Social Realism in Jhaverchand Meghāṇi’s Vasūṃdharā Nāṃ Vahālāṃ Davalāṃ
Abstract:
Social realism gained prominence in literature with the rise of the novel. Nineteenth century brought into focus the common man and his life. The novelists started writing about the life around them. Literature became democratic in the sense that it now focused on ordinary lives of the common masses. The novelists observed life around them and tried to find an idiom to express the reality as they saw them. The hitherto neglected common humanity found a voice in the works of novelists. This shift is visible in literature of every country.
Jhaverchand Kālidas Meghāṇi is an important Gujarati writer who faithfully echoed the reverberations of the changing social reality of the time. His style, steeped in the oral tradition of folk literature, creates a resemblance of the rural life of Gujarat of his time.
Keywords: Social realism, Gujarati literature, Meghāṇi, Gujarati novel and world literature.
Literature is a product of society. The development of literature with its forms, narrative styles and thematic preoccupations has always been synchronous with the nature and form of society in which it is created. World literature shows a definite pattern that reflects the changes taking place in human society. As civilization progressed so did the literature, changing its forms and narrative techniques to best reflect the changing social reality. The rise of the novel was inevitable in the eighteenth and nineteenth century because the new social reality required a new idiom. From epic to heroic to satiric to realistic, the literary form changed. Similarly, from epic heroes rubbing shoulders with the gods and goddesses to middle class men struggling in their humdrum lives, the protagonist changed. The novel rose to prominence because the modern society needed a literary form that would aptly talk of the common men and women, their aspirations and fears, their struggles and small victories, their emotions and feelings. So with the novel, realistic depiction of the society became prominent. During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries literature became more about telling the story of the common man.
Jhaverchand Kālidas Meghāṇi (August 28, 1896- March 09, 1949), a poet, playwright, novelist, short story writer, researcher, compiler, translator and a freedom fighter, is one of the best-known literary figures in Gujarati literature. Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation, called him the ‘national poet’ for his contribution to literature and for faithfully depicting and singing the spirit of the time when he lived. India was struggling against the British rule and it needed a voice that can enthuse the mass pushed into hopelessness and soulless despondency because of centuries of humiliating foreign rule. Meghāṇi was precisely the voice India needed at the time - rooted in the soil and singing the glory of the people that had long forgotten their self-respect. His college education in English and Sanskrit literature, his three year stay in Kolkata, four-month trip to England, and his childhood at various places thanks to his father’s transferable job – all these were the formative influences in his life. He learnt Bengali when he was in Kolkata and read the stalwarts of Bengali literature which strengthened his love of literature.
After returning from Kolkata in 1921 he joined Saurāṣṭra, a newly launched Gujarati weekly, where Amrutlal Sheth encouraged him to write and the first work was Kurbni ni Kathāo, a translation of Tagore’s Kathaa-u-Kaahinee. During the next three decades, Meghāṇi has written profusely. His contribution is also immense as a researcher and compiler. He collected the folktales and folk literature and left behind him a legacy in the form of compilation of folktales and folk songs. He gave folk literature a place of pride and made it a serious pursuit for generations to continue and enrich. Corpus of Meghāṇi’s writing comprises of six poetry anthologies, thirteen novels, seven anthologies of short stories, thirteen anthologies of folktales, nine critical and research works on folk literature, three works of literature criticism, thirteen biographies, and six works on history. His poems like Chheli Prārthanā (Last Prayer), Koinō Lādakvāyō (Someone’s Darling), and Chhellō Katōrō (Last Chalice), manifested the sentiments of the whole nation at the time and voiced the desperation and gall of people. His Kasumbi nō rang (The Colour Saffron), and Man mōr bani thangāt kare (Heart Dances Like a Peocock) have become cultural anthems of Gujarat. The entire gamut of his literary output essentially captures the spirit of Gujarat and has the flavour of Gujarati folk life. Because of his seminal contribution to Gujarati literature and Gujarati folk literature, Jhaverchand Meghāṇi is the poet laureate of Gujarat.
Meghāṇi is one of the best-known Gujarati authors. Moreover, he is one of those great writers of Gujarati literature who may well be called the representative authors - men of letters who have captured the very essence of Gujarati language and life. Many of his works have been translated into English. The novel, Vasūṃdharā Nāṃ Vahālāṃ Davalāṃ is one of the best-known novels of Meghāṇi and it vividly portrays the life and time of the early decades of the twentieth century. The novel deserves global attention because it gives us an alternative to the western idea of fictional narrative. As Meghāṇi was deeply interested in folklore and folk literature, the novel bears the characteristics of oral narrative tradition that is typically Indian.
Vasūṃdharā Nāṃ Vahālāṃ Davalāṃ is the first social novel of Jhaverchand Meghāṇi. Inspired by Victor Hugo’s The Laughing Man, Vasūṃdharā Nāṃ Vahālāṃ Davalāṃ is set in rural Saurāṣṭra and Meghāṇi wrote in the preface that it is set 25-30 years before it was written in 1937. The novel, states Meghāṇi, was written in twenty to twenty-five days when he was editor of the then a weekly and now a daily Gujarati newspaper Phulchāb. It was written to be given as a gift to annual subscribers of the weekly.
Though Meghāṇi was not the first Gujarati novelist, he was certainly a path breaker for setting his novels in the rural background. He brought the novel from the city to the village dealing with the rustic life. He tells the tales of provincial rustic people of Saurāṣṭra in their own language and idiom. Meghāṇi was primarily a man of folk literature and his education in and interaction with English and other literature has not succeeded in making him a conscious artist. His works lack the formalistic precision and structural coherence. The present novel, written as it was in 20 to 25 days, shows all the qualities of a work which has not been revised by the scrutiny of a careful artist. However, the work does have some remarkable characterisation, insightful portrayal of social milieu, and a forceful way of storytelling. The reader does not realise the incoherence of plot construction or inconsistency of characterisation in the forceful flow of the novel.
The novel is important as it is a strong commentary on the social inequality and oppression of the lower caste people prevalent at the time. The rendition of social inequality is sometimes stereotypical and often ostentatious but it nonetheless provides an insight into the lives of the lower caste people and aptly illustrates the social hierarchies of social order and their interrelations. The novel is a testimony to Meghāṇi’s art of storytelling wherein the vigorous flow of the action of the novel grips the reader with curiosity. The characters are visualized through short but very powerful dialogues which bring out the essential qualities of the characters. They are typical as well as individual. The authenticity with which Meghāṇi has depicted them reveals his very intimate and personal familiarity with the rustic life of Saurāṣṭra. The novel reflects Meghāṇi’s concern for the downtrodden, his sympathy for the abysmal misery of the lower-class people, and his anger at the discrimination and humiliation suffered by the unfavoured children of the mother earth.
In this novel, Meghāṇi is an observer as well as a critic of the society. This novel runs into 22 chapters and the plot of the story is as under:
The novel starts with chapter “Trajvada Trofavo” (Get Tarazwa!). The story is woven around the characters Teju, a tatooer who belongs to a tribe of wanderers and Pratap, who is the son of the rich man of the village Amarchand, and the birth of a son due to their amoral relationship. The novel talks about the exploitation of the oppressed and the poor by the privileged class of the society through the episodes like how Teju’s father is forced to steal cotton bolls from the farms, how Teju is helped as well as harassed by Hameer, the tracker, how Vagharis are beaten by the villagers for sheltering Teju when her father passed away and are sued to the court, Teju’s act of leaving the village, the unbearable condition of the child in an orphanage, the running away of child from orphanage, the meeting of a child with a juggler, the juggler’s nobility and generosity, the wolf and the blind girl, a group disguised as Brahmins indulging in women trafficking business, Teju’s marriage with widower Labhukaka through deceit by such group, no conjugal life between Teju and Labhukaka even after almost a decade of marriage, the publicity of the shows performed by the cleft lipped boy in every village, the identification of the laughing boy, act of Teju’s leaving home and Labhukaka, the meeting of Lakhudi with Teju, the kidnapping of Zandur from the show by Queen, the efforts to procure the rights of property for the boy by the Queen , efforts by the queen to keep Zandur in her arms to fulfil her lust, Zandur’s running away fron the palace, the meeting of Teju with Pratap, Pratap’s rude behaviour towards Teju, and once again Teju’s leaving village etc. The last chapter “Chalo Piya (Come, my love!)” ends with the two orphans finding shelter in each other’s arms.
The novelist has depicted prevalent social beliefs, the corrupt offices and officials- the court, the police department, plush aristocrats, the marriage institution, social evils, women’s status, different castes and their customs, lower caste people and wanderers, the condition of orphanage and the economic condition of the society etc realistically. We can see a socialist in Meghāṇi. He has successfully and unfailingly depicted the class distinction: hypocrisy, mendacity, exploitation of the poor, the instinct for harassment, betrayal, breach of acts, compulsion for harlotry, women trafficking, etc among the dear ones of the mother Earth and generosity, nobility, affection, sacrifice, tolerance, patience, charity, renunciation, resourcefulness among the unloved ones of the mother Earth. However, Meghāṇi is a socialist sans revolution. None of his poor and oppressed characters have any trait of a revolutionary. They suffer the injustice, though nobly sometimes, but without any resistance.
The evils like corruption and bribery in the offices through the affairs of court, police department and orphanage reflect the reality of the society. From small to great employees were mostly corrupt at that time. The practice was done openly. The headman who had taken bribe from Amarchand told the constable that the root of the mess in the village is none but Amarchand himself. The sentence from the headman, “Now is the time to shake the tree of gold, Sir, it will not be thereafter, otherwise as you wish” reveals how cunning and corrupt the police department was at that time. A reference of a party thrown by the Judge, Phoolshanker who belongs to an upper caste when he got married for the third time shows the limitations or weakness of the marriage institution. The novel also reflects how the crimes are concealed and bargained by the highly positioned and socially respected people who belong to the upper caste. On the other hand, the poor, the suppressed are punished for no fault, no reason. The condition of the institution that serves for the orphans, the treatment received by the orphans from the manager, the attitude of the government officials and employees are notable for the realistic depiction of the society. How the orphans are treated inhumanely and cruelly instead of caringly and affectionately is depicted in the chapter “Salaam Kar! (Salute!)” (Pg. 53). At the time of morning meal, the boys in the orphanage are being served by serving men. One handicap boy in the orphanage asks for more khichri from one of the serving men. The poor starving boy is beaten black and blue by the manager of the orphanage merely for asking for more food.
This is an example of hypocrisy of the social institution that claims to work in the service of the orphans. The pitiable young children are in fact useful means for the administrators to extract more money from the donors who visit the orphanage. The children are paraded before the guests so that the orphanage can milk the kindness of the guests.
The writer has exposed the evils of marriage institutions. Ill matched marriage, remarriage, dowry, and women selling are presented with great consciousness. In the chapter, “Pratap dahyo thayo!” (Pratap becomes wise!), the ills prevailing in the institution of marriage find realistic depiction by Meghāṇi. When he goes to fix the auspicious hour for his son Pratap’s marriage, the co-father-in-law’s words are significant:
“So what? Go and just get the girl like Lilu, Sheth! Such girls who would illuminate your home are not found walking on the street. Just you think, how many pouches you yourself have paid for my co- sister- in-law? And what you bought is just a sheesham wood or else? Heee…heee…heee..” (pg. 29)
For marriage, education, age or appearance are not the credentials but the price, how much money for the girl one gets is the only important credential. Marriage is a deal here. The answer of the co-father-in-law was not new to Sheth Amarchand. He had got his two daughters married and experienced himself. He understood the words of his co- father-in-law. Here we find the symbolic language about marriage of that time. It is put thus:
‘Do not you fumble up, Sheth! Come here, come closer.’
Saying thus, Amarchand sheth spread over his broad sash, and pulled the co-father in law’s hand under that sash. His own hand and co- father in law’s hand, the two hands were talking beneath the blind of that sash.”
This type of hands-talk is the talk of marriage trade. The rich considered the marriage a trade, a business. One of Amarchand’s daughters who died in Mumbai had two daughters. They were living with Amarchand. The dialogue between Amarchand and his co-father-in-law also refers to their marriage and earning out of it.
Referring to his own wife as shisham for being dark skinned, Amarchand Sheth says,
“Tell her shisham or whatever you like, but my good luck is because of only those shisham footmarks, isn’t it? These days, she has brought good luck to my home.’
‘Yes, and besides, fertile land! She gave you two daughters like god’s aura. And the pretty stuff is that also her granddaughters have fallen into your hands! You will make five bags from each one, won’t you?’” (pg. 29)
Thus, Meghāṇi has directly presented the evil of dowry system, selling off daughters prevalent at that time in this dialogue. It seems that in those days only the social position and economical condition of the family were considered as marriage credentials. Due to these social customs, there were ill matched couples and child marriage, women selling, groom selling and remarriages were practiced. Extra marital relationship, another evil of marriage institution is also portrayed in the novel. Teju’s relationship with Pratap makes her the mother of a boy. Lakhudi, the Harijan girl’s relationship with a high caste person makes her pregnant and is beaten by police and forced to name her own father as the father of her illegitimate child. These evils had been so deeply rooted that even police were not able to do anything against high caste people. Sexual exploitation of lower-class women by upper caste men was very common.
Meghāṇi has also portrayed the characteristics of caste and race in the novel where we see the social realism e. g. The chapter titled “Vijaygadh ni Adalat ma (In the Court of Vijaygadh)” he has introduced Brahmins and Vaniyas in the following manner:
The Brahmins of Vijaygadh were the unyielding followers of the orthodox and conservative traditions. They were hard enemies against women’s education. They knew how to speak ill of women in Sanskrit, and enjoy drinking in the temples. They were socialists, to get the equal share of inheritance of the dead relatives….
The devotees of these Brahmins were Vaniyas of Vijaygadh. They kill wives without medicine as well as oxygen, and perform death rituals pompously with threefold sweets after dead women. They would not honour the relationship of even real brothers before a court. They would buy the ornaments of the poor, the bootleggers and even the prostitutes at one fourth of the price. (pg. 48, 49, 50)
The character of a juggler enters the novel as one of the representatives of the tribes of wanderers. A commoner juggler shows the gimmicks to the society and the upper caste people come to watch and enjoy these performances. He keeps the unspeaking animals like monkey, bear, iguana, with love and pampers them, he helps a stranger boy, keeps him with himself. He is more afraid of human beings. In the chapters titled as “In the lap of Salty Land”, the juggler speaks with a frown that man becomes happy only when he clutches the neck of the other man. (pg. 73) When he says that he has preferred to be in the company of animals, we find his understanding about man and his experience of the reality of life.
In the chapter “Lakhami’ kahevai”, Lakhudi takes Kameshwar Gor to task for her equitable share and shows contempt and anger for the upper caste people. The novel also depicts the flourishing of superstitions and wrong dogmas rather than religion. E.g., At the outskirts of a village, near a small pond, one old lady had committed suicide before ten years. Afterwards, nobody dares to go near the pond in the evening or at night because of the suspicion that apparition come there. Even Lakhudi’s father also commits suicide by hanging himself up on the branch of a tamrind tree, and the disbelief spreads over the village that the ghostly apparition of Verda Bhabha appears there. Besides, it is believed that Teju is a witch who has all kinds of evil power and practices sorcery. When Pratap’s son remains ill for a long time and no medicine works, one Vaghari exorciser says, “If only they would just try wearing a talisman with the name of the goddess….”. Thus, reality was that the notions regarding ghost, witchcraft, exorcism, charms, wearing amulets, mantras etc were very popular.
In the last chapter “Chalo Piya (Come, My Love)” the Queen holds Zandur in her arms to fulfill her lust and says, “Your life has come to an end, young man! This is your new birth. You are the wealthy man of this city. I have bought you from your blind Badli. You are the rose of this city, not a flower of a wild spot, I am your honeybee.” (pg. 190) In this statement, we find the queen’s intense and intoxicated desire and the reality that the aristocrat women used to hanker after the young men by exploiting or blackmailing them.
Meghāṇi is not easy to read. There are moments in which he loses himself to very specific detail and matter of fact descriptions. But what we find interwoven through the dry passages is of such exquisite beauty of language that is often worth pressing onward for reading.
The novel is quite emotionally draining. There is hardly any Gujarati writer of his time who shows such an understanding of human social condition as does Meghāṇi. The story line itself is entirely immersive. The writer takes us deeply into the culture of his time, the settings, the politics, and gives us a sense of the day-to-day life. Meghāṇi’s forte is social realism. He has an observant eye for the social reality of the time. He does not venture into the psychological realism in delineating his characters. He is not a Dostoevsky or a Henry James delving deep into the psychological motivations of his characters, nor is he a Ben Shahn writing in pursuit of social justice. His work is rather akin to nineteenth century French realism which aimed at accurate delineation of lives, problems, customs and mores of the lower-class people. Meghāṇi is not a crusader for the rights of the poor and exploited, he is just a sympathetic observer of their plights. He has succeeded in giving us a truthful picture of his time.
Bibliography