Kanthapura by Raja Rao

Kanthapura by Raja Rao

           We study to India writing in English. In we see Raja Rao was great writer, poet and novelist. He was write one novel entitled like “Kanthapura” published in 1938. Here we see that   kanthapura was a village, it may be that kasipura in south India.  This was not real village but only imagination of Raja Rao. The novel narrated as old women. But in this story one man as Harikatha like that tells them. Jayramakrishna was men of village and talk to mythical way. The novel began that to Indian myth like Shiva, Vishnu, Rama, Krishna etc. The author as given imagination of Indian god and goddesses. Kanthapura is narrated by old aged woman Kenchamma.  In novel we see that novel narrated to Indian myth as katha. In novel myths are important? What is myth as well as story? Because how she narrated one kind of story in daily life. It is also of combination reality and truth imagination of Brahmin life and how they play vital role in novel. It is only represented Indian minds and social religious them. Myths are only for heritage and simple but nothing of them. So we see in this novel in subordinate a term use in law caste.     

•   Myths in novel

           Kanthapura in main protagonist Moorthy was told story of god. And it is image of Indian religious and myth in his life. Moorthy was non violent. He talks that to Gandhian ideas and telling to the village people as freedom movement at story of god. Kanthapura was imagination of Raja Rao and in that one Story with in the story of Harikatha. This story tells as to kasipura people at of mythical story. 

   How he understands to human nature and the village people like and struggle to India becomes free county. In that case Moorthy telling story of Gandhi. Gandhi was “Rama”.  And how British represented in story of that “Ravan”.  It is evil thinks and compared to both of them. In the novel, we find a village became India. 

        

                       And this myth about to when goes way. The country own myths as to be history of India. Rama, the narrator, does not answer such questions; he only chronicles the breakdown of the relationship, almost impersonally, as if there were little he could do to save it. He also does not feel himself responsible for having affairs with other women, one of which involves a ritual second marriage, while being married to Madeleine at the same time. What is lacking, then, is an adequate motivation for the actions of the characters, something that most readers are conditioned to expect from a novel. Kanthapura novel narration that myths and brief struggle of Gandhi and freedom fighter movement tells in this novel as mythical way. Kenchamma was tells that Gandhi was lord Rama of Indian and how he was not happy to British people bad and many of die to Hindus. 

“Myths are collective in our unconscious mind”

                Raja Rao has who write and thought that this village as india. Moorthy and other native people was fight to religious and upper caste people. Here we see that creation of grandmother as god mingles with human beings as ideal person. At that time, Indian sensibility of literary middle path as Raja Rao is caught between two path East and West Indian. 

•              Subordinate to law caste

     Kanthapura in upper and lower caste represent to Indian rigidity, religious and cultural things. In this caste of that untouchable, gender different, politics, superstition etc. Moreover we see that Kanthapura frame work of that blend of history and myths. It is help us to reexamine characters. Kanthapura in social, cultural, political, religious, spiritual etc. relationship of the protagonist moorthy like this. We see that women are minor character. They not leave together of male. We read novel kanthapura as to begun to religious and at end its becomes political novel.

              We can see that women characters are active in this village like Kenchamma, Mrs. Bhatia, Ratna, Moorthy mother and his wife and other Dalits women. The women getting together and making a group “Sevika Sangh”. It givens a natural touch to situation. One character like Bhatia who was against Gandhi ideas. He was rich person.  He was married a girl after his wife death. We see that only 12 year girl married them. Here we see that society has rigid and an ancient idea follows them. Kanthapura has become melting plot of nationalism. Here we see caste consciousness and shape of the quarters speak about prosperity of the few and poverty of main. Women and Dalits are in wretched condition. In the novel, we see typical male constructed culture with a lot of rules and regulation imposed upon women. Dalits are not come in village only for early morning. so it is life of kanthapura village.

   So we can say that in kanthapura novel as Gandhian ideas, independent thinks, religious, culture and political thinks in this novel. Raja Rao gives imagination of real Indian and there lifestyle portrayed in this novel kanthapura.