The Impact of Gandhi on Dr. Bhabani Bhattacharya’s Novels

The Impact of Gandhi on
Dr. Bhabani Bhattacharyats Novels

Dr. P. N. BHATT
Department of English, Bhavnagar University

Mahatma Gandhi’s emergence on the political arena of India changed the complete outlook of the society and established certain values. His struggle for freedom introduced some new trends in Anglo-Indian fiction. His appeal for universality was more or less accepted by many of the Indian writers. Between 1930-47, the struggle for independence was at the climax. This struggle was reflected in writings also. Gandhiji emphasised more and more on social problems of the oppressed, the poor, the downtrodden and the low caste of the Hindu society. His aim was to eliminate poverty, superstitions, caste system and untouchability which was predominant in the Indian society. Political freedom, he believed, without a healthy social base would lead to disintegration.

The Gandhian influence was so vast and so intense that the great writers of all the Indian languages produced some masterpieces in novel, poetry, drama and other forms of creative writing. The socio-economic and political development is fully revealed in Indo­Anglian fiction.

Dr. Bhattacharya belongs to Gandhian era and his novels reveal prominently the influence of Gandhi and Tagore. He keeps one eye on Gandhi’s philosophy and the other on Tagore’s vision of harmonious integrity. His earlier novels follow Gandhian ideology and Gandhiji’s doctrine of non-violence, Satyagraha, his views on untouchability and casteism, etc, whereas his later novels which we call post-Gandhian novels present Gandhi in the context of free India. Bhattacharya and Dr. Mulk Raj Anand are the two big pillars of  the “Heroic Age” in the sense that Gandhi, the reformist and Gandhi the humanist intensely pervaded their writings. Gandhi has so highly influenced these two writers that not only their novels reveal the Gandhian quality but their characters also personify Gandhi. Devata in “So Many Hungers” projects the image of Gandhi the Mahatma and Rahoul projects the image of Gandhi the man. Bhattacharya reveals various aspects of Gandhi in this novel. For example, by taking the theme of the Quit India Movement, Bhattacharya reflects the image of Gandhi, the leader and Gandhi, the Mahatma, through the mouthpiece of Devata. The author discloses the wrath in the heart of Gandhi towards the British rulers. Devata tells Rahoul that their quarrel is with the British rulers and not with the British people. This rational view of life is very often explained by Gandhi himself also. But the more prominent tone of the novel is humanitarian. The incident of woman giving birth to a child on the road and an old man surrendering his card for free food telling that “now let no one else use it”, and the number of incidents showing the sufferings and miseries of the poor, hungry and dying victims of man-made Bengal famine of 1942–’43, actually moves the heart of Rahoul and that feeling of pain and agony for fellow human-beings reveals the humanitarian approach of Gandhi.

Jaydev in “Music For Mohini” reveals Gandhi’s views on social reform. It is the story of a fight against old superstitions, taboos and religious orthodoxy. Jaydev believes that political freedom without social and economic freedom has no value. The rural society is sick with the set taboos of caste, untouchability and the blind belief in superstitions. He wants to reorient the set values of rural folk.

Bhattacharya’s another novel “He who rides a Tiger” is mainly a story of revenge, a protest against the set norms of casteism.

“A Goddess Named Gold” reveals Bhattacharya’s deep worries and fear for the newly-won freedom.

The impact of Gandhi on the author is clearly shown here by his free use of Gandhian weapon – Satyagraha and non-violence – against the black-marketeers. Like Gandhiji, Bhattacharya is worried and warns us against the dangers of political situations immediately after freedom and if the people are not careful, the black-marketeers and the anti-social elements will take advantage of the freedom and misuse this liberty.

These four early novels reveal the theme of village life and social reorientation of set values in the life of Hindu society. But in “Shadow from Ladakh” the conflict is mounted between two different attitudes, Gandhism and modernism, Gandhigram and Steeltown. The novel reveals that the author is greatly under the influence of Gandhi, Tagore and Jawaharlal Nehru. Dr. Bhattacharya himself has said that “Shadow From Ladakh” is rooted more deeply in Gandhian thought. Satyajit and Bhaskar are two extremes. The former is a staunch believer in Gandhian ideology, the blind follower of Gandhi and is the soul of Gandhigram, while the latter is a young engineer who spent twelve years in America, who stands for modernity, technology and represents Nehru’s dream of free India prosperous through industrial revolution and development. Satyajit tries to become a second Gandhi. He projects the Gandhi image. His gesture of creating another Sevagram, his observing celibacy, his idea of taking a peace march and his fast untodeath–all show his desire to imitate Gandhi. When he blindly follows Gandhi, his friend Bireshwar tells him frankly “A Gandhi and none else should make a Gandhian gesture.” Like Gandhi, Satyajit believes in the cottage industries and thinks that, that is the onlysolution to make people happy. He believes in voluntary poverty. “Shadow From Ladakh” is fully based on Gandhian philosophy and the values given by Gandhi, Bhatta­charya also admires the reforms that were seeping through the layers of rural superstitions. Thus he presents the good that exists in old values as well as in new values. Orthodoxy and reform can coexist. Similarly in free India, Gandhian ideology and concept of rural economy can and must co-exist with modern industrialisation on a large scale.

Thus Gandhiji shaped his idealism and patriotism. Tagore shaped his literary wealth and aspirations, and the main streams of events in India gave him ready material to deal with in his novels.