Abstract:-
This article tries to compare texts fromtwodistinct
literatures.The Waste Land by Eliot from British background and Manavini Bhavai
by Pannalal Patel from Indian (Gujarati) background. Both the texts are located
in first half of 20th century. This article is an attempt to read
contemporary society with the help of both the texts. How there
wasdehumanization, sexual perversion, spiritual draught were wide spread in
society. Culture was being totally rotten.
Key Words: spiritual draught/degradation, sexual perversion,
dehumanization, World War, Draught, rottenness of culture.
Comparison betweenanepicpoem‘The Waste Land’ by T. S.
Eliot and aGujarati novel “Manavini Bhavai” by Pannalal Patel.
Introduction
‘The Waste Land’
is written by T. S. Eliot in early 20th century. The title of this
long epic poem itself suggests the essence of this poem that what is all about.
‘The Waste Land’ means barren land where
nothing grows- a desert, or any barren or uninteresting place. Eliot is very
self/auto critical. So he criticizes his own nation (country) or say entire
Europe by calling it Wasteland & people living in it as Wastelanders. He
criticizes Sexual perversion, spiritual degradation and dehumanization of
Western society. He is showing mirror to the world who they are, Rather than
praising his culture he attacks the rottenness of his culture.One of itsmajor
themes is the barrenness of a post-warworld in which human sexuality has
beenperverted from its normal course and thenatural world too has become
infertile.
Northrop Fryesays
in his essay “Archetypal criticism” that “some where we all (entire human race)
(East or West) are connected.”Basic human nature is common everywhere. We share
common Psyche. Then the question came to my mind is that where is this kind of
rottenness in our culture?
AreweresemblingcharacteristicsofwastelandersorHollowmaninEliot'ssense??Whatarethepitfallsandshortcomingsofourculture?
And if it istherethen how it is mirrored in our (regional)
literature. So I think “Manavini Bhavai”- a Gujarati novel by Pannalal Patel is
suitable option to compare with “The Waste Land”.
★Titularsignificance:-
Significance of the title:-
Title suggests the essence of the work. Both the writers
have carefully choosen the title of their work.
Through reading of literature ultimately we come to know
about the self. if literature is mirror orX-Rayimageofselforsociety, then
reading literature is the quest for the self. We have to identify where we are/
ami in literature?
Eliot's title of the poem is very significant, suggestive
& appropriate because it signifies three Wasteland- that of Fisher King,
Oedipus and Biblical or Modern Europe.
Where as Pannalal Patel clarifies the meaning of the title
in the preface of the novel. Because the Gujarati word 'Bhavai' has various
contextual meanings.
Bhavai is in traditional Gujarati folk culture isa kind of
play/ drama performance by all male members of vivid historical events &
figures- especially during Navaratri
festival.
So the title has connotation that 'Manavini' means people's/
Human being's, &'Bhavai' means
drama. It connotes that human being's entire life is like a drama & we are
just like puppet. We have to play our roles and exit the stage. Nothing is in
one's hand. Inspite of knowing we can't do anything. It signifies the futility
of human's life.
But Pannalal Patel says in the preface of the novel though
the word 'Bhavai' has its literal meaning, another meaning of word 'Bhavai'
is 'MILKAT'means
property (something that is owned)
-belongings
-important types of property include real property(land),
personal property(other physical profession), & intellectal property etc.
So we can roughly translate the title of the novel as "people's property".
Which is the property of human bengs??
- a piece of land? gold etc jewellery ? animals? money? or
good relations with other??
The novel is serious debate over this question. As the novel
progresses because of severeDraught slowly and steadily people looses their
everything. After loosing all the material things, even human relations are
under danger. People are killing other, looting others only to get
food/tosatisfytheirhunger.
Such dehumanization & downfall of people is
unimaginable. So the tone of the title of the novel is bitter & ironic.
★Setting:-
The setting of both of this text is common. Dehumanizing
effect of First World War (1914-1918) is clearly seen in the Waste Land,
whereasChappaniyo Dushkal(Draught of 1900) plays a vital role
in this novel.
★The Waste Land
Aprilisthecruellestmonth....
InTheWasteLandAprilisnotthehappymonthofpilgrimagesandstorytelling,butinthemodernworldwinteristhetimeofforgetfulnessandnumbness.Marie'schildhoodrecollectionsarealsopainful.Thesimpleworldofcousinsandcoffeeintheparkhasbeenreplacedbyacomplexsetofemotionalandpoliticalconsequencesresultingfromthewar.Thisshowshowbadlythingshavedecayed.Eliotdescribes
the boredom, emptiness and pessimism of modern age in bitter, ironical and
satirical verse.
Unreal City,
Under the brown fog of a winter
dawn,
A crowd flowed over London Bridge,
so many,
I had not thought death had
undone so many.
Sighs, short and infrequent, were
exhaled,
And each man fixed his eyes
before his feet.
-(Part-1-Burial of the Dead)
Through this T. S. Eliot shows the realistic picture of
mechanical life of the people living in London of that era.
Thisfinalepisodeofthefirstsectionisthemostsurreal.ThespeakerwalksthroughaLondonpopulatedbyghostsofthedead.People
are lifeless, feeling/ emotionless, dull and mechanical. Running like machine
according to clock. The same scene is created in the beginning of the movie “Modern Times” by Charley Chaplin. These
lines are very suggestive- that Death has undone so many means even if they
were living are lookinglike dead. And each man walking fixed his eye before his
feet- means following/ obeying others blindly without rational thinking just
like sheep. In short he criticizes MECHANICAL LIFE of Modern Man.
In the novel “Manavini
Bhavai” Pannalal Patel also portrays the realistic rural picture of people
living in Gujarat. (Though Gujarat became separate state in 1st may
1960, and novel is written much earlier. I mean people living in that
region) Kalu is the protagonist, hero of
the novel& Raju is heroine. At large extent this novel is abouttheir love.
But as I. A. Richards has said(in New
criticism )isclose reading of text.(
Wikipedia)and“to read between the lines”.MeansTo
study the society we also have to read what is not written.
Novel tells about the time that- there was poverty in
society. In entire novel there is not even name of education. Except farming
/agriculturepeopledon’t have other work. People were addicted of intoxication.
Individual was not free to do what he wants to do, he was bounded by so many
social chains. Marriages were decided at the age of 1 or 3 years or many times
even before the birth of children. (Issue of child marriage) And because of such rules individual has to
suffer a lot- marriages became monotonous, cause of destruction, ruin of the
lives of the people.
The same thing happens in this novel also, that from
childhood marriage of Kalu and Raju was decided but because of adverse
circumstances both gets married to different partner. Both still continues to
love each other by heart, but because of society they can’t make it public.
Kalu is not happy in his married life, same with Raju also but then even they go on
stretching the relations. Kalu
clearly says to his wife that though we are united by body, we cannot be united
by soul.
JF,F 0M;FGL lJNFI YTF H V[ ;U56 TM0FJ[ K[PGFG56DF
;FY[ ZD[,F\4WM,SFvWM,SL HD[,F4;FTTF/L NFJDF\ ;FY[ B[,[,F4B[TZG[ ;LDF0[ C;[,F VF
A\G[ H6G[ K]8Z 5F0[ K[v G[ 5NTFGF 3ZDF\ VFJ[ K[ E,LG[ SFD[ ‘cc-LDR]\ccP
VW]]ZFDF\ 5]Z] SF/] GL DF DZTL JBT[ V[GL 5F;[YL K[<,] J[6 DF\UL ,[ K[
S[ccALH] A{~ GlC SZ]cc SF/] HF6[ X]/L 5Z ;}TM K[P GYL pTZFT] S[ GYL V\TSF/
VFJTMP
(Means after death of
kalu’s father their engagement is broken. Childhood friends thus departs and
Kalu marries to a girl, whomhe don’t like. And his mother has taken promise
from him that he will not marry twice or he will not bring second wife. He is
like sleeping on the edge of thorns- neither hecanlive nor die.)
In The Waste Land we find
Mechanical people, then in this novel Manavini Bhavai we find the mechanical relationship-
lifeless, feeling less and dull.What is the use of relations where individual
is not happy.
2
Other major theme of The Waste Land is Sexual Perversion and
Spiritual degradation of Western society. As Eliot is Modernist writer he does not
say this clearly, but uses various myths /allusions/referencesfrom different
cultures to tell his point. Myth of Hycinth girl, myth of Apollo, myth of
Tristan and Isolde, myth of Philomela
and Procne indirectly presents the sexual perversion of Western
society.Thereissymbolicuseofmythstoconnectthepresentwiththepast.
The change of Philomel, by the
barbarous king
So rudely forced; yet there the
nightingale
Filled all the desert with
inviolable voice
And still she cried………….
(2- A Game of Chess)
……………, and think of poor Albert,
He’s been in the army four years;
he wants a good time,
If you don’t give it him, there’s
others will, I said.
(2- A Game of Chess)
Instead of a life-giving act of love, sex occursin the poem
as seduction or rape, leading toabortion-whichcanbesymbolicallyinterpretedfromabovelines.
TherelationbetweenTypistandClearkalsosignifiestheirlustratherthanpurelove.
Theme of “The Waste Land” is spiritual degradation and sexual
perversion. So same thing is also therein the novel “Manavini Bhavai”. For
example in the novel there is an incident that when Raju was working in the
farm at that timeamanfromvillage,whohaddesireforRaju comes and tries to
misbehave with her. He wanted to take disadvantage of her being
alone.BecauserumourswerespreadinthevillagethatRaju'shusbandisillandimpotent,sosheissexuallyunsatisfiedwithherhusband.
This shows
the sexual perversion of our culture also. Generally peoplethink that this kind
of things happen only in Western Countries.
There is also another incident in the novel, Manavini Bhavai which
attacks on our so called ‘saints’, or ‘sadhu’, or ‘religious leaders’.
In Manavini Bhavai, there is a chapter “ Bavani Langoti”, which is a
story within a story & through comedy, rather in a humorous way writer
criticizes such people.
In the novel Kalu’s father Vala Patel tells stories to the other…
Once there was a “Bavo”- (a priest) of the temple of Lord Shiva. He was
living by begging from village.& at the progress & end of the story he
develops illegitimate sexual relation with a widow. When he came to know that
this woman is going to give birth to a child- he runs away.
Now the point is that is he really spiritual (Pious) person??
Indian spirituality, since thousandsofyearsis famous in the world.
Saints are the person who have achieved a state of mind- from which nothing
else remains to achieve. They are above human emotions like happiness,
unhappiness, misery, greed,suffering etc. saints have shown path to the world-
how to live life.
This reference from the novel shows us that how there is also spiritual
degradation in our society.
T[YLI A[C] K]\ K[<,F 5SZ6 c pH0 VFE,[
VDLc DF SF/]GL TZ; DFG;LS TZ; lK5FJJF ZFH] V[GF DMDF\ VG] :TG VF5[ K[PT[ HFlTI
J'lT 36L HUTDF\ K[P56 SF/] H[JF TG[ G[ DG[ T\N]Z:T T[DF\ G ;50FI V[ :JEFlJS K[P
v NX"S
(Last chapter is also suggestive to present
the mental thirst of Kalu. The novel ends when Raju- heroine of the novel gave
her breast in Kalu’s mouth to satisfy his thirst. Symbolically we can also read
as Kalu’s sexual desire for Raju.)
♣Impotency:-
Eliot picks up on the figure of the Fisher King legend's Wasteland as
an appropriate description of the state of modern society.
AsmentionedinthebiginningofthearticlethatTitleconnotesthreewasteLand,oneofthemisofFisherKing'sWasteLand.Fisher
Kingisthe impotent ruler of the waste
land, and the prevailing spirit of The Waste Land.
AndinWasteLandword"Nothingness"comesagainandagain,symbolisesasexualfailure,amomentofimpotence.Thereisnotasinglemomentofjoy.Sothereisneitherreconciliationnoractionispossible.
similalyin"ManviniBhavai"Impotencyrevolvesaroundthelivesofthecentralcharacter.HeroineRaju'shusband'Dyalji'wassufferingfromillnessandimpotentency.Evenaftersomanyyearsoftheirmarriagetheyhadnochild.AndinthenoveltownfolkmakesgossipaboutRaju'sbeautyandherhusband'simpotency.Husband'sconstantillnessandimpotencyaswellasseveredraughtbringscatastropheinRaju'slife.Butaboveallimpotencysnatchesawayallthejoysandgloriesofpastfromher.Howpowerful,attractiveandconfidentgirlshewasinpast!!!Andnowtotallytransformedgirl!!
So,inboththetextImpotencyissomethingthatisdeeplysymbolicallyconnected.
3
DCFZFHGF WFGGL Z1FFG[ A\NMA:T AD8[
VFJ[,F ,xSZL 8M/FJF/L A\N]SM HM.G[ V[ RL; GFBL p9[ K[P cc VZ[ UMhFZF E}lZIF ! DFZJFDF\ TFZL K+LS/F JF5ZL tIFZ[ V[ SZTF SFSF lHFJ0JFG]\
BM/L SF-I] CMT TM HF6TF S[ GF K+L S/FGM T]\ BZM lGS?IMP
(Because of draught, people don’t have food to eat. At that time there
is incident in the novel that an Englishman was passing from village with
grains of king. People of village tries to rob him. An Englishman tries to
threaten by Gun, at that time Kalu speaks very beautiful line that ‘AreBhuriya’ (Oh!Whiteman) you have invented
gun to kill the people, but if you have shown this skill to save/ protect
people than it would be better.) This is the bitter criticism on modern man and
its technological advancement.
V[S V6]AMdA ;F0F K VAH 0M,ZGM AG[ K[PV[S lJDFG SFO,M V[S GFGF ZFQ8=GL
GLXF/ H[8,M BR" DF\U[ K[PAF/SMG[ N}W GYL 5CMrI]\ 4ZMULVMG[ NJF GYL 5CM\RL
4lGZFzLTMG[ VFzI GYL 5CM\rIM4E}bIFVMG[ 5MQF6 GYL V5FI]456 AMdA 4h[ZL U[;4 G[
GF{SFSFO,M JWTM HFI K[PV[DF VWL" 5F.GLV[ BFDLI N[BFTL GYLPDFGJLGL
A]lwWV[vS,FV[ HF6[ lJGFXGF ;WGMG[ tIF ;[JF VF5L K[PGlCTZ X]\ JZ;FNG[ AF\WL
8L5[8L5FG[ ;FRJL N]QSF/G[ CO\OFJM T[ D]xS[, K[P?-Darshak – Manubhai Pancholi
‘Darshak’ writes in the preface
of Manavini Bhavai that cost of one atom bomb is billions of rupees. Rather
than school more money is spent on Army. We have failed in providing milk to
children, medicines to patients, home to homeless people and food to people.
But military is increasing day by day. If all this is possible than why it is
not possible to save people from draught?)
4
Dehumanization of Society
The effect First World War is clearly seen in the poem The
Waste Land. Because of war there is ruin, destruction in society.
Because of war, people became blood thirsty. Poverty, mass-
killing, immorality, chaos in society was there. As soldiers have to live away
from their family, so women had developed extra marital relations with other
men. And because of this newer problems came into being- illegitimate children,
workhouse, child laboring etc.
The role
that First World War played in Europe same role was played by Draught
:FF{V[v;F{DF DF6;DF\4EUJFGDF\4S]NZTDF\
;DFHvjIJ:YFDF\ VF:YF U]DFJL K[PtIFZ[ 56 SF/] ;FDFgI DFGJLGL ;FZF
DF6;F.DF\YL zwWF BMTM GYLPV[ SC[ K[
vccE}B E}0L K[4DFGJL E}\0]\ GYLPcc
It was a time when all the people have lost theirfaith from human
beings as well as from god also. But Kalu like T. S. Eliot himself keeps faith
in humanity. He says people are not bad but hunger makes them so.
JF{XFBGF J\8M/F J/L X~ YIF 56 VF JZ;[ G
DF/FVMGF 3F; p0IFv CMI TM p0[G[? S[ G TM p0TF T6B,F
4;}SF\ 5F\N0FI V[8,[ S[ T[ ;}SF YTF 5C[,F H ,MSM BF. UIF CX[!
cc p0TL CTL ,}\ G[ ALHL WZTLGL W}/ S[
SF.S p0TF CTF DFGJLVMGF DFYFGF ;]UZF JF/cc
The draught was so terrible that there was not even dry grass in nest.
People have eaten even leaves of trees!!!!
WZTL
5Z DMTGM JZ;FN JZ;L ZCIPJGDF\ 4B[TZDF\
AHFZDF\ VG[ X[ZLVMDF\ \HIF\ H]VM tIF\ D0NF H D0NFP ccSIF AF/JF G[ SIF
NF8JFcc5KL SF64;]TS VG[ ;ZFJJFGL TM JFT H SIF ZCL?5FK/
ZC[,F TM ;\AWLVMG[ VFU. SIF" GL ZFCT VG]EJTF CTF4B]X YTF CTFPccU6TF ZCIF
PPPPG N[BJFv G NFhJFPcc
The scene looks as if there is rain of corpse, dead bodies. In farm,
street everywhere corpses were lying here and there. No one was thinking about
even burying them, but rather people were happy.
DF,L 0M;L 5M8,F ;MTL H ,}8FI K[ G[
8F8LIF 3;0L DZ[ K[P
The picture of society was worst that, robbers have looted the
ornaments of Mali Doshi –anoldman- a
villainous character in the novel. Not only that but they even robbed a woman’s
clothes- killed her and left her naked. What can we say this except
dehumanization of human!!??Andmorethanthatherson'Naniyo'wascrying,notbecausehermotherwasdeadbutbecauseherallthejewellerywerelooted.Thereisfuneralprocessioninwhichsonhastoputapieceofgoldinthemouthofdeadone(mother)(Mali),buthersondeniestodothat.Forhimandhiswifeapieceofgoldismorepreciousthandeadmotherlyingonfuneralpyre.
Asareferenceletstake one more example from “ Saurashtrani
Rasadhar”abook by Jhaverchand Meghani(very well known Gujarati
writer)toconnectwiththistext&toreadthecontemporarysociety.he also portrays
the picture of contemporarysociety. In oneofhisstorytitled “ Jato Halkaro” we come to know what kind of people we were
just before 100 or so years, not so far. though Meghani has described it in
Veer Rasa, but we can read society. In
the story husband and wife were
passing ( by walking)nearly at evening
and they were looted. ( it means that there were not good medium of
transportation. Oursociety was not developed)
(Peopleusedtotravelbybullockcart,andthosewhowererichtheyhadhorses)Jato Halakaro-apostmanfromnearbyvillage tries
to save them and dies. But my point is that how can we say that our past was
glorious , if people passing by just at
evening were not safe. Only for few jewelry and money people were robbed and killed.
This is the reality. In Gujarati culture there are so many famousstories about
the ‘Baharvatiya’ ( robber) who were
looting entire village. If this is the reality then how can we be proud of our
rotten culture? This aspect leads us to another question that why someone do
robbery? It means that there was poverty in society. People were ready to kill
each other for few money. Education was not there. Even with her husband woman
were looted then what if she beingalone?
ccEL,M -MZ
RMZL HFI K[PWF0 5F0JF VFJ[ K[PvSF/] E]bIF H[JF EL,0FGF 8M/F HM.4E]bIF KMSZF G[
J,J,F8 SZTF DM8FVMGF 5UDF\ VF/M8TF HM.G[4SF/] X]\ SFD lGS?IM CTM V[ E],L H.
DGDF\ G[ DGFD SC[ K[occ VF ,MSM SIFZ[ DFZL Z[X[ VG[ SIFZ[ BFJF E[UF YFX[? G[ lARFZ] -MZ SIFZ[ K]8X[?
Pannalal Patel shows the harsh reality of that time- that
people were looted even in daylight. Not
only money and jewelry but animals were
also not safe. Once there is an incident in the novel that “Bhil”- tribal people attacks the
village and drive away people’s domestic animals like cows and buffaloes etc.
so Kalu- the protagonist with few friends follows them to protect animal. But
there he saw a terrible scene, which one can never forget….. That there were
many groups of people, looking exactly like skeleton ( because they had no food
to eat, so they werelike living dead) are eating a living/alivebuffalo. Someone
is drinking blood, others are eating other body parts like leg etc. they had no
weapon to kill or cut, for them their teeth was everything.!!!!
Another scene which he saw was that people were hitting
stones to animal to kill & eat.
VG[ R-TFGL ;FY[ H[ NxI HMI] V[ TM SF/] V[GF VJTFZDF\ v VZ[ ;FT VJTFZ[I
GlC E},L XS[!JL;v5rRL; CF0l5H\Z
45[,F DZ[,F -MZ 5Z T]8L 50TF CTF4NFT H KZLVM CTL G[ N[JTF TM 5[8DF\ E0E0TM H CTM
G[? SF/] S\5L p9IMP1F6EZ TM V[G[ JC[D 50IM S[ 5KL
ULW0F K[P?
ULWGL H[D H Y. ZCI] CT]PSM. 5[,F KMSZFG[
C0;[,F DFZT] CT]\ TM SM. 0MXL B}G 5LTL CTLP
-MZGF V[S[S 5U[ A[A[ H6 AR0F EZTF
CTF4HIFZ[ T,FJZM ;FY[ R0L A[9[,F A[ H6M TM SF5LvSF5LG[ v,\UM8L p5ZF\T S50] CMI
TM BM/MI J/[G[!AU,DF\ DFZTF\ TM J/L
5[8G[ ;FY. JrR[ NAFJTF CTF.T,JFZGM 0Z CTM TMI SM. V[SFN ,MRM TF6L ,[T] CT]\P
VF AWFGF 5UDF\ VFJTF KMSZF o cBFJ]\
VF.! BFJ]\ PPPP SF/] HF6TM CTM S[
V[DGF CFY5UDF\ V[S T6B,]\ TM0JF H[8,LI XlST GYLP KTFI V[S 5F0LGF U/F5Z BF0]\
hLSL 5F0I]\ PPPP VG[ V[ 50[,F -MZ 5Z HF6[ UM/GF -[OF 5Z DSM0F OZL J?IF P5[,F
,MSM ARSF EZLG[ ,MCL 5L G[ HFOT p0FJTF CTFP
V[S 8M/FV[ KZLYL SFD ,LW]\ TM ALHL
8M/LV[ S]CF0LGM p5IMU SIM"PTM ClYIFZ lJGFGL +LHL 8M/LV[ 5[,L 3F8L JrR[ V[S
-MZ 5}I]"P A[p AFH]YL 5yYZ GM DFZM R,FjIMP
B]Gg;[ R0[,F VXST DFGJLGL VWLZTF G[ 5[,F
;XST -MZGF WD5KF0F 56 JF8DFI HIF H]VM tIF\ V[GL V[ H pHF6LVM ! SF/]G[ TM BFTZL Y. occUFDG]\ A;M +6;MI -MZ NG VFYDTFDF\
HF6[ K[ H G. ! VG[ V[G[ YJF ,FuI]\
SIFZ[VF 0]\UZVMDF\YL ACFZ GLS/L HFpP
The climax is there in the next scene, when he
saw that a lady, seating near bush was eating her own child to satisfy her
appetite/ Hunger !!!
56 0]\UZLVM 5}ZL SZL JF8[ R-IF HFI K[ TIF\ 5[,L HF/ GLR[ NxI HMTF SF/]G[
Y. A[9]\PA[ 5F\R 1F6 ;]WLTM G VFU/PVZ[ 4GHZ 56 tIF\YL GCMTL B;TL PPPP56 tIF\
HF6[ T}8[,L SZM0ZHH] RF,] Y.P;;,FGL H[D V[ AFH]GF AF\8\DF\ V,MI Y. UIMP DGG[I
DGFJTM CTM oc GF GF 4 V[ TM 0FS6 CTLPPPVZ[ EF.4 A{~ DG[I CT]\ 56 BFTLcTL V[ TM
;;,]\ H CT]\P
Kalu- a protagonist don’t believe himself what he has seen. He
tries to convince himself that what has
seen is not true. How can a mother eat
her own child?? Itmustbearabbit!!Butitwaschild!And if this really happened then
we can realize the downfall of people.
DL DFZL
;UL VF\B[ VF56F -MZ S5FTF EFjIF G[ V[ S5FI[,F -MZ 5Z vHF6[ VF56[ VlC\
DZ[,F -MZ 5Z VFJ[ K[PV[JF ;D0F\ UZHF G[
ULW0F HM. <IM! V[ H O[NF\O[N VG[ V[ H B[\RFB[\R!
TG[ CH]
BAZ GYL PPPP UF\DDF\ 3Z0F CMI V[DG[ HM.G[ 5}KL VFJ[ S{I[ SM. NG DFGJLV[ DFGJG[
BFW] CMI V[J]\ ;F\E?I]\ K[PPPPPP VZ[ V[ ;F\E?I]\ CX[ SNFR 456 5}KH[4 S{I[ DG[B
4 G[ T[DFI DF\4 5[8GF H^IFG[ bFFTL CX[P
It also mentioned by novelist that women were selling their
body only to get food.
K%5GLIM VFYDTL 5[-LGL ;F\EZ6GL DCF VFOT CTLP V[DF GFGLIF H[JF 5TLV[
5MTFGL :+LVMG[ KM0L4lNSZFVMG[ DFG[ -F\SJF ,]U0F 56 GF ZCIF4 E,L 4~BL H[JL
AF.VMV[ ,FH XZD D]SL 4 G[ DF6; G[ DF+ V[S JF\;GF ZCL v S[D SZL G[ NF6M VGFH
D[/JJ]\ v ELB DF\ULG [ 4RMZL SZLG[ 4 VZ[ S]TZF\ GF DM\ DFYL G[ S[ V[9 GL
S]\0LVM RF\8LG[I AF.VM V[ TM XZLZ J[RLG[ 5[8GL VFU VM,,JJF DF\0LP DFGJL G]\ VF
VW 5TG HM.G[ JFTF" DF\ X\SZNF BZ]\ H SC[ K[ E,L K[ 5ZYDL s5'yJLf S[ ;ZJZG[
C[0JF N[ K[P
HIFZ[ :+LV[ W6LGL DF\ V[ lNSZL GL lNSZL V[ AF5GL XZD KM0LG[ ;F{V[ SF,[
DZL HX]\ VFHGM lNJ; UD[ T[D SZLG[ SF-L GF\BM4 HLJFI T[8,] HLJM4 EMUJFI T[8,]\
EMUJMP X]\ gIFI VG[ X]\ VgIFI X]\ GLTL
VG[ X]\ VGLTL ?
Chappaniyo draught( of 1900) was the biggest calamity on the people. The situation was such that women
started selling their bodies only to get food. Anyhow, people wanted something
to eat- by begging, by doing theft or even sometimes people snatch a piece from
dog’s mouth to eat. Such degradation is umimaginable.
5
★Urgetodie......
"NamSibyllanquidemCumisegoipseoculismeis
vidiinampullapendere,illipueridicerent:
Sibylla ti thelesis; respondebat illa: apothanein thelo".
ThisepigraphcomesfromSatyricon,asatirefromPetronius.InEnglishitmeans"I
saw with my own eyes the Sibyl at Cumae hanging in a jar/ cage, and when the
boys said to her, Sibyl, what do you want? She replied I want to die".It hasmanyinterpretations.oneissheissayingwhatthepeoplewhoinhabitthewastelandaresaying.
(Sibyl:-Granted eternal
life by Apollo,
she neglected to
ask also for eternal
youth and lived
a life in
death, continually withering but never dying.)(Bloom)
Sibyl looks at the future and proclaims that she only wants to die. The
Sibyl's predicament mirrors what Eliot sees as his own. He lives in a culture
that has decayed and withered but will not expire, and he is forced to live
with reminders of its formerglory.
Similarlypeoplealsowantstodieinthenovel.Thedraughtissoterriblethatpeopleneitherhavefoodnorwater.Becauseofseveredraughtnotevenleavesoftresstoeat.Entirefamilywaslivingbyonlyhandfulofgrains.Allhavesoldanimals,jewelleryamdothermaterialthingsonlytosatisfytheirappetite.Theirlifebecamemiserable.Monsonistooaway,thereisnohopeforhelpfromanybody.Waitingfordeath,becausetheythoughtthatitisbettertodiethantosufferlikethis.
Thus,somewhereurgetodieiscommoninboththetexts.
6
★ Mother image is broken
In every culture very respectable position is given to
the mother. This novel deconstructs the
aura of respective mother. No one can imagine worse picture than this that
mother eating her own child. ( True test of your character is in the moment of
crisis)
InSanskritlanguageitisfamouslysaidthat"JananichaJanmabhumiswargadapigariyasi"meansMotherandMotherlandaregreaterthanheaven.AndinGujaratithereisproverbthat"Maatemaa,bijabadhavagadanavaa"meansnoonecanbecomparedwithmother.Myintentionbehindputtingthislinesistojuxtaposerealismversusidealism.Bookpresentstherealityofcontemporarysociety.atthesametimewecepebrateideals,whicharefarawayfromreality.
★Faith:-
T.S.Eliothasfaithinhumanity.Hebelievedthatregenerationispossible.Thelostsocialordercanbereestablished.Itispossibletomakewastelandagainafertileland.AndhegivessolutionthatbridgebetweenEastandWestisthesolution.Itisappropriatetoquotethe
remarks made during the Noble Prize award ceremony in 1948by Gustaf Hellström
of the Swedish Academy.
“Humility is also the characteristic which you, Mr. Eliot,
have come to regard as man's virtue. ‹The only wisdom we can hope to acquire is
the wisdom of humility.› At first it did not appear that this would be the
final result of your visions and your acuity of thought.
(The) contact was a shock to you, the expression of which you
brought to perfection in The Waste Land, in which the confusion and vulgarity
of the civilization became the object of your scathing criticism.
But beneath that criticism there lay profound and painful
disillusionment, and out of this disillusionment there grew forth a feeling of
sympathy, and out of that sympathy was born a growing urge to rescue from the
ruins of the confusion the fragments from which order and stability might be
restored.
................. You, Mr. Eliot, are of the opposite
opinion. For you the salvation of man lies in the preservation of the cultural
tradition, which, in our more mature years, lives with greater
vigour within us than does primitiveness, and which we must preserve if chaos
is to be avoided.
ThoughEliotiscriticizedasregressive/backwardlooking,hissolutionofcontemporaryproblemisunique.
Pannalalpatelalsospeaksthroughprotagonistthathewillnotloosefaithfromhumanity.Basicallyhumansarenotbad,butsituationmadethemso.Whateverhappenhewillnotleavefaitheitherfromgodorfromhumanity.Howeverworstconditionofsocietyis,revivalispossible.
problemsarecreatedbyhumans.So,itisthepeoplewhohavetotakeresponsibilityofmankindandpreservationofitsculturaltraditionsandvalues.Thesolutionlieswithintheself.
So,itprovesthatboththewritershavegreatfaithinhumanity.
Conclusion:-
My point is that whether West or East, England or India,
London or Gujarat “ KAGADA BADHE KALA”. (means "Crows are black
everywhere) It is not true to criticize only Western culture. Because somewhere
we are also like them, or say basic human nature is common everywhere.
Wikipedia
contributors."Modern Times (film)." Wikipedia,
The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 29 Sep. 2015. Web.
13 Oct. 2015.
Wikipedia contributors."I. A.
Richards." Wikipedia, The
Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 6 Oct. 2015. Web. 13
Oct. 2015.
Frye, Northrop. "The Archetypes of
Literature." Frye, Northrop. Fables ofIdentity. NewYork: Harcourt,
Beace and World, 1951. 7-20.
Manubhai and Manubhai ( Darshak) Pancholi.
"truptino ghunt." Patel, Pannalal. Manavini Bhavai. 11.
Sadhana Prakashan, 1962. 9-30.
patel, Pannalal. Manavini Bhavai. Ed. auro
books. 11. Vol. first. Ahmedabad: Sadhana Prakashan, 1947.
Patel, Pannalal. Manavini Bhavai. Ahmedabad:
Sadhana Prakashan, 1947.
The Modern Times. By Charlie Chaplin. Dir. Charlie Chaplin. Perf. Chaelie Chaplin. 1936.
www.poetryfoundation.org. 13 10 2015. 13 10 2015
<http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/176735>.