Myth in Kanthapura

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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 19^th 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 15^th century author “Fulgentius” explain the Greek and Roman stories about their God.

                In 17^th 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.

Summery  :

   

                     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.