Reviews

SUBBANNA–by Masti Venkatesa Iyengar. Translated by the Author from the Kannada original. Available from the Author, Gavipur Extension, Bangalore City. Price Re. 1–14–0 

This is not a review in the orthodox style but a simple record of my personal reactions to a leisurely reading of Subbanna. By a happy chance I read it in Mysore this July in delightful weather, amidst the illuminations and festive rejoicings of the Birthday celebrations of His Highness the Maharajah of Mysore, in the very city home of Subbanna himself.

Sri Masti Venkatesa Iyengar’s art is sheer artlessness. This is his basic virtue. With the apparent simplicity of a mere reporter of events, gathered in tranquility, he achieves great artistic effects. Masti commands a sensitive and nourishing realism, a tenderness and a naive charm. He achieves it all by a careful selection of the incidents, some of them specifically prosaic with a view to heighten the final effects, and a portrayal of them through domestic and well-used colloquial words. Even in his English translation he succeeds in creating the Kannada atmosphere, mainly through his capacity to transmit even to his English the echoes and native vigour of his mother tongue.

Masti’s art itself is very much, to use his own simile, “like a child that places its face against the mother’s breast and searches with its mouth for milk”, and finds not only milk but also love. The manner is casual, thoughtfully casual, leaving in its trail a vista of beautiful suggestions. The result of this combination of qualities is real literature, whose authentic ring you hear even in the English translation.

Though I read Subbanna in English, I throughout imagined Masti his mother tongue, with his complete mastery of the intimacies of home life and the word that reaches and reveals the heart.

Subbanna is the story of the evolution of the life of a gifted musician against a ground of suffering and poverty, and, above all, want of sympathy. It is less a story and more a transcript from life. Even in parts where it is not a transcript from life, the art employed is less of invention and more of selection of suitable and kindred incidents that have come within the range of the author’s own experience. The effect is remarkable as it makes this kind of realism the most nourishing. It yields a simple delight to the reader like mother’s milk.

Music serves as a yoga sadhana to the pilgrim’s progress of Subbanna’s life, and it is no wonder that Subbanna ends almost as a yogi. The whole process of the evolution or sublimation of Subbanna’s character is finely conceived with a true appreciation of the transmuting power of music on the human mind. The musician’s life faithfully portrayed, with music asthe all-absorbing and transmuting art, thewholestoryanelevatingcharm andan air of conviction andreality, andahighand ennoblingpurpose. The personalangleof descriptionwhichMastideliberately adopts likea mothershoweringkisseson the child tillthe cheeks of the babe dimple into a smile, gives the incidents a touch of immortalityand makes some of theobservations of Masti lingerlong in our memory.

Masti isa first-rate observer of life inall itwaywardness, quietude and charm. Instinctive dislike for the mechanism of the, dialogue and preference for simple description or narration is due to an eagerness to retain asubjective and original intimacy with the object. He distrusts the dialogue formbecause itgivesa remoteness to the primary human emotions. Hence the bias for the biographical method. So the dynamic and direct portrayal ofthe essentialdrama of lifein its active pose, which means so much inliterature, isnot found in Masti’s art, leavingus content withthe gains in tranquility, a naive charm and a uniquesimplicity.

Masti’s art, likeSubbanna’s music, is Nature’s owngiftto Masti in a moment of undress. It can never be educated either by literary criticism, or refined into coded values by the Mysore CivilService (either active or in retirement), Masti’s art, like the brook that runs its own meandering course amidst the rugged hillsand babbleson pleasantly, isa joy, as itis, onlyto the eye that sees itsbeauty.

To draw even mother’s milkisneeded the innocent touch of a child’s mouth. Onlya similar innocent outlookon lifecan make you enjoy or draw nourishment from Masti’s art and genius.

K. S. Venkataramani.

Archaeology and Ancient Indian History–Fourlectures by Dr. Hirananda Sastry, M.A., D.Litt., lateGovernment Epigraphist for India and Director of Archaeologyin Baroda; Publishedby the Gujerat Vernacular Society, Ahmedabad; Demy 8 vo, Pp. 8 + 107, besides illustrations on art paper. (Price Rs. 3-0-0).

The Gujerat Vernacular Society has done exceedinglywell in publishing inbook form these informing lecturesof Dr. Sastri. Publication of Archaeologicalinformation by private enterprise is, as is wellknown, only too rare in India and the Society deserves warm congratulations on their publication.

After the first lecturewhich is introductory, the learned Doctor gives a very interesting account of the remains at Nalanda and later gives special attention to archaeological remains in the region of Gujerat. Though the lectures are meant for a layaudience, the Doctor intersperses his discourses with arresting remarks, as for instance that Prince Vijaya was not a Bengali but a Gujerati or that the Custom of moustache-trimming was copied from a non-Aryan source!

After this publication one looksforward eagerly to others by the Gujerat Vernacular Society, similar but more elaborate in scope and character.

K. K.

The Brotherhood of Religions–bySrimati Sophia Wadia, The International Book House, Bombay. Pages 288 (Price Rs. 3–0–0).

This is a collectionof speeches on religious topics delivered on various occasions. Madame Wadia has all the pandit’s learning while she brings to bear on the subject a broad outlook, which is refreshing and energising. The fundamental object of the religious outlook, whatever be the particularlabel attached to it, is to knowthe purpose of existence. This is discussed from various points of view with a mastery of principle and felicity of expression which makes a carefulstudy of this work supremely worthwhile.
C. R. S.

The Truth About Leprosy–Whatevery person should know and can do about Leprosy–by T. N. Jagadisan, M.A., Honorary Publicity Secretary, The British Empire Leprosy Relief Association, Madras Provincial Branch.–16 pages, (Price As. 3). With a foreword by the Hon. T. Austin, Adviser to H. E. the Governor of Madras.

A person having leprosy is only suffering from an ordinary disease which obtains in two types, one of which only is infective. Even the infective type is not so readily contracted as imagined, close contact for a long time–that too in childhood–ordinarily being necessary; and a person with leprosy is not a ‘leper’ as ordinarily understood.

This modern conception of leprosy is sought to be placed before the public, through this booklet, with a view correctly to inform and educate them, while expecting their full co-operation in successfully working out the campaign to control the disease. This booklet issued by the Leprosy Relief Association is the first of the series and others are to follow.
K. N.

Protective Foods–Preparedby the People’s Provincial Food Council–Padma Publications Ltd., Bombay. –18 pages, (Price As. 8).

Food Grains in sufficient quantity are necessary for mere subsistence. But to maintain one’s stamina at a high level and to gain protection from tubercle, malaria, anaemia, diarrhoea, and such other devitalising diseases, Protective foods, such as milk and its products, vegetables, fruits, eggs, fish, and meat in abundance become necessary. In fact, such foods are needed to improve one’s mental vigour.

This subject is here dealt with briefly. The booklet is intended to bring to the notice of the public and those that have to plan for the food supply of large numbers of people, that augmenting, improving and increasing the production of ‘protective foods’ is a sufficiently important question which needs more attention than has hitherto been given to it by Government and public workers. There are suggestions offered on the possible ways in which each one of these food products can be made available in good quantity, particularly to the lower and middle classes.
K. N.

Darsan–Volo II, Published by K. Venkataswami Naidu, M.L.C., Appah Gardens, Kilpauk, Madras: originally issued as monthly leaflets. (Price Re. 1–0–0).

This is a collection of articles by Sri K. Venkataswami Naidu and others mainly to expound the tenets of the Srivaishnava Religion as recorded in the works of the Alwars. The aim of the publication is to create interest in the cult of devotion popularised by the Vaishnava teachers. The exposition is simple and rational, and the worthy publisher, who is a well known publicist of South India, deserves praise for this labour of love that he has undertaken.
V. G.

Short Stories–International Series No. I, International Book House, Ltd. Bombay. (Price Rs. 3–8–0).

It is unusual for a compiler to carp against his own collection, the privilege being left to readers and critics. Here we catch the editors confessing in the introduction: “The editors have been really surprised toperceive so little of a real constructive value emerging from the plots ofmany of the stories. Descriptions, human interest, anticipation, amusement pathos, there are in plenty, but the Why, the How, and the What-Is-It-All-About, are usually lacking.” It is unfortunate that after a laborious search and picking out of 17 stories, in which wedo not come across a single dull or mediocre one, they should be feeling compelled to apologise for it. It is because of the nature of their quest itself. They are looking for their object in the wrong place. To get an idea of How and Why etc., they would do well to apply themselves to a study of gazettes, blue-books, Royal Commission reports, Origin of Species, Intelligent Man’s Guide to this or that, and Astro-Physics; in short almost anything except, stories, long or short. I say this because the lastthing in a story writer’s mind is sociological or philosophical information; he only aims at conveying an experience, with its emotional range drawn fine, and set properly in its psychological ground and environment. He is satisfied if he succeeds in this purpose.

This is assuredly a fine collection of stories, Maupasant, Tchekov, Wilde, Mark Twain and Tolstoy, are some of the names represented here. Theeditors themselves admit that the stories personally appeal to them and represent their favourite ones. Excellent, sirs, excellent taste. Only don’t be apologetic about it. You will learn not to if youdon’t expect facts, systems, and sehemes, of someone who is out to provide you only the music, colour and rhythm of existence.

R. K. Narayan

Kwantung Message–byPaul Steven, Padma Publications Ltd., Bombay. 210 pages. (Price Rs. 5–8–0).

The Publishers deserve to be congratulated on this addition to our meagre literature on China, our nearest neighbour. Kwantung Message is a series of vignettes from the story of the national rebirth of China built round the life of Sun Yat Sen, the father of the Chinese Revolution. The writer has the gift of saying much in little and this short book deals with an incredible number of incidents, personages and topics. Mr. Steven’s method resembles that of a caricaturist; with a few bold strokes he presents us with striking pictures of the Taiping and the Boxer rebellions, of the amazing, mysterious Yuan Shi Kai and of the chequered life of Sun Yat Sen himself. The plan of the book is rather ambitious, for it sets out to be history, biography and novel at the same time. But everyone who is prepared to push aside his virtuosity has to accept that the book is eminently readable, though he cannot help feeling that it misses greatness by striking after brilliance.

H.Y.S

The House that Jinnah Built–byB. G. Kausik, Padma Publications Limited, Bombay. (Price Rs. 4–8–0).

The Hindu-Muslim tangle has become the nightmare of Indian politicians as it has for years been the trump card in the hands of anti-Indian propagandists in India and abroad, resulting in quite a luxuriant crop of literature in recent years bearing on the subject. The book under review written by one whose earliest memories of Indian public life go to the heyday of Hindu-moslem unity in 1920-21, records, more in sorrow than in anger, the part played by Mr. Jinnah in Indian politics and his steadily rising demands in the name of Muslims. The book is closely documented, and brings the story up to August 1942: and seems almost to adumbrate the failure of Gandhi-Jinnah talks of September 1944. The author sets forth his constructive proposals in the last chapter on the basis of a federal constitution, completely autonomous provinces, a legislature with equal representation to the two ‘stans,’ and the head of the Federal State being a representative of Hindustan and Pakistan by rotation. The book ends with optimistic note: “What is most heartening is that the cream of Muslim intelligentsia and youth gravitates toprogressive forces in the country towards nationalism, socialism and congress……Reactionarism in the guise of Muslim or Hindu communalism must lose whatever little appeal it holds no sooner the main prop on which it rests, British imperialism, goes. That day, one cannot help feeling, is not far off.”
K.

Gurudev Nicholas Roerich–By K. P. Padmanabha Tampy, B. A., Published by The Book-Lovers’ Resort, Trivandrum. (Price Rs. 2–8–0).

This is a eulogistic study of Nicholas Roerich, the great Russian artist and humanist who has made India his home for the last 20 years and whose landscapes–specially of the Himalayas–are well-known. A Russian by birth, American by adoption, and Indian by spiritual kinship, Roerich belongs to that small band of heroic souls who seek to serve the spirit of universal culture and may be truly called citizens of the world. Roerich’s name is associated with a Pact (1930) intended to promote world peace and mutual cultural understanding among the peoples of the world, and a Banner of Peace “a trio of three spheres in a circle in magenta colour on a pure white ground.” It is interesting to note that it was Tagore who first invited the artist whom he met in London in 1920 to go over to India: and though he had never seen India, it is curious that ‘Iswara’ was the name of the ancestral estate of the artist, that an Indian Raja had his palace close to the neighbourhood of his family house, and that he had already painted pictures with Indian themes. The views of Roerich on Culture and his reactions to India make interesting reading. The value of the book is enhanced by seven reproductions in colour, and 9 monochrome ones of Roerich’s paintings.
K.

PAMPHLETS ON INDIAN AFFAIRS No. 19,–The Problem Population–By Gyan Chand. Oxford University Press. (Price As. 6).

The author states in clear and brief terms that India is over populated. There might be some difference of opinion on this score when the recent phenomenal growth in the population of both Germany and Japan is taken into consideration. One is bound to feel that the bogey of over population will disappear with adequate industrial development and a fuller exploitation of natural resources. But the subject is one of fundamental importance to national well-being and can easily find a place in the agenda of post-war reconstruction. As such the book is a stimulating contribution.
G. V. R.

Tariffs and Industry No. 20–By John Matthai. Oxford University Press (Price As. 6).

This is a brief account of the part that protection has played in the development of Indian industries and the problems that it faces in the future. It might be somewhat difficult to subscribe to the assumption of the author that in the coming years the consumption goods require no protection, or at the most very little of it. The relations that must exist between exchange and protection in the post-war era have been briefly sketched. There is a note of warning that the case of countries like India, which are still agricultural, might be ignored by the industrial west. One feels, in passing, that the connection between India’s Sterling resources and her future Industrial development have not been adequately touched upon. If they are to be frittered away as after the last war, of which there are many suggestions in the desire for the re-allocation of expenditure between Great Britain and India, or if their exchange into the currency of other countries is prohibited, one feels that it will be a serious blow to India’s future Industrial expansion. Industrialization takes a prominent place in all the blue prints of post-war reconstruction and this little book serves as an admirable guide to many who would like to understand the fundamentals of protection. 
G. V. R.