Satirical works of Kshemendra (study)
by Arpana Devi | 2017 | 60,954 words
This page relates ‘Summary of the Rahghara (1916)’ part of the study on the Satirical works of Kshemendra: an 11th century poet from Kashmir, who composed three satirical works. Kshemendra himself says that in composing the satirical works his only motive is to reform the mindset of the people.—He exposes all the vices and follies prevailing in the society with the intention to reform it.
9.7. Summary of the Rahgharā (1916)
The Rahgharā is a collection of poems composed by Dandinath Kalita (1890-1950). Dandinath Kalita is a popular name in the domain of Assamese satirical literature. As a satirist he occupies a significant place after Lakshminath Bezbaroa. He is a patriotic person and is concerned for the well-being of the society. Kalita is not only a satirist but also a poet, a dramatist a novelist and a biographer. In his satirical compositions, Kalita criticizes hypocrisy, crookedness, immoralities and all the vices and follies prevailing in the contemporary society.
In the Rahgharā, in a funny way, Kalita satirizes the evils prevailing in the society. At the same time his intention is to correct the frailties. Among the poems, Medhi Tirthalai Yay is a popular one. In the poem, Medhi is opium addicted, orthodox and a naive person who goes on a religious expedition outside the homeland. He hesitates to buy a ticket for a boat because he will have to touch people. During his journey, he eats meal cooked by a person and when he comes to know that he is a Muslim man, his sense of sin rises. Then he stops journey and rides on another boat with a determination of doing penance and getting purified. Unfortunately, the boat sinks and Medhi leaves the world. In the poem, the poet satirizes orthodoxy, prejudices and ignorance of people. In the poem, he also satirizes the wrong concept regarding caste system prevailing among the people of the contemporary society.
In the poem Desoddhārakar Mahāsabhā, the poet narrates a funny event. In a meeting of so-called social reformers, a noble Brahmin called Bhattacharya tries to persuade all for the eradication of the caste system. But all the members attack him for his generous social comments and the meeting ends without any result. The poem exposes social evils existing in the contemporary society.
In the Rahgharā, the poet composes some satirical poems in which he satirizes the evils of caste system. For example, in the poem Āmār Jāt, the poet bitterly satirizes those people’s ego for whom their own caste is superior to other castes. For them, those belonging to other religion are impure and their one touch will make their streets and bathing areas (ghāt) impure.[1]
In the epigram Vivāh Vidhi, the poet satirizes the Hindu social custom that a widower of even eighty years age can marry a girl child, but the same girl if becomes a widow before seeing her husband cannot marry another man.[2] In the poem, the poet also satirizes child marriage.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
bhūmaṇḍalat āmārtoei
ātāitkai uttam jāt/
ān dharmar ase jimān
apabitra meles simān;
sihate sule aśuci hay,
āmār bāt ghāt.
bhūmaṇḍalat āmārtoei
ataitkai uttam jāt/ Dandinath Kalita Rachanawalī, Rahgharā, Amār jāt, p.456