CHAPTER VIn
CONCLUSION
The advent of Gandhi on the Indian political scene marked the beginning
of
a
new
era
in
the
history
of
India I s
struggle for
J a waharlal
freedom.
Nehru likened Gandhi to a powerful current of fresh air, to a beam of light
that
pierced
the
darkness
and
to
a
whirl wind
that
upset
many
things,
especially the working of people I s minds. 1 With his adherence to truth and
ahimsa,
his
fearlessness
and
tenacity
of
purpose,
and
above
all,
his
integrated moral view of life, he influenced the masses in India in varying
degrees.
Nehru
records
that
IIhe
seemed
to
emerge
from
the
millions
of
India. speaking their language and incessantly drawing attention to them and
their appalling condition. 1I2
the nation he
With an uncanny understanding of the
pulse of
paved the way for an unprecedented national awakening.
Men
and women from all walks of life thronged to participate in his satyagraha
movements.
This new age of political awakening paved the way for a new era in
creative
writing
too.
Commenting
on
this
Krishna
Kripalani
observes,
Indian Literature: -A Panoramic
Glimpse:
,
Gandhi I S
Apart
impact
from
its
intellectual
and
stripped
emphasised
urban
that
on
Indian
political
at
once
life
was
direct
repercussions.
inhibitive and
and
religion
writers
"elegance II
without
it
and
was
both
widespread.
moral
liberating.
of
their
compassion
and
and
Gandhi
pretentions
culture
and
without
in
280
conscience were worthless.
turned
national
idealism
He transfigured the image of India and
from
its futile
adulation
of the
past to
face the reality of India as she was --poor, starving and helpless,
but with an untapped potential of unlimited possibilities. 3
Kripalani
rightly
assigns
to
Gandhi
the
credit
for. having
provided
a
powerful ethical stimulus to the literary trend' from romanticism to realism.
Gandhi diverted the attention of the writers to the 700,000 villages of India
which
had
language
become
basically
stinking
as
dung
tool
a.
hills.
for
A prolific
communication ,
writer
he
who
provided
considered
a
model
in
English which contributed to the evolution of a simple style suited to Indian
conditions,
free
from
high
rhetoric
and
involutions.
In
short
he
gave
a
centre and a focus to Indian literature and Indian literary thought. He may
be said to have changed the direction of Indian writing in English away from
Western models towards Indian sources. He gave it moral stuff and substance,
a
sort
of
seriousness
of
purpose
and
a
concern
with
every
day
Indian
reality.
In this sense he became a trend -setter in Indian life and literature
although
he
~ajor
was
Trends
personality
not
and
of
a
creative writer himself.
Themes
N.
Radhakrishnan
In Indo - Anglian Fiction
describes how the charismatic
Gandhi and the resurgence he created among the rural folk
gave the Indian writer a mine of themes:
Themes,
characters
emphasis from
palaces
educated
:
and
the
cities
and
city
to
milieu
changed.
to the village,
the
huts
of
the
A
significant
shift
of
from the intrigues of the
common
man I
from
the
to the illiterate and silent 1 from the butterfly world of
the young lovers to the bra.ve fighters of the nationalist movement
was evident in every branch of writing in India. 4
281
Radhakrishnan
also
points
out
that
with
Gandhi I s
arrival
on
the
scene
creative writing ceased to be the monopoly of the upperclass. It is common
knowledge that under Gandhi I s leadership Indian freedom struggle became so
thoroughly
democratised
that
the
freedom
consciousness
percolated
to
the
very grassroots of Indian society and revitalised it to the core. This helped
to establish the direction and character of Indian literature in English as
well as in Indian languages.
This
although
influence
of
indirect,
drama.
Gandhian
is
perhaps
thought
more
on
obvious
Indian
in
literature
fiction
than
in
in
English,
poetry
or
It has continued to be so even after Gandhi I s death. This is not to
say that all the novelists of the period were Gandhian in belief or practice.
A few
of
ther;n
may
have
given
evidence of
even
a
negative
response to
Gandhi I s ideas. However, some of the best fiction writers of the period like
(
Mulk Raj Anand, R. K. Narayan and Raja Rao tried to bring within the focus
of
their
attention
the
seminal
principles
of
Gandhian
philosophy.
Just as
Gandhian thought itself is free from narrow orthodoxy and does not constitute
a rigid and narrow system, its impact on fiction has also been of a broad
and
open
apparently
Marx.
kind.
In
different
fact
the
from
influence
that
of
of
other
Gandhi
on
literary
comparative figures
creativity
is
like Freud or
This may be because his ideas themselves. unlike Freud I s theory of
psycho -analysis
or
Marx I s
theory
of
class -war,
are liberal enough not to
become ideological hangups. Gandhi I s avoidance of simplistic black -and -white
categorization of peopleJ attitudes and social groups helped the writers also
to refrain from writing ideologically committed works of fiction. This has on
the
whole
English
been
too,
the
a
welcome
novelists
feature.
have
In
resisted
post -independence
the
temptation
Indian
to
write
novel
in
lifeless
282
Gandhian
tracts
in the form
of novels.
It may not
be untrue to say that
there is no single work of fiction which can be called totally Gandhian in
the
sense of giving fictional form
to all the
basic prindples of Gandhian
thought.
The preceding investigation has
impact
of
Gandhian
independence.
With
ideology
the
on
shown the extent and intensity of the
Indian
novels
in
English
written
passing away of Gandhi the man from
after
the national
scene, his ideas appear to have achieved a fresh impetus in the intellectual
and imaginative domains of Indian life. The novels discussed in the earlier
chapters bear witness to the continuing vitality of his ideas in so far as
they could achieve fictionalisation at the hands of some of the best Indian
novelists in English.
after
his
have
turned
when
Gandhi
Gandhi had become a legend in his own lifetimeJ and
assassination
others have
the
legend
lives
for their inspiration to the
himself
was
dealt with
alive,
on.
Some Indian English novelists
period of the freedom
thereby
writing
historical
movement,
novels,
while
post -independence period and fictionalized Gandhian
thought.
The influx of Marxism into the literary scene in the 1930 I s diverted the
attention
of
many
writers.
Marxism
was
perhaps
more
consistent
in
its
ideology compared to Gandhism. Writers like Mulk Raj Anand were drawn to
Marxism
moral
and
stature,
Socialism.
he
Gandhi
was
not
a
system -builder.
As
he
grew
in
sometimes went on modifying his own earlier statements,
thus giving the impression of apparent inconsistency. and even contradiction.
Though he wrote and talked profusely on diverse topics,
he said that his
life was his message. What he wrote might perish, he would say, but what
he did would survive him. Some of these novels by concentrating on what he
283
did
rather
than
on
what
he
wrote
seem
to
illustrate
the
truth
of
this
observation.
An examination of the post -independence novels reveals that Gandhi and
Gandhian
thought
novelist.
But
ahead
Most
continue to capture the imagination of the Indian English
Gandhi
poses
great
problems
for
the
novelists.
of his times and very few of his followers really
of
them
fundamentals
were
of
half -believers
Gandhian
thought,
of
He
was
far
understood him.
his
creed
of
ahimsa.
Among
the
ahimsa
seems
to
have
attracted
the
attention of the majority of novelists. About twenty of the post -independence
Indian
English
novels
offers
wider
violence
deal
either
scope for
with
non -violence
fictionalisation
or
violence.
than ahimsa.
In
fact
This is best
illustrated in the novels of Malgonkar.' Nayantara Sahgal'l So' novels show that
possibilit~es
she is very much aware of the immense
of non -violence in the
present strife -stricken world. Malgonkar seems to discredit non -violence in
!
Bend
of
in
the
Ganges.
The
violence
that
erupted
in
India
on
the
eve
independence finds an important place in novels like Chaman Nahal's Azadi,
Rajan's The Dark Dancer and Khushwant Singh IS Train to Pakistan.
Gandhi I S
Partition.
dreams
Communal
of
communal
frenzy
which
harmony
was
the
were
shattered in the days of
order
successfully fictionalized by Nahal (Azadi), Malgonkar
and
Distant
Drum),
and Rajan
of
(!
the
day
has
been
Bend in the Ganges
(The Dark Dancer). Chaudhri Barkat Ali and
Lala Kanshi Ram in Azadi and Kiran Garud and Abdul Jamal in Distant Drum
are rare protagonists of Hindu -Muslim unity. In Train to Pakistan Khushwant
Singh
the
graphically
arrival
of
portrays the ideal communal harmony
the
ghost
train
from
Pakistan
in Mano Majra till
carrying
Hindu
and
Sikh
corpses. Kamala in The Dark Dancer gives up her own life to save a Muslim
284
girl. Communal riots are easier to be fictionalised than communal harmony.
Gandhi I s
stirred
Manohar
sutrgest
fight
the
the
imagination
Malgonkar
in
for
her
of
still
to
the
writers
K.
Children
untouchability
contribution
and
eradication
God
exists
in
cause
like
Nagarajan.
of
of
of
But
untouchability
R.
K.
Shant a
seems
Narayan,
to
have
Chaman
Rameshwar
Rao
Nahal,
seems
to
that long after India became independent.
many
the
parts
amelioration
of
the
country.
of
Indian
women
Gandhi I s
was
also
unprecedented in history. Bharati (Waiting for the Mahatma) J Sumita (Shadow
from
Ladakh),
Kusum and Rehana
Seth and "Ma-ji"
Kedaram),
(The CrowE. a.nd the Loincloth),
and Asha
(Inqilab) are all Gandhian workers. Nirmala (Chronicles of
Premala (Some Inner Fury) and Kamala (The Dark Dancer) take up
social work perhaps to drown their d isa ppointment in married life. As Meena
Shirwadkar points out
writers
that
they
participation
in
the
"it is a serious limitation on the part of the women
have
failed
freedom
to
capture
struggle
in
all
the
its
phenomenon
glory,
as
of
woman I s
well
as
the
glorious feeling of emancipation and fulfilment of duty that was felt by the
women Satyagrahi,.,,5
Bhabani Bhattacharya and Kamala Markandaya have concentrated on rural
India more than the other post -independence Indian English novelists. Rural
reconstruction
comprising
of
several
elements
like
hygiene
and
sanitation,
Swadeshi, and Basic education was sacred to Gandhi. Among these, Gandhian
ideals of education seem to have been almost ignored by the novelists. There
is a passing reference to Gandhi I s ideas on basic education in Sha.dow From
Ladakh.
Characters
Gandhigram
in
who
Shadow
Gandhian village.
spin
From
and
wear
Ladakh
is
khadi are
an
attempt
found
to
in
many
present
novels.
the
ideal
285
Truth is an ab stract idea difficult to be effectivel v fictionalized. Ra ia
Rao I s
The
Truth.
Serpent
and
the
R.
K.
Narayan
have
satisfied
truthfulness
in
everyday
life.
In his article
Writers
like
portrayal
of
Mulk
Anand
Rai
has
Rope
confessed
is
that
Ramaswamy I s
his
"conversion
quest
for
Metaphysical
themselves
with
the
"WhY I Write? "
to truth
in
Sabarmati
Ashram was not a conversion to Gandhiji I s proposition 7 God is Truth. I had
been
converted
Satvagraha
or
to
the
truth
Truth -force
which
has
found
I
saw
better
in
human
relations.
treatment in the hands of the
Indian English novelists.
Gandhi
is
introduced
in
person
in
Waiting
for
the
Mahatma
and
The
Crown and the Loincloth. Bhabani Bhattacharya has an ideal Gandhi character
Devata
~
in
Many Hungers.
Satyajit in Shadow from
Ladakh is a Gandhian
with certain drawbacks like his misinterpretation of Gandhi I s brahmacharya
vow. Jagan the sweeet -vendor deludes himself by paying mere lip service to
Gandhi I s
essence
ideals.
of
He
Gandhi I s
observes
teaching.
the
All
externals
the
other
of
Gandhism
novels
taken
discarding
UP
for
the
detailed
study here introduce one or more ideals dear to Gandhi. None of the postindependence Indian English novelists are ideologically committed to Gandhi
either as men or as writers. This is perhaps why there is no pure example
of Gandhian fiction
written after the exit of the Mahatma from the scene.
What is relevant here is the ideological commitment of the novelist not as a
man,
but as a fiction writer who can embody the ideas and ideals in his
characters.
Perhaps there is the question here of the readership of fiction. Most of
the
writers
in
English
want
the
best
of
both
worlds --native and
English
audience. True Gandhians may not have the skill or imagination to body forth
286
Gandhian
ideals
throurrh characters and situations.
Mulk Raj
Anand is often
motivated by the desire to propagate his ideas rather than by a concern for
artistic
finish
while
Raja
Rao I s
affiliations
are primarily to Yainavalkya,
Atmananda Guru etc. Narayan has always been regarded as a class by himself
concentrating
Pousse
his
on
Malgudi I s
considers
ideals.
7
Narayan
Most
of
quiet
to
and
be
lI
characters,
in
his
incarnations of the Gandhian ideal 11 as they are
discarding
the
social
illusions
unconcerned
life.
Michel
steady advocate of the Mahatma and of
a
Narayan I s
seemingly
that
fettered
view,
are
llliterary
IIpeople in quest of truth,
them
and
reverting
to
the
essentials of religion. 1I8 Narayan has always stuck to the Indian tradition and
also
used
simple
penetrated
the
English
heart
of
in
his
novels.
Gandhi's
Pousse
teaching.
He
affirms
separated
that
11
the
Narayan
obviously
ephemeral implications of his philosophy from what was eternal in it and he
gave literary existence to the latter." 9
Of the
greater
detail
Narayan,
reveal
seventeen novelists,
a
than
the
Bhattacharya,
greater
whose works are discussed here,
others,
Malgonkar,
impact
of
about
eight
Markandaya,
Gandhian
ideology
(namely ,
Anand,
some in
Raja
Rao,
Nahal and Nayantara Sahgal)
than
the
others.
Strangely
enough, they constitute the most important Indian fictional voices in English
-
during the period covered, barring perhaps Anita Desai and Arun Joshi. The
works
of
the
preoccupation
youngest
with
generation
Gandhian thought,
show
little
evidence
hence they have not
of
any
deep
been considered
here in d.etail. The ideological orientation of the authors of the middle and
earlier generations does not seem to have had any adverse effect on their
artistic merits. But it appears that the relevance of Gandhian thought to the
287
writing of fiction has suffered a set back since the Emergency. Most of the
novels
examined
independence
in
and
this
the
thesis
therefore
Emergency.
The
belong
exceptions
to
are
the
period
Anand I s
between
The Bubble.
Nahal's The Crown and the Loincloth and 5ahgal's Rich Like Us. For a time
these early authors may continue to project Gandhi or Gandhian thought, but
post -Emergency
Indian
direction.
This
does
completely
lost
but
scene.
fiction
not
it
Unprecedented
fissiparous
in
English
however
certainly
violence,
seems
imply
has
that
the
suffered
hypocrisy
to
an
and
tendencies throughout the country J
have
taken
relevance
eclipse
cheating
caste war,
of
on
in
a
different
Gandhi
is
the
national
every
sector.
communal tension,
the tendency towards greater industrialisation and urbanisation, bride -burning
and
~ati --apparently
everything that Gandhi stood against --have come to the
forefront in national life.
This decline in moral values is perhaps reflected
in the corresponding absence of Gandhian literature at present.
One
may
identify
three
stages
in
the
history
of
Indian
fiction
in
English: one, the early phase- of. the pre -;-inde.penden:c.e period, represented for
example
by
Kanthapura
and
independence and Emergency,
Azadi and
Untouchable;
two.
represented for
A Bend in the Ganges;
and three,
the
middle
phase
between
example by 50. Many Hungers.
the contemporary phase after
the Emergency, represented mostly by the later works of the authors of the
middle phase. This thesis is mainly concerned with the works of the middle
phase.
not
Works of the third phase marking a decline in Gandhian fiction have
been covered
crisis
by
the
deepens and there
present
is a
study.
Perhaps if and when the present
consequent return to Gandhian values. there
might emerge great works of fiction adumbrating the Gandhian value system.
Notes
1
Jawaharlal Nehru,
The DiscovITY of India
(Bombay:
Asia Publishine:
House, 1977) 358.
2
3
Nehru 358.
Krishna Kripalani,
Indian Literature:
A Panoramic Glimpse (Bombay:
Nirmala Sadanand, 1968) 79.
4
N.
Radhakrishnan,
Indo -Anglian
Fiction:
Major
Trends
and
Themes
(Madras: Emerald, 1984) 8.
5
Im~e
Meena Shirwadkar,
of Woman in the Indo -Ane:lian
Novel
(New
Delhi: Sterling, 1979) 149.
6
Mulk Rai Anand.
"Why I Write?" in Krishna Nandan Sinha, ed. Indian
Writing in English (New Delhi: Heritage, 1979) 6-7.
7
Michel
Pousse,
Literary Criterion
8
Pousse 81.
9
Pousse 90.
25.,4
"R.
K.
Narayan
(1990): 80.
as
a
Gandhian
Novelist"
}
The