“He
is the greatest Indian writer who has intimately studied the life of the
peasant and portrayed with such powerful imaginative art that it stands supreme
in the history of Hindi fiction.”
.. Says Indra
Nath Madan about Premchand. Premchand (1880) was a great novelist, short story
writer and also a good human being. His real name was Dhanpat Rai Ajaiblal
Munshi Premchand was his pen name. He
wrote his first novel in Urdu ‘Asrave-Mabid’. In 1917, there came his great
novel ‘Seva-Sadan’. In 1936, Godan’ was published and in it he concentrates on
the problem of the farmers and farmers. In his novels, ‘Rang Bhoomi’ and ‘Karam
Bhoomi’ he deals with the problems of the farmers, their miserable plight and
oppression to Harijian
Community. In 1929,
he wrote “Pratigyan”, in it he has portrayed the terrible condition of th
widows. He has shown now a widow has to suffer in a ruthless orthodox system.
His “Nirmala” (1923) is a powerful novel, contains the pathetic life and story
of Nirmala which exposes the hollowness of the contemporary Hindu Society. In
“Gaban” (1930), Premchand give a realistic portrayal of the
conflict-torn-personality of Ramnath who adopts unfair means to earn money. In “Premashram” the novelist emphasizes on the
establishment of the ideal social order. It is a saga of Indian farmer’s toil,
an epic like work. It depicts their struggle against cruel and indifferent rich
money-lenders.
realistic portrayal of
the Indian peasantry
In ‘Godan’ (1930) Premchand gives a realistic portrayal of
the Indian peasantry and presents a portrait gallery of Contemporary Indian
society. Premchand reveals the pitiable condition of the poor farmers. In
‘Godan’ Hori is such a victim of this cruel and heartless system. Novel tends
to assume the form of an epic of common man and everyday life. It realistically
describes the various aspects of life. It is rich in social awareness. It is a
vehicle to express the rapid socio-cultural changes in modern society Godan has
epic dimensions as it deals with the epic struggle of the Indian peasantry
against an established social order. A famous critic Francis Stoddard remarks in
this respect….
“A novel is a narrative of human life under
stress of emotion. It differs from the epic in that it is a narration of human
rather that super human life.”
In this sense, the modern novel is closer
to the epic in its endeavour of a hostile environment
Prem Chand as a Social Reformer:-
The
period between 1880-1936 was the period of transition in the Indian politics
and movements for independence. In the first half of the twentieth century, the
Congress Party had become a major political party under the leadership of
Mahatma Gandhiji. Prem Chand was always in the tough with the national parties
and the freedom struggle. In rural
Indian there were many problems like unsociability, rigid cast-system, communal
feelings and orthodox ways life/.
As
a realist, Prem Chand wants to bring about change in society. He always hits
hard the social evils and orthodox beliefs. He is against the oppression of
workers and peasants. As a progressive writer, he always fights against social
injustice in all forms. Being a rationalist, he writes with revolutionary zeal
and vigor. He shows the deep sympathy for the poor laborers, peasants, woman
and oppressed one to the middle and the lowers classes of the society. He knows
that he modern industrialism and materialism have faith in the goodness of man.
He asserts that the good ultimately wins over falsehood and evil. He wants to
brings a synthesis between man and society and puts forth his concept of an
ideal social order where there is equality, justice and love. This he is not a mere
moralist or a realist, but so a reformist.
Social problem depicted in his
novel:-
Prem
Chand touches upon many current problem in the his stories and novels. In “Rang
Bhoomi” and “Karam Bhoomi”, he advocates the policy of truth and not-violence.
Here the Harijans star a ‘satyagraha’ because they are denied entry into the temples.
In “Premasharam” he describes the hateful and pathetic condition of the poor
peasants. In “Kayakaipa”, he analyses the sensitive issue of Hindu Muslim
communal classes. “Seva Sadan” gives a lively and realistic picture of the
middle class life which is full of conflicts and tension. “Nirmala” contains
the pathetic life story of Nirmala which exposes the hollowness of the
contemporary Hingu society.
A tragedy of Indian peasantry
“Godan”
is Prem Chand’s the best novel which concentrates on the poor economic
condition of the Indian peasants. In fact, “Godan” depicts the tragedy of
Indian peasantry. Hori is the protagonist of this novel. He is a God-fearing
man who ca nnot think of violating the tradition values and customs. He has
been brought up in a n atmosphere of rid orthodox religious beliefs. He is a
very simple and sincere. He is an embodiment of the selfless Service and ideals.
He silently bear the unjust exploitation by the money leaders. Thus the helplessness
and suffering of the Indian peasants against the powerful money lenders and landlords
is the leading theme in “Godan”.
Blind faith in Fate
Blind
faith in Fate is another theme in this novel. The novelist presents his
characters as simple and innocent. His characters likes Hori submits to all
kinds of exploitation by the rich. They have an unshaken faith in the destiny.
The hero, Hori says, “It is the voice of God that speaks through the Panches,
but what is written must happen. Nobody quarrels with Fate”. As a result, they
can never stand against unfavorable circumstances. Here Prem Chand believes
that the best ways to study and understand society and its problem is to study
an individual with his environment. He also believed that a change in society
set-up is sufficient to transform the lives of indivduals.
v
Struggle of individual in a social set up
Thirdly
according to the novelist, ethos and status play an important part in the life
of an individual. Here different characters are personifications of certain
values and ideals. For example, Dhaniya knows that Jhunia was responsible for their
troubles. But she realizes that society judges the rich and the poor by two
different moral codes. She says,
“When the
rich commit wrong, no bothers to blame them. If the poor commit the same wrong,
they lose face.”
The
main plot deals with the life history of Hori and his family. In the sub-plot,
we have selected individuals from the city is present a parallel point of view
on life. These characters presents modern values and their names are also
suggestive. On the other hand the names of the villagers like Hori, Dhania,
Jhunia, Gobar and Matadeen show their rural background. They represent their
ethos and status. Though Hori has worked hard all his life he has to go to the
moneylender for money for the marriage of his two daughters. In this
connection, Prem Chand says, “To get a single penny on interest, he supplicates
himself before the modern-lender for hours. His sons, Gobar, and his wife
Dhania favour fail dealings in life and they have worldly-wisdom. While simplicity
and saintliness become a cruse of the innocent Hori, In his attempts to repay his Debt. Hori kills himself.
Even in his last moments he does not want to violate the traditions.
Here Prem Chand is more of a
humanitarian like Tagore rather than a Gandhian. He believes that the
environment has a deep impact on the man’s psyche and it shapes the grow of an
individual. He asserts the instead of reforming an individual, it is better to
reform the social set-up in which he lives. He wants to re-establish the
essential goodness in man’s life.
The theme of love:-
Mr.
Mehta and Miss Malti are the living and charming characters of Prem Chand. The
novelist highlights the theme of love through them. They transcend the limitations
of life. They stand for the essential goodness of human heart. They believe
that love is pious and sacred feeling. Their notions of love are Platonic.
Through them Prem Chand advocates reforms in social set-up. They follow radical
and progressive ideas of equality and social.
v
‘Godan’ – a
social document :-
The
present work is an important document of Premchand’s contemporary society with
its problem. The Indian farmer is in the centre of the narrative. He is not
aware of rights and importance in society. Premchand’s novel has a very important social
purpose. For him, society is not a reflection of the temperament of the age and
its people but also serves as a yard stick to judge their action and conduct. A
change in social set up is sufficient to transform the lives of the
individuals. The novel also shows the feudal lords like Rai saheb and Hori the
poor. It shows the distance between two worlds and life styles. Here the
Rai Sahib says,
“I wonder why the sighs of the poor peasants do
not reduce us to ashes. I firmly believe that a person without self-respect and
spiritual strength is not fit to be called a man”.
Conclusion:-
Thus
“Godan” deals with different themes presents through different characters with
tier ethos and status. The characters are personification of certain values and
ideals. Here Prem Chand describes his age of rapid transitions, political
instability and the helpless struggling peasant against a rigid social set-up.
Thus
“Godan” is a masterpiece of Indian literature, and the real test of great book
is that it retains its relevance ands suggestive value in all times. It never
becomes out-dated and it never fails to answer the questions of its succeeding
age.
Its very helpful for readers
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