Premchand's 'Godaan' in 21st Century India

It's been a month that I finished reading Munshi Premchand's classic 'Godaan' but couldn't get it out of my mind. The plot, set in pre-independence India, is riveting, makes for a compelling read and in my opinion still stands relevant. To the uninitiated, it is a story of a righteous peasant (poverty goes along with being a peasant), who places high value on matters concerning pride, caste and village values. But it is also as much the story of his devoted yet combative wife, the rebellious son and the duped daughter-in-law. It is also the story of the then urban society, the liberal values it preaches and the rural-urban divide. If you haven't read it yet, go grab a copy.

The legendary author paints a vivid picture of the prevailing village life where the hierarchy established by the caste prevails largely unquestioned but significant concessions are granted to the relative rich. I wonder what has changed in last 70 years? Not much. Like in the novel, inter-caste marriages are still exceptions and not the norm and are almost always followed by social castigation. If anything the rural society in the novel is more benevolent than the one we live in. Surely, we have come a long way but I guess the socio-political framework in rural India has not really made any progress.

Caste system is not the only aspect that has not changed from Premchand's India. The central character is a peasant burdened by loans and struggles to pay the interest. Our farmers continue to be debt ridden. There still is tax to be paid before anything is consumed. If anything the debt system has been institutionalized. There are no 'Mahajans/Sahukars' but there is debt, interest, crop failure and death. I wonder which is a bigger evil - the rigidity of an unrelenting caste system or poverty of an average farmer?

The multi-dimensional novel also sketches in great detail the idiosyncrasies of the urban society. The masks that people wear and how pretentiousness is not really an attribute of 21st century alone. It is surprising how little has our urban society transformed. The novel lays out mental and material map of the rich industrialist, the influential minister, the London schooled doctor and the intellectual philosopher. Premchand details the values and ethos of the urban individual, the worries that beset him(her) and the battles (s)he fight. The dual life, personal struggles and public posturing belying the internal turmoil provides enough food for thought. These characters could easily be based out of any of the modern metropolitan cities and still not be incongruous.

Godaan makes me ponder over what we consider as important and what as trivial. It shows how one can spend an entire lifetime in pursuit of a material goal and still not achieve it due to extraneous factors.

It talks of the heart break but also of hope. Whenever the characters have attempted a personal goal of finding material or emotional gratification, they have succeeded. Like the peasant son who runs away from the village to earn and tastes success or the leader who fights the legal battles against all odds or the doctor who sets about discovering her true passion. But when the characters desire to impose their beliefs on others, there is strife and grief. Its a reminder to have ambitious goals and to be ever cognizant of our limited sphere of influence.

It also talks about how tides turn as almost all the characters in the novel experience success and failure. It illustrates that success should never be taken for granted and failure is not an end state. I recommend this as a must read. I read this in Hindi but am sure it will be equally gripping in its English translation.


Till next time.

LinkedIn: Atul Mishra

To a mother and then to all mothers

Though each day promises unique opportunities, birthdays  are special. However, birthday, or birth day, is an experience beyond words. We recently had the privilege to experience one and I think am still hung over.
For birth of a child is as much about the tiny, innocent person breathing to life as about finding a hitherto unknown person in yourself. This magnificent experience is gratified when the newborn is also the firstborn. Yours truly had this fortune bestowed upon only a few days ago. While it means a lot to be a father, this piece is not about me. This is more to do with the person who makes it all possible.

It is amazing to see how my wife has taken to being a mother. While many say being a mother supersedes everything else so much so that new mother stops being everything else, I beg to differ. Having witnessed my wife evolve into a mother has left me in complete awe of the woman. She has all aspects of her personalities intact and has developed a new dimension of mother. While we all seek to balance different roles in our lives (work-life balance, social-personal-private lives), the swiftness with which she has achieved this is phenomenal.
I now know the reason why mothers are revered. A mother deserves all the accolades she gets and a lot more. More power to you wifey. The affection, patience and perseverance you put on display every waking moment of your life is a lesson in what unconditional love is.
I could see you being a great mother while remaining the  beautiful person that you are. I hope to stand by you and support whenever and however I can.
Today I bow down to you, the mother, and to all mothers who make our lives possible.

Love.

LinkedIn: Atul Mishra

Let it Rain

Its well past midnight, in fact its nearly dawn and yet I have managed to evade sleep and remain at large. Tonight is not the night for sleep. As the world lost itself into the relaxed, comfortable and almost intoxicating state of physical rest, I choose to stay awake. But I am not alone. Rain has given me company.

Rain - a subject of ballads and poems has always intrigued me. The sound of rain crossing across balcony, splashing at the window is almost trance inducing. I have found the sound of rains, uninterrupted by the noise of traffic or daily human life to be very conducive for musings. For rains are not just life giving, they also bear life lessons. 

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Petrichor: The smell of rain:

Lets begin with the beginning.
This unmistakable scent confirms that the symphony of rain has begun. A single sniff is always enough to know that its raining, but who would stop after only a single sniff? In my order of odours, Petrichor shall always take the front and center seat. It shall be flanked by vacant seats and only after that will Coffee fit in. Ever wondered what it would be like to have a personal stash of such odour?
It could be any memory of a person, a group, a story, a goal or anything else.  A memory so powerful that when evoked takes the entire mind share. Release you of all the stress and make you smile. A memory so important that everything else fades into mundane. I have many such memories and boy they work wonders. May you all find your Petrichors.

Rain or Raindrops?

As I look at the drops fall I wonder whether these drops in themselves are of any significance at all. Taken in isolation they will be lost without a trace in no time. Yet take out these drops and there is no rain. The incessant fall of drops can be savored only if we focus on the drop which has just hit the earth or skin. If we start focusing on the drops that have already fallen, we shall miss the beautiful drops which follow.
The rain called life is made of many such drops called moments/events. However, often I see myself or my friends lost in thoughts of the past or future. They could be happy memories or personal tragedies of the past; they could be pleasant dreams or the uncertainties of a distant future but each moment spent over such brooding takes away a beautiful, unique rain drop.
It is important to look at the past as we learn from it; it is equally imperative to have a vision of the future and know the milestones but most important of it all is execution. For what purpose would the lessons of past and dreams of future serve if they cannot be implemented.

Rainbow: The after effects: 

One of the most pleasant things in life is the greenery after rains. The dust has settled, the trees have washed themselves and the grass looks so fresh. Its exhilarating. As if the world around has just pressed the reset button. Its a fresh canvas to paint our stories. To top it all is the beautiful rainbow. It might be dark during the rain but the rainbow makes it all worth the wait. Sometimes rains could be prolonged,  the world as we know it comes to stop but its always the rainbow and the greenery after the rain which makes it beautiful.

Signing off:

But its not always pleasant, isn't it? It would become boring had it been so. Be that as it may. I hope each one of us finds our rainbows. Let it rain and may you enjoy the rains with gay abandon we were familiar with while still growing up.

LinkedIn: Atul Mishra