Self-surrender, Freedom and Celebrating life in Tagore’s Gitanjali

 

                                                                  

    

 

ABSTRACT

(Globalization has only turned the pendulum back and freedom of market has become superior to democratic freedom. The protests against globalization  have assumed  the form of religious idiom in many countries causing more confusion among the people in the aftermath of the undermining of the leftist opposition. The modern poet is seen as advocate of the Western culture  and his  freedom is curbed by the government  on the one hand  and  religious people under the sway of the fanatical leaders. In these  days of hypersensitivity, the freedom to create and criticize is an inalienable right and  the need of the hour .

    Tagore’s Gitanjali  has put the Indian poet on the world map of literature. In the present time of wars which are punctuating peace, is it possible to go back to the frame of mind when Tagore wrote these poems and appreciate them? This article  attempts to  understand Tagorean concepts of freedom and life in the present times of conflict and violence and people’s protest against injustice however weak it may be. It also compares and contrasts Tagore’s ideas with the ideas of Rationalist  and agnostic  Bertrand Russell’s ideas and finds surprising  similarities. Both Tagore and Russell have  been committed themselves to open-mindedness and reason. Both have tried to grasp the truth  although their tools are different – scientific  reason in case of Russell and poetic intuition in case of Tagore. While  Russell has been able to give his deep insight   of religion in his article from  his  Freeman’s Worship, Tagore has been able to appreciate  the beauty  of science.  )     

  

        Globalization has only turned the pendulum back and freedom of market has become superior to democratic freedom. The protests against globalization  have assumed  the form of religious idiom in many countries causing more confusion among the people in the aftermath of the undermining of the leftist opposition. The modern poet who opposed traditional thinking is seen as advocate of the Western culture  and his  freedom is curbed by the government  on the one hand  and  religious people under the sway of the fanatical leaders. Vexed and cynical due to the onslaught from various corners and a times the very people whom he wants to influence and change,   the poet in the present days  is  to remain stubborn and  hopeful to see an end to “the clash of ignorant armies in the night” written about by Mathew Arnold way back in the nineteenth century. The romantic element  and piety return to the poet who has turned skeptical in the modern age  and he thinks  that literature and poetry rather than power politics  can usher in better world.   In these  days of hypersensitivity  when people get offended easily and resent any criticism of their faith ,  the freedom to create and criticize is the need of the hour.

    Tagore’s Gitanjali  has put the Indian poet on the world map of literature. Krishna Kripalani writes that “ love of God and love of man, strength in sorrow and humility in joy ,an innocent wonder that hides centuries of thought , invest these songs with an appeal that is both universal and perennial”(229).  In the present time of wars which are punctuating peace, is it possible to go back to the frame of mind when Tagore wrote these poems and appreciate them? This article  attempts to  understand Tagorean concepts of freedom and life in the present times of conflict and violence and people’s protest against injustice however weak it may be.  

 Self-surrender and freedom   

     Krihna kripalani writes that  Tagore’s “religious poetry  which culminated in the passionate sincerity an utter simplicity of Gitanjali was wrung out of his heart’s blood. His religious insight, like that of all great saints, was born of  deeply experienced sorrow and loneliness”( 222).       

     Tagore writes that his song is simple and the jingling of ornaments would drown His whispers. His  vanity vanishes in the sight of God, the master poet  at whose feet  the poet Tagore sits humble. He wants to make his life a flute of reed to  be filled with divine music.  In the hall of God, the poet has a corner seat. His idle and empty life breaks out in  futile  tunes. He asks Him to instruct him to sing in the dark midnight in the hour of silent worship. The poet has been invited to the world’s festival and he saw and heard whatever he could  and played his tunes. He asks whether the moment of  darshan came to offer his silent salutation. The poet notes that the song which he came to sing remained unsung  and he spent time in setting the strings of his instrument right. Neither the time nor the words have come and only the agony of desire remained in heart.  He hasn’t seen God’s face or  listened to his words but heard only the gentle footsteps on the road before his house. God’s seat has been made , the lamp remains unlit but he hasn’t been invited  into the house. The poet is hoping patiently   for the  moment of meeting Him. He thought that he reached dead  end in his voyage. His resources depleted and obscurity stared at his face. But  he finds  the God’s will is endless in him. The new melodies of heart spring forth while old words dry out on the tongue. A new country of wonder opens up where the old paths are lost. If God is silent , the poet fills his heart with silence and is vigilant like starry night in patience. At dawn, His voice pours out in golden streams from the sky. From the poet’s  heart raise songs like birds and divine melodies blossom into flowers in all his forest grooves. The poet’s journey is long, he rode the chariot of first gleam of light and voyaged through the wide world.  The farthest course takes him nearest to God  and the most complex training helps to the utter simplicity of tune. The traveler has to knock many doors before he comes to his own and the cry for destiny  floods the world and receives the assurance  “ I am.”

Nirmala writes  that “Tagore asks us to come down on the dusty soil and find presence of the Divinity among the tiller who tills the land and the path maker who breaks the stones. The charge of escapism and the other- worldliness against the poet are absolutely wrong and baseless.”  

Patience pays

        The poet asks to pluck the flower and the little one has to be honoured with the pain of touch of his hand. He is afraid that the day ends without making any offering. Despite the small flower’s light colour and faint smell, the little flower may be plucked in time for divine service. He  sees divine love in the golden light  dancing  upon the leaves, idle clouds drifting in the sky and the passing breeze leaving its coolness upon the poet’s forehead. The morning light has flooded  the poet’s eyes  and his heart touched God’s feet. According to Kripalani, “The language is simple and the feeling as sincere as the thought is sublime“ (229) Verner von Heidenstam , another Nobel prize winner  has written that  “ They gave me hours of intense enjoyment , it was like drinking the water of afresh , clear spring, the intense and loving piety that permeates his every thought and feeling , the purity of heart, the noble and natural sublimity of his style , all combine to create a whole that has a deep and rare spiritual beauty “ (qtd. in Kripalani 261-261) 

Krishna Kripalani writes that ‘the key stone of his spiritual philosophy or intuition’ is that “he will see God within himself and also permeating everything in the universe, remote and self-isolated , luring men away from this world or  a jealous  tyrant , scared of Satan and bribing mankind with his favours ” (198)            

      The critic says that self- surrender and humbleness may not  go far in exploring the secrets of universe. There is a chance that    humbleness can make people passive in face of change.  The wonder of nature has to propel man to unravel the enigma  of universe rather than praising the given. The destiny has to be chalked out but  not accepted as unalterable  since human endeavor has achieved the progress so far but not the  surrender before a force  imaginary. This argument  can be reflective of  height of  arrogance or granite –like will power to create a niche permanent for mankind  in the bosom of universe.

     On the positive side, the doctrine of self-surrender accepts that whatever happens is for one’s good in the end. There is “a destiny that shapes our ends.” It makes the best of the present and  the world of opportunities available. It believes that by subordinating  one’s ego   to the higher powers, one can realize one’s innermost desires. It avoids frustration born out of failure of  one’s will  or efforts whereas  firm will could lead to failure and frustration. At times it may lead to the emergence of megalomaniac leaders such as Hitler. The    Spiritual concept of freedom expects a person to strive with diligence to attain divinity  whereas the rational or agnostic  outlook of the West  expects that one has to fight on with endurance of  the old man of   Hemingway or tenacity of    Stephen Hawkins or willfulness of a Stephen Jobs who braved cancer to realize his goals.  But materialistic interpretation of history supports  understanding of historical laws and practice that  would give one real freedom and an individual cannot hope to be free while his  nation is not free and working class is at the mercy of the vagaries of markets.

 

Freedom

   The poet’s heart aches at slavery but is ashamed of hoping for freedom. He clings to the tinsels and  shroud of dust and death even though God is the poet’s best friend and has priceless wealth. Though the poet’s debts are large and shame heavy, he is afraid of the granting of prayer by God.    The poet is building the wall of ego around him and his true being is buried in its dark shadow.

   The prisoner says that he forged a chain with great labour to rule the world with his invincible power and at last he found himself enchained. Mundane love is a bondage and possessive  whereas divine love is free. The divine love waits even though the poet doesn’t pray or keep Him in his heart. 

    The poet wants to awaken  his country into a heaven of freedom where one finds- fearless mind, self-respect,  free knowledge, truthful words, universalism, untiring  effort  for perfection, clear and living stream of reason and expanding empires  of mind and action. He prays to lord to root out penury in his heart. He also prays for strength to have equanimity, service with love, stand upright for the poor and against the insolence of the mighty, broadmindedness, and to bring  surrender to is will. The poet prays to God to offer  merely on dry heart, a burst of songs  to graceless life, peace and rest to clear the dire of daily routine, the visit of a King into closed heart. The poet prays to the holy one to come with his light and thunder when mind is swayed by delusion and dust. He wants to face the God to remove dark despair and wants for cloud of grace ( that looks like tearful look of a mother) on the day of His  wrath.

Krishna kripalani quotes from the letter of Tagore written in February, 1893 as follows:

Ours is indeed an unfortunate an unfortunate,  God-forsaken country where the primary will-to-do is lacking. The capacity to think, to feel, to will is atrophied. The adventure of big striving, of truly and fully living is unknown…. Our reasoning is infantile and our emotions easily degenerate into sentimentalism.” (174)

Tagore has not turned a  blind eye to the world.

 Kripalani writes that his “mysticism was nothing but his sense of kinship with everything, his innate awareness of the unseen link that binds not only the living among themselves , but the living with the so-called nonliving, the seen with the unseen” (175).  Kripalani writes that Tagore wanted us to learn a ‘ mission to fulfill’ and not suffer from  ‘provincialism’ which can end in ‘intellectual indigence’(336).       

     To him freedom is more mental rather than merely  political. His insight into unity of life in diversity of creation  cancels hierarchical thinking and ‘temporary’ tyranny in the cause of freedom.  Tagore’s concept freedom is   for national regeneration  but not chauvinistic or xenophobic.  His spiritual  outlook champions the puny against the Mighty. His faith doesn’t degenerate into superstition and clear steam of reason does not  lead to mechanical materialistic attitude. He is against  greed and he seeks  help from the grace of God to inculcate optimism. Tagore has aspired for freedom untrammeled by Political organizations and movements wedded to force.  To him freedom is more mental rather than merely  political. His insight into unity of life in diversity of creation  cancels hierarchical thinking and ‘temporary’ tyranny in the cause of freedom. Radhakrishnan writes, “The soul is the creator ; all others are the materials for creation. The materials may come history, from social environment. They do not create the human being. He expressed himself through them. The living spirit in us liberates us from the mechanism of compulsion. It is freedom that helps us to order our life and move forward in the education of human race…Great sources of knowledge and deep wells of inspiration are available to us so that we may select worthy goals and work effectively for realizing them.” ( 150)         

      Marxian concept of freedom has also focused on cultural changes which would propel and succeed political and social revolution.  It wants negation of conformist or status-quo philosophy  and tries to posit new freedom. But the history of socialism shows that freedom has soon turned into shackles of new kind proving Dickensisan  prophecy true. Continuous struggle for freedom  has become a necessity in order to   defeat the old forces and in the fight to the finish the reactionary forces have also won at times leading to curtailment of freedom for artists. Many Russian and Chinese writers have become victims  of ’ignorance of historical law’. The yesterday rebel has become a new commissar and democratic freedoms have vanished.

            Modern concept of freedom  supports national freedom or liberation form imperialistic exploitation and its cultural assault.  It wants freedom from the state as well as  fanaticism of  non-state groups. Discrimination based on caste, religion, class, nationality, color, gender, age are anathema for modern lover of freedom. Freedom is from the tyranny of mind or the majority. It is  allowance for criticism. It is freedom to fail  in risk-taking. To attain national and democratic  freedom Mandela and Aung San Suu kyi   spent decades in solitary confinement. They have sought freedom from rancor and vindictiveness and there is no chance of the rise of the new rank of oppressors as Dickens wrote at the end of The  tale of two cities. They have not seen freedom as burden as existentialists felt nor retreated into individual Moksha or salvation.

   

Celebration of life 

      The poet wants to mingle various strains of joy--  the joy that makes the earth flow in excess of the grass, the joy that makes love and death dancing over the wide  world, the  joy that pulsates life with laughter,  the joy that sits still with its tears on the open red lotus of pain, and the joy that throws every thing it has upon the dust and knows not the word.  The same stream of life that courses through the poet’s veins goes through the world and dances  in rhythmic measures.   It becomes blades of grass, leaves and flowers,  gets rocked in the ocean  cradle of birth and death,  limbs  glorious and pride  dancing in his blood this moment.

     The poet says that His joy in him is full and   he has come down to offer love. In his life, His will is taking shape and  love unites the poet and God.

     When the poet wants to yield, he asks the other to take it up and sees struggle  in vain. He asks God to come and occupy his seat ( a mat on the floor) at his will and pleasure.  

    The poet says that he searches the ocean of forms to gain the perfect form of the formless. He is weary of travel and wants to seek immortality and tunes to eternity. The poet was not aware of the moment when he crossed the threshold of life. In the morning,  he felt that he was no stranger in this world and god appeared to him as his mother. He loves life as well as death. When  the playhouse of infinite form he has had his play and he has seen the formless. Divine touch thrilled his being and  made him fearless of death. When the poet was playing divine play, he didn’t know  his shyness or fear and his life was joyful. On  happy  days, he never cared to know the meaning of His songs but picked up the  tunes and his heart danced with cadence. The world stands in awe of the infinite. The  poet says that the flower is in splendor among the thorns and at the end of the stony path a person wants in “virgin solitude” (p.41)

       To Tagore  “perfect freedom lies in the harmony of relationship which we realize not through knowing  but in being. Objects of knowledge  maintain an infinite distance from us who are knowers. For knowledge is  not union. We attain the world of freedom only through perfect sympathy” ( qtd.in  Radhakrishnan P.142)       

     Bertrand Russell, in his article “The Essence of Religion” writes at length about finite self and the infinite self and the relation between them. According to him, the essence lies “in subordination of the finite part of our life to the infinite part. Of the two natures in man, the particular or animal being lives in instinct, and seeks the welfare of the body and its descendants, while the universal or divine being seeks union with the universe, and desire freedom from all th at it impedes its progress…what promotes disunion is insistent instinct, which is of animal part of the man: what promotes union is the combination of knowledge, love, and consequent service which is wisdom, the supreme good of man.”( 575)  

  It is  really surprising to find remarkable similarities in the thinking of both Tagore and Russell in terms of  finding wisdom in the infinite self  which  demolishes the walls of the narrow walls of ego. In  Tagore’s Gitanjali, one finds a continuous insistence on stretching towards infinite self and  doing away with the egoistic concerns.           

Facing Death with a sense of acceptance: 

     Let all the strains of joy mingle in the last song—the joy of the earth, the joy of dancing of life and death , and the joy of freedom. The poet invites death  in waiting for whom he has seen vicissitudes of life. He  prepares the garland  for  the Bridegroom and to meet him in ‘the solitude of night.’ The poet knows that when he  dies, “Yet stars will watch at night, and morning rise as before”.   He bids farewell to his brothers, thanks for receiving more  and asks for merely kind words. Now  he is ready to oblige the summons for his journey. The poet wants other to wish him good luck and sees the path as  bright and beautiful and fearless.  He says that the evening stars and  “plaintive notes  of twilight  melodies” greet him at the end of his Voyage. The poet knows that he is conquerable. He is certain  that his pride will be smashed, his life will burst in exceeding pain and his empty heart will sing like a hollow reed  and the lotus has to give out its innate honey  at one time or other. When the divine eye  calls him in silence , he shall oblige.  The poet dives down in to the ocean of life to catch the formless. He takes his harp of life into the music hall of the abyss and after its last utterance, he lays it down at the feet of the silent. He sought  Him through his songs and learnt all his lessons of life. He wants all his songs merge into ”a single current and flow to a sea of silence in one salutation’ to Him. He wants to fly back  to his eternal home like  a flock of homesick cranes flying endlessly   the way to their mountain nests.

               Russell’s understanding regarding religion is quite different as he argues that fear of the basis of  the whole thing- fear of the mysterious, fear of defeat, fear of death.” (596) His opposition was to organized religion that has turned cruel in the course of history. He  believes  that  the feeling of security  makes people turn towards religion which can be substituted by science. He writes that “science can help us to get over this craven fear in which mankind has lived for so many generations” and science and  “our own  hearts can teach us … to look to our efforts here below to make this world a fit place to live in. “ (596)

               Tagore hasn’t turned  his face away from science and he made an attempt to  influence science through criticizing mechanical materialism. In his article, Biswanath Banerjee writes  as follows: “ Through their contemplation of Nature as a living spirit, Bose and Tagore had at once critiqued the extreme materialistic aspect of Western scientific methodology and simultaneously reiterated the essence of ancient Indian spirituality which is manifested in the belief of the Unity of Life.”

 Both Tagore and Russell have not been dogmatists  but committed themselves to open-mindedness and reason. Both have tried to grasp the truth  although their tools are different – scientific  reason in case of Russell and poetic intuition in case of Tagore. Radha Krishnan writes that  “though Rabindranath was essentially a literary artist, his voice was raised whenever grave injustices were committed….Tagore along with Gandhi was responsible for the awakening of the national spirit and all through his life he was a much against the cowardice of the weak as against the arrogance of the strong. In his patriotism there was no trace of hatred , bitterness or chauvinism” ( 152).  While  Russell has been able to give his deep insight   of religion in his article from  his  Freeman’s Worship, Tagore has been able to appreciate  the beauty  of science. Russell’s words, “ What the  world needs is reasonableness, tolerance , and  a realization of interdependence of the parts of human family” would certainly have received concurrence from Tagore.(604)         

Bibliography

Biswanath Banerjee. “The Scientist and the Poet: Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose and Rabindranath Tagore.” Rupkatha Journal  (2. 4): P. 479.Web.

Kripalani, Krishna. Rabindranath Tagore: A Biography .New Delhi: UBS Publishers  Distributors Pvt. Ltd., Reprint. 2008.Print.

Nirmala G. Tagore’s concept of Divinity in His Poetry. Journal of Teaching research and Litrature3.3  (January 2012).Web.

Radhakrishan Sarvepalli. Occasional Speeches and Writings: Third Series : July1959- May 1962.  Noida: Publications Division Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Reprint. 1992.

Russell,Bertrand. The Basic Writings Of Bertrand Russell:1903-1959. London:Routledge,1992.Print.

Tagore, Rabindranath. Gitanjali. Kolkata: Oneworld,2007. Print.   

***published in   Triveni’  80.4(2011) : 55-59. (ISSN 0041-3115)

The Legacy of Tagore

 Rabindranath Tagore who won the Nobel prize in 1913 is an enduring symbol of nationalism as well as Internationalism. He was a cosmopolitan who didn’t forget his national roots. In him combined the mosaic of arts such as painting, singing , writing, philosophy and social reform. His creativity bloomed outside the school and inside the lap of nature. His nature was a happy combination of solitude and public service. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan writes that Tagore’s works “ speak of the vicissitudes of friendship , the beauty of love, the pain of desolation, laughter and tears, terror and delight, the vanity of human wishes, the pains and heartaches of unfulfilled desires, the horror of moral obliquity, the shame of infamous conduct.”

 His legacy certainly shows us the way out of the labyrinth in which we find ourselves in. His ideas on education, nationalism , and internationalism are relevant even today after his death seventy years ago. If Tagore were alive today, what would he say regarding our education system that encourages cut- throat competition, materialistic pursuits, intellectual parasitism, disappearance of local languages and unbridled aggressiveness of the lone super power? 

 Tagore never liked the rigid school system that stifled the creativity of the individual. He liked to look at the waves of the river Padma or slanting sunlight on a particular day that awakened his creativity. Tagore’s father didn’t scold his son or impose his ideas on him but asked the boy to accompany him to see the beautiful Himalayas. Our present system of education forces children to get things by heart and hanker after marks. But Tagore wanted education not as a means to materialistic advancement but as individual enrichment . He would have felt repelled by the term ‘personality development’ which in these days means corporate personality development. He would have rejected the violence embedded in present system of education which has become merely a tool to the vagaries of world economy prone to crisis after crisis—political or economic. To Tagore, Education is a permanent part of the exploration of adventure of life and not a treatment to cure students of the disease of ignorance but a function of health, the natural expression of their mind’s vitality.

 In his work Reminiscences , he refers to an incident in which three pilots of the British planes bombarding the tribal hamlets were captured by tribal people. But these pilots were not harmed but given hospitality by their captors. Tagore questions, who are more civilized—those who came to bombard innocent villagers or those who looked after those people who came to kill them? 

 Tagore was for altruism.‘ He gave up his entire prize money to build Santi Niketan. Though he came from the family of landlords, he was uncomfortable like Tolstoy. To raise more money to realize his goal, he had toured the western countries. Like Vivekananda, Tagore agonized and acted to build his nation into a formidable one. Radha krishan writes that for Gandhi, the measure of man’s greatness is not his material possession , but the truth in him which is universal. 

 Tagore was not a conformist and wanted to see , observe and come to conclusions through his personal experience and observation. When every one was spreading rumors against Russia , he went there to observe the new experiment going on there and praised what was great. He wrote “Letters from Russia” in which he praised the proletariat but also expressed concern that the working class might have thought that one day they need not labour at all which is not possible. He called the workers as pillars carrying the lamp of the new civilization. 

 Tagore’s independence of mind was also revealed when he gave up title ‘Sir’ in protest against Jallianwallabagh Massacre in. He also didn’t completely support the boycott of schools and colleges by the young and the negative feelings inherent in the Non cooperation movement. The legacy of Tagore wants our intellectuals to raise their voice against the trampling of the rights of tribals in the name of mining and the embracing of the nuclear weapons as solutions to our problems or threat s of war. Tagore alive would not support the rejection of negotiation in favour of violence and counter violence either by the State or by the non-state actors or groups. In Tagore’s heartland rested mercy but not hatred for the Muslims or the British. He believed in change through common sense and love. Radhakrishan, our former President points out that like Gandhi , Tagore had contributed to the awakening of the nationalistic spirit and stood against the cowardice of the weak and arrogance of the strong.

 Nowadays many languages are dying every day under the influence of English language. Tagore wanted Indians to learn modernization not just from the British but also other cultures --- the French, Germans, Japanese etc. If Tagore were alive today, he would have certainly felt bad at the gradual death of the rich and diverse languages in the world. He would have advised us to strive for true cosmopolitan culture that fuses the elements of African, Latin American and Asian cultures along with the virtues of western values such as respect towards the public good, acknowledgement of others’ achievements, accountability, dignity of labour, intellectual independence etc.

 Nirad Chaudhuri in his article on Tagore mentions that Tagore refused to excuse those pundits who criticized him prior to winning the Nobel Prize but came to greet him with sweets and flowers after he became the Nobelite. Nirad C. Chaudhuri also points out the deep anguish felt by Tagore due to the negative feeling of some of his compatriots to the extent that he wanted not to be born again in this land . But his soul would not feel restless when it finds how we Indians are cherishing his legacy long after his death.

 Tagore’s Gitanjali certainly deserves the Prize for its beauty of feelings, free expression, and powerful appeal to realize eternal truth. He prays to God to strike at the root of penury in his heart, to make his head hold high amidst difficulties and doesn’t want to send death empty handed when it visits him. His love for life was matched by his fearlessness towards death. 

 Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan remarks.” His religion is based on vision, experience rather than on Knowledge.” To him religion means the purification of the soul and extinction of the ego. Many critics criticize that today it doesn’t appeal much in changed conditions. But Yeats and the West might have found new fashions to praise but we find Tagore ‘s legacy more relevant today than yesterday . Some remarked that Tagore’s waning popularity was due to hasty translation of his Bengali poems by the poet himself under pressure from publishers.

 In his stories like Post office, Kabuliwallah we find great humanism. In his Home and the World , we find how quiet strength is more powerful than violent revolution. In his Chitra, one finds beauty unsurpassable and in his novel Gora, one finds the futility of the divide between the East and the West. His books such as Sadhana, Personality , Man reveal his probing into the secret chamber of human heart. His work on Nationalism is a collection of articles which reveals the limitations of nationalism . 

Tagore writes, “There is only one history, the history of man. All nations are merely chapters in the larger one. And we are content in India to suffer for such a great cause.”

 Tagore ‘s legacy is not for Globalization that gobbles up freedom of small nations and justifies inequality and Big brother attitude but a blend of the best elements of the East and the West and gives a fitting reply to Kipling’s vain hope. He and his works herald a new civilization based on peace and unity. Radhakrishan aptly remarks that Tagore’s “ voice was the conscience of our age. He became a spokesman and guide for his generation. He bequeathed to his country and the world a life which had no littleness about it.”

***Triveni 81.4(2012): 22-24.

Rereading The Conquest of Happiness by Bertrand Russell

 

                                       

Bertrand Russell’s work is a classic work one can read for its sound advice and practical utility for laymen as well as intellectuals. Its language is beautiful and congenial to develop broadmindedness. It is written two parts- The first part explores causes of unhappiness-Byronic unhappiness ( yearning for doing what one wants passionately), competition, boredom, fatigue, envy, the sense of sin, persecution mania  and fear of public opinion.

In spite of various causes of unhappiness, one can conquer happiness through zest, affection, the family, work, impersonal interests , effort and resignation. All these are dealt with in the second part of the book.

Byronic unhappiness is an enigmatic thing which can be removed only by following one’s innermost desires. One can go on writing if one finds it irresistible.

Competition is often seen as a sole virtue  by many people in these days. Success is only one element and is too costly if other elements are sacrificed. Success is not an end itself and if one doesn’t know what to do beyond success, it makes him a victim of boredom. Too much competition is not abiding and poisons work and leisure.

Boredom is the result of a frustrated desire for events and its opposite is excitement . all lives, great books contain  a certain portion of boredom and the young must be taught how to endure it. A happy life is a life of tranquillity.

Fatigue is due to many reasons and results from continuous worrying and indecision.  Our actions and successes and failures are not as important as we assume. Nervous fatigues are caused due to fears conscious or unconscious and developing more courage can remove fatigue.

Envy can be cured by mental discipline. It can be avoided by doing by doing away with comparison with more successful persons. In  order to find a way out , the civilized man must enlarge his heart  along with his mind and transcend his self and in this acquires the freedom of universe.

The sense of sin is born of traditional morality and rationality frees one from guilt psychology. The rational man avoids undesirable conditions or sees them as born of conditions .

Persecution mania is caused by lack of objective perspective of oneself, overestimating one’s merits, expecting others to take excessive interest  in  yourself , and others give enough thought to you to persecute you .  the remedy lies in avoiding self- deception and facing truth , accepting it and getting on with one’s life.

Fear of public opinion is another factor of misery which can be got over by meeting like-minded people and living according to our own deep impulses rather than pandering to other’s tastes and likings.    

Among the factors of happiness, zest for life  is like food for hunger. Genuine zest is natural to humans unless affected by  unfortunate conditions. Loss of zest in society  is caused by restrictions on liberty. Zest depends on excessive energy which in turn depends on working of psychological machine. These days zest is affected by mistaken attitude towards respectability.

Affection received causes the sense of security.  A capacity for genuine affection makes one free from prison of self. It is reciprocal . in adult life, lack of intimacy  destroys zest and creates introversion. One who has received less parental  affection  takes recourse to contemplation or philosophy or theology.

The basis of family is parental affection towards their own children. Friends love  us for our merits and lovers for charms but parents stand by us in distress. Parental happiness is lost I the clash between protection and tyranny. Motherhood should not  separate her from other  interests of life.

If work is moderate, it is always preferable to idleness. It makes holidays more delicious when they come. Constancy of purpose is given by work. All skilled work gives pleasure when there are creativity and room for continuous development. Constructive activity is more delightful than destruction,  A person who builds a project or an organisation and great artists and scientists derive a lot of satisfaction and respect of the significant others in  their lives. The people who have  a wholesome perspective towards life are happier than those who see life in fragmented way.

Impersonal interests are  also anther factor in happiness. It is good to have a true picture of the world and a sense of proportion regarding one’s life. even a little work toward a good end gives more happiness then a lot of work towards a bad end. Openness to the truthful picture of life , brevity and minuteness of human life and cultivation of variety of interest make one’s life more happy. The balance between effort and resignation is necessary and what is needed is integration between self and society.

In the very beginning Russell says that unhappiness is due to mistaken attitude towards the world , mistaken ethics and mistaken habits of life leading to destruction of zest for life on which happiness ultimately  depends . 

In brief, the true perspective about oneself, the world, proper ethics and good  habits of life offer happiness.    

articles by Varadaraju Vamaravilli

https://drive.google.com/file/d/14lUVSBuhVxUCh5Gb_qVnfNU09NClXkfv/view?usp=drive_link 

EKANTA YAANAM (poetry in Telugu)

 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1E92zOd7dBKWrdPOFPvJ6jo8tXxYTbN_B/view?usp=sharing

Empathy As Life ( Poems in English )

https://drive.google.com/file/d/10qN7DxaWO3JNVECmyYfN-RCrn1d41qby/view?usp=drive_link 

Telugu Bala by 'Karunasri' Jandhyala Papayya Sastry

 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mnoyqsvn1CvE3BqDWPReqgdag81OrzIl/view?usp=drive_link

Sudhanshu Jandhyala Lakshmi Narayana Sastry Rachana Sarvasvam : Vyjayanti- Aadi Kavi - Jaya Bharathi- Pratima- Sulochana - Chandragupta Vijayam

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vE7ixh3ZNQNZjwKAuJucjlGjK24pGM83/view?usp=drive_link 

Poems "For Mother - by J. Padmini Priyadarsini

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SkzT--I1NzUe6Ngj6_P-1qiu7g5P49Z5/view?usp=drive_link 

poems on peace and environment "Dove and the mother earth"

 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GA7S_7MVcdvxTTXj5It-T0I1pETMqbN3/view?usp=drive_link

a book of poems translated  from English into Telegu titled ''Yedalothullo''

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dVTvG97zPDYzfWA7UJB8-w_Q1WAjXBid/view?usp=drive_link

Mikhail Sholokhov's novel "Virgin Soil Upturned" : A Review

 

Sholokhov’s novel Virgin Soil Upturned shows the phase of collectivisation of agriculture  in 1930s in the  then Soviet Union. Davidov is sent to achieve total collectivisation to a village Gremyachy Log. . he along with Nagulnov and others persuades the farmers to go into collectivisation .  The farmers who are initially reluctant agree to it .  But the process is not smooth as the former white guards and sympathisers of Kulaks try to put spokes in the process to fail the experiment. Yakov Lukich plays a dual role in acting as expert in agricultural affairs and covertly aiding general Polovtsev  planning to start a rebellion against the soviet power. They even kill Khoprov and his wife thinking that the former would reveal their treacherous past. Razmyotnov. Maidannikov ,Shchukar, Lubishkin, Demid , the silent   support collectivisation and kulak families such as  are sent away. Nagulnov adopts an aggressive line and collectives even livestock but later he has to admit his mistake and return poultry, in the story the man-woman relations also form a parallel plot. Nagulnov’ wife Lushka take sup with Timofei, a son of Kulak and hardly cares about what others think. Davidov acts as a facilitator and zealot in solving problems arising out of reluctance of farmers and  impetuosity of Nagulnov  in hastening collectivisation. He does not approve of il treatment of women . General Polovtsev’s attempts to rouse Cossacks fail when they come to know from Stalin’s letter that collectivisation can go as per the cooperation of the farmers.

The village gets slowly transformed and faces many hiccups in moving towards Collectivization. The class war has not subsided but taken a different turn and bureaucrats are hard pressed to meet the targets. The Cossacks known for their  martial valour and rebellious spirit  turn slowly  towards collective  agriculture.

The problems in drawing people towards collectivization are portrayed in a vivid manner. The poor farmers were enthusiastic, the middle level farmers rather reluctant and kulaks were hostile either openly or covertly . the peasants feel it hard to part with their land and live stock. Many resorted to killing of their live stock posing problems to the organizers. They had to be refrained from  lightering their livestock. Nagulnov’s  hard approach has not succeeded whereas Vanyusha’s amicable  approach convinced even the most reluctant,  once Stalin’s letter criticizing left deviation came to be known, the farmers come and demand their land and livestock back. Nagulnov has come under criticism . 

Sholokhov’s woman characters are assertive and rebellious. Razmyotnov’s wife Marina cares no man and takes away her land and starts ploughing. Lubishkin and others who try to intervene are intimidated by her strength and will power . Nagulnov’s wife Lushka whom he divorces cares a jot for social and sexual  mores that constrain her and mocks Davidov for his reluctance to postpone taking of her hand till after sowing and her former husband  Nagulnov for neglecting her in the name of world revolution.

Reading all this after nearly a century shows  a village in a different era and how it struggles to come to terms with changing fortunes of Soviet power. The iron hand of State keeps people to play safe or murmuring and they find it difficult to change themselves to  a anew situation.

Party leadership calls Nagulnov and charges him with left deviation and expels him from the party. His plea regarding his past service is no regarded and he says that he would approach regional committee. Meanwhile in Gremyachy Log Village things become hot and the villagers, particularly women refuse to give awa seed grain to the collective farm of Yarskoi. The fury of women leads to attack on Razmyotnov, Davidov and others and they attempt to open the barn to take back their rain. Grandad Shchukar ‘s relating of his childhood experiences and his getting outwitted by a gypsy in purchasing a mare provide humorous relief to this serious novel of  class struggle that takes new forms in its intermingling with personal animosities.

The novel shows the trials and tribulations faced in collectivization . Makar Nagulnov and Davidov  slowly convince the people, join new members  in the party and try to capture saboteurs like Yakov Lukich  and officers of old regime   Polovtsev and  Latyevsky.  whom he shelters. Davidov agrees to marry Varya, joins her in an agricultural college for training and comes back to the village Gremyachy Log.   In the attempt to capture the enemies of revolution , Davidov and Nagulnov are killed. The culprits are later caught and duly punished. Varya comes back to take car of her family and grandad Shchukar and other party men such as Razmyontov  and Maidannikov are filled with sorrow.  Razmyontov sees beyond the horizon  ‘’the sky was ablaze with scarlet flame and , wakening nodding  Nature to fresh life, the last storm of that year broke in a majestic fury , as if at the height of Summer.”               

A Review of Sashi Tharoor’s Nehru : The Invention of India

 

Sashi Tharoor’s work, Nehru : The Invention of India  gives an amiable as well as an objective portrait of Nehru. Nehru’s evolution from an indifferent  youth to passionate patriot to national  leader to  become the  first prime minister of India . He has discovered India through his writings ,  experiences and international outlook which made him an outstanding leader. Motilal Nehru and other members of his family joined Nehru in national movement and the father recognised early the man of destiny in him. Nehru gave up an aristocratic life style in favour of life of hardships which moulded his character in to a fiery nationalist . To him Gandhi was a father figure .Though his scepticism made him doubt Gandhi’s political judgements, he came round in the end. He was a democrat to the core and wrote an anonymous article against himself in which he opposed personality cult. His secularism, Socialist ideas leading to introduction of  planning in independent India and his balancing through non-aligned movement in the era of cold war gave him a lot of recognition on the world stage. But Tharoor criticizes his emphasis on  the public sector which was finally given up in favour of privatization in 1990’s by the government of Late  P.V. Narsimha Rao-led Congress government. Tharoor ‘s  beautiful and captivating style offers  an intimate and warm  profile of the champion democracy who refused to shake hands with Fascism and corresponded with chief ministers of the States in the interests of federalism. Though Chinese turnaround  and a war lost caused him a lot of anguish to him who supported China before and after its independence for its liberation and rightful place in the UN. His relations with his colleagues such as Patel, Bose, Rajendra Prasad, Ambedkar are cordial despite differences in their  approach. Nehru treaded a middle ground between the Right and the Left and did his best to retain the unity of various groups in the party. He could not but accept Partition forced by the British but he never compromised regarding secularism and remained a beacon of hope to lay foundation for industrialization of India. He experienced an intense loneliness as an individual but dedicated his entire life for the glory of India and upholding the principle of unity in diversity. His Kashmir policy attracted a  lot of criticism but he never believed in theocratic approach to the problem and His failures if any were due to excessive trust in others . He evinced a passionate desire for  international peace in the era of cold war in which nuclear threat loomed large.                            

Rereading Barrister Parvateesam After Four Decades

 

Barrister Parvateesam is a novel that delights as well as instructs. It uses humour to expose cultural differences between the east and the West. Written a century ago , it still is highly readable although it language seems somewhat remote now but relevant at the time of writing .

In the first   part we find Parvateesam in his childhood , school life, adolescence in which he  joins nationalist movement to the cost of education resulting in failure in studies and  later decision to go  abroad to become a barrister. It is the most humorous part depicting pranks in school days, competition for place in merit order and initially he comes out on flying colours. His father chides him for failure  and asks him to look after agriculture. Then Parvateesam leaves his village without  informing his parents. His train journey shows many humorous incidents from taking ticket, tying his bundle to chain used to stop the train, use of washroom . When he gets down in Madras he haggles with cart drivers, changes  his hairstyle, buys  sundry things which are needed in England , goes to a shopping mall and falls while trying to walk on tiles instead of on carpet. On board steamer to Colombo to Marseilles, he faces troubles due to his vegetarianism, sea sickness and uncertainity about his future.                

In the second part written after forty six years at the behest of Narla Venkateswara Rao and Puranam Subramanya Sarma  , the reputed editors  of Andhra Jyoti , the novelist  shows subtle humour arising out of cutural clash. Parvateesam reached London and was fortunate to have  a friend like Menen and later Raju to allay is fears in the beginning stage.  Menen familiarizes him with life in England taking him to otels. Picture houses and explaining intricacies of social behaviour. Raju helps Parvateesam a lot. When Parvateesam joins Barrister at law In Edinburgh university, Raju helps  him find a residence, familiarizes the apt  behaviour , takes him to  picture houses  and familiarizes him with games like golf. Parvateesam soon learns things quickly , becomes a good player of golf and earns name whne he recites Telugu poems in the presence of  Anant  Kumara swamy . Duggirala Gopala Krishnaiah, later a veteran freedom movement leader appreciates him a lot .  Parvateesam’s experiences in his rented house with his land lady and her two daughters as a good soul. He puts up with their pranks and takes them to see plays .  his love with a  Scottish girl shows him as a young man given to emotions but prudent enough not to cause nay suffering to his family. He realises his limitations and bids her farewell with much anguish. While on return journey, he and other passengers pass through a perilous journey due to the world war going on at the time.  In the part we find Parvateesam growing into a man of good manners. Knowledge, responsibility and unblemished  moral sense. Humour comes out in misunderstanding new cultural norms . Two examples are that Paravateesam when invited to a party feels shy to ask for washroom in host’s house and urinates at the street cornet and even discloses it thoughtlessly. He also takes to task one new comer from India who goes to an evening  party in the morning itself and wants to stay there even in the night without bothering about inconvenience to his hosts.                   

In part three, we find Parvateesam’s return to his native place, the innocent questions by the curious villagers about his life and education there . It is like the coming back of Ulysses. Here the novelist describes the foreign returnee’s reflections, loneliness , agreeing for  arranged marriage thanks to the trick by his friend and well wisher Raju . The protagonist enjoys reunion with his parents , their love and affection and initial reluctance to tie the knot and final succumbing to tradition. The story is told in a style of subtle humour. Paravteesam goes to Madras and meets eminent lawyers such as Narayana Murty and Tanguturi  Prakasam( the real character in Andhra history) and becomes a practising  lawyer in high court . He also gets his wife Saraswati educated .He gains name in a short span  but both of them  he slowly gets attracted to nationalist movement, meet stalwart leaders like Duggirala Gopalakrishnaiah   at the cost of his practice and economic status. He relates many humorous anecdotes in lawyering.  He gets very active in nationalist movement  , finds the increasing suppression of the people in movement by the  British , gets disillusioned by lack of ethics in lawyering  practice and undergoes  even jail term in the cause of freedom movement. At last he goes back to his native place, refuses his father-in-law’s advice to carry on his practice and decides to listen to his father who wants to take care of their agricultural lands. We find a sort of parallel between this part and Kodavatiganti Kutumbarao’s ‘Chaduvu’ . The difference is that Sundaram’s saga has completely happened in India where as Parvateesam is a foreign returnee. But both of them have got influenced by traditional mores and also  national movement . Their education has not turned them into careerists but as people who responded to the call of the nation.  

The novel has a few things which are  more  politically incorrect  these days. His reference to nonvegetarian food as ‘malakoodu’ and depicting the reaction of the other  customers at   his entry  in a  hotel ‘as if they saw an untouchable amidst brahmin meal’ in the first part. But this only reflects the bias of the novelist  prevailing at the time  and even now casteism has not been eradicated completely from  our social system. The travails of Parvateesam are reflection of conflicts faced by the    middle class and upper caste  Indian youth  caught in the cultural conflict between the East and the West a century ago.

 

                       

Sundaram's Anguish in Kodavaiganti Kutumbarao's 'Chaduvu'

 

In Kutumbarao’s Chaduvu , the character of Sundaram , his experiences in school, children’s pranks with teachers bring back the memories of one’s childhood. Sundaram is worried over his place in merit in his class, his interaction with Sivaiah , the child from the family of makers of mats , the difficulties in buying notes, comparison with  his classmate  Krishna Murty  . his mother’s admonishments regarding his demands for note books, his gradual understanding regarding their precarious economic statues and his sympathy for the other poor and unfortunate children show how a sensibility is moulded gradually in the background of 1930’s.  his teacher Sitappa was a a conservative and an admirer of Bal Gangadhar tilak and when the latter died, Sitappa was filled with sorrow and taught nothing in the class. Another teacher  Sambaiah infused in boys hatred towards the British rule. Sundaram’s  maternal uncle Seshagiri turned into a nationalist, his son Narusu into a singer in a drama troupe  and a counterpart to studious Sundaram. Sundaram worries over the sudden widowhood of Sakuntala but his sympathies stopped short of  love. Narusu married Sundaram’s sister Janaki and Sundaram himself married Lakshmi. His middle class  shyness makes him put up with rituals which he did not like much . he could not do much when Narusu asked him to arrange a drama performance for his troupe but resented when it was held due to initiative by Narusu through help from hostellers whom Narusu approached.   Later he comes across Sakuntala who has remarried . He writes a story the same night but tears it the next morning. We see Sundaram as a character more in reaction to changing conditions which impact him rather than as a dynamic personality.  He again writes a story of remarriage of  a widow which gets published . He attends a Congress meeting in Madras  and later  joins Benares Hindu  university , gets into touch with literature and with nationalist movement. His uncle Seshagiri who does a jail term n the movement does not want this son Narusu to undergo the same and Sundaram also finds  opportunism of some who evade arrest  Sundaram also observes the suppression of the  nationalist movement by the police. Sundaram fails to write exams and get his degrees due to economic difficulties.  The Great Depression finds Sundaram without job and money but spends his time in reading books from municipal library. When he sees his wife Lakshmi teaching alphabets to their child , he remembers his own experience twenty years back and feels happy.

In the novel the reader finds a fragment of life during 1920-35 in India when society has found itself changing under the impact of nationalist movement and ne found love for education.  It also shows the middle class destiny with the tryst and Sundaram represents the aspiring middle class whose ambitions have been thwarted by the whirlpool of changes in the period. It is a tribute to the ardent desire for education unmindful of its worldly prospects and  the social and psychological  anguish of the middle class boy  Sundaram .         

A Sorrowful Death of Prem Chand's Nirmala

 

Prem Chand’s novel ‘Nirmala’  depicts the struggle  of a young woman married to a middle-aged man Totaram, a lawyer. Her earlier engagement to a doctor was cancelled by her prospective in-laws when her father died abruptly. Her life with the lawyer  Totaram proves colourless and insipid as her husband has failed to cater to her emotional needs. Nirmala gradually becomes  a responsible housewife and Rukmini , the sister of Munshi Totaram resents the loss of her hold in the house.   Moreover he suspects her relationship with his eldest son Mansaram from his  earlier marriage. He joins Mansaram in a hostel and the pure and once vibrant  young man withers and dies when he realizes his father’s unfounded suspicions. Nirmala is devastated. She develops friendship with Sudha, the wife of the doctor who spurned her match earlier.   Munshi Totaram’s second  son Ziyaram turns a prodigal son and even steals jewels from his own home and meets untimely death. Siyaram, the youngest scion of the family goes under the influence of Sadhus and abandons his home . Doctor Sinha who turns repentant over his refusal of Nirmala earlier arranges  her sister Krishna’s marriage with his brother.  At one point he expresses his passion for Nirmala in the absence of Sudha but Nirmala  rushes out . Sudha comes to know of her husband’s misbehavior and Doctor commits suicide out of guilt and shame. Munshi Totaram who realizes his folly of second marriage to a young girl Nirmala and leaves home and  turns into a Sanyasi. Nirmala falls  severely ill and dies not withstanding the care by Rukmini. When Nirmala dies a poor  orphan leaving her baby with Rukmini. When people are hesitating to perform her funeral rites comes Munshi Totaram, now a  Sadhu. This novel is a testimony of the novelists’ skill in portraying the incompatibility of marriage between an old woman and a young woman, the psychological complexity  of individuals caught in the clash between economic turmoil and emotional emptiness. The death of Nirmala delights  the reader with a subtle humour in characterization of different characters and a deep   sorrow of  at the death of Nirmala, the pure and tender  flower that fades and dies for no fault of hers.