Socio - economic Problems Taken up by Raja Rao in Kanthapura:
In Kanthapura Raja Rao, apart from the political theme takes up socio - economic problems, the chief among them are untouchability, Hindu Muslim unity, poverty, mal treatment of widows, inharmonious marriages, drinking and money - lending .
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| Discuss Raja Rao’s Novel Kanthapura as A social novel |
The Problem of Untouchability:
The problem of Pariah versus the caste Brahmins has been tackled with great care by the novelist. The Pariahs and the caste Brahmins lived in different localities. They were sworn enemies of each other. The Brahmins particularly held the Sudras in contempt. The Sudras were not necessarily poor, their vocation was the manual work like weaving and pot - making. The caste Brahmins grew rich by exploiting them. Bhatta, a caste – Brahmin, made lot of money by laying his hands wherever he could. The caste - Brahmins had a pride of their pure and high blood. The Brahmins never mixed up with pariahs. Bhatta as Brahmin refused to tie a holy thread round the shoulders of Pariahs. Once he said, “You can offer me a king's daughter, but never will I sell my soul to a Pariah.” He also refused to perform the last rites of Moorthy's mother because he had mixed with Pariahs and spoilt the caste of Brahmins in the village.
The Pathetic Condition of Sudras:
The Sudras were quite simple. They were poor on the whole, but it was not so with all of them. (The other Sudras were not badly - fed house - holders.) They were always badly dressed and always paid revenues due and debts after several notices. The Brahmins were angry with Sudras and they would express their indignation against them in season and out of season. The Sudras had submitted to their fate and accepted what came to them quietly without a demur. The Sudras were the objects of neglect by society and life was a veritable hell for them . 19
Mahatma Giving a Call of Liberation:
The problem of untouchability was, indeed, serious. It was a vile game which involved the Sudras into the contemptible clutches of the Brahmins and Mahatma Gandhi gave a call of liberation of the Sudras. Fearing that their monopoly in society would end, the caste - Brahmins looked upon it with disapprobation. They held the idea of being equal with them as vile and opposed it with all their might. They performed the consecration ceremonies and ate like gluttons at the obsequial dinners.
Moorthy's Contemplation to Unite the Low Caste People in one Thread:
Moorthy contemplated to build a thousand - pillared temple, housing a Pariah and a priest. He told the villagers that whether Brahmin or bangle - seller, Pariah or priest, they were all one, one as the mustard seed in a sack of mustard seeds, equal in shape and hue. They were yoked to the same plough. He also told them that the Brahmin heart and the weaver heart and pariah heart seemed to beat the one beat of Siva dancing.
The Problem of Labour:
A colonial capitalist (a European) was the master of the labour in the Coffee Plantation of the labour there and they were just like flies in the cobwebs woven by these capitalist - spiders. They, both Telegu and Tamil speaking, would come from distant places to labour in the Coffee Plantation and were given by the master the bait rice. They would come there with all their belongings which only consisted of a few simple things only and their children and feeble parents. Is there rice? They had asked and they were told “There is nothing but rice around us.” They would come to the new land of their dreams. The foreign capitalist would take the innocent simple coolies into his tentacles, from which it was not easy to come out unscathed. The owners of the Skeffington Coffee Estate were the Englishmen drawn from the English stock. They would make lot of money which ultimately would go to England.
The Exploitation of the Labourers:
The exploitation of the labourers at the plantation was different from that of Bhatta. When the coolies got a rupee, they would be happy. They were brought by a four anna bit for a woman with a handful of popped - rice and a little salted gram and from this point would begin their misery. Everyone would get a beating when he deserved and sweets when he worked well . This was the law of Skeffington Estate. The coolies and the labourers were treated shabbily by the supervisors to guide them and were put like herd of cattle to the work.
The Other Sufferings of the Labourers:
They had a superstitious reverence for the sacred reptiles (snakes) and they worked in the fields where they ran the risk of death by their bite. They were victims of diseases of all kinds and the pills were given to them for cure, but they seldom made use of them, as they thought that they would be helped by goddess in this respect. Madanna's second child died of disease and only two days later Sidda's father, Ramayya, too died of it.
Hindu - Muslim Unity:
Bade Khan stayed in the Skeffington Coffee Estate. Being a Mohammedan he could stay neither in the Pariah Street nor in the Sudra Street. The concept of Swaraj aimed at Hindu - Muslim unity. Moorthy mixed with the Pariahs like a veritable Mohammedan. One girl, reported Bhatta, ran away and married a Mohammedan. The volunteers in the city of Peshawar were addressed as ‘our brother’.
Toddy Groves and Toddy Booths: The coolies spent a great deal of their earnings at the Toddy booth. Bhatta earned a lot out of his toddy contracts. But Moorthy and his followers were against drinking. They picketed the Boranna Toddy Grove and the Toddy Booth near the Skeffington Estate. Padre, an addict to drinks laughs: “…..you are right, learned, sir, but if you put a dog on the throne he'll jump down on the sight of dirt.” And Moorthy replies: “No, no, you cannot straighten a dog's tail, but you can straighten a man's heart.”
Marriage Problem:
The marriage problem in the novel is the side problem. The widows were prohibited from marrying and they were looked with contempt by the village - folk. Ratna's marriage was celebrated when she was in her early teens. Hers was a child marriage. It was really a curse. Sometimes an old man like Bhatta would marry a young girl by paying money. The widowers were allowed to re - marry, but it was not the case with the widows.
Wasteful Expenditure at the Weddings:
There was, besides, unnecessary wasteful expenditure at the weddings which were performed with pomp and show and the bridegroom's parties would stay for many days at the cost of the people of the bride. A village wedding was replete with vulgarity and inconvenience of the worst sort. Thus the whole of the novel, it is evident, centered round the social problems, which resulted from the superstitious belief in gods and goddesses of the village - folk. Life was a veritable hell for them. Their social problems revolved round caste muddle, untouchability, the widowhood, labour problems and marriage problem.