Write a detailed note on Indian novels: Backgrounds, themes, types.

          The ‘novel’ is novel to India. We had other form very rich but there was no novel. No doubt ‘Kadambari’ by Bana and ‘Vasavaduatt’ Subandhu are often referred but there are not fit.

It is in 19^th century and especially the western influence brought this form. In the beginning translation came. Classics were adapted and abridged but that gave way to original Indian novels. India being a large subcontinent, many languages are there and so many regional novels came.

(A) Pioneers: Bengali Novelist: Bankim-Taogre-Sarat:-

          Indian Renaissance in Bengali Renaissance. Later on it spread all over, it is but natural that Bengali writers led the way. First novel was traced in 1858, which was ‘Alaler Gharer Dulal’. But with the coming of Bankim Chandra Chattergee the novel made the mark. His first effort ‘Rajmohan’s Wife’ become first Indian novel in English. Other Bengali novels came out and were translated into English. They are: ‘Durgeshnandini, ‘Kopalkundala’, ‘Vishavriksha’, ‘Krishnakantar Uyil’, ‘Anandmath’ and ‘Devi Choudhuani’. Toru Dutt’s ‘Biance’, Raj Lakshmi Devi’s ‘The Hindu Wife’ etc. appeared too.

(1) Bankim Chandra (1838-94)

          He was the master of the romantic and historic novel. Sad, disturbed, windows, joint Hindu families, Hindu Society are recurrent his themes and they also became Indian novel-themes. ‘Anandamath’ was his best known novel, where he introduced ‘Sanyasia’. Such Guru, Guide, Swami, Fakir, Yogi, Mahatma figures then became figures in Indian novels. ‘Bandemataram’ is in Anandamath’. He emerged as a great novelist and influenced other novelists and translated in many regional languages education. It was an effort to restore national self respect.

(2) Ravindranath Tagore:-

          He is known for ‘Gitanjali’. A poet and a prophet and a religious man, seer started writing novels under influence of Bankim Chandra. ‘Chokher Bali’ was first success, which was translated in English as ‘Binodini’. It’s story of young widow. Tagore discusses the windows right to life, freedom and love. ‘Yogayog’ another other reminds us Ibsen’s ‘A Doll’s House’. There was the effect of west. The aim was to reform. So Tagore’s stage is an attempt to bridge the east and the west. ‘Gora’, ‘The Wreck’, ‘The home and the Abroad’ too followed later on which gave success and popularity to Tagore.

(3) Sarat Chandra Chattergee: (1879-1938):-

          Around this time, Sarat also came went through Bankim stage. He developed his own voice soon. He wrote wonderful novels like: ‘Srikanta’, ‘Grihadah’, ‘Pather Dabe’, ‘Bipradas’ and ‘Sesparna’. Most of them have been translated into English. Sarat had eyes like camera, criticism like surgeon’s knife, and hope for well.

Following the ‘Triune-glory’ came the flow of outstanding novelists: Tarashankar Bandopadhyaya, Naini Bhauamik, Gajendra Mitra, Manoj Basu etc. Forest life, children world, peasant life, plight of widows, class-war and many unploded fields came into their works as the backgrounds. The shadow of Bengali novels loomed large till 1930-40 or say upto independence. But then the novels changed.

(B) Independence and other Influence:-

          After independence the novel was influenced by America, English and European models as well as oriental models. Stock response was there. Love stories, nostalgic content, cheap sex-crime stories with happy endings flourished in weekly and monthly magazines. Novel became serious after independence as new sensibility came. The other thing also happened. Old writers lost their sense. They had to deeper into new issues.

Communal, linguistic, castes and other problems occurred again and again. Freedom brought emotions of liberty. Outer tensions of war with Pakistan and china also gone after 1965. All such things had given stuff for novel. But as these tensions relaxed the mood passed too. “one again the winds of disunity and purposelessness began to blow. Still novels are published but easy, comfortable life, doesn’t’ give serious reasonable life, so ‘Populare novels floushied. Great minds are not attracted for creative writing. Maturity is not still common problems for novelist are many. ‘what to write? ‘For who?’ which language-regional or English? Classical or Popular?, ‘regional and global? To answer all these questions is not easy. But writer should have means of expression, under-standing and love. Novel is trying, evolving, and living literary genre. In the hands of many Indian novels has grown, given identity and base found universality. “The novel in India today si really all of piece.”

(C) River side Novels:-

          There are many Indian novels whose action is set by the side of a river. Nirad Chaudhari’s belief is that Aryans were deeply associated with the rivers. They have memories of Danube. Whatever it can be, but the river has remained an attachment and attraction. Assamese novelist Rajanikanta, Bardoloi’s ‘Miri-Jiyari’ has the river ‘Subanasri’, Venkatramani’s Murugan, the Tiller’, has Causey, Humayun Kabir’s ‘Men an Rivers’ has Padma, R.K. Narayan has Hemavathy and Ganges. ‘The river in India is a feminine power and personality, and the land must woo her and deserve her love if their hopes of fruitfulness and security are to be realized.

(D) Different-lands and gardens:-

          As the rivers, so are the different lands and garden have come in the novels. Beena Barue- Asamese novelist’s novel ‘Senji Patar Kahni’ is related to Asam tea-gardens. A powerful study of such life has become a theme. A powerful study of such life is also found in Mulk Raj Anand’s ‘Two Leaves and a Bad’. Part of the action in Raja Rao’s Kanthapura takes place in a coffee estate in South Africa. Monoha-Malgonakar’s ‘Combat of Shadows’ too takes place in a Asamese tea-estate. Assam being hilly area, distant land, and political situations have remained away.

(E) Themes of History:-

          Creative writing merges with the themes of history. This is a splendid thing. In various languages this has happened. Rajput history and romance fuse in ‘Ushakala’ Marathi novel by Hari Narayan Apte. Freedom fighters Tilak, Chiplonkar and Agarkar have been narrated with their ideals and patriotic feelings. Such kinds of novels had started since the publication of ‘Padmini’ by Ramakrishna in 1903. ‘The Slave Girl of Agra’ by R.C. Dutt, ‘Nur Jahan’ by Sir Jogendra Singh are historical romances. Vimla Raina tells the story of the Vaishali Dancer.

In ‘Ambapali’ A.S.P. Ayyar brings ‘Baladitya’ and ‘Chanakya and Chandragupta’. Thus history and fiction blend well.

(F) Political Movement:-

          Modern times bring as many spheres. There are many things which the novel picks up political life of revolutionary movements has become background and themes. Tagore’s ‘The Home and the World’, Mulk Raj Anand’s ‘The sword and the Sickle’, K.A. Abbas ‘Inquilab’, Venkatramani’s ‘Kandan, the Patriot’ and Raja Rao’s ‘Kanthapura’ are such novels. Divided unity in Hindu –Muslim  relationship because of Second World War, Bengal Hungers, Quite India Movement and frustration and misery have continuously pervaded the novels. N.S. Phadle’s ‘Leaves in the August Wind’. Bhabani Bhattacharya’s ‘So Many Hungers’, R.K. Narayan’s ‘Waiting for Mahatma’, Kamala Marakandeya’s Some Inner Fury’ are such novels. Khushvantsinh describes horrors of partition in ‘Train to Pakistan’ and same is found in Balachandra Rajan’s ‘The Dark Dancer’ and in Manohar Malgonkar’s ‘Distant Drums’.

(H) Regional Novel:-

out of urbanism, many novelists went and found attractive stuff from have created genuine works. Some the best works and artists have come this way. Bengal is in Tarashankar, K.S. Karantha is in South Canara, Thaka-jhi-Pillai is in Kuttand Kerala reflected. They have immortalized their regions. Munshi Premachand revealed in ‘Goadan’ the some of soil. Karanth’s masterpiece is ‘Marali Mannige’, so is Pillai’s ‘Ranti-Tangazhi’, ‘Chemmin’ etc bring life of suffering people and their misery in Allepey district. It reminds as Hemingway’s ‘The Old Man and the Sea’. The labourers involved in political, social and economy involve in such works. Marathi life is found in Vyankatesh Madgulkar’s ‘The Village Had No Walls’. Krishna Vaid’s ‘Steps in Darkness’ also stand in this category.

(I) ‘Sayansi’ as a figure:-

Since Bankim’s time ‘Sayansi’ continued to be portrayed. ‘He Who Rides a Tiger’ by Bhabani Bhattacharya has a swami, R.K. Narayan’s ‘The Guide’ has Raju as a swami. Kamala Markandaya’s ‘A Silence of Desire’ and ‘Possession’ also deal with swami. Anand Lall’s ‘Season of Jupiter’ narrates a hero who is Sadhu. Sri Devndu’s Kannada novel ‘Mahabrahmana’ describe imaginative life of Rishi Vishvamitra’s time. Vedic and epic age is reflected in K.M. Munshi’s epic novel ‘Bhagwan Parshurama’.

(J) Change:-

The novel has been changing. But there is lack of new style, technique, plot and characters. This has led to go to regular stuff of sex and crime. ‘Possession’, ‘A Bend in Ganges’ and Khushwant Singh’s ‘I shall not Hear the Nightingale’ are such novels. But change is found. Stream of consciousness technique is seen in G.V. Desani’s ‘All about H. Hatter’. Even Shankuntala Shrinagesh in her novels ‘The Little Black Box’, Anita Desai in ‘Cry the Peacock’, and ‘Voice in the City’ has such reflection of style.

Detective novels are ‘Bombay Murder’ by S.K. Chettur, Detective Janaki’ by Kamala-Satianandhan’s and fantasies in Purushottam Trikamdas’s ‘The Living mask’. Philosophical novels by Dilip Kumar Roy such as ‘The Upward Spiral’, ‘Raja Rao’s ‘The Serpant and the Rope’, ‘The Cat and Shakespeare’, school life has been narrated in R.K. Narayan’s ‘Swami and Friends’ and the Muriel Wasi’s ‘Too High for Rivalry’.

          Numberless novels come yet we wait for great novelists who may influence the world yet Indian novels may such things to take pride which is not less to boast.