Book Review of Makarenko’s Learning To Live

 

A.S. Makarenko’s novel  Learning To Live   was translated into Telugu by Renatla Gopalakrishna (1920-1995), a renowned journalist, poet, writer , translator and a winner of numerous awards  . Makarenko (1888-1939) was a soviet educator who wanted to transform and offer a happy and meaningful life to  orphan children and those who have become wayward due to various reasons. This shows the yearning of the infant  Soviet union  to turn out  a humane society which gives a lot of importance and care to children, the future of any nation. This book was published as Vijaya Dhwajam  in Telugu for the first time in 1954 by Navodaya Publishers  and second reprint by Manchi Pustakam publishers  appeared in 2004.

Vanya , the boot polishing boy, Igor, the way ward young man, Wanda, the young girl who gets cheated by another petty thief  Ryzhikov come together in strange conditions. Vanya, the hard working boy  faces harassment from  one who appropriated steals his earnings, Igor himself who  impersonates to get money from post office and Wanda join the Children’s’ colony known as First of May  for rectification from the authorities. Ryzhikov who steals money from Vanya also joins the colony.   Vanya gradually develops into a worker with integrity , much liked by all and even grows in to a commander of  one children’s battalion .Ryzhikov  who initially acts as a good worker even is accepted as commander . Wanda herself transforms into a responsible girl  and leader of other girls in the colony but finds it difficult to stay in the limitations of the colony. The efforts by Ryzhikov to defame Wanda fail and his misdeeds are exposed. Igor, the happy go lucky young man becomes an avid reader and a writer. He and Oksana grow into commanders

The colony children grow from workers in a foundry under hard conditions, earn surplus to build a new factory out of their own efforts. Igor falls in love with Oksana and faces a rival but wins her love. The attempts to damage the reputation of colony by petty thefts  of articles of other mates by  Bankovsky and Ryzhikov come to nothing due to ingenious ploy by Vanya and Filka . The commanders of different children’s battalions such as Zakharov, Klava and, Zyriansky and  others , the obsessiveness of Blum who wants to increase production, the dramatic performances by children during anniversary Volenko who leaves colony  because of suspicion against him and his eventual return after real thieves are caught the novel  portrays  how orphans , the uncared-for children and the young  mould themselves into useful citizens of the nation through taking responsible positions in labouring for production. They saw slothfulness as the enemy in increasing production, meet their targets  and for them the final victory lies in becoming leaders of production. This book is a wonderful lyrical prose in pedagogy .