Raja Rao narrative style in Kanthapura.

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2015-2016

Name: Vala Asha Tidabhai

Semester:1

Roll no: 41

Work: Assignment

Topic:-Raja Rao narrative style in Kanthapura.

Paper: 3 (Indian writing in English)

Email.id: valaasha10@gmail.com

Date: 14/10/2015

Submitted By: Smt. S. B. Gardi,

Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University.

Department of English

1) Raja Rao’s narrative style in kanthapura.

Introduction of the writer:-

Raja rao was born on November 8, 1908 in Hassan, in the state of Mysore in south India, into a well-know Brahman family. His native language was Kanarese, but his post- graduation study was in France, and all his publications in book form were in English. He lived in France from 1908 to 1939, and returned to India in 1940, after the Second World War. Kanthapura was his first novel in English. His other novels are 

“The cow of the barricades, Great Indian way: a life of Mahatma Gandhi, a passage to Indian, the serpent and the rope, cat and Shakespeare, The chess master and his moves.”

Narrative style of Raja Rao in ‘Kanthapura:’-

                                      The success of any literary artist lies not only in his ideas but also in his expression. The style reveals the nature and the intention of the writer. It is rightly said that ‘style is man’ means man is recognizes by his style. In literature by reading the text of any writer we can assume his character and his intellectual power. Style differs from person to person. So it’s necessary to notice and analyze the literary technique used by writer.

His style of narration is paranoiac.

Raja Rao follows the oral tradition story telling without any break.

The novel starts like this; our village- I don’t think you have ever heard about it- Kanthapura its name and it is in the provenance of Kara……

Novel written in three stands.

1)Political background,

2) Religious background,

3)Social background. 

Novel has multiple structures also here four focus quarters

Brahmin,

Pariah,

Potter,

Sudra.

Raja Rao focus on small things things here in this novel he is taking about transformation.

The people here were mostly poor, illiterate and backward. People were extremely religious minded.

In kanthapura Rao has translated the native similes, metaphors, idioms, and phrases that are used in a vernacular language.

Juxstapositionand in dreams and reality.

Old puranic style:-

                                         Raja Rao used the ancient Purana method of storytelling rather than follows the western style, according to him Purana method of storytelling is natural and true to nature the atmosphere of India, which gives it Indian mess to the novel. Kanthapura is third person narrative novel. Kanthapura is narrated by old woman Achkka. As Rao has told in his preface the story is told in oral tradition of storytelling without any break. He says in preface to Kanthapura

“We , in India think quickly , we talk quickly , and when we move, we move quickly, we have neither punctuation nor the treacherous ‘arts’ and ‘ones’….Episodes follows episodes, and when our thought stop, our breath stops, and we move on to another thought.”

                                  Western style method of chapter division is not followed and it is one continues tale. The long sentence shows flows flow of thought. This technique is used here in the present novel. In this novel the narrator talks to the reader for example in the very opening of Kanthapura Achakka says following lines.

“Our village-I don’t have ever heard about it Kanthapura is its name and it is the province of Kara. High Ghats, is it, high up the steep mountains, that face the cool Arabian seas, up the Malabar coast is it, up Bangalore and putter coast is it and many a center of cardamom and coffee, rise and sugarcane, Roads, narrow rut covered roads, wind through the forest forest of teak and jack of sandal and Sal, and hanging over bellowing gorges and leaping over elephant haunted valleys, they turn now to the left and now to the right and bring you through the flambe, champ and mins and kola passes in to the great granaries of trade. There, on the blue waters they say our carted our cardamom and coffee tag in to the ship, the red men bring, and, so they say, they go across the seven oceans in to the countries where our rulers live.”

                     In many of his stories also this method is used. This narrative method helps him to go in friendly conversational style and also to present freely the reflection of the narrator.

                     This narrative method has given the writer ample opportunity for portraying character by representing various moods, and conflict, and spiritual, inward of the character. This appropriateness of style one can notice in Raja rao. Even in Indianian English he brings out the difference in the language used by educated, uneducated, young and old. In the Kanthapura achakka used such a language that is typical of an old woman. She expresses her feelings without any inhibition;

“If rain comes not, you fall at her feet and say Kanchmma, goddess, you are not kind to us. Our fields are full of youngsters and you have given us no water, Tell us Kanchmma why do you seek to make our stomachs burn.”

                           In the same novel he distinguishes the style of harikatha man and worthy and many others from that of Achakka. Worthy’s conversation would be good illustration. While explaining to nanjamma about the advantage of spinning he says;

“In is yours sister, and every month, I shall come to you how many yard you have `spun. And every month I shall gather your yarn send it to city. And city people reduce you for the cotton charges and for rest, you have your cloth.”

In the Indian sociology-cultural context as in many others, the speaker normally addresses the listener as brother, mother, and sister or with some other term in social discourse. In many of the words languages including Indian languages. 

“uncle, aunt, older brother, old sister etc. are appropriate terms of address in ordinary circumstances for familiar person as well as strangers older than one self.”

                                  In Raja Rao especially in Kanthapura, the narrative is straight forward, and he uses flashback technique. Achakka tells the story to her grand-children, of her past in what kind of situation she passes through. She told story in different manner, sometimes while telling story she forgets the name of mythical characters, and confused between Shiva and Brahma, a Vishnu. She sometimes forget the story and then come back in present, and when she remembers she went back to past. The thing which we should note that she tell her children the of Ram, of Shiva, of Vishnu, of Krishna. And then come back to the present time she compares the mythical character with present time of India in which she lives.

                                  In political stand point Rao presented the prevailing condition, especially the Gandhi a dies-obedient movement. The village ruled by them, they get better scope to get good place in the village.

Religious background:-

                                         The village has a people who have strong rigid and orthodox background of religion. The Brahmin is upper cast of society. In the Kanthapura people are ignorant, poor and superstitious, but they are also deeply religious. They were faith in Goodness ‘Kenchamma.’ She is in the center of the village. Marriage, Sickness, death, Plugging, harvesting, arrest, release all are watched by kenchamma. They may be small pox or influence around but you make vow to the goodness, the next morning, you walked and you find the fever has left you.

There is a also temple of Kanthapurishwari.

Kenchamma, kenchamma Goddess benign, and bounteous, Mother of earth, blood of life, Harvest- queen-rain, Crowned, Kenchamma, Kenchamma Goddess benign and bounteous…

                                                If we see the social background, we find that the condition of delist, pariahs, and women is very poor in the village. They have very little space in the daily life. There was a cast system of vivid communities. These delist, pariahs and women are suppressed due to this cast system.

The cast system is divided in four parts as under.

1)            Brahmin,

2)            Pariah,

3)            Potter,

4)            Weaver.

Conclusion:-

The novel starts with simple narration by an old woman about one of the village in India, later it evolves to entire India. The narration starts as tale is told to children by their grandmother as it is the Indian tradition. Raja Rao has combined the myth for authentication of his work by putting myth in novel he easily achieved his goal. Not only the use of myth makes it popular but, his intellectual power, his imaginative power, his ability to use and utilize the Indian they, and it’s his knowledge of Indian culture and people.

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