Life’s Vagaries: Tragedy of Reversed Values in Thakazhi’s Enippadikal
Abstract:
Thakazhi is widely recognized as the writer who has given voice to the peasant life of Travancore. His realism devoid of great pomp and show of elite culture presents him as an artist who is in love with the poor and hates those who exploit them. Thakazhi emerges as the champion of the common man inaugurating the era of social realism in Malayalam literature. Social protest, dignity of labour, class consciousness, and class-struggle became the recurring themes in all of his novels. His realm is the withered and blemished underbelly of humanity, where the unfortunate and life’s losers cluster together for deceptive coziness - the powerless serf, the drowsy worker and the penniless fisherman. They are his themes and his sway over their literary portrayal has been spectacular and unchallenged. The novel Enippadikal set in 1930-1950 deals with political opportunists who kick the very ladder people use to climb to positions of power. The paper endeavors to look at the portrayal of a simple man hailing from a rural background and the way he mounts the professional stairs in order to be successful in life by hooks or crooks.
Keywords: Labour, inverted values, class-struggle, social realism
Thakazhi is widely recognized as the writer who has given voice to the peasant life of Travancore. His realism devoid of great pomp and show of elite culture presents him as an artist who is in love with the poor and hates those who exploit them. Thakazhi emerges as the champion of the common man inaugurating the era of social realism in Malayalam literature. He was swayed by the Marxian ideology and Freudian theory and actively partook in the Writer’s Movement and the literary circle led by Kesari Balakrishnapillai. He made his entry into the Malayalam literary arena puzzling the polished attitude of the elite class. He decreed that there exists an Indian language known as Malayalam which has a rich repository of literature. Along with him, P.Keshava Dev, Vaikkom Muhammed Basheer, S.K.Pottekkatt and P.C.Kuttikrishnan constituted the Pentagon that inaugurated the Renaissance novel in Malayalam. Like William Faulkner’s “Yoknapatawpha” or R.K.Narayan’s “Malgudi”, Kuttanad is the locale of Thakazhi and thirty-six of his novels are centred on Kuttanad and its lifestyle. Being a member of the agrarian family, he showed a keen interest in the life of farmers and depicted it as he found it in the raw form. He belongs to the Thakazhi village of Kuttanad Thaluk and his literary firmament is the complex world comprising the miseries and hardships of the coolie workers, scavengers, and middle-class multitudes of the Kuttanad region. It is an amazing geographical area on the banks of river Pamba manifesting the natural beauty of Kerala. Known by the sobriquet “rice granary of Kerala”, the lives of people hailing from Kuttanad is vested in the farmlands and paddy fields. Right from the regime of Kings and landlords, it remained as a place apart from all other regions of Kerala even in its social relationships. The Progressive Literature Movement that gathered new momentum in the North under the leadership of Munshi Premchand and Harindranath Chattopadhay exercised its sway on Malayali writers including Thakazhi infused with a revolutionary zeal. They were provided with the intellectual leadership by two scholar-critics Kesari Balakrishna Pillai and M. P. Paul. Like Premchand, Thakazhi brought realism to Malayalam fiction in his own way and championed the cause of the marginalized sections of a specific regional community with profound sympathy. He saw the scary sides of their life and portrayed it vividly. “The underdeveloped nature of the land where he was born and the backwardness of the people among whom he grew up became a source of inspiration and strength for one who was destined to be its eloquent chronicler.” (Paniker 1). His works run through the whole gamut of human emotions.
By taking the readers through the dark corridors of human life, Thakazhi portrays the life of scavengers, peasants, beggars and fishermen who suffer the agony of hunger and poverty owing to the oppression exercised by the privileged class and the absence of social and economic justice. It was his journey to Trivandrum to study at the Law College that changed his creative vision radically. It propelled the need for a literature of social protest which could necessitate the promotion of the portrayal of realities pertaining to the woes and problems of the working class and downtrodden sections of the society. Social protest, dignity of labour, class consciousness, and class-struggle became the recurring themes in all of his novels. His realm is the withered and blemished underbelly of humanity, where the unfortunate and life’s losers cluster together for deceptive coziness - the powerless serf, the drowsy worker and the penniless fisherman. They are his themes and his sway over their literary portrayal has been spectacular and unchallenged. The novel Enippadikal set in 1930-1950 deals with political opportunists who kick the very ladder people use to climb to positions of power. By portraying a simple man from a rural background, Thakazhi has thrown light into the evils existing in the constitution of a common man in order to be successful in life by hooks or crooks. Dr. Ayyappa Paniker rightly appraises the novel in the words:
From the preoccupation with the histories of individual families, Thakazhi in Enippadikal turns to the history of his state, the erstwhile Travancore and the present-day Kerala. This is a transition from the purely private and familial world of characters conceived as individuals to the private and public world of characters seen as citizens, integral parts of the body politic. But there is no cleavage between the two worlds; they interact, influence each other, and get intertwined. (85)
The title of the novel alludes to the various phases by which the protagonist Kesava Pillai, an employed graduate at the starting of the novel slowly emerges in power and influence, and grabs the position of the Chief Secretary, the highest official in the State Government. His vaulting ambition and relentless pursuit for material success have overpowered him with the courage to climb the ladder of tremendous accomplishment with steady and calculated sacrifice of all scruples. Pillai makes his entry to the Secretariat as a lower division clerk in the revenue section. He gets his first job after waiting for many days in front of Park View, the Chief Secretary’s official residence. He soon begins to learn the art of climbing the ladder of power. He learns the first lesson that in government service he must know the currents and undercurrents of power along with the knowledge to do his job. He develops interest in a fellow clerk named Thankamma and their colleagues begin to address them as man and wife in joke. Thankamma’s uncle Krishnan Nair is going to be the next Chief Secretary.
One day, Kesava Pillai receives a telegram from home and he rushes to Thottapally to see his parents. He gets to know from his parents that his marriage is fixed. He is shocked by the decision and he does not know how to respond. Thoughts of Thankamma recurred flashing across his mind.
At last he agrees to marry the girl of his parents’ choice, on being told by the astrologer that the girl’s horoscope spells prosperity for whoever marries her, though she herself will be unhappy throughout her life without having the peace of mind. Kesava Pillai plans to marry her and prosper by the strength of her horoscope, but also to use Thankamma at Trivandrum to go up the ladder of power in the Secretariat. He continues to maintain his relationship with Thankamma without informing any one about his marriage. As Thankamma’s uncle is going to be the next Chief Secretary, it is easy to a get a good promotion being her lover. Kesava Pillai takes a bribe from Gopalan Nair who approaches him with a request for the payment of the land the government has taken from him. The current Chief Secretary, Mr.Menon, who had given Kesava Pillai his first job, has got in the bad books of the Dewan in the dealings with a company about some big contract, and so he is being replaced by Krishnan Nair. Kesava Pillai now begins to be an expert in climbing the ladder of power. He meets Sekhara Pillai, Thankamma’s father and assures him with confidence that he is willing to marry Thankamma. He also seeks his intervention with Krishnan Nair for his personal benefit of promotion. He emerges triumphant in getting the post of personal assistant to the newly appointed Chief Secretary. He judiciously keeps his relations with Thankamma and he often meets her at night thereby professing love to her. He gets to know at once that Chief Secretary’s wife does not like Thankamma and her parents. This revelation prompts him to keep aloof from them. In this particular instance, Thankamma moves closer to Ramachandran Nair, who has been working with her at the same office.
Kesava Pillai wins the favor of all holding top positions of power. He gets close to Chief Secretary’s wife within no time. This association makes him closer to the private secretary of Dewan who comes quite often to Park View. As Kesava Pillai has access to many confidential papers, he starts negotiation with the contractors to the satisfaction of all the concerned. He visits his wife Karthyayani Amma and their relation is maintained without yielding any iota of suspicion. With his elevated position at his office, he is now entrusted with the responsibility of handling the state Congress agitating for responsible government in the state. He shifts his residence to a rented house wherein he is given police protection. His report on how to discredit the Congress pleases the Dewan and he gets posted to the Dewan’s official residence at Bhakti Vilasom. He tried to avoid Gopalan Nair whom he had once promised to help. He again shifts his residence to another big house at Sasthamangalam. Albeit he is busy with the big responsibility the Dewan has shouldered on him, his wife Karthyayani Amma is still in the village. She gives brith to a girl at this time. Kesava Pillai even at this moment is not willing to shift his family to Trivandrum. The Dewan is too full of praise for Kesava Pillai in getting the Congress defeated in the elections although knowing his use of wicked ways. He is rewarded with the secretaryship in the department of Industrial Development.
The Dewan brings in the vision of independent Trivandrum with the prospect of independent Travancore. Kesava Pillai has been holding the charge of political department meanwhile. The whole country goes through an agitation during this time and someone kills Kesava’s father, Pappu Pillai. His mother Kutti Amma also takes her last breath soon. Kesava Pillai now brings his wife Karthyayani and his daughter Vijayamma to Trivandrum. He is appointed as the Chief Secretary by the Dewan. Thankamma resigns from job on the very day he becomes the Chief Secretary. She has made up her mind to turn into a sanyasini and convert her house into an ashram. She assumes the new name of Matha Jyotirmayi Devi. A sea change has taken place within no time in the office of Kesava Pillai. The Dewan leaves the state with a wound on his face as he is attacked by the mob. The officiating Dewan conducts a conference on celebrating India’a attainment of independence. Kesava Pillai who is in charge of the conference wins the support of Congress leaders. They consider his words valuable and even seek his opinion on the selection of Congress candidates for the upcoming election. Kesava Pillai feels that his company will fetch him power and he plays his cards very well. The union of Travancore and Cochin leads to disharmony between groups of government employees. By now, numerous changes have taken place in the life of Matha Jyothirmayi Devi.The other sanyasins of her ashram drive her out and in this desperation, she goes to Kanyakumari to reunite with Kesava Pillai. They meet again at different places far way form Trivandrum. They spend nights together. Although Kesava Pillai is going through a lot of crisis, everything seems alright to any onlooker unaware of Kesava’s secret life.
Putting an end to all speculations, the formation of the State of Kerala by merging part of Travancore and Cochin has turned out to be a reality. The Chief Secretary is busy with his personal as well as professional life. Thankamma takes off her divine incarnation and is pregnant now. She has great expectations for bringing up the child. Karthyayani Amma feels lonely and isolated without knowing all these developments. The village lady who is almost fed with the pomp and glory of city life asks her husband to think of leaving Trivandrum. The elections are over and the Communists have won the Assembly. It is time for them to form the new ministry. Kesava tries a new trick to be a part of the Communist party when he gets to know that his daughter Vijayamma is in love with a communist poet, Viswanathan. His game does not work this time and the new Chief Minister suggests him to go on leave just because he does not agree on many matters related to government policies. An infuriated Kesava Pillai asks for premature retirement and the government sanctions it without any delay. On the day he leaves the Secretariat, a girl brings Jyotirmayi Devi’s (Thankamma’s) infant son and puts him at Keshava Pillai’s feet. His wife stands there observing this act and his daughter Vijayamma comes out of the house all of a sudden and takes the child. Kesava Pillai and his family finally decide to go back to Thottappally and leave Park View. Here comes the finale of his grand long career at the Secretariat. By using all foul and wicked sources, he has attained power and reached at its pinnacle. However, the rungs of the power ladder have not brought little to make him feel delighted. He has never disclosed anything to his wife. He, in fact, married her on account of of her promising horoscope and the fortune that may befall in his life marrying a village girl. Kesava Pillai’s retirement is depicted in a neutral tone:
It was an event in the Secretariat but there was none who felt sorry for his exit or came forward to bid him farewell. And before leaving he said to the Chief Minister in a tone of mock seriousness, “Perhaps I will stage a comeback”.
This was the end of Kesava Pillai’s professional career but what had he gained? He left the Secretariat with an overwhelming sense of guilt, an awareness of a great wrong that he had done to himself and others (Pillai 417)
Kesava Pillai marries Karthyayani Amma even though he did not wish to materialize this alliance. After the wedding he leaves to Thiruvananthapuram. Karthyayani Amma is one such wife who is not given any care or affection by her husband. Kesava Pillai barely pays attention to his wife who stays back at home. Karthyayani Amma’s life is confined to the four walls of kitchen as she spends most of her time in the soot and smoke in the kitchen. Despite all this, she never has any complaints. She leads her life like any ordinary woman from the countryside does. Even at the instance when she comes to know that her husband has an extra marital affair at his workplace, she tries to bear all the pain silently. Karthyayani Amma is not someone who finds fault with everything around her, particularly with her family life. Rather, she tries to be a dutiful wife and a good mother to her child. However, she insists her husband to leave the job and come back from Thiruvananthapuram. She does not want her daughter Vijayamma to get exposed to the city culture and get spoiled. She likes the calm and peaceful atmosphere of the village. She was born and raised in some village of Kuttanad. She is lean, as if she were suffering from Tuberculosis. She is destined to be a homemaker, who would spend all day in the company of kitchen utensils. Deep within, hers is a mind that knew only to love. Even when her husband does not love her, she has love and respect for him.
When her friends get to know that Kesava Pillai had another wife, they decide to enquire further about the matter. However, Karthyayani Amma does not allow them to do that. Her dignity does not let them question her husband’s character. She never wants to belittle her husband in front of others even though he isn’t a loyal and loving husband. She always believes in the superiority of men/ husbands. She is a duty-bound wife and loves to remain like one. She eats from her husband’s plate after he finishes eating. When her husband once questions this act of hers she justifies her part by saying that her mother always eats from the same plate in which her father keeps the leftover food. She likes to follow that custom and considers that women should begin their meal from that plate in which their husbands eat.
At the time when she stayed at Thiruvananthapuram in the official residence of the Chief Secretary, she did not show off like most of the wives of other bureaucrats would do. She does not like to exhibit the power of authority. At one instance when some women come asking for donation, Karthyayani Amma does not pay them anything. Later her husband asks her why she did not give the money and explains that she could have given them something since she had the keys of the almirah. She answers him by saying that she never took money like that and spent on something. Even at her home, it was her father who dealt with all the money matters. Her mother also never interfered in money related affairs. Therefore, in her view, it is the man who should deal with money. That was her strong understanding and stand on the said issue. She always believes in the subservient position of women to men. She also accepts the socially sanctioned financial dependence of women on men. Her beliefs are rigid and the novel portrays this character of hers as her sacrificial greatness. She is depicted as one such woman who adheres to the norms and values of a patriarchal society. She does not uphold egalitarian values rather believes in the hegemony of men and there are various instances mentioned above which exemplify this aspect of Karthyayani Amma’s character.
However, these attributes and qualities of Thakazhi’s heroine are critically analyzed. In the 21st century wherein many women strive for empowerment and egalitarianism, Karthyayani Amma becomes an embodiment of patriarchal values. She resembles those women who find themselves comfortable in a patriarchal society. Thakazhi’s novels paved the way for the realistic movement in Malayalam literature painting the social veracities and dignity of the working class. While emphasizing on the intrigues and machinations innate in the administration and politics of the modern times, Thakazhi has woven the patterns of familial life and the role of women characters in the growth or downfall of a man. Thakazhi has rendered a significant transformation in the literary and aesthetic sensibility. Thakazhi expects people to be aware of the evil effects of prevailing socio-economic system and impresses upon them the need of toppling the system through a radical change in the social order. The novel Enippadikal provides an insight into the deeper social forces that transmute the social fabric and tries to capture the spirit of his times revealing the historical development. Thakazhi’s style of writing is plain and unsophisticated, yet heart-warming. There are no obscure undertones, which deliberately intend to introduce nuances or mystify viewpoints. On the contrary, through the humble chronicle of blended tales of diverse people hailing from dissimilar communities and religion, Thakazhi has boundless insight into human nature and execute grave enquiry of human charm. His heroines with their active and submissive roles, as the case may be, give a new analytical and critical depth to the novel. Hence no age or custom can wither the real life depiction of women in Enippadikal. Dr. Ayyappa Paniker’s comment deserves special mention here:
The wheel of fortune has many spokes: Kesava Pillai has many dimensions. His relations with his parents reveal a limited, nevertheless important aspect of his life and character. His marriage and life with his wife and daughter represent another aspect; his official life with its constant push and pull, its intrigues and double- dealings and cruelties, reflects the depth and shallowness of his character at once; the waxing and waning of his life for Thankamma, half metamorphosed into Matha Jyotirmayi Devi, throw a flickering light on the curves and crevices of his personality, which remain an inscrutable mystery even for him to the end; and his final exit, when he still cherishes the possibility of a comeback, shows the agony and ignominy of a modern political tragedy. (Paniker 102)
WORKS CITED
Dr. Aparna Ajith, Academician and a Freelance Journalist. Email id- ajithaparnakv4@gmail.com