Along the journey of Life

BASUDHA CHAKRAVARTY

The Golden jubilee of Triveni leads the present writer who has been a little associated with the journal since soon after its foundation, to attempt a brief survey of the journey of life along with the journey of Triveni in the context of the journey of the nation. For, the five decades covered by Triveni have been a period of most meaningful journey of our people onward including the great transition from subjection to foreign rule to national Independence. Individual lives–meaning personal lives of individuals have been vitally involved in the process. The nature and extent of the involvement needs be probed in order to sharpen and complete the perception of the essence of life. Not that full perception is possible for everybody but the very effort – a sort of sorting out feelings and experiences of life is an eminently worthwhile exercise particularly when that life has been lived in so important a period as the last half of a century.

Doctor S. Radhakrishnan said in the thirties: “If you look at the faces of young men and women of today, you will find in them an indescribable sadness. It is caused not only by their own problems but the basic cause of these: the nation’s political subjugation.” That was eminently true but qualified by the nation resolution – and Doctor Radhakrishnan knew it well for he fully shared it – to get rid of the national shame and humiliation. “Bliss it was at that dawn to be alive and to be young was very heaven.” The mass movements of non-co-operation and civil disobedience coupled with self-immolating revolutionary efforts created an atmosphere of valiant endeavour inspiring even those not directly committed and neutralising the agony of political and economic subjection. Masulipatnam (then so-called), the base of Triveni, had its Andhra Jatiya Kalashala whose conttibution to the nation’s cultural life has been great. Mahatma Gandhi was there in the wake of the national movement as late Principal Sivakamayya, then a co-editor of Triveni, told the present writer in course of a brief meeting in 1964. The institution has had magnificent growth after Independence though qualitative growth may not have kept pace with expansion. At the same time as the country became politically conscious, a spirit of self-assertion pervaded the air and the minorities including the so-called depressed classes among Hindus increasingly asserted themselves. Resistance by other classes and communities resulted in violent disturbances and manifold problems. The national movement had to face them all. Social reforms received a fillip due again mainly to Mahatma Gandhi, eradication of Untouchability receiving priority. His walking tours in the cause, historic fast at Yervada Jail, and Satyagraha in various temples highlighted the psychological preparation for an ail-round campaign of national resurgence.

But the hurdles were stupendous and the goal far distant. The present writer’s first contribution to Triveni was the English translation of a Bengali folk-song of which the first line was “I do not see the end of the river.” The editor once quoted the line to indicate the fact of the river in which he had sailed his boat, not being in sight. Yet the valiant journey has never stopped, Paripassu with the nation’s progress to self-realization Triveni has done its best to assemble under its banner English renderings of chosen pieces from Indian literatures. That has been a notable contribution to much-talked-of national integration.

The problems that arose with the progress to Independence and the gradual infiltration of power into the hands of the people had with some alterations in their nature, to be carried to after independence. The country was launched into a programme of development which, in spite of lapses and pitfalls, has placed India on the industrial map of the World. The cultural tradition has also been maintained though questions have arisen as to whether achievements have matched intellectual, Cultural and scientific attainments of the pre-Independence period. This is quite understandable because the urge for survival, the urge for freedom, the urge for sell-expression confronted the stumbling block of foreign rule to fulfil itself with the dialectical result of cultural fruition at a time when political and economic fulfilment was denied. With the removal of the stumbling block the people’s feelings, and desires have been nurtured by changed conditions so that cultural expression has assumed manifold forms, concentrated merit having given place to diversity and prolificacy. It stands to reason that such pent-up feelings and desires will in course of time seek solid forms of embodiment and lead to a movement akin to renaissance. So then there is nothing to worry about temporary aberration such as the recent suspension of democratic rights which itself was a result of accentuated tension. Even corruption, that cancerous growth in our body-politic, has been caused by a long-starved people’s excessive greed for personal acquisition of the fruits of power born of freedom. Plain living and high thinking such as created simplicity and integrity have naturally been thrown into a seat by a growingly acquisitive society which has yet to yield place to an egalitarian society where the majority of the people will not have to live from hand to mouth while the fortunate and not so scrupulous few prosper. It goes without saying that possible failure to achieve such a society on peaceful lines has explosive possibilities.

That has relevance to many of the problems of the day such as deferred land reforms and massive unemployment. Though without question many avenues of employment for the really skilled and even unskilled have, with increasing progress in development opened up. Yet employment has failed to keep pace with the increase in population, and massive distress and dismay depress the national climate. Incidentally it is this that has given rise to what is known as the generation gap. This is one of the major draws of the national scene though there is in it much to be proud about–particularly the pivotal position the largest democracy in the world occupies in the comity of nations. While efforts are being made to correct the admitted lopsidedness of our national development, we have, individually and collective\y, to address ourselves to the task of building up the nation unto a comprehensive and balanced perspective.

This introduces us to the personal aspect of it all the experience of each one of us through the ups and downs of national life. Each one of us shares the national fulfilment though there may be and are lags between what each of us has got and what one thinks one deserves. Most poignant is the gap between one who has been denied a place in that fulfilment and the national environment. By and large, however, one is fulfilled and should do one’s best to help the national fulfilment reach the lives of all within the nation. This fascinating drama of the nation’s progress from wretchedness to increasing self-realization enthralls us all not less because of the trials and ordeals undergone than because of its triumphs. Anniversaries are occasions for stock-taking and for fresh resolutions for progress. The fiftieth anniversary of “Triveni” calls for renewal of service by all who have been privileged to be associated with it in any manner. Let them dive deep into the meaning of it all the ferment in world history which affects each one of us, the national evolution which has gone into our making and the uncharted prospects of the future to be negotiated by our succeeding generation with all its adventures, trials and triumphs.