Kanthapura A Novel of Indian Freedom Movement

  Kanthapura A Novel of Indian Freedom Movement

Gandhiji’s impact on the novelist Raja Ram is quite obvious (clear/evident) and it is also reflected in the whole novel ‘Kanthapura’ through his mouthpiece character ‘Moorthy’ and even though several other ways.

 After reading a few pages of this novel, the action of the novel catches speed in one direction that is Freedom Movement of India, the mainstream of the novel.

Raja Rao was born in Gandhiji’s era, so he had a deep impact of Gandhian ideology in his mind.

 

Gandhiji’s role in India’s Freedom Movement attracts even foreign reputed minds. So he is one among the main freedom fighters of his times.

 

Raja Rao had all these points in his mind while creating Moorthy’s character in this novel. As Moorthy is introduced, a very good image of him is formed in the reader’s mind. He begins his role following the footsteps of Gandhiji by practising his ideal’s great principles of life, i.e. love for truth, justice, and non-violence.

 

He left his higher education and dedicated his life to making the people aware of Gandhiji’s Freedom Movement. He observed fast not to attract people’s attention, but to purify his soul out of the guilt that people resorted to violence because of him.

 

He gets mixed up with people, who were victims of caste division and the social evils of untouchability, and ill-treatment given to the widows. He goes from one door to the other just to inspire the people of the Pariah caste to do something for their upliftment.

He distributes ‘charkhas’ to them so that they may make threads and sell them to add to their livelihood. He tells them how the British are exploiting them economically, socially, politically, and mentally also.

 His own mother turns insane and dies because of his decision not to stop getting mixed up with the Pariahs. He suffers much mental pain due to all that, but every time he emerges as a stronger person, capable of moving ahead overpowering all odd that impede his way.

 He continues his task of making people aware of Gandhiji’s ideas and inspiring them to take part in the freedom movement of India.

 When Moorthy was arrested for anti-British Rule activities in India, not only the women but also the men of Kanthapura come forward to take Moorthy’s task ahead. A ‘Sevika Sangh’ was formed in Kanthapura.  

 Several activities like ‘Don’t Touch the Government Campaign’ , Gandhiji’s Dandi Yatra’, and picketing of the ‘Boranna’s Toddy grove’ were supported. The police arrested several ‘satyagrahis’ and inflicted torture on them, but it did not deter (stop) people from their aim to free India.

 Moorthy taught his people Gandhian ideals of non-violence to stick to it under every odd condition. He spread the message that only homemade clothes be used. No foreign material should be bought and used. People arranged 'Prabhat-Pheris' and sang bhajans in temples in Gandhiji’s praise.

The novelist has shown Kanthapura in this novel India at a micro-scale. Whatever was happening at Kanthapura was also happening everywhere in India. The people of Kanthapura got so much attached to Moorthy that they were bear all tortures inflicted on them by the police force. They forgot all of their social, economic, and religious boundaries.

 Thus the novelist depicts Kanthapura as India in miniature form, where one may watch the Freedom Movement going on with the same enthusiasm and fearlessness as it was continuing elsewhere in India.

 

 

Kanthapura as a Novel of Gandhian Ideology

Kanthapura as a Novel of Gandhian Ideology  

Kanthapura is truly a novel that reflects Gandhian ideology and its deep impact on the people of the village Kanthapura. It is a sleeping village situated at the slopes of the   Malabar Hills in South India. It becomes vibrant (lively) all of a sudden as Moorthy begins his active participation in the social and religious life of the people of Kanthapura.  He gives up his education and starts following Gandhiji and his ideas. 

This novel can be called Gandhi-epic because it depicts Gandhian influence on the life of the people of Kanthapura. Although Gandhiji does not appear personally in Kanthapura, yet the people there are greatly influenced by his ideals of non-violence (ahinsa), truthfulness and satyagraha, etc. The novelist Raja Rao himself is greatly influenced by Gandhiji and, we see the novelist’s reflection in Moorthy in this novel. He embodies the Gandhian ideology of non-violence and sacrifice for the common people. He goes on fasts whenever something wrong happens. The people of Kanthapura see Moorthy as Gandhian ‘avtar’ and they all ignore their local differences and get united under the umbrella of the Freedom Movement.

Moorthy also represents thousands of Indian youth, who left their studies and joined the Gandhian struggle for freedom to free India from the shackles (chains) of slavery. Gandhiji wanted to bring about a social, economic, and religious change in the people of India. But it was possible only through freedom. So he started Freedom Movement in the country. It spreads not only to the people living in urban India, but it also reached the remote corners of the country, like Kanthapura.

In those days, there were people in society, who were the agents of the British Government and wanted to create hurdles in the way of the freedom fighters. Such people like Bade Khan, Bhatta, Swamiji, etc. created hurdles in Moorthy’s aim to make the people of Kanthapura awakened to Gandhiji's ideas. He is the man who raised funds to organize religious functions in the village. The Harikathaman started telling people about the charismatic (magnetic) personality of Gandhiji to the people of Kanthapura. After the arrest of the Harikathaman, Moorthy takes responsibility in his own hands and spreads awareness among the people. He distributes charkhas free of cost to the people of Kanthapura.

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 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 it can be concluded safely that Kanthapura reflects Gandhian ideology and its deep impact on the people of the village Kanthapura.

 

 

Bhatta’s Character in Kanthapura by Raja Rao-Long Qs-Ans

            Kanthapura by Raja Rao: Bhatta’s Character

This chapter introduces us to ‘Bhatta’, who plays a negative role to create hurdles in Moorthy’s way. The narrator tells us that his last visit to the city has changed his thinking. Before his last visit to the city, he used to sit and sing with the people of Kanthapura.

 

But all of a sudden, he got involved in business pursuits. He has also started giving money on loans to people. He was always ready to do sale and purchase deeds. He would mortgage people’s land to give them loans at a very high rate of interest. During elections, he is the person who lends money to people inside or outside Kanthapura. He has financed Seenappa’s and Chandra Shekhara’s elections.

He is always ready to help the people of Kanthapura to solve their money-related problems. But, he does not do it in charity. He exploits people’s problems and charges high rates of interest if his clients are in serious problems.

 

As a human being, Bhatta is a very cunning, greedy and cruel person. In his early youth, he did work as a priest. He is the first Brahmin of the village, but quite opposite to the noble Brahmins like Moorthy and Ramakrishannayya. He is an agent to the British Govt. he is an expert in reading the Hindu calendar. So, people often approach him for his guidance about the auspicious days for marriages and knowing about the dates of festivals.

The narrator also gives examples to prove Bhatta’s greed for money and how he exploits people in their difficult times. He lent ten rupees to Rampur Mada for a nuptial  /ˈnʌp.ʃəl/ (wedding) ceremony at six percent interest payable in two months. Lingayya has to pay his revenue to avoid an arrest warrant. He gets twenty-one rupees and eight ‘annas’ for six months at ten percent interest.

Kanthamma needs one hundred and twenty rupees for her son’s marriage. She has to mortgage her two and a half acres of wetland to get this loan at seven percent interest.

 

In the meantime, Bhatta’s wife Savithramma dies of an accident. Offers came to him for his second marriage from here and there. But he marries the daughter of a rich landlord of Alur. She is only twelve and a half years old. She brings a rich dowry for him. After his second marriage, Bhatta became richer and richer. Now he is able to lend more money to the people of Kanthapura and those of the adjoining areas.

Thus Bhatta became the owner of thirty-seven acres of wetland and ninety acres of dry land in all the villages: Kanthapura, santur, Puttur, and Honnali