Moorthy's Character in Kanthapura

 Kanthapura by Raja Rao: Essay-type Questions & Answers

 Character sketch of Moorthy

Ans. Moorthy is the central character in the whole gamut (range) of characters in the novel Kanthapura. From the very beginning, Moorthy catches readers' attention (focus). We come to know that after leaving college education, Moorthy follows Gandhiji. He is so much impressed with Gandhiji’s personality that he adopts his ‘swadeshi ideas.’ Narsamma, his mother, wanted him to see highly educated and sitting on a high positioned seat.

 But her dreams are shattered when Moorthy left education and devoted himself fully to Gandhiji's ‘Swadwshi’ and Freedom Movements. Now he does not wear foreign clothes. He does not read even foreign books. He keeps fasts to purge himself at times.His mother was initially against all that Moorthy was doing, but gradually, she had to accept all that.

 

Moorthy picks up social evils like maltreatment towards widows and untouchability and the caste system. He works against these deep-rooted social evils. These evils were national issues also, but Moorthy works to eradicate (remove) these social evils from his village and the surrounding areas. He went from one door to the other to spread the message that he did not believe in castes and other types of narrow thinking. He is against any discrimination that separates one human being from the other. 

He does not care for Bhatta’s warnings of the ex-communication of him and his family. His mother dies of the anxiety that was created in her mind due the fear of being excommunicated by the Swamiji. His mother’s death does not waver him from his determination. He continues working for uplifting the poor section of society. He does not care for his own community. One day, he openly carries Pattayya’s wife’s dead body for some time as a mark of respect to the dead. That makes all stunned.

 He went to the houses of the Pariahs. He heard their problems and found solutions to them. He advised them to work on Gandhiji’s charkhas and adopt Swadeshi goods. He educated them that by spinning on the wheels, they would not only help Gandhiji’s Swadeshi Movement but also earn money.

When he heard of the miserable condition of the coolies at the Skeffington Coffee Estate, he went there to teach them. But he was not allowed to enter the Estate.

 Moorthy forms Congress Committee at Kanthapura and he is unanimously elected as the President. Rangamma and her sister’s daughter Ratna support Moorthy in his work for Gandhiji. Even Range Gowda also helps him. Thus they all inspire the villagers to join Congress to free India from the British. Women also come forward and form Sevika Sangh to support Moorthy.

Thus Moorthy is a very important character in the novel Kanthapura.