Ashay Raj
On account of Premchand’s birth anniversary which was on July 31, it is worth remembering one of the greatest writers this continent has ever produced. It is essential to read Premchand whose works underscore themes of morality, power, justice, equality and emancipation with a contemporary sensibility and take guidance from the righteous characters that struggle against the inherent unequal social dynamics where deceit, contempt, exploitation are valued and still do not entertain expedient adjustments even after persistent pressures.
A Revolutionary is Born
Under the reign of the Queen Victoria in British India, postmaster Ajayab Rai Srivastava and his wife Anandi Devi welcomed a baby on the last day of July in the year 1880 in their ancestral home in Lamhi, situated near Banaras (Varanasi). The boy was named Dhanpat Rai Srivastava but was fondly called Nawab Rai by his mother who adored her son like those Banarasi betel leaves. The mother-son bond unfortunately, was short lived as Anandi Devi untimely departed for her heavenly abode leaving her beloved Nawab Rai at the tender age of seven to navigate through the existential labyrinth with little guidance from a workaholic father in a financially distressed condition.
With a noble desire to not deprive a young boy of motherly care and comfort of the ‘home’, Mr. Rai strongly considered the prospects of remarriage and the idea eventually came into fruition. The arrival of new mother or step-mother however, further exacerbated the situation and a hopeless feeling of hostility lingered in the house mired with economic instability. This was one of the many hardships that the boy was greeted with during his lifetime owing to which, he developed a remarkable subtlety for his age when it came to understanding emotions, injustice, exploitation and human society.
The boy went on to put his pen to the paper with an unprecedented ingenuity and penned down such thought-provoking works that his readers immediately bestowed him with titles such as ‘Kalam Ka Sipahi’ and ‘Upanyaas Samrat’. The man who eternally yearned for love since childhood received overwhelming love from readers and critics alike when wrote under the pseudonym, Premchand. The readers saw him as the beacon of hope in the abyss of despair and believed that his pen possessed a power to precipitate a positive change in the exploitative social order.
The Brilliance of Munshi Premchand
Mrinal Sen, a renowned film maker who adapted one of the writer’s short stories into a film once remarked that Premchand is the most important writer of the 20th century. The statement is not hyperbolic considering his stories reflect the tapestry of rural life interwoven with complex interplay of identities, rigid social customs, exploitative forces that undermined the dignity of the women, backward caste communities, poor peasants at every step with a blend of poise and anguish that is still unmatched.
In the times we live in, where the crown has long withdrawn from the affairs of the subcontinent and freedom, liberty and justice are touted as the abiding principle of the Indian society, one might feel tempted to dismiss the need of eulogizing the writer and label such practices as an exercise in futility. However, this must not be the case. The genius of Munshi Premchand lies in his realistic fiction and critique of some fundamental social institutions that have strongly stood the cruel test of time and continue to inspire readers to foster critical thinking and a sense of justice in the milieu they live in and in turn, work towards inclusivity and harmony through their collective actions.
It is essential to read Premchand whose works underscore themes of morality, power, justice, equality and emancipation with a contemporary sensibility and take guidance from the righteous characters that struggle against the inherent unequal social dynamics where deceit, contempt, exploitation are valued and still do not entertain expedient adjustments even after persistent pressures. Sometimes, they emerge victorious like Vanshidhar in their battles against powerful men such as Pt. Alopidin (Namak Ka Daroga) retaining their virtues while on other occasions, they lose the battle against the society bereft of conscience like in the case of Gyanchandra, a married man who shelters an abandoned woman in his home to prevent her sanctity but eventually faces social ostracization culminating in suicide (Bahishkaar).
Reading classic tales with contemporary pretext
One of the most celebrated authors associated with the Progressive Writer’s Association (PWA), the stories penned down by Munshi ji echoes in eternity and the reason for which perhaps could be attributed to his remarkable grasp over the inequities embedded in the social systems such as family system, justice machinery, social institutions. Through his thought provoking and prescient works, he reinforced the supremacy of ethics over emotions and taught the readers that justice is above all the relationships and interests and must be served even at the cost of childhood friendships.
A friendship as strong as Jumman Sheikh and Algu Chaudhary (Panch Parmeshwar). In the current times, where nepotism in the judicial system is at an all-time high with favours and corruption repeatedly indicting the pious institution, it becomes ever relevant to revoke the ‘holiness’ attached to the panchayat and remember that ‘Pancho ke dil mei khuda basta hai’. (God resides in the heart of judges). Additionally, the exploitation of the peasants, farmers, people belonging to the Dalit community by feudal lords and upper caste men in the colonial India is documented by Premchand in his works such as Godaan with a passion that is hard to reproduce without a deep sense of commitment to the cause of the disenfranchised classes of the society.
The themes of communal harmony, caste violence and blind faith have been dealt with extraordinary concerns in the novels and short stories of the writer. His life was itself emblematic of the syncretic culture of the civilization that he wrote extensively about as he was schooled by a maulvi in a village in Kashi (Varanasi) and learnt to embrace the plurality of beliefs from a young age evident in his works such as Biradari and Kshama. Premchand unabashedly condemned the sorry state of affairs in the country that prided itself on the humiliation of lower castes and never shied away from exhibiting the ugly forms of exploitation in his works such as Sadgati, Kafan and Thakur ka Kuan. Unfortunately, such hideous manifestations of caste discrimination have still not become a thing of the past. Cases of violence and honour killings in the name of caste continue to be reported widely throughout the country in times like these, Munshi Premchand commands an absolute pertinence in our seemingly advanced society.
Similarly, women in the stories of premchand were as diverse as women in the Indian society. The headstrong lower caste ghaaswaali could confront a thakur as she rejects his amorous advance (Ghaaswaali) while Mrs Padma despite her erudition and dynamism fell prey to a duplicitous man who left her helpless and shattered in desperate conditions (Miss Paadma). He pronounced his defiance of the patriarchal social fabric that shamed, chastised and almost unequivocally reduced her into a promiscuous being only capable of satisfying other’s carnal desires.
He fiercely critiqued the unequal institution of marriage and associated social evils such as dowry, child marriage most famously through his novel, Nirmala. Surprisingly, as a male himself, his stories never lacked authenticity when it came to the portrayal of sensitive women characters and perhaps such solid grip over his craft earned him the title of ‘Upanyas Samrat’ by the literary critics and audience alike. One of the few early writers who was not apprehensive of populating his fiction world with female protagonists, his works such as Sevasadan are a testament to his unwavering support for the feminist movements. The noted poet and filmmaker, Gulzar, who adapted Premchand’s works into tele series called ‘Tehreer Munshi Premchand Ki’ once emphasized that Premchand specialised in the subjects that revolved around women and had an intuitive sense of their emotional vulnerabilities more than his counterparts.
The heart-wrenching short stories compiled in eight volumes titled ‘Mansarovar’ composed with a virtuoso symphony of empathy and hope for the mankind successfully obliterate the rigid time-space barriers and provoke readers to relate the events and characters in stories in the contemporary context. The impeccable finesse in conveying a complex thought to the readers without indulging in excessive jargonism and decoratives has helped in cementing Munshiji’s stature as the foremost writer in Hindi Literature. He is remembered not just as a writer who left an indelible imprint on the literary canvas but also a pioneer who showed the way forward to future literary legends like Dharamveer Bharati, Rajendra Yadav, Nirmal Verma, Amrit Rai, Manu Bhandari, Mahadevi Verma among many others.
Personal Troubles and Later Years
Notwithstanding his enormous popularity and acclaim, destiny was never on good terms with Munshi Premchand who for most part of his life, could not combat his personal battles, ideological dilemmas and financial insecurities, the roots of which could be traced in his complicated boyhood in Banaras. He was married to a girl as a teenager whom he did not consider a suitable match for himself. The escalating tensions between the couple finally culminated in a divorce entailing much material and psychological troubles for the writer. Furthermore, he resigned from the post of schoolmaster in the wake of non-cooperation movement led by Mahatma Gandhi despite his ill health and financial burdens.
Post resignation, he immersed himself completely into publishing and writing working for his own press, Saraswati Publications which also published the famous hindi literary magazine, Hans. His prolific output as a writer, at least in part was an escapist retreat against the unpleasant material reality. In his final days, Premchand also travelled to Bombay to find work in Hindi Film industry but returned back as he found the city detrimental to any serious artistic pursuits. Overworked and exhausted, Munshi Premchand bid adieu to the cruel world in 1936 at the age of 56 leaving behind an enduring legacy imbued with profound wisdom for the generations to come.
Ashay Raj is a former student of Jamia Millia Islamia and currently a Young India Fellow at Ashoka University.
Edited By: Gunjit Verma
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of The Jamia Review or its members.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings