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Name :
Jeel J. Vyas
Roll no : 15
Paper no :
4. Indian Writing in English –
Pre Independence:
Class : M.A. sem 1
Topic :
Myth in Kanthapura.
Enrolment no : 2069108420190045
College : Smt.S.B.Gardi Department of English.
Email
id : jeelvyas15@gmail.com
Submitted :
Department of English
M.K.B.University .
Introduction :
Raja Rao is one of
the most acclaimed writer of Indian English literature, was born in 1909 in Mysore. He was matriculated
person. He went to Aligarh in order to higher education. His inspiration is
Prof. Dickinson.
Raja Rao got his
B.A. degree from a college in Hyderabad and also got scholarship from the
University. From that scholarship he went to France and started studying French
literature there. He lived in France for quit long time span from 1928 to 1939. He return
India in 1940 and live here for six years and in 1946 again he went to France.
His first novel Kanthapura was written during the time when he was living in France.
Awards won by Raja Rao :
·
Padma Vibhushan ( 2007
)
·
Padma Bhushan ( 1969 )
·
Sahitya Akadami Award ( 1964)
·
Neustadt international
prize for literature. ( 1998 )
Raja Rao's notable work :
·
Kanthapura ( 1938)
·
The Serpent And The Rope
( 1960 )
·
The Cat And The Shakespeare
( 1965 )
·
The Chessmster And His
Moves ( 1988 )
·
On The Ganga Ghat (
1989 )
·
The Great Indian Way (
1998 )
·
5 Indian Master ( 2003
)
·
Collected Stories (
2014 )
What
is Myth ?
Myth is inseparable part of the
culture of any country. When we talk about this India is very rich country. In
India every village has it’s own story. Most of the story are related with the origin of village.
Definition
:
“ Myth is tradition story,
especially one concerning the early history of people or explaining a natural
or social phenomenon and typically involving supernatural beings or events.”
Myth
is folk genre consisting of narrative that play a fundamental role in society.
Myth is generally talk about the God. The term mythology is used to study myth.
Origins of the term Myth or Mythology :
The word myth comes from
Ancient Greek word “mythos” which means speech, narrative, fiction, myth, plot.
From Greek word mythos English as well as other European language in early 19th
century take in much narrower sense. English explain Myth as “ a traditional
story, typically involving supernatural beings or force, which embodies and
provide an explanation, aetiological or justification for something such as the
early history of a society, a religious beliefs or ritual or natural
phenomenon.”
Then the Greek term mythology was
borrowed into Latin. Later on in 15th century author “Fulgentius”
explain the Greek and Roman stories about their God.
In 17th century
mythology was used to mean a moral, fable, allegorical or prable or the collection
of traditional story. When we talk about English language we find that the word
Mythology entered in the English language before the word myth. We can say this
because we find word Mythology in Johnson's dictionary but can’t in Myth.
Purpose of using Myth as a technique :
·
To connect people with things which are going on.
·
To understand self.
·
To understand human existence.
·
Visualize power beyond the human.
·
Express resent things.
Kanthapura is name of
village located in South India. From this the name of the novel titled. The
novel is narrated in the form sthalapurana by an old woman Achakka. Kanthapura is a
traditional village. In this Village we can clearly cast discrimination. The village is divided in five quarter.
Brahmins, Parihar, Porter, viver and shudra.
The main character Moorthy
who is Brahmins. In the village there is a temple of Goddess Kanchamma. All the
festival are celebrated in this Temple. Rangamma
is a person who tells the story in his story we find the connection with the
myth in story of Kanthapura.
Myth in Kanthapura :
In Kanthapura we find myth as one of
the primary factor to continue the novel. We find plot is laid on in an
imaginary village also surrounded by other imaginary village. We find its
narration is like the way valmiki
narrated Ramayan. We can clearly find connection with the story of
Ramayan.
Character from Ramayan
|
As
character compare with the Ramayan's charachar
|
Sita
|
India
|
Ram
|
Gandhi ji
|
Ravan
|
Britishers
|
Bharata
|
Indians who participate in
process of government
|
Hanuman
|
Follower of Gandhiji.
|
As an Indian we feel connected with
Ramayan and mahabharat. We can see this in novel also. The people of Kanthapura
feel connected and also ready to give support. We find that India is compared with
sita, Gandhi is compared with Ram and Britishers compared with Ravan.
Jayamachary compare divine birth of Gandhiji when Gandhiji went to attend Round table
conference is compared to Ram’s exile. In novel we find line,
“They say the Mahatma will go to Redam's
country...he will get us swarajya ...come back with sita on his right in
chariot of air”.
The
people who helps Gandhi are compare to Bharath who worship Ram's sandals in his
absence. The way Ram kill Ravan and get back sita. He says that like this way
only Gandhi is to kill this demon and bring back enslaved India. His return
from conference is compared the Ram's to Ayodhya.
The follower of Gandhi are
compared with Hahnemann. Like Hanuman the follower of Gandhi are equally ready to get out he's instructions at any time.
Satyagrahi in prison is compared with this Divine Krishna himself in kansa's
prison.
Kanchamma is local Goddess protects the village through famine
and disease, death, and despair. According to legends Kanchamma protected the
village from onslaught of traffic monster. Who asked their songs for food and
young woman as wives.
Another thing we find is mythicizing the central
character. Kanthapura has rightly characterized as Gndhipurana, too an epic of
Gndhi's India. Srinivasa Iyenger calls,
“ A veritable Grammar of the Gandian myth- the myth that is but the
poetic translation of reality it will always have a central place in Gandhi
literature.”
In
the title page Raja Rao quotes the Gita : “
whensoever there is misery and ignorance, I come”. This doctrine of the
incarnation is central to puranas and Gandhi as a new Avatar.
In the beginning the local
sastri, a learned scholar and poet, officiated harikatha in Kanthapura. He was a very good
singer and excellent Harikathaman. He made Harikatha on the episode of the Parvati's
winning of Siva. In Harikatha he initiated
the villagers into Gandhian principal in a religious manners. He connected it
with the siva's three eyes. He says that
the way Siva has three eyes swaraj has also three eyes.
“ Siva is three-eyed and swaraj
too is three-eyed : self-purification, Hindu-Muslim unity and khadder”
( p.20)
Allusions to various myth are a part
of Raja Rao’s rhetoric of fiction. In the novel Kanthapura we finds different allusions to
myth. One is about Prahlad when Moorthy
undertakes a rigid three days fast in a typical Gandhi spirit. We also find archetypal
image of Hanuman in novel. As Hanuman devotee the same manner Moorthy is
describe as having met the Mahatma in a vision in which he fall at the feet
Mahatma. This thing we clearly find on page
53.
His best Harikatha is about the
birth of Gandhi Ji. In this Katha we find the scene from the heaven. In this we
find Bhrama as a main God . We see that he was on this place in heaven at the
same time we find valmiki entered. He bows down to Bharma's feet and start
explain that, Rise up, O God of God I have come to bring sinner news. On the
Earth Bharata whom you chose as your chief daughter, which is Goddess of wisdom
and well – bring is in trouble. He further says you have gave her too sages
reading wisdom to eight cridinal points of Earth, Krishna to Bhuddha , Sankara
to Ramanuja.
He further added that please sent us the
prince propagators of holy lows and take us from darkness. Then Bharama reply
that, “ it
is greater for you to ask or from me to say 'yes' Shiva himself will forth with
go and incarnate on the Earth and free my beloved daughter.” Bhrama further
added ,
“ There was born in a family in
Gujarat a son such as never beheld.”
This
sentences clearly indicated Gandhi Ji. Like this Jayamachary connect Gandhi Ji
with Divine birth so that people is readly accept what Ganghi ji is saying.
From this we can say that the way he connect the birth of Gandhiji Harikatha
is a great way to explain.
Conclusion :
Like this we can see that whatever is going in the
country is connected with some kind of myth. Through Harikatha jayamachary try
to connect freedom fighting movement with the religious myth so that people
asked no questions and it would easy to connect them with the reality of now a
days.
“Myth can’t be translated as they did
in their ancient soil we can old find our own meaning in our own time.”
We find that this quote is become true
as the Raja Rao’s connection with the myth. Through this mythic reference in novel Raja
Rao makes spirit of Kanthapura to participate in epic struggle. Through the context of myth Raja Rao try to connect with the contemporary
situation. We find myth has it’s biggest role in this novel.
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