Colonel says he explains everything in the church. Colonel Hutchison drags the boy into the church and begins singing a song about God. The Bakhacannot understand anything and is amazed at the difference between Jesus and Ram or any other god. He’s tired of chanting, but he likes the English presence, so he endures chanting. He begins to dream of wearing trousers that resemble the Colonel’s trousers. Even his thoughts are intriguing when an Bakha tries to escape from the colonel. In the face of increasing indifference, the Colonel says Jesus died for the sins of mankind. This information does not attract boys. Therefore, Colonel Hutchison claims that Jesus treats Brahmin and untouchable equally. They are quickly drawn to the word of equality, but lose interest when the captain begins to argue with so many religious aspects. Eventually they arrive at the church grounds, the Bakha wants a pair of trousers, and Hutchinson wants a new convert. Then the Colonel’s wife yells at him to join her for tea. He says he’ll come, but he cannot decide whether to visit a Bakhaor his wife. When he stood there and was surprised, his wife came to the Bakhaand yelled, indirectly calling him “blackie.”She shouts Bangis and Chamar, making the Bakha afraid of the two. He says goodbye to them and runs away from the church. Helpless Colonel Hutchison sees a Bakharunning away from his hand. Christianity was by no means part of India. Therefore, the conversion speed was very slow. However, this led to the creation of a story like that of Colonel Hutchison. He says Jesus died for the sins of Brahmin and Bhangis. It is not a Christian concept and is not written in the Bible. Such stories were gradually suppressed, attracting increased conversion and causing more confusion in India. Few Bakhas understand that escaping from one religion to another only means choosing another book to make sure that the sermons are the same. It is the individual who must follow the path set by religion, and most “Godly people”do not believe this. MAHATMA GANDHI The Bakha is very angry to see everyone blaming untouchables as if they had made a mistake. He believes that the colonel’s wife’s hatred was far greater than that of the Hindus he encountered that day arriving at Bulashah station without knowing where to go. The train 116 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
seems to be approaching, and everyone is screaming for the arrival of Mahatma Gandhi. Everyone is white and walking towards Gandhi, where Gandhi is expected to talk to the congregation. The word Mahatma stimulates the Bakha’s curiosity because he wants the Bakha to join the crowd. The Bakha doesn’t have his tools, so the crowd is unaware that some of them are out of control. He states that there are different types of people in the crowd. His manners and outfits made it easy for him to know who he was. Looking ahead, there were a lot of people in front of me, and he decided to take a shortcut from the nearby swamp. Some people follow him and get much closer to the oval [stage] that Gandhi speaks. The Bakha decided to stay under the tree and leaned against the tree. The men around them discuss Gandhi’s struggle and outcomes. They talk about the political progress it can bring and its commitment to promote those labeled as Dalits. Gandhi fasts for the untouchables, and Bakhas are grateful that at least someone is trying to help them. The car is pulled in, from which Gandhi emerges with his wife and the daughter of the British Admiral. He reaches the center of the oval and greets the crowd. GANDHI TALKS ABOUT DALITS Mahatma Gandhi begins to pray to the gods, and the Bakha feels that all the filth of the day has been cleansed. He begins his speech by referring to imPrisonsment for protesting British rule. He agrees that the government has dismissed him with an agreement that he “does not oppose the British government.”So he explains that he talks about another important issue: untouchables. Gandhi says people are oppressed by both British rule and the unscrupulous principles of society. Gandhi tells us that he met Dalits from an early age and hid the facts from his parents. Bakha people hear a lot about giving up habits such as drinking, tidying up, eating carrion, and gambling. They seem to criticize untouchables, but he understands what they mean. Gandhi says untouchables should never rob the dish of what remains. He says that only good food and grains are accepted. The Bakha believes that Gandhi should say the same to his father so that he can understand what these things mean. Mahatma even explains that untouchables should have access to temples, schools, wells, and more. The speech is over and Mahatma Gandhi passes by the Bakha. The boy is banned from speaking and stays near the tree. Mahatma Gandhi talks about all the aspects that offended the Bakha. Therefore, Bakhas are greatly influenced by the words of their leaders. The effort to eradicate Mahatma Gandhi’s untouchables is excellent, which is the main reason why Mulk Raj Anand inherits his character. In addition, Gandhi played a direct role in proposing a version of the novel. Mulk Raj Anand has removed nearly 300 pages from the manuscript and made changes to the protagonist. All of this works very well at the Bakha and Mahatma Gandhi conference. 117 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
Sohini is insulted in the temple, the Bakha crave for education, bread is thrown to the ground when cleaning, and the other side creates a negative cloud on the hero’s head. He finds no comfort in his home, society, or new religion. The only thing that comforts and drives away the dark clouds is Mahatma Gandhi’s pure words. But he hasn’t found an immediate solution to his problem in the day. MUSLIMS AND POETS As Mahatma Gandhi slowly walks behind with the crowd, Muslims call him a hypocrite. The Bakha identifies him as a Muslim and a young man protesting claims such as poets. The poet agrees that Gandhi actually made some mistakes, but he achieved the power to draw the country freely. He states that India is rich in philosophy, resources, and knowledge of life. Someone in the crowd identified the poet as Iqbal Nath Sarshar. Muslims are identified as lawyer RN Bashir. Bashir has expressed his dislike for Gandhi’s concept of eradicating untouchables. He believes the subject matter is the most readable, so he surprises Iqbal just by being reluctant. He then describes the origin of the untouchables created by the cruel Brahmin who do not know how to interpret the scriptures. He emphasizes that such human creations can be easily destroyed with reasonable effort. People follow a system based on untouchable work, and according to Iqbal, no human intervention is required when people start using the “flash system”. Toilets will be clean without people, and cleaning professionals will disappear altogether, eradicating the unruly. The discussion provides a solution to the problem in his head. He will be cleansed from all the bad things that happened that day. After that, the Bakha decided to follow Mahatma Gandhi’s instructions. Realizing that the flushing system would reduce the problem of untouchables, he went home and told his father all these things. The debate helps the purified Bakha find a solution to the untouchable. He is a happy soul with many conflicting happy thoughts in his mind after the debate. He decided to go back and give a speech to his father. He is no longer confused when he decides to follow Mahatma Gandhi’s path. He also recognizes that religion does not keep him out of control. But it is the people who created such professions. Mulk Raj Anand’s The untouchable is intended to clearly show that Hinduism is intended to play this Vedic mantra and not a fictitious creation of some. The Bakha is in harmony with his life as he comes to know the truth through two knowledgeable men he listens to, Iqbal and Mahatma Gandhi. 6.7SUMMARY At the beginning of the novel, the Bakha signs up another day of cleaning the toilet at the request of his father, a nasty tyrant named Lakha. 118 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
While cleaning the toilet of a famous street hockey player named Carat Singh, a man invites an Bakha to visit him later that day. He promises to give the Bakha a hockey stick. When the Bakha returns home, his sister Sohini goes to get water for her. She often travels to the community. However, untouchables cannot submerge their water, and Hindus in the upper caste believe that touching the lower caste will contaminate the wells and require a long and costly cleansing ritual. A monk named Kali Nas arrives and is impressed by the beauty of Sohini and agrees to pour her water. Later that day, he invites her to Temple so she can clean it up. The Bakha wipes out the street. He happens to run into a Brahmin Hindu who begins to scream that he has been defiled. When the mobs get together and agree to the insult, the man yells at the Bakha. The man beat the Bakha before the Islamic cart driver disbanded the battle and disbanded the mob. Muslim men don’t care because Hindu caste is also treated as untouchable. The Bakha goes to the temple and looks inside what he forbids. But before being caught, Sohini appears to be crying. The priest who invited her to cleanse the temple said she polluted it with her touch. Sohini claimed to have sexually abused her by grabbing her breasts while she was cleaning the toilet. Only when she rejected him did he start screaming that she touched him. The priest who invited her to cleanse the temple accuses her of defiled it with her touch. Sohini claims to have grabbed her breasts and sexually abused her while she was cleaning the toilet. Only when she rejected him did he start screaming that she touched him. The priest who invited her to cleanse the temple accuses her of defiled it with her touch. Sohini claimed to have sexually abused her by grabbing her breasts while she was cleaning the toilet. Only when she rejected him did he start screaming that she touched him. The Bakha tells her to go home and says she is responsible for collecting food. He spends the rest of the afternoon begging for food while facing various humiliations and atrocities from upper caste Hindus. He is more and more tired of the abuse he has suffered, and when he gets home he tells his father about the man who beat him. His father claimed that the upper Hindus were good and kind, and when he was a kid, Hindu doctors came to their homes and saved his life when the Bakhas had a fever. It reminds a Bakhaof that. 119 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
The Bakha attends the wedding of his friend’s sister. After telling two of his friends the story of the man who beat him, one of them proposes to take revenge on the man. The Bakha thinks about it, but understands that if he takes revenge, he will only annoy himself and his family. There is no legal means for untouchables. After picking up a hockey stick from Carat Singh, the Bakha joins a street hockey game. The battle begins during the game and the two teams throw stones at each other. One of the rocks hits a little boy in his head. The Bakha picks him up and takes him to his mother. The mother recognizes him as a street cleaner. He tries to help, but she shouts that he poisoned his son. At home, the Bakha’s father is angry that the Bakha is gone all afternoon. He drives the Bakha out of the house. The Bakha heads to the station and hears rumors that Mahatma Gandhi is here make a speech. The Bakha will stay until Gandhi arrives. Gandhi’s speech condemns the caste system and calls on people to follow his example of non-violent protests. Bakha is enthusiastic about speech. After the speech, the Bakha listens to two educated men, a poet and a lawyer, discussing the benefits of Gandhi’s speech. Lawyers believe that Gandhi’s goals are childish and irrational. Long-standing traditions are rarely upside down, and he believes the caste system will be maintained despite protests against reform. Poets believe that the savagery of the caste system is gone, especially given the fact that toilet flushes come to their city. As soon as people get flush toilets, untouchables no longer have to dispose of city trash and need to rethink their role and obligations to society. The author’s experience as an Indian and the fact that untouchables were written while the caste system was firmly established, gave the novel credibility and accuracy that made it easy to sympathize with the Bakha and his family. Untouchables are a unique opportunity for readers to experience the plight of caste victims. At the same time, the story identifies the complexity of India’s post-World War I identity as India transitions from post-colonialism to globalism. 6.8 KEYWORDS Derogatory language - A pejorative or slur is a word or grammatical form expressing a negative or a disrespectful connotation, a low opinion, or a lack of respect toward someone or something. It is also used to express criticism, hostility, or disregard. Bulashah-A fictitious place 120 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
Embodiment- Someone that is a perfect representative or example of a quality, characteristic, etc. He is the living embodiment of cheapness. Emulate: Tostrive to equal or excel.: imitate especially : to imitate by means of an emulator: to equal or approach equality with. Colonialism- Colonialism is a form of imperialism based on a divine mandate and designed to bring liberation – spiritual, cultural, economic and political – by sharing the blessings of the Christ-inspired civilization of the West with a people suffering under satanic oppression Bakha- Elderly, respectable person, a person who is superior to others, even with the idea of condition or age, and also with the idea of quality, ability etc. a superior person with the idea of status and quality, etc. Socio-cultural practices- Socio-cultural practices as the distinctive, spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features that characterize a society or a social group. Individuals generally hold onto these at all times irrespective of the environment they find themselves. Polarization- Polarization happens when people become divided into contrasting groups. Outside science, polarization usually refers to how people think, especially when two views emerge that drive people apart, kind of like two opposing magnets. When Democrats and Republicans fight, it can cause polarization. Caste layering- The caste system divides Hindus into four main categories - Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and the Shudras. Many believe that the groups originated from Brahma, the Hindu God of creation. Philanthropy- It refers to charitable acts or other good works that help others or society as a whole. Philanthropy can include donating money to a worthy cause or volunteering time, effort, or other forms of altruism. 6.9LEARNING ACTIVITY 1. Explain how Bakha is the hero of the novel, Untouchable. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 2. Statethe theme of Untouchability. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 6.10 UNIT END QUESTIONS A. Descriptive Questions Short Questions 121 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
1. Discuss how Mulk Raj Anand’s novel realistically depicts social issues in India. 2. Make an important note on the plot structure. 3. Discuss the storytelling technique used by Mulk Raj Anand in the novel. 4. How does Bakha go around asking for food? 5. How does Gulabo treat Bakha in Untouchable? Long Questions 1. How is casteism discussed as a theme in Untouchable? 2. What are the three options given by Mulk Raj Anand to end the practice of untouchability in Untouchable? 3. Does untouchability still exist in India?– Discuss. 4. What does the city represent to Bakha in Untouchable? 5. Comment on the relevance of the novel Untouchable today. B. Multiple Choice Questions 1. Why is Bakha enamored with the Tommies? a. He has received money and food from them. b. He is impressed by their military prowess. c. He was treated well when he worked for them. d. He loves their clothes. 2. Who successfully gets Bakha to wake up completely? a. Lakha b. Sohini c. Ramanand d. Charat singh 3. Charat Singh’s behavior towards Bakha can best be described as ___. a. Petulant b. Condescending c. Kind d. Malicious 4. Why does Bakha love European clothing? 122 a. He thinks it helps to disguise his untouchablility. CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
b. It is more affordable than Indian clothing. c. He thinks wearing it makes him a sahib too. d. He is too tall for most Indian clothing. 5. The different clothing of the Indian men best illustrates which theme? a. Class struggle b. Cyclical oppression c. Religion d. You are what you wear Answers 1-c, 2-d, 3-b, 4-c, 5-d 6.11 REFERENCES Reference books Ambedkar, B. R. “Castes in India.”In Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, Writings and Speeches, edited by Vasant Moon, vol. 1. Bombay: Education Department, Government of Maharashtra, 1979. Ambedkar, B. R. “The Untouchables.”In Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, Writings and Speeches, edited by Vasant Moon, vol. 7. Bombay: Education Department, Government of Maharashtra, 1990. Broken People: Caste Violence against India’s Untouchables. New York: Human Rights Watch, 1999. Chokhamela. On the Threshold: Songs of Chokhamela. Translated by Rohini Mokashi-Punekar. Delhi: Book Review Literary Trust, 2002. Deliège, Robert. The Untouchables of India. Translated by Nora Scott. Oxford: Berg, 1999. Dumont, Louis. Homo Hierarchicus: The Caste System and Its Implications. Translated by Mark Sainsbury, Louis Dumont, and Basia Gulati. Rev. ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1980. Textbook references Mulk Raj Anand. Untouchable 1935; rpt. New Delhi: Orient Paperbacks, 1970. Mulk Raj Anand. “On the Genesis of Untouchable: A Note.”In The Novels ofMtllk Raj Anand, ed. R.K. Dhawan New Delhi: Prestige, 1992. Mulk Raj Anand. “Roots and Flowers.”In Creating Theory: Writers on Wriling, ed. Jasbir Jain New Delhi: Pencraft International, 2000. 123 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
Websites http://www.slideshare.net/sreenath.s/evolution-of-hrm www.articlesbase.com/training-articles/evolution-of-human-resource- management- 1294285.html http://www.oppapers.com/subjects/different-kinds-of-approaches-to-hrm- page1.html 124 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
UNIT - 7:BABURAOBAGUL:“MOTHER”,BANDHUMADHAV: “THEPOISONEDBREAD” STRUCTURE 7.0 Learning Objectives 7.1 Introduction 7.2 About the Author 7.3Text-Baburao Bagul: “Mother”, Bandhu Madhav: “The Poisoned Bread” 7.4 Analysis- Baburao Bagul: “Mother”, Bandhu Madhav: “The Poisoned Bread” 7.5Summary 7.6Key Words 7.7Learning Activity 7.8 Unit End Questions 7.9References 7.0 LEARNING OBJECTIVES After studying this unit, you will be able to: Describe the life of Dalit women in a patriarchal society Identify a tragic ending when the son leaves his mother. State theelements of Dalit’s and other pathetic dark shades. List the despair and helplessness in the life of a conquered, uneducated Dalit woman. 7.1 INTRODUCTION Bagul sees Dalit literature not only in the discussion of political and philosophical debates, because following in his footsteps, every time-consuming approach deprives a person of his creativity and passion. For the sense of letters is found in man's affections and desires. But as these evils were dismissed, God and religion obtained the pre-eminence that man should dictate. Bagul represents the weather, nature, and light, which is disruptive, a sign of a discontinuity at the time when man's feelings were thought to be revolving around the dictates of religion. 125 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
Bandhumadhav is one of those writers, who had the eye-devoid of all the insults and wounds and scars of the body, as well as the psyche of the untouchables. In “The Poisoned Bread” he describes the psychological bondage of the Mahar community that could be described as residing in a vast suburb of Maharashtra. But Mahadeva, the grandson of the pan city and the grammarian Yetalaya, presents himself as an aggressive when the flame of revolution comes in his eyes: action against slavery and secular exploitation at the hands of the Prohibited, who consider themselves as superior. a nation conferred by their God, with certain special things assigned, which other brothers do not have. 7.2 ABOUT THE AUTHOR Baburao Bagul was a Marathi writer from Maharashtra, India; a pioneer of Dalit literature in Marathi and an important figure in the Indian short story during late 20th century, when it experienced a radical departure fromthe past, with the advent of Dalit writers such as him. He is most known for his works such as, “Jevha Mi Jaat Chorli”(1963), “Maran Swasta Hot Ahe”(1969), “Dalit Sahitya Ajache Kranti Vigyan”, “Sud”(1970), and “Ambedkar Bharat” Baburao Ramaji Bagul was born in Nashik in 1930. After high school education, he did various manual jobs until 1968. While doing so, he published several stories in magazines, which started getting attention from Marathi readers. Eventually in 1963, came his first collection of stories, Jevha Mi Jat Chorali (When I had Concealed My Caste), it created a stir in Marathi literature with its passionate depiction of a crude society and thus brought in new momentum to Dalit literature in Marathi; today it is seen by many critics as the epic of the Dalits, and was later made into a film by actor-director Vinay Apte. He followed it up with a collection of Dalit poems, Akar (Shape) (1967), which gave immediate visibility, but it was his second collection of short stories Maran Swasta Hot Ahe (Death is Getting Cheaper) (1969), which cemented his position as an important Dalit voice of his generation. The collection is now considered an important landmark in Dalit writing in India and in 1970 he was awarded the ‘Harinarayan Apte Award’ by the Government of Maharashtra. After 1968, he became a full-time writer of literature which continued to deal with the lives of marginalized Dalit people in Maharashtra. His fictional writing gave graphic accounts of the lives of that class of people. The thoughts of Karl Marx, Jyotiba Phule, and Babasaheb Ambedkar had an influence on Bagul’s mind. He soon became an important radical thinker of the Dalit movement, and published a major ideologue of the Dalit Panther, Manifesto of Dalit Panther, in 1972. In the same year he presided over the ‘Dalit Literary Conference’ held at Mahad. Over the years his stories taught 126 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
future Dalit writers to give creative rendition to their autobiographical narratives.He died on March 26, 2008 at Nashik, and was survived by his wife, two sons, two daughters. Subsequently, the Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University instituted the ‘Baburao Bagul Gaurav Puraskar’ award in recognition of his contributions to Marathi literature, to be given annually to the maiden story writing productions of a budding short-story writer. BaburaoBagul was one of the most well-known Indian writers as a Dalit writer because he sought to emphasize the split nature of Hindu society in his novels and short stories. As a pioneer in Marathi Dalit literature, he was inspired by the works of Karl Marx, Jyotiba Phule and Dr.Babasaheb Ambedkar was affected. BaburaoBagul generally depicts uneducated and unsophisticated men and women. He portrays the barren reality of life, showing the difficulties, misery and financial inequality that underlie his experience. His work deals with individuals who are victims of the social system in which casteism is the dominant factor. Bandhu Madhav Bandhu Madhav writes movingly about his experiences and sufferings during his childhood spent with his parents, grandparents, and uncles. He terms his stories as being inherited tales. His literature is the living repository of the types and modes of injustice suffered by the oppressed community at the time. Bandhu Madhav provides heart-rending descriptions of the pitiable state under different systems of servitude. However, he doesn’t stop there, and his stories go on to impart the elixir of Ambedkar’s teachings to his people.“Go on! Hit us! Commit countless atrocities and unending injustices against us! Persecute us! But we are not going to be scared anymore. We are not going to back down or give in. We are humans. We also have a right to live a humane life. We have realised this now, and we are willing to fight for it. We are ready to fight till our last breath, and struggle till the last drop of blood for that right!” These fiery words exude self-awakening like a bolt of lightning piercing the all- encompassing dark. This is the true legacy of Bandhu Madhav’s literature. The world within his stories is imbued with a level of consciousness unmatched by anyone even today. His stories are the pride of Dalit literature, they are its crown jewels. The glorious precept of Babasaheb is, ‘we don’t want discarded scraps of rotis. We want a life of self-respect’. And Bandhu Madhav strived, through his poetry and prose, to inject it deep within the very core of the Untouchables. Every word in his stories is a call for awakening. It is a cry for the Untouchables to rise up in flames against injustices committed against them. And it is a means to rein in the unrestrained oppression by the Touchables. Whether it is the life of an individual or a community, ‘all is futile without education’. This is the second illustrious principle given by Dr. Ambedkar. This inspires illiterate parents to tell their son, “Mahadeva, you don’t have to cry like this. The practice of mahar already makes 127 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
them bad. Meanwhile, in another story, Vithu Mahar’s wife sees her husband return empty- handed after a full day of chopping wood for the landlord. Literature that is lifeless, that does not have sparks of education, is like Bandhu Madhav’s community really need fantasy literature and art? He deftly put his finger on the pulse of the moment and skilfully sculpted appropriate literature for his downtrodden community. He deployed his literary skill to educate, enlighten, and agitate a community that was being crushed in the hell of slavery for generations. To accuse and criticize this literature of being propagandistic, would be hypocritical. Any artist with a backbone is unaffected by the possibility of criticism, nor does he supplicates before these anxieties. It seems that Bandhu Madhav was undeterred by these concerns as well. Bandhu Madhav’s language is simple, easy, and clear. This is a rural language of the downtrodden. It is not an amorous language wrapped up in delicate gossamer. It is adorned like a coarse nine-yard sari, with rough unembellished layers of genuine Marathi life. Its beauty is innate and it does not lust for artificial trappings of rouge or talcum powder. This makes it the authentic literature of the oppressed community. It does not reek of obscenity. It doesn’t even have a whiff of the unreal. It has bloomed and blossomed on its own and glows like a lush marigold flower. It is also firm and sturdy like a rock. It presents the issues of Dalits in an effective manner and possesses the momentum of a chariot. This momentum carries the reader with it. The reader loses their sense of self and is moved by the story. We witness detailed and explosive accounts of the inhuman harassment, oppression and torture committed on the innocent Dalits by elite Hindus. Before this, no Marathi writer had found the plight of these downtrodden worth writing about. Bandhu Madhav painted these lives with his resplendent stories. These immortal works of art should have been extolled for enriching Marathi literature, but were not. What this implies is that just as Lord Krishna was the vigour, vitality, and inspiration for Mirabai’s life and poetry, the entirety of Bandhu Madhav’s literature draws strength and inspiration from Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar. His literature took Ambedkar’s teachings to the huts and homes of the oppressed, and the whole community developed the fortitude to offer any kind of sacrifice called for by Ambedkar. This is what made Babasaheb’s mobilisation famously strong and resilient. Just as the humble squirrel helped Lord Ram build his bridge, a similar role was played by Bandhu Madhav in the grand Ambedkarite movement. It would not be an exaggeration to dub Bandhu Madhav as the primogenitor of Marathi Dalit literature: the first to mould and popularise it. In fact, he was going to be felicitated during Ambedkar’s lifetime and in his presence as ‘a famous and capable writer of that period’ by the Dalit Sahitya Sanghatana on December 16, 1956. Unfortunately for Bandhu Madhav, Dr. 128 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
Ambedkar tragically passed away on December 6, 1956 and the event planned in his honour could not take place. The fact that Dr. Ambedkar, a great scholar (and Bandhu Madhav’s Great Leader), would turn his attention to and agree to attend this event bears testimony to the strength and popularity of his literature in the Ambedkar period. Bandhu Madhav’s literary service and achievements must have been truly stupendous and valued in that period. 7.3 TEXT- BABURAO BAGUL: “MOTHER”, BANDHU MADHAV: “THE POISONED BREAD” Baburao Bagul: “Mother” Pandu’s father has been diagnosed with tuberculosis and is putting great pressure on Pandu’s mother to be the only earner in the family. It is exacerbated when the father is constantly intoxicated and verbally, physically and emotionally abuses Pandu’s mother on suspicion of unfaithfulness. As a result, he tries to transform his mother with the motive of making her unattractive. Such stories reflect Pandu’s father’s deeply rooted patriarchal thinking, and he feels a strong sense of right to the body of his “his”wife. This need to conquer, control and limit a woman’s body is a way to impose male privileges on a woman. Things get worse when Pandu’s teacher cites a poem about motherhood called VatsalyaSindhu (Mother’s River of Love). This poem reflects the traditional notion of motherhood built by society for Brahmin women. A mother’s “goodness”is all measured by her ability to love, sacrifice, and care for her children within the private realm of the home. Pandu tries to fit his mother into this ideal image of motherhood, but his thoughts are interrupted when several senior caste boys make fun of him. Trying to pollute her constant attempt by the male figure reflects the constant attempt by the male ego to control the female body and give the unmistakable mark of male authority and ego. For example, Pandu’s mother has to fight double in both the caste-biased outside world and a patriarchal male-dominated family. However, Pandu’s mother eventually takes revenge on her husband. She took revenge on his dying body and demanded her “right to marry”, thereby hastening his death. So she uses her sexuality (which seems to be her vulnerability) as a weapon against male patriarchy. Ten years have passed, during which she has to work continuously to feed her son Pandu. Over the years, she has resisted the progress of several men and robbed her of a much better future just for her son Pandu. But in the end, when their son turns his back on them, their victims are in vain. Bandhu Madhav: “The Poisoned Bread” 129 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
The days when Dalits were unaware of their rights and privileges are over. But with the advent of education, they can understand that the caste system only helped to suppress and exploit certain parts of society. There is nothing logical behind the caste hierarchy we found in the Hindu Vedic and scriptures. Mahadeva was well aware that there was no difference between the Dalits and the upper caste Hindus. When Mahadeva answers Bapupatil, it is full of melancholy and wit. Indifferent to customs, Mhadeva calls his upper caste master, Bab Patil, a “patil,” and despises his grandfather’s respect for him. Patil continues to humiliate the two as part of him. They were denied their fair wages or just a share of corn and were forced to eat bread, which was given to cows, filled with fertilizer and turned into poisonous bread. Eating bread sacrificed his life to his grandfather, but he died when he realized that his true Dalit identity was not slavery but regained his rights as a human being. This battle on the right leaves his grandson Mahadeva and reminds the future of the Dalit movement. Mhadeva tried to fend off Bapupatil but succumbed to his grandfather’s advice and picked up a hoe with great contempt. Mhadeva’s uprising was suppressed because BapuPatil could not tolerate retaliation from the Dalits. The rebellion was fierce in Mhadeva, trying to protect his grandfather from the abuse of BapuPatil. BapuPatil yelled at him, noticing that he was always answering in a manner never before seen by the Dalits. This was an insult to BapuPatil, who tortured them for their boldness by not joking with them after they had finished their work. YetalayaAja was calm because she accepted all Hindu doctrines and customs. YetalayaAja and his community are cursed by the stigma of the lowborn and forced to beg. Otherwise, they will starve. In reality, there was nothing that Maharcouldnot claim equality and could only do sneaky work. If any of them appear to oppose oppression and discrimination, or if they are trying to climb the caste ladder, they are considered atheists against God and his scriptures. In fact, Bapu Patil has nothing to do with God. He didnot care much about God but was afraid to lose his position as an upper class. They didnot want to work in the fields or agriculture. 7.4ANALYSIS- BABURAO BAGUL: “MOTHER”, BANDHU MADHAV: “THE POISONED BREAD” Baburao Bagul: “Mother” Baburao Bagul, a pioneer in Marathi Dalit literature, speaks out in his short story “Motherhood and Widow Experienced by Lower Caste Dalit Women.”Baburao sheds light on the double discrimination of Dalit women by gender and caste, revealing a realistic experience for the Dalit community. Corresponding to gender, violence and caste complexity, Bagul’s story focuses on the lives of a “rare”mother (unnamed) and her son Pandu. 130 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
The story begins with a teacher explaining a classroom reading poems about a river of love or a mother like “VatsalyaSindhu”. The poem takes them to another world, and while they “laugh happily through their empty hair,”their “muddy face shines with strange wonders.”When he tries to match this mythical image with his own mother, it affects Pandu in an unusual way. However, such comparisons can be detrimental to Dalit children. The society around him is trying to portray his mother as a prostitute. Eventually, Pandu himself became suspicious of his mother because the society around him continues to call her a prostitute, a whore who sells herself for a gift of money. So one day, the ultimate tragedy for the mother is the same dark suspicion she had previously seen in her husband’s eyes, despite all self-sacrificing efforts to help her son lead a better life. It was when she found it in his eyes. Like Pandu, who revives for a moment with poetry, her mother feels a breath in the director’s arms. To rejuvenate her life as a Dalit widow, she must sacrifice all other relationships, including motherhood. At this point she also wants to kill him. It should be noted that the final picture of the story is a fighting mother. The story of BaburaoBagul focuses more on the character of Dalit’s widow than on the little boy. Permanently influencing our thinking is the final photo of their struggle to free themselves from the overwhelming arms of the overseer and save their boys. “She was desperately trying to escape the bear, like a hug from the director, but like a man stuck in a swamp, she realized that she couldnot be released.”The final image of a woman captured in an inevitable hold symbolizes the predicament of all Dalit women under the tyrannical control of both male patriarchy and caste. Baburao Bagul’s“mother”shows how untouchables and impurities remain as markers of Dalit’s identity and thus as a spiritual tragedy of the upper caste. Also, because Pandu’s mother is a Dalit woman, there are two types of abuse. Moreover, after Pandu’s father’s death, his mother has no choice but to go public to earn a living. This usually does not allow her to stay in the private territory of the home and therefore feed her child. The author also reveals that Dalit children are constantly marginalized and discriminated against by the school’s top castes, leaving no room for understanding and appreciating their unique experiences. Only after the upper caste boys called Pandu’s mother a prostitute, Pandu began to question her whereabouts. The victims of Pandu’s mother, trapped in the midst of patriarchy and caste thinking, are eventually overshadowed so that her son can lead a better life. The pursuit of liberation becomes difficult for Dalit women, trapped in a cycle of lasting oppression by their own families as well as society. 131 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
At the social level, the Bagul story also sheds light on the exploitation of Dalit widow by men in upper castes. Dalit widow is considered helpless, poor, and “sexually available”because he is a widow. By looking at them as objects of sexual desire, senior caste men satisfy their sexual urges by utilizing them. Due to the combination of strong political control and high status, all forms of upset by lower castes are perceived as powerless. As a result, many violent and sexual incidents have not been reported. Bagul’s story seeks to blur the line between individuals and politics by giving women a voice through the margins. A subordinate lifestyle approaches the reader only when the perspectives of those facing the case of political inequality and oppression flow into everyday discourse. Baburao Bagul’s “The mother”was regarded as one of the masterpieces that correctly spoke of Dalit literature, especially the various problems that Dalits and women face. When it comes to Dalit literature, it is closely tied to a group of people who have sought to break away from the traditional clutches of society. They were considered untouchables and were severely oppressed in society. They are not given access to various structures of society, including social, economic, educational and cultural. There are various authors and supporters of Dalit literary theory, but the name of the doctor should be used. His in-depth research and observations of society and social structures speak a lot about Dalits and their position in these structures. Dalit literary theories, such as the sincere Lord Buddha, Chokhamela, Mahatma Phule, are valid and widely discussed and presented on various literary platforms. The others include Anna BhauSathe, ShankarraoKharat, Mahasweta Devi, NamdeoDhasal, UmakantRandir, J. V. Pawar, YogendraMeshram, MeenaKandasamy, Bama, DayaPawar, UrmilaPawar, AnantRaoAkela, BaburaoBagul, Anita Bharti, ShantabaiKrishnabaiKamble, etc. The Black Movement that took place in the United States cannot be denied. It influenced the Dalit Panther movement around 1970. Many of the above writers came out and expressed themselves through their literature and made appropriate contributions to Marathi, especially Dalit literature. They naturally put Dalit’s plight in front of society, which was also remarkable for so-called established writers and people in society. In some countries, such as India, this type of alienation and abuse of certain people or groups of communities is based on the traditional approaches and ideas of the caste system and the people of society, whereas in others it is. It is often pointed out that it is based on race, skin color, etc. When talking about Dalits and their plight, it does not mean that they are talking about a particular caste. Indeed, the Dalit is a symbol of transformation and changing ideology that revolutionizes the alienated and exploited spirit. Therefore, Bagul’s “The mother”is not only part of the Dalit literature that speaks openly about the distance, struggle, and suffering of her subordinate 132 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
Dalit women, but also many other that talk about the same elements of Dalit’s and other pathetic dark shades. Bagul’s’The Mother”is one of the authorities in Indian society, but no one knows how many other women are suffering in a similar way. Indeed, Dalit women must face two different forces in society. They are being alienated as a Dalit with a woman. She cannot even afford to live at home and is alienated there as well. Therefore, she can be correctly called a Dalit woman in Dalits. The dual oppressive forces of caste and gender work at the same time, creating an unbearable amount of oppression for Dalit women. Baburao Bagul’s“Mother”is a depiction of the struggle for life in an urban slum. The story revolves around a young Dalit widow from the lower caste and her son Pandu, who faces the harsh realities of everyday life. Their lives are confused as their relationships collapse when upper castes take advantage of the child’s innocence by addicting his mind to his mother. The struggle for their survival is so fierce that there is no time for a better understanding between mother and child. The story shows the pain and loss that a mother suffers throughout her life- first her husband, then her unfulfilled desire to tear her for a long time, and finally the despair that her son gives her. The Indian Constitution and law prohibit untouchables. However, Dalits still have no better option than pursuing traditional professions that are considered low in many places. These are also sources of income for illiterate people between them. Migration and anonymity in the urban environment can improve Dalit professional agility. Most of them still carry out their traditional practices. In most rural areas where Dalits are discriminated against by dominated castes, untouchable practices are still widespread. Bandhu Madhav: “The Poisoned Bread” In “The Poisoned Bread”,is about the transformation between Dalits and the untouchables. Yetalaya represents acceptance and dedication, and Mahadeva represents resistance and rebellion. Mahadeva symbolizes a revolution that frees untouchables from ancient oppression and slavery. One of the greatest freedom fighters is for underprivileged blacks. Delving into the consciousness: The story “The Poisoned Bread”is a literary work that provides photographs of the plight of people trapped in the functioning of genetic land rights. Properties represent dignity and need in a person’s life. The situation of Dalits without land and livelihoods is protracted. This issue needs to be addressed to help Dalits get out of their situation and experience equality, freedom and development. This state of Dalit is strongly emphasized in the story, evoking the Dalit consciousness of the Mahar family in this story reminiscent of past events. The bird symbol evokes a feeling of freedom, but the bird moves around while waiting for the grain, it shows restlessness and excitement. This wait is synonymous with long waiting for Dalits to fly freely in unstable situations and is full without being disturbed. 133 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
Mahar’sYetalyaAja faces a long obedience to the upper caste. He didnot care about his condition, he left himself to his destiny and existence. Far from aspiration, he is lost in his condition without a dissent voice. Nevertheless, he would not have been able to get his grandson Mhadeva to help him with his pain of wiping and kicking the threshing bed. By the way, my grandson left the town and was educated. Dalits live alienated lives, and the other exile is a stigma of society. Therefore, BapuPatil declares that what the Dalit YetaliaAja sees at the beginning of the day will bring evil events to his life. However, YetalyaAja did not resist this insult. The collective consciousness of the Dalit community has long passively accepted misunderstandings about them. These penetrated deep into her and left an indelible mark on her consciousness. Resistance was not inherited from the Dalits because the social structure of society denied the right to revolt against the Dalits. The story also includes a case in which Dalits were accused of depleting the Chandrabaga River. The poor then picked up old bread covered with fertilizer and urine in the stables, “green and smelly”, to satisfy their hunger. The plight of these people is so overwhelming The problems of social and political freedom arise from the circumstances presented, indicating that society and politics are insensitive to freedom from Dalit bindings. The socially and politically liberated part has the power to control those who are left behind and discriminated against. The resistance flickers due to the lack of internal support. This happens because others cannot dare to have a vision of a classless caste society where religious and social buildings have never given them status. They had to live in and out of society. Therefore, dreaming of their liberation is forbidden. The psychology of passive obedience to Dalit’s general situation arises from ancient customs to see them as “untouchables.” In any case, they still follow cursed manners. It is worth noting that YetaliaAja may have refused to treat BapuPatil, but he did not because of pessimism. This feeling of helplessness arises from the intertwining of the ignorance of one’s own perception as a human being and the rights of the genetic land. They were never recognized as being a “means of revolution, change, awareness, struggle, and social involvement.” Mhadeva was educated and came from an urban environment, so she understood this plight. So he awakened his grandfather to a new awakening, freed him from binding, and gave up asking the upper class for food because “the crumbs they give us enslave us.” This realization was groundbreaking because it included the key to freedom. The bread, which was thrown away by cows and fertilized and urine-coated, was eaten by the family with Dali. YetaliaAja died of food poisoning. Bandhumadhav is also one of the great modern Dalit writers who have deeply penetrated the spirit of his community and sought to crack down on untouchables and the evils of the 134 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
landlord system, especially in Maharashtra. Poisonous bread, a short story gives insight into the life of the Mahar family. The title itself has a wonderful symbolic meaning. The title, The Poisoned Bread, symbolizes how toxic the caste system is and how this poison has sacrificed the lives of mysterious innocent people. The story illuminates the lives of YetalayaAja and his grandson Mahadeva, who worked hard to satisfy their hunger. The little land would have made them splendid and equal to the top castes of the people around them, but they didnot even get their share, relying solely on the breadcrumbs that Bappatil threw at them. In Maharashtra, it is considered untouchable in Maharashtra and always stays on or around the edge. Even their sights in the morning can pollute and curse the day of Bapu Patil. Here, Mahadeva, influenced by the Ambedkarite movement, wanted to make clear to the Dalits that Dalits could awaken to their senses and understand the pseudo-Brahmin caste system. Mahadeva also wanted to say that Maharshave no god to worship when their mere contact can defile God. The idea is that low-born, uncivilized people and societies can have an aesthetic sense. For this reason, it was necessary to rethink and reconstruct Dalit literature in order to assert the aestheticism of Dalit literature. The traditional notion of beauty-based aesthetics has been rejected by the Dalit authors. And if someone says that a low birth weight Dalit has no aesthetics or has no experience of living with beauty, and if he cannot produce aesthetics, he does aesthetics in a very narrow or limited sense. There are many other literary movements in English literary modernism, such as Dadaism and Surrealism, all of which define beauty in new ways rather than being related to traditional aesthetics. Dalits are greedy and useless men who escape from work, despite the fact that BapuPatil and other senior caste people are not talking about reality. Senior caste people see it as their innate right to abuse and blame Dalits. They believe that they have such rights and are authorized by their God. Not only are Dalits abused, they can also be threatened, beaten and killed. According to TukaMagdoon, he deserves nothing else, so TukaMagdoon urged BapuPatil to kick Mahadeva on his hips. Dalits work in areas like animals, but they only deserve trouble and kicks. This is the fate of Dalits in India. But Mahadeva did not accept all of these evils against him and his community. He believes that since ancient times, people have misunderstood that begging is our innate right. But if they keep begging, they become begging. They have to fight with their feet and nails, and only then can they lead a decent life. It is very similar to the Indian caste conflict. The oppressor never wanted the oppressed to rise high in front of him. On the other hand, in order to break the bond of this caste system, we must be positive and brave. It is Mahadeva who has a bold and rebellious touch on his 135 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
blood and a revolutionary fire in his eyes. So he fluttered like a bird in a cage, but realized he couldnot break the stick, and in anguished soul he choked on countless questions in his head. In his opinion, Mahadeva is absolutely right, and BapuPatil also knows that there is nothing logical behind the caste system. In all of human history, there have always been conflicts between the rich and the poor, between the lower castes and the upper castes, between the capitalists and the proletarians. One particular group always tried to dominate the other and claimed its superiority. In India, the caste system is as old as humanity itself, and Dalits are having a hard time getting out of this cockpit. They flap, but they cannot jump out. Therefore, this toxic bread makes them very reliable, forgetting that they are also humans of the same flesh and blood, and they too can lead a decent life and live independently. But the caste system has degenerated them to the point that they are neither better nor worse than animals. They rely on these stinking crumbs and can even be thrown away or even thrown away by animals. But Mahadeva and his likes cannot stand such insults and shame, and cannot ask them about their standard of living, which “looks better than cats and dogs.”Mahadeva and his associates are responsible for courageously and boldly following in the footsteps of the Great Freedom Fighter for the cause of India’s oppressed and underprivileged social class. 7.5 SUMMARY Baburao Bagul: “Mother” Baburao Bagul’s short story “ Mother” is about Dalit’s widow, who lives with her son Pandu. Pandu’s mother has no special name perhaps to emphasize the universality of her experience among all Dalit women. When Pandu’s father comes to town, he is diagnosed with tuberculosis and Pandu’s mother has to work all day to earn family bread. Things get worse over time when Pandu’s father is drunk and has tuberculosis and suspects his wife. Pandu’s mother had to endure everything, and in addition, his husband always physically abused her to make her unattractive and thereby dispel doubts about her loyalty. BaburaoBagul’s short story seeks to raise the “ Dalit Women’s Question” . It seeks to portray the various forces that determine the predicament of Dalit women. Despite all her attempts to find a better life for herself and her son, she is strangled by the male patriarchy and caste system. Their life will be an endless cycle of pain, torture, and humiliation. History properly shows that Dalit women are sufferers. 136 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
Her suffering, humiliation, and ultimate alienation from her son reflect how caste and gender forces relate and interact. Therefore, this story is not only an attack on the Indian caste system, but also an attack on the male patriarchy. Bandhu Madhav: “The Poisoned Bread” “The Poisoned Bread” reflects the new awakening of Dalits and the conflict with the traditional belief system of Indian society and the frozen hierarchy of the social class. “The Poisoned Bread” is a story of awakened but oppressed Dalit consciousness, presenting and reducing angry voices against upper class rule and exploitation. The biggest problem facing upper caste Hindus is that they always consider Dalits to be low-born, lethargic, passive, ignorant, and so on. Dalits are always compared to boots and chapels. Their job is to wipe out the shit of the upper caste people. They are sometimes criticized and abused. Read or write is not allowed. However, the grace of Ambedkar and other saints has given Dalits the right to education as stipulated by the Constitution of India. But the idea of Dalit education infuriates Bapu Patil when Yetalayaaja tells him that his grandson is urban bread and has begun to read and write. 7.6 KEYWORDS Proletarians- Working class people especially those who do not own any property. Capitalist- A person who uses their wealth to invest in trade and industry for profit in accordance with the principles of capitalism. Exude-(with reference to moisture or a smell) discharge or be discharged slowly and steadily. Precept- A precept is a rule or direction, often with some religious basis, dictating a way you should act or behave. Precepts are little life lessons that are usually passed down to children by authority figures such as parents, teachers, or religious figures. Deployment- It refers to assigning people to serve in various locations, especially soldiers and other military personnel. A deployment may include soldiers, as well as equipment and generals. When you see the word deployment, you know people are being sent somewhere for a specific mission. Hypocritical- Actions or words that go against someone's beliefs. An example of something hypocritical is having strict moral values but then having an affair characterized by hypocrisy. 137 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
Supplicate-To ask for humbly or earnestly, as by praying and to make a humble entreaty to; beseech. Trapping-Itrefers to a situation in which an individual becomes trapped between two foreign objects within a workspace. Resilient- Psychologists define resilience as the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or significant sources of stress—such as family and relationship problems, serious health problems, or workplace and financial stressors. ... That's the role of resilience. Stupendous- Causing astonishment or wonder : awesome, marvelous: of amazing size or greatness : tremendous. 7.7LEARNING ACTIVITY 1. Define proletarians. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 2. State the literary movements in English literary modernism. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 7.8 UNIT END QUESTIONS A. Descriptive Questions Short Questions 1. What was their grandfather’s attitude when Bapu Patil humiliated him? 2. How did Mahadeva react to Bapu patil’s ironic comments? 3. Why did they refuse their wages and corn share at the end of the day? 4. How does Mahadeva react to old, rancid bread crumbs? 5. Comment on Grandma’s reaction when her grandfather threw bread crumbs. Long Questions 1. What knowledge did their grandfather have about his deathbed? 2. InferMahadeva’s thoughts on caste suffering. 3. Explain why Patil refused to pay her. 4. Bring out the way in which Bapu patil complaint against Mahar. 5. Emphasize why Bapupatil went out of control. B. Multiple Choice Questions 138 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
1. ___________has degenerated them to the point that they are neither better nor worse than animals. a. Hindu Veda b. Caste system c. Scriptures d. Capitalist 2. Things get worse when Pandu’s teacher cites a poem about motherhood called ________. a. VatsalyaSindhu b. Pandu Sindhu c. Pandu’s mother d. Pandu’s father 3. Pandu’s __________has to fight double in both the caste-biased outside world and a patriarchal male-dominated family. a. Father b. Husband c. Mother d. Brother 4. __________properly shows that Dalit women are Dalits. a. Society b. Hinduism c. Caste System d. History 5. Baburao Bagul’s“Mother” is a depiction of the struggle for life in a______slum. a. Urban b. Rural c. Semi Urban d. Semi Rural Answers 139 1-b, 2-a, 3-c, 4-d, 5-a CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
7.9 REFERENCES Reference books Dangle, Arjun.ed. Poisoned Bread: Translations from Modern Marathi Dalit Literature.New Delhi: Orient Black Swan Private Ltd, 2009.Print Limbale, Sharankumar. Towards an Aesthetics of Dalit Literature. Trans. Alok Mukherji. New Delhi: Orient Longman Private Ltd, 2007. Print Debjani, Ganguly. Caste and Dalit Lifeworlds: Postcolonial Perspectives. New Delhi:Orient Longman Private Ltd, 2008.Print Textbook references Devi, Sabita. ed. Dr. B. R Ambedkar: Messiah of the Dalits. Nagaon: Krantikaal Prakashan, 2011. Print Bandhumadhav. The Poisoned Bread: Trans. Ramesh Dnyate. New Delhi: Orient Long an Ltd, 1992. Print Website https://www.questjournals.org/jrhss/papers/vol9-issue5/Ser-4/D09052023.pdf https://feminisminindia.com/2017/05/25/feminist-reading-baburao-bagul-mother/ 140 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
UNIT - 8:AYYAPAN: “MADNESS.”“THEMEMORIAL”,MOHANLALPHILO REA: “QUOTAWALLAH”,RAVIKUMAR: “ONKNOWINGTHETRUTH” STRUCTURE 8.0 Learning Objectives 8.1 Introduction 8.2About the Author 8.3 Text-Madness 8.4 Text-The Memorial 8.5 Text-Quota Wallah 8.6 Text-On Knowing the Truth 8.7 Analysis-Madness 8.8 Analysis-The Memorial 8.9 Analysis-Quota Wallah 8.10 Analysis-On Knowing the Truth 8.11Summary 8.12Keywords 8.13Learning Activity 8.14Unit End Questions 8.15References 8.0LEARNING OBJECTIVES After studying this unit, you will be able to: Describe the memorable racial and caste classicism Emphasize the expression of racial differences in society State the marginalized and oppressed layers of society List the social negligence of Dalits 141 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
8.1 INTRODUCTION The term 'Dalit' is synonymous with poor, exploited, oppressed and needy people. There is no universally acclaimed concept about the origin of Indian caste system. In every civilized society, there are some types of inequalities that lead to social discrimination. And in India, it comes in the garb of 'Casteism'. The discourses catering to the gentry tastes did not include the subaltern literary voices of the tribals, Dalits and other minority people. The dalits are deprived of their fundamental rights of education, possession of assets and right to equality. Thus Dalit Literature emerges to voice for all those oppressed, exploited and marginalized communities who endured this social inequality and exploitation for so long. 8.2 ABOUT THE AUTHOR A. Ayyappan (27 October 1949-21 October 2010) was a modern Indian Malayalam poet. He is considered a symbol of anarchism in Malayalam poetry. He was also an icon of anarchism that had an intimate friendship with renowned Malayalam film director John Abraham. C Ayyappan (1949–2011) is the outstanding voice of a modern Malayalam short story. He is an important insider who fundamentally interfered with the aesthetic balance and nostalgic story of Malayalam, which repeated the elitist worldview by skillfully stroking the pen several times. By fundamentally disrupting the tradition of his language and cultural narrative, he literally divided the genre into pieces. His short films are characterized by a keen sense of cultural reality, social inequality and caste. The past and present of the struggle for Dalit survival and human dignity is sensitively expressed in subtle, strategic and political ways through his fiction. The destructive and critical power of his fictional story is wonderful and unparalleled in Malayalam. Social criticism, sarcasm, satire, sarcasm, melancholy, and black humor give his texts complex, polyphonic, and multiple nuances. His short story is an imaginative story of a living experience around Kerala society. Through various storytelling techniques and witty metaphors, he educated his readers about the invisible reality and often ignored the important questions underlying things in Kerala. His work led us to rethink and rethink the modernity of Kerara and the omissions, silences and gaps of the lasting heritage of the Kerala Renaissance. He has educated us about our licensed ignorance and serious myopia on the fundamental issues of human rights and survival in Kerala. C Ayyappan was a professor of Malayalam at a government university in Kerala. Prof. C Ayyappan’s major anthologies of short fiction include; Uchayurakathile Swapnangal (1986), Jnandukal (2003) and C Ayyappante Kathakal (2008). 142 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
Ayyappan began writing poetry as a student. He joined the Communist Party and worked for the party newspaper Janayugom. Ayyappan is known for his sorrowful poetry and bohemian lifestyle. Intoxicated by the creativity of turning the pain of the homeless into poetry, Ayyappan slept on the porch of the store and wrote a poem about an untouched life. In his own words, difficulties and uncertainties made him a poet. He can be seen as a symbol of anarchism in Kerala. He was a close friend of the late John Abraham. Ayyappan was also a great lover of sunlight and a passionate supporter of communism. Ayyappan’s stories, such as “Spectral Speech,”“Madness,” (translated into English by Professor VC Harris), and “Niravathukayyani,” are unstable and fictional articulations of the subaltern language in an increasingly hegemonic world. Works like “Smarakam” allegorically portray the crisis of Gandhian socialism and the emergence of new radical alternatives from below. His short fiction, also known for its amazing visual and cinematic potential, talks about past violence and evokes ghosts, demons, and invisible spirits who are ethical agents. In stories like “Elumpan Kochathan,”which resembles a phenomenal fictional writer like Toni Morrison. The mainstream critics conveyed the division and collapse of the tradition of modernist narratives, avoided Malayalam caste and gender issues, and raised the ethical consciousness of creative writing to the most important. Rejuvenated the genre through serious and fascinating exchanges and the burning reorganized the topics of social environment, its culture and history. He is also considered to be the most vibrant and creative voice in the Malayalam literary Dalit tradition. His short fiction offers endless possibilities for critical, contextual, textual interpretations in different languages, media and contexts, and translations between semiotics. Although his work is small, it is a real challenge of translation with certain cultural complexity and slight subculture differences. Often used for writers who raise the caste issue in hegemonic societies, its end in erasure and extinction is an irreparable loss to literary culture and cultural politics that differs from the objections and differences of today’s Kerala state. C Ayyappan stands out among modern Dalit writers in Kerala for its complex narrative style. He was born in Keezhillam, a village in Kerala (1949-2011). His short stories “Njandukal” and “Uchamayakkathileswapnangal” were considered turning points in the history of the Malayalam Dalit script. According to C Ayyappan, “Dalits are the ones who live the lives of Dalits, and Dalit literature is the rationalization of Dalit identities.” Most of C. Ayyappan’s work is a fictional representation of the plight of Dalits in Kerala. In most of his work, he uses ghost and madness themes to express the Dalit dilemma. Most of his short stories have ghosts, which are in the marginalized and oppressed part of society. The dire situation of Dalit women is another important theme in the story of C.Ayyappan. Dalit 143 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
women were the worst victims of caste discrimination and untouchables. They were exposed to three burdens: caste, class, and gender. Ravikumar D. Ravikumar (born 1961) is an Indian Tamil intellectual, writer, lawyer politician and an anti-caste activist. He was the editor of the magazine, Nirapirikai. Nirapirikai inspired several new writers in the 1990s in Tamil Nadu. He is an Ambedkarite. Ravikumar is the current Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha from Viluppuram and member of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. Ravikumar is the founder of the anti-caste publishing house Navayana, along with S. Anand, and the former president of the People’s Education Movement (Makkal Kalvi Eyakkam) and PUCL (Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry). Ravikumar was elected to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from Kattumannarkoil, Cuddalore district, and served from 2006 to 2011. He was instrumental in bringing a new policy to handle EWaste in Tamil Nadu. The Tamil Nadu government started a skill development program and Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi, then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, created six welfare boards, both at the request of Ravikumar. In 2010, Ravikumar won the Aringar Anna Award, conferred by the Tamil Nadu State Government. Vikatan Award for Translation ( 2014) Thiranayvu chemmal award for literary criticism (2019) manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Bharathi Award (2019) Vitiyal Trust Chennai. villuppuram MP. Positions held Syndicate Member, Tamil University Senate Member, Annamalai University Member, Enperayam, Central Institute of Classical Tamil Member, Social Reforms Committee, Tamil Nadu Government Member, Puthirai Vannar Welfare Board, Tamil Nadu Government Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha (2019-Incumbent), Vilupuram Loksabha Constituency Writings Books Ravikumar, D. (2009). Venomous touch : notes on caste, culture, and politics. Translated by R. Azhagarasan. Stree-Samya Publications. ISBN 978-8185604763. Prose “Kankanippin Arasiyal” (1995) Vidiyal Pathippagam “Kothippu Uyarndu Varum” (2001) Kalachuvadu 144 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
“Kadakka Mudiyatha Nizhal” (2003) Kalachuvadu “Malcolm X” (2003) Kalachuvadu “Sonnal Mudiyum” (2007) Vikatan Publication “Indrum Namadhe” (2008) Vikatan Publication “Thuyarathin mel patiyum Thuyaram” (2009) Aazhi Publication “Thamizharay Unarum Tharunam” (2010) Aazhi Publication “Kaana Mutiyaa Kanavu” (2010) Aazhi Publication “Bob Marley” (2010) Uyirmai Publication “Andai Ayal Ulakam” (2010) Uyirmai Publication “Piravazhip payanam” (2010) Uyirmai Publication “Katranaiththoorum” (2010) Uyirmai Publication “Soolakam” (2010) Uyirmai Publication “Meelum Varalaru” (2010) Ulakath Thamizaraychi niruvanam “Kumbatchiyilirunthu kodungonmaikku” (2017) Kizhakku Pathipakam “Kaalathai Thorkaditha Kalaingar” (2017) Manarkeni Kaanalaay marum kaveri (2018) Manarkeni Ayiram Pookkal Karukattum (2019) Manarkeni Poetry “Avizhum Sorkal” (2009) Uyirmai “Mazhai Maram” (2009) CreA “Vaanil Vitterintha Kanavu” (2017) Manarkeni Short Stories “Kadal Kinaru” (2014) Manarkeni Translations Uraiyadal Thodarkiradu (1995) (interviews and articles of philosophers including Michel Foucault, Edward Said) Vidiyal Pathipakam Choli ke peche (2010) (short stories of women writers including Mahasweta Devi, Ismat Chuktai, Isabelle Allende) Aazhi Velichamum Thanneer Mathiritan (2003) (short stories of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and others) Dalit Veliyeedu Athikarathitam Unmaiyaip Pesuthal (2010) (writings of Edward Said) Manarkeni Varalaru Ennum Kathai (2010) (writings of Eduardo Galeano) Manarkeni Valasaip Paravai (2010) (poems of Yehuda Amichai, Maya Angelou, Ethelbert Miller, Joy Goswami and others) Manarkeni Editing Tamil 145 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
Dalit Literature, Politics, Culture (1996) Dalit Engira Thanitthuvum (1998) Dalit Publication Iyothee Thaas Panditar Cintanaikal (four volumes) (1999) Dalit Sahitya Academy Rettaimalai Srinivasan Jeevida Carithira Curukkam (1999) (Autobiography) Dalit Sahitya Academy Mikai Naadum Kalai (2003) (Essays on cinema) kalachuvadu 8.3 TEXT-MADNESS A couple of days ago-my childhood friend and neighbour-haddropped in at my staff quarters. You couldn't possibly have forgotten what happened then, could you? But then, any incident hasbeen witnessed by no less than two people with their own eyes (orat least eyeglasses) to grasp even a speck of its sense, so you mustlisten to my version of what happened as well. It was in the morning that you landed at my doorstep with you cronies that day. When I answered the door, you and your ganggan talking all at once, like a floodgate thrown open. I was somewhat taken aback at first but could make out two things from all your drivel-that my sister's illness had taken a turn for the worse, and that I must help get her admitted to the nearest mental asylum. I remember my response quiet well. You suppose you know me about my sister's illness than I do, I had said; but am certain it is not her but the lot of you who ran from pillar to post, pooling money and turning up herecar and all that has gone mad. That was when you pointed to my sister in the car parked out side, screaming for her chains to be unshackled. I insisted-I don't see a thing. And although your next question, pained and incredulous one that it was, made me turn a shade paler, I slammed the door shut rather dramatically and managed to save my skin. This lone incident has turned all your notions and ideas about me upside-down, hasn't it? No doubt that you believe that my behaviour that day was sheer savagery. You may even allege that I'd forgotten my origins, what with a decent job under my belt and good-looking, well employed wife. Right now, I have no comment to make on that. Truth be told, even I couldn't understand why I behaved the way I had at first. But when I did, I was rather in awe of my smartness and couldn't help congratulating myself. You don't get it, do you? Have you ever thought of what would have happened to me if I had done your bidding, dear friend? Suppose I had come with you to the mental asylum, which, by the way, isn't very far from the quarters where I stay there's more than a fair chance that the residents here would have got wind of it. If not anyone else, that writer the one who always lifts whole chunks from award- winning 146 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
works into his own stories - is sure to sniff it out in no time at all. That is enough for the entire neighbourhood to buzz: \"Krishnan maash's sister has gone mad”. You may think this is no big deal, but can't you see what would happen then? When the news gets around, several of the quarters residents would gather at the hospital, and at least a few among them are sure to notice the sharp difference between me and my folks. Forget the madwoman; the problem is with those who tend to her. Their clothes and mine would be endlessly compared. And then my neighbours from the quarters would add, almost unwittingly: \"Krishnan may have become a teacher by chance, but his kith and kin are still low- caste, aren't they?\" Needless to say, this is a matter of deep shame for me, and I am prepared to put up with it too. But that's when the embers of an other problem emerge, eyes glowing. Now that my sister has been admitted in a hospital here, anyone would suppose that my wife ought to visit her. I shouldn't think otherwise either -but then my wife absolutely despises all the riff raff that are her husband's relatives. It may sound unpleasant, but I think her predicament is natural, especially for one you'd never suspect is herself a low - caste. Given her fair skin and her good looks, her aversion to people descended from those that lived on the beef of dead cows cannot seem so odd, can it? Well, it is still possible to silence her somehow and get her to the hospital. If I suffer her long tirades about my 'uncultured' folks like a deaf-mute, I know she will tire. Thereafter, I can manage her. But that brings me to another problem from which I see no escape... It is our only daughter who opens the door to it. She is a peculiar character. You could say that both in looks and outlook, she is a perfect miniature of her mother. Do you know what hurt and humiliation my own mother had to suffer when she had come over to see her? You don't? Let me tell you. It happened long ago, about a half- a- dozen years into our stay here at the quarters, when our daughter was six years old. Amma had come all agog to meet her son's daughter with a small parcel of pappadavadas from the local tea shop. Despite her repeated calls (and my silent fuming), our daughter refused to go anywhere near her grandmother. Slamming the door shut and without a second glance, the girl fled to a friend's quarters nearby-only to return when she was certain my mother had left. I hadn't said anything then. Wasn't she a mere child? And then I thought my mother was also partly to blame. Perhaps it was not a big deal that my daughter was seeing my mother for the first time, but surely Amma could have worn a cleaner, whiter mundu-blouse? Especially whenshe isn't all that fair-skinned in the first place. You see, black is not a colour my daughter is familiar with- even her friends have the same complexion as those angelic mannequins you see in front of the textile shops in town! I must add here that both my wife and daughter are nothing if not good-natured-it is just that they despise my folks with all their heart. Born of well-employed, fairly well-off parents and not really having known any hardship, my wife's understanding of the world is meagre at best. As for our daughter, she is being brought up in these upper middle class quarters where 147 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
the only dark-skinned and shabbily clad people she has seen are the Tamil coolies and beg gars. Just my bad luck that my people happen to share the colour of their skin. Even if my wife and daughter refuse to come along, why can't I go ahead and visit my ailing sister? That is a good question. To which my counter-question would be how come my state of help lessness has not yet touched your hardened hearts? If I take charge of my sister, a family quarrel is sure to break out. Trust me, my wife and daughter are not a pretty sight when they get angry. Even if I decided to put up with it somehow, it is of no avail. How will I escape the jeers of my associates who always see me through scorn-tinted lenses! To be recognized in public as the brother of the one who was admitted to mental hospital by the many kindnesses of the townsfolk! As it were, I slouch around, limping and dragging my feet, riddled by an inferiority complex. If this too, were added to it... No, there is nothing wrong in what I have done. There is but one more question, and let me be the one that ask that too: All said and done, is it not the duty of a brother to visit an ailing sister inhospital at least once? I have no qualms in endorsing that the visiting of a patient by the latter's near and dear is an admirable exercise. I truly believe that the earthen lamps of human kindness and culture are kept aglow with practices such as these. But I do not intend doing the same just yet. Do not assume it is because I am a heartless man. You see, there is no point in my meeting a sister who is not of sound mind and who cannot recognize me, to begin with. When my visit itself would mean nothing to her what is the good of bending overbackwards to indulge in that pointless exercise? Seems a no-brainer to me. Seems, too, that you're as unwilling as ever to admit I have some brains after all. Else why would you, my childhood friend, ask me with such anguish, even as I looked at my screaming sister in the car and claimed I didn't see a thing: \"Krishnankutty, have you gone mad as well?\" Well at least now, you know that there's absolutely nothing the matter with me, don't you? 8.4 TEXT-THE MEMORIAL What we are reproducing here are not the formal, written words of Shri Ranade. We reproduce his spoken words. He gave a series of ten lectures on the Rock Memorial, to the first band of life workers whom he wanted to train as missionaries of the Kendra. Conceivably, Eknathji formulated his lectures into two almost equal parts. The first part deals with how he grappled with the problems that came in the way & brought into being the Memorial. The second part deals with the mission of the Vivekananda Kendra as he visualized it, its philosophy, ultimate objective etc. In the first part he describes how he was drawn into the construction of the VRM, how the various obstacles cropped up one by one, and how each one of them was surmounted & finally how the work was accomplished & the dream came true. As he goes on narrating incident after incident, the story of the VRM becomes indistinguishable from Eknathji’s 148 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
autobiography. They coalesce into each other. There was no problem for which he had no solution To anticipate his own words: “Every strategy has a counter-strategy, every weapon has a counter-weapon”. This truth was conclusively demonstrated by Eknathji in overcoming the seemingly insurmountable obstacles. The men with whom Eknathji had to cross swords were not ordinary men of clay. They were leaders in their own right. They occupied positions of high power. Bhaktavatsalam was quote a powerful Chief Minister & Humayan Kabir, a Central Minister. They were both opposed to the monument on the Rock. But Eknathji shrewdly outmaneuvered both of them & ultimately brought them round to his point of view. He handled leaders like Annadurai & Jyoti Basu (not idealogical admirers of Swami Vivekananda) in a successful manner and made them partners in the construction of the VRM. This should make even the most experienced experts take a lesson or two from him in the art of human management. As soon as it became clear to him that the VRM has become an assured fact, he began to think about the second phase. “To put up a Cement & Concrete structure is not the work for which I am born. I am to erect a living & dynamic monument which will be worthy of Swami Vivekananda and which will be capable of bringing into fruition his grand vision of future India” – he began to think. For a close student of the mental make up of Eknathji, it is obvious that the link between the first & second phase, was rooted in organizational & psychological links he had with two great organizations with which he was intimately associated – the RSS & the Ramakrishna Mission. As soon as Guruji Golwalkar expressed to him his desire that it would be good if he took up the challenging task of the construction of the VRM, “from Nagpur I went straight to Calcutta & met with the respected Swami Madhavanandaji to know his mind & seek his blessings”. What did he say? “As a matter of fact, Ramakrishna Mission should have taken up his work, but we can’t deliver the goods. You should certainly take up the work---- you can be rest assured that the entire Mission, will be at your back all the time. Go ahead & Thakur will bless you, Swami Vivekananda will bless you, and you have my blessings also”. This link had its roots deep in the Psychology of Eknath Ranade. This is clearly evident in his conversation with Sri Govinda Menon, the Home Minister in the Central Cabinet. To a pointed question by the minister as how the work of the RSS could be reconciled with Vivekananda’s philosophy, Eknathji reply was, “It is Vivekananda’s philosophy that made me an RSS worker--. In fact RSS is nothing but an extension of Swamiiji’s work”. The minister was not convinced as it evident from his remark. “It is a very bold statement to make”. What was the inspiration behind the second phase? What did he actually seek to achieve? It was national reconstruction. Eknathji thought, “If all the religiosity can be converted into activities of public good, there can be all-round national reconstruction”. One very significant dimension of Eknathji’s concept of national reconstruction is that it covered all sections of Hindu society and all parts of the country. He says: “Bhartheeyata in everybody has to be aroused, work should be taken from them.” He firmly believed that “if you scratch sufficiently deep, the Hindu in everybody will be roused, whether one talks of Westernism or Russianism or modernism, he essentially is a child of this soil”. 149 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
It is this national vision that took Eknathji to all sections of people during the course of the collection campaign. When the CM of Nagaland questioned him about the wisdom of his spending so much time for a paltry amount, Eknathji’s reply was typical & revealing. He said: “My motive is just not funds. I want your participitation, participation of the Govt and people of Nagaland – because Nagaland is part of the Nation”. During the course of his campaign for the VRM he had realized that political factionalism & religious sectarianism, had always prevented people from coming together even on issues of national good, about which intrinsically they had no conflicting opinion. Politics being the pursuit of power, could be an instrument of division. But Eknathji was painfully aware that even spiritual movements degenerated into rival sects. As a keen student of history, he found that this had become a national defect with the Hindus and unless it was overcome national reconstruction would remain a mirage. Therefore, he suggested an organization which would be meticulously kept beyond politics & sectarianism. That was his vision of Vivekananda Kendra. Such an organization could be built up only around a great ideal. Perusing the entire thought of Swamiji, Eknathji discovered that the magic word would be – worship – worship of Man is truly worship of God. But every organization requires Men who are inspired and whose lives are molded by that particular ethos. It is here that Eknathji visualized the creation of a non-sannyasin order of life workers, who will be dedicated to service more than Sadhana. Spirituality must be vibrant. It should be selfless action, rather than simple meditation. Creation of such an order of life workers was no easy task, considering the prevailing social situation in the country. History of the past many centuries taught Eknathji that the Hindu society has lost its sense of Self-Confidence. They were in the habit of looking for an incarnation to descend save society. What is worse, every great men, who achieved something for the society, was immediately defied and put on a pedestal & worshipped. Eknathji declared that this suicidal trend has to be reversed. He wanted a new generation that believed in themselves, that they can do anything. He accepted Swamiji as an ordinary human being, who raised himself to the highest rung of human evolution, by dint of self-confidence & self-sacrifice. Eknathji wanted that ideal of Swamiji to be followed by the life workers whom he wanted to man the organization of his dream. So he erected the statue of Swamiji, standing up & starting on his patriotic mission, rather than one, sitting absorbed in deep meditation. Self-confidence comes from the innate conviction that each man is potentially divine. That was the essence of Hindu heritage from the Vedic times. Eknathji wanted to remind this Vedic mantra – “We are the children of God & immortality”. This realization will automatically give us the super human strength to overcome all fear & weaknesses. Eknathji realized the importance of teamwork. He reeled off instances after instances from our own history, how a handful of foreign invaders, much inferior to us in every respect, could easily beat us hollow and enslave & rule over us, only because they possessed this great quality of team spirit in abundance, whereas, we Hindus totally lacked this capacity. He 150 CU IDOL SELF LEARNING MATERIAL (SLM)
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