Vendor of Sweets - character of Jagan

Critically Appreciate character of Jagan in the novel “The Vendor of Sweet”.

Introduction:-

            Jagan is the central figure of the novel “The Vendor of Sweet” by R.K.Narayan. He has his sweet shop in the market Road, and he is running his business very nicely. He is nearly fifty –five year old. He is depicted as a typical south Indian sweet vendor.

            His appearance is slight and elfish. He has brown, translucent skin. On his chin there were white bristles because he has habit of shave at certain intervals He wears a loose jibba over his dhoti both made of material spun with his own hand. Everyday he spun for on hour.

1. His daily routine:-

            Jagan is quite successful in his business He earns nearly one thousand rupees a day from his sweet shop. He has four cooks, one counter boy and a watchman as his staff. He has his throne at a central place in the shop. He could see the four cooks working in the kitchen and the boy at the counts from his throne. He used to read “Bhagvad Gita” there.

            Since early morning to 7:3o. His shop ran successfully it was his routine. The reason of His success was that he never allowed any compromise. He always used pure “Ghee” for making sweets.

            At six o’clock the counter boy used to bring the bronze jug filled with cash to him. At seven the boy had to bring another installment in a smaller container at seven. He made an entry in a small note book and then more elaborates entries in his account book.

            As the day got over, He used to look his door and asked the captain if it was all right. Then it as his time to leave for home.

2.  A Blind Follower Of Gandhiji. :-

            Jagan is the blind follower of Gandhiji. When Gandhiji had visited his town twenty years ago, he had vowed that he would spin for an hour everyday and would wear the clothes of Khadi spun with his own hand. He used to wear the sandals made out of the leather of an animal which had died natural death. He said:

“I do not like to think that a living creature should

have its Throat cut for the comfort of my   feel”.

            To get the leather of a dead animal, he would travel to a remote village. He used to do the tanning activities at home only though his wife never liked it.

3. His preference of “Natural Thing” and “Natural Cure”:-

            Jagan prefers Natural things for use. Just in the beginning, He says,

“I have given put salt since this morning.

  One must eat only natural.”

            He tells that he has abandoned rice too and takes stone ground wheat honey and greens. He prefers honey to sugar. He doesn’t use tooth-brush He drinks water boiled previous night .

            For any disease he believes in “Natural Cure” only. He chewed the bitter leaves of neem tree or a month as it destroyed all bacteria in the ryes He used to collect the yellow flowers of neem tree freed them in ghee and used once in a week. One His wife had headache He had preferred those flower instead of giving medicine to her. He has written a book and it is waiting for publication since so many years.

4. His Love for his Son Mali :-

Jagan always loved his son as Mali had lost his mother many years ago. The only son born after so many years was very dear to Jagan. Jagan had preformed both the duties of a mother and of a father. He used to cook breakfast for his son, placed it on the table, with five rupee note for his lunch and the other expenses. He was always worried about his son’s eating. All the demands by Mali were satisfied, so he was spoilt. He never understood that he should respect his caring and loving father. He always remained aloof.

           

5. His love for his wife:-

            Jagan had married Ambika with typical Hindu customs. After marriage he had her obsession.  He passed most of his time with her in their bed room. He had to hear sarcastic remark from his family member on account of that. For ten years they were not blessed with a child. After pilgrimage to the temple of “Santana Krishna at Badri Hill, Mali was born. There was much happiness in their home but it couldn’t last long. Ambika died of Brain tumour.

6. His reaction on Mali’s an Unfavorable Action:-

            Jagan has very high dreams for his son and his studies. But one day suddenly Mali declared to his father that he didn’t find the study interesting so he could not study more. Through cousin Jagan came to know that Mali wanted to become a writer. Finally Mali decided to go to America as he wanted to learn the art of story writing in America. For Jagan this unbelievable thing. He says.

 “Did Valmiki go to America or Germany?

in order to learn to write his “Ramayana”.

            But Mali had fixed his passport and other such things. For the fare, he had taken money from his house even without his father’s knowledge; it gave the great shock to his father. His actions always hurt Jagan but Jagan never complained him or never rebuked him for anything Finally Mali paid for the air ticket and went to America leaving his father alone.

7. His Dislike of Mali’s intended Business and Demand of two lakh rupees:-

            One day he went to Jagan and called Grace by telling that he was discussing business. At that time he came to know that Mali wanted fifty one thousand dollars from him to set up a factory for manufacturing novel writing machines in collaboration with his America associates.         Mali explained each and every detail about the story writing machine but For Jagan it was a risky business and fifty one thousand dollars was not small amount. Jagan felt his sweet stall was running quite successfully; if Mali wanted to run it. He had no objection; but giving that amount was not without risk. Mali and Grace insisted a lot but they couldn’t change his decision.

8. The greatest secret of his life;-

            Mali’s idea of sending grace back to America disturbed Jag a lots. Through cousin Jagan had come to know that Grace had started spending his tine with the girls at Dr. Kuruwilla’s house. When Jagan talked to Grace, he got the greeted shock of his life. The great secret of Mali was revealed by grace by grace. She told Jagan,

“But we are not married. He promised he’d marry me

in the India way. But it did not happen.”

            Jagan was shocked. He felt that both of them had tainted his ancestral house. For sometimes he barricaded himself in the one part of his house but finally decided to leave for retreat

9.Jagan’s Retreat:-

            Mali’s father Jagan was unable to live in that tainted house. So he decided to leave the house and all the worried and worldly life. As  he prepared to go  cousin delivered the news that Mali was imprisoned. He caught with half a bottle of alcohol in his car. At first Jagan felt like fainting hearing the but he was recovered soon. He gave all the charge of his sweet stall to cousin and felt tan Mali always needed a lesson. He said to cousin

            “A dose of prison life is not  a bad thing It may be just what he need now.”     Then Jagan went to his retreat leaving Mali on his fate.

Conclusion:-

            Jagan is the unheroic hero, passive and tolerant. He is motivated by the teachings of Gandhian Gita. Even With some shortcomings in him he is a good person. Jagan represents typical Eastern and especially Indian characteristics. He is a devout Hindu, a through going nationalist and a staunch Gandhite and a Naturalist too. Spinning Charka, believing in non-violence and non-cooperation, wearing shoes of leather got from a dead animal are the typical Indian characteristics presents in Jagan. Reading of Gita also attracts him