“Gora is more
than a mere novel; it is an epic of India in transition at a crucial period of
modern history, when the social conscience and intellectual awareness of the
new intelligentsia were in the throes of a great churning.”
-Krishna
Kriplani
‘Gurudev’
Rabindranath Tagore was a man of versatile genius. He was a poet, playwright,
novelist, educator, social reformer, nationalist and composer. He achieved “a
perennial success Bengali as well as in English language.” He became Asia’s
First noble Laureate, when he won the 1913 Noble Prize in literature for his
Gitangali” or “Song Offerings. Two songs
from
him are now the national anthems of Bangladesh and India; the ‘Amar Shonar
Bangla’ and the ‘Jana Gana Mana’ respectively. Out of his twelve novels the
famous are the novels of conflict like ‘Chokher Bali,’ ‘The Wreck’, ‘Gora’,
‘Ghare Baire’ and ‘Farewell, My Friend’. In these works, Rabindranath examined
how the spirit of the age influenced the life of people.
Gora; a
central character of the novel:-
Tagore’s ‘Gora’ is the work of supreme
art. Among major characters like Binoy, Paresh Babu, Sucharita, Political, Andandmoyi,
Gora is drawn as a central character. About the importance of Gora’s character
Bhawani Bhattacharya says,
“The main character in the book Gourmohan
or Gora
has been created with deep sympathy.”
“While a critic like K.R.S. Iyenger
find
“Gora as the mouthpiece of Tagore’s ideal of
nationalism and internationalism.
He further note, he is the most
striking person ever created by Tagore in his fictional world He represent the nationalist
and idealist youth of Bengal at the end of the 19th century. He is
an awfully powerful character and voice of Indian. He wants to declare only one
thing “India is the land of Hindus.”. He is a violent nationalist. The
sea-change which takes place in him is the real study of the novel.
His
Personality:-
Gora has a well-formed personality.
Even in his college, his professors call him ‘the snow mountain’ because he was ‘outrageously white’. Tagore describe him
‘He was nearly
sit fee tall, with big bones and fists like the paws of a tiger. The sound of
his voice was so deep and rough that you would be startled if you suddenly
heard him calling”.
His face was large and excessively strong.
He had practically no eyebrows. His lips were thin. He had a very strong body
and impressive physical features of an Englishman. Moreover he was self-confident,
orthodox and obstinate. His great strength of will made him very self-confident
and even arrogant and intolerant. So his Friend Binoy tell him plainly, “You have one great fault, Gora. You seem to believe
that all God’s’ strength has been given to you alone’.
The secret
of is Birth and Parentage:-
The secret of Gora’s personality which
keeps him away from becoming an ordinary Bengali young man lies in his birth
and parentage. Since birth, Gora himself did not know his real parent. He was neither
Bengali or Hindu nor Indian at all. He was the son of an Irish man and English
mother. She had been given shelter at Anandamoyi’s house during the Rising of
1857. She gave birth to Gora and died. Andandmoyi had no child of her own. So
she adopted him. Krishna Dayal performed his thread ceremony and had him
educated in Calcutta.
v
His
Respect for His Parents
Gora was a foundling in the family of
Krishna Dayal and Anandmoyi. He got the child when he was posted the government
service at Itawa. Since the very birth of Gora Anandmoyi had great affection
for gora. He had lived with Anandmoyi and Krishna Dayal like their own son. Gora
had great respect for Andandmoyi.. In her, he finds the true image of mother. He
says, “Mother,
you are my mother. The mother for whom is been seaming all day was the item
sitting in my room at home. You have not caste; you make no distinctions and
have no hatred. It is you who are India.” .
Gora had respect for his father Krishna
Days, yet Gora’s mind revolted against his ways, He was on the verge of cutting
of relations with his father, but Andandmoyi intervened and always tried to
reconcile them.
His Education:-
Gora was a child adopted by Krishna Day
and his wife Andandmoyi at the time of Sepoy Revolt in the north India n 1857.
At an early stage, Krishna Day thought to make Gora a priest. But Andandmoyi
objected him idea. So Krishna Dayal, out of affection for Gora had go through
the thread ceremony so that Gora might be considered to be a sacred Brahmin.
Andandmoyi took due care of his education. Discussion between Binoy and Gora on
India’s freedom and the position of women in India shows that he was a learned
man. He used to contribute articles in the paper and Sucharita used to read
them with delight. He was an orthodox Hindu and he had gathered quite deep
knowledge on Hindu rites and Hindu Shatras. He was able to discuss religious
matters quite authoritatively. Thus we can say that Gorra was quite highly
educated and well informed on religious matters.
Gora as
Representative of Hinduism:-
‘Gora’ is a novel of discussion and
ideas about contemporary social problem related to Hinduism. In it Gora is the
most orthodox Hindu. Gora as an idealist believes in the noble ideas of Hinduism.
In the initial career at college he was rather indifferent to matters religion
like many young men in college. Gora used to ridicule the learned pandits, who
visited the house of Krishna Day. But one old and much learned pandit met him and
thought him the principle of Vedanta philosophy. It gave him the correct idea f
the greatness of Hindu religion. And Gora gradually turned into a strong
champion of Hingu religion. He also became ‘an orthodox observer of even minor rules of behavior’. Once
he refused a cup of tea served by a Brahmo girl. As an orthodox Bengali and
tradition bound young man, he began to dress like the Bengali farmers in rough
clothes and began to put caste-mark on his forehead and his body.
His view
on Love, Women and Caste System:-
He was the believer in love. When he
discusses it with Andandmoyi, He says, “You can
disregard the Shastras, but you must have regard for those whom you love.
On status of women Gora says. ‘The
scriptures tell us that woman is deserving of worship.
In the best novel ‘Gora’ Tagore has raised many contemporary social
problems and evils related to Hinduism and its adversary Brahmanism. Some
critic have call the novel as a novel of ideas suitable to the spirit of the
again. It focuses on the caste-system. Gora is quite orthodox in the
institution of caste-system. He with Krishna Dayal, discusses the merit of a
Brahmin family. He thinks that caste-system is the wisest method of division
and labour and intellectual world. A Brahmin is devoted to the highest ideals
of spiritual knowledge. According to Gora, ‘The Brahmin class is the class of
the superman’. He believed in Hindu culture, tradition, rites, and ritual.
There he performs the ceremony of penance after releases form jail on the banks
of the holy Ganges.
His love
for Mother land:-
Gora is a patriot and a great lover
motherland. He has been great devotee to the moment for making his country
free. Gora took the side of the student and the English Magistrate pushed him
for one’s mother’s rigorous imprisonment. He did not like people who favour the
Englishmen and follow their custom. Gora did not engage a lawyer and decided to
plead his case himself. He explained boldly how the policemen unjustly beat up
the boys. These evens lead Sucharita fall in love with Gora.
His Love
for Sucharita:-
Sucharita was a beautiful girl of
religious nature. She was brought up by Paresh Babu. Gora is at first a lover
of India and no girl attracts him. Yet he felt the memory of Sucharita hunting
him in jail. Thus gradually he starts admiring the character, manners and
thoughts of Sucharita. She too felt love for him. In the end of the novel
Sucharita, wearing silk clothe met him when Gora found that he was Irish by
birth He seeks the blessing of Paresh Babu for her marriage with.
Conclusion:-
Like
Shaw, Tagore has made Gora the mouthpiece his ideals of nationalism and internationalism.
In this respects, a critic K.R.S. Iyengar has pout out the symbolic
significance of the Gora as following, “A character like Gora or the Kauliwhallah,
become mother than a person; he become a poetic symbol.”
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