This is an unforgettable novel to which I returned after four and half decades. In this novel, Premchand portrays village life caught in the grip of feudalism during pre-independence times. Hori , the farmer under the grip of
traditions, usury, domination by Zamindar, village Panchayat elders . He gets
separated from his brothers Heera and Sekhar. He gets a cow which is poisoned
by his brother Hera who absconds from village. He turns into a debtor , pays
penalty demanded by elders when his son Gowar goes away from villages after
marrying Jhunia against the wishes of
her family. His oxen were confiscated by Bhola in lieu of debt incurred
to buy cow earlier. Hori has to take care of his brother Hera’s family and
their lands. He himself becomes a coolie in the lands of Sastry, one of the
Village elders. Gowar earns money
through various sundry activities, business and usury. He comes back to his
village and restores the status of his family to an extent. But soon Gowar gets
tired of petty life in village, goes
back to Lucknow, turns into a worker from a petty trader , indulges in beating his wife, and even loses his elder son. His wife Jhunia grows alienated due to her husband's insensitivity. Later she gives birth to another child and her neighbour . When he is beaten by the henchmen of the
factory owner, Jhunia nurses him back to his health leading to a change of heart in him. Meanwhile
Hori gets his daughters Sona and Rupa married but gets debt ridden. Sona gets angry with
Silia suspecting that she has flirts with her husband Madhur . Matadeen realises the folly of caste discrimination and reunites with Silia, Gowar comes back to his family to mitigate the burden of his
father, Hori’s brother Heera comes back after long time and apologizes for his misdeed
of killing the cow. In the end , Hori ,
the farmer-coolie- and eternal debtor dies. Dhania, his wife and a monument of patience and a symbol of defiance
gives up one rupee and four annas as ‘Godan’
or gift of cow to the Pandit.
Dhania comes out as a strong
woman who can go against social norms to protect the weak and protest against
the exploiters. She gives shelter to Jhunia , and later Silia who have been
left in the lurch by their husbands Gowar and Matadeen. Both women belong to the marginalized sections. Dhania also is fearless in criticizing those
elders, and usurers who take advantage of Hori. One can also
find Jhunia and Silia who survive
against all odds through their patience, tricks and steadfastness in dealing with
other men. They flirtation is to save themselves and pay back the wily in the
same coin. The characters like Gowar, Matadeen, Sastry belonging to the Middle
and the upper castes represent the
evasion and vacillation in fighting
traditional norms. The coolies and Madigas come out daring in seeking justice
for Silia. Silia’s parents and brothers beat her for transgressing caste norms
in having relationship with Matadeen but also teach a lesson to him by cutting
off his holy thread and putting a bone in his mouth to make him lose caste.
Sastry assures his son Matadeen through talking of expiation. Hori is a
traditional figure, compliant, suffering, fatalistic, fearful of his wife
Dhania, the strong woman. Prem Chand’s women characters such as Dhania, Jhunia,
Silia, Nohari all symbolize struggle and endurance in the face of unfavorable social conditions and traditions.
Godan
is a novel that moves the reader to the
core of his heart. The novelist portrays
the human relations distorted by economic entanglements, pressures by village
life on women deceived , celebration of
festivals, the pyramid like
hierarchy of collies- tenants- village elders- Police and bureaucrats and
Zamindar from bottom to the top, the contradictions between the rural and the
urban life. The caste norms, transgression of traditional mores, assertion
of individuality by the sufferers ,
domination by the privileged all are shown in a heart moving manner. It is the saga of the people caught
in the era of transition between feudalism and
the emerging capitalism.
No comments:
Post a Comment