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Arun Kolatkar's Yeshwant © 2019 JETIR March 2019, Volume 6, Issue 3 www.jetir.org (ISSN-2349-5162) ARUN KOLATKAR’S YESHWANT RAO - A RELIGIOUS SATIRE Dr.F. SujiBrindha Theodore Assistant Professor of English Government Arts College Trichy – 22 [email protected] D.AdrinSanchia Jason II M.A. English Holy Cross College(Autonomous) Trichy – 02 Abstract This paper is a discussion on Kolatkar’s views on religion in his poem YeshwantRao. This poem is taken from Jejuri, a collection of 31 poems. Jejuri is about the agonized relationship of a modern sensitive individual with the indigenous culture. In this poem Kolatkar distinguishes between two gods, one is the pretty shaped deity who resides in the sanctum sanctorum and the other one is YeshwantRao who is simply a mass of basalt without any specific shape and can be seen outside the outer wall of the temple. He mocks at the rituals and other formalities undertaken by the devotees towards their gods. Kolatkar suggests meeting YeshwantRao who is headless, armless and feetless as he can mend and restore one’s broken limbs and spirit and unlike other gods he promises mental and physical healing and rejuvenation without any expectations or rituals from the devotees. The insignificance of his appearance is compensated by the execution of the promised healing. Key Words: gods, rituals, devotees, religion, deity, perfection, imperfection, sacrifice, miracles ArunKolatkar is a Maharashtrian writer. He was born on 1st November, 1932 and lived in a traditional patriarchal Hindu family. He writes both in Marathi and English. Jejuri is a collection of 31 poems in which he gives an account of his visit to a religious place. This book received a Common Wealth Writer’s Prize in 1977.Jejuri is a pilgrimage site for the local Maharashtrian deity Khandoba, which is an incarnation of Lord Shiva. Kolatkar discovered this temple while readinga book on temples and legends of Maharashtra. He visited Jejuri in 1963 JETIRAG06021 Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (JETIR) www.jetir.org 96 © 2019 JETIR March 2019, Volume 6, Issue 3 www.jetir.org (ISSN-2349-5162) and as a result he composed a poem on it. Jejuri is about the agonized relationship of a modern sensitive individual with the indigenous culture. Hinduism is an Indian religion and way of life widely practised in the Indian sub- continent and parts of South East Asia. It is one of the oldest religions and is a synthesis of various Indian cultures and traditions. The common themes in Hindu beliefs include ethics or duties, prosperity, passions and desires, liberation from the cycle of death and salvation. According to the Hindu belief the major deities are namelyBramha, Vishnu, Siva, Krishna, Kali, Parvati, Saraswathi, Lakshmi, Durga, Ganesha. The poem YeshwantRao by ArunKolatkar is a satire on religion. It exposes the conflict between perfection and imperfection. It questions one’s belief in god and spirituality. Kolatkar begins the poem with a question “Are you looking for a God?” It expresses the uncertainty of one’s faith in god and a constant search for a god-like figure to keep things going. Kolatkar suggests YeshwantRao to be considered as god and names him as one of the best. He showcases the difference between YeshwantRao and other venerated gods. He admits that YeshwantRao unlike other gods would come under the second class category.He resides outside the main temple even outside the outer wall. Usually the deities are given a prominent place within the sacred sanctum sanctorum which is the inner part of the temple. In Hindu temple architecture, the main deity is installed in the inner most part of the temple complex. In Sanskrit the term means ‘enclosed house’ or the ‘deep interior of the house’. Only a few privileged people have the access to the sanctum sanctorum. Kolatkar simplifies the process of meeting YeshwantRao who belongs among tradesmen and lepers and anybody can visit him at any time. No specification, no cast, creed, or class is required to have an access to YeshwantRao. This elevates an insignificant god like YeshwantRao. The most revered gods are carved to perfection with utmost care and they are ‘prettier faced’ or ‘straighter laced’ when compared to YeshwantRao. The flawless beauty of the gods and the state of perfection distances the devotees from them because of their mortal imperfection. The huge gap between the gods and the followers will never be filled. Unlike these gods,YeshwantRao stands as a symbol of glorified imperfection. He is simply a mass of basalt red as apost box having no distinct shape that is worth admiring. Kolatkar describes his shape or his appearance as the protoplasm. The protoplasm is a colourless material comprising the living part of a cell including the cytoplasm, nucleus and other organelles. It does not have a fixed JETIRAG06021 Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (JETIR) www.jetir.org 97 © 2019 JETIR March 2019, Volume 6, Issue 3 www.jetir.org (ISSN-2349-5162) shape owing to its fluidity. Likewise YeshwantRao too does not have a specific shape. He is like a king size lava pie thrown against the wall without an arm, leg, and even a single head. The difference in appearance between conventional gods and YeshwantRao is highlighted by Kolatkar to emphasise on the vanity of external appearances. He advocates one’s meeting with YeshwantRaobecause he is neither too symmetrical nor theatrical and he is a part of the blemished mankind. He is not intimidating and sews together the laceration between man and god. Kolatkar says, he knows pretty faced gods who demand or expect many things from the followers such as; “Gods who soak you for your gold Gods who soak you for your soul. Gods who soak make you walk On a bed of burning coal.” People seek gods for material and spiritual benefits. If people want wealth, they are expected to make sacrifices. If they want to gain spiritual enlightenment they are forced to torment themselves. They are even expected to walk on a bed of burning coal with their bare feet. The gods promise redemption and rebirth only if the followers subject themselves to turmoil and other physical distresses. The gods perform miracles and favour their devotees if their sacrifices reach and appease them. They are ready to give them a child and even slay their enemies. The deities dictate the lives of men. They are given rules and dogmas if their prayers are to reach gods. People are willing to crawl miles very sincerely for the gods who teach them how to double their money or to triple their land holdings. They readily undergo physical torment and agony for their materialistic gains. Also people are terror stricken if they fail to offer what they are expected of by the gods. “Gods who will see you drown If you won’t buy them a new crown.” Gods according to Kolatkar are not entities of goodness and benevolence alone. They share the desires of man and seek to beautify themselves externally. Kolatkar’s portrayal of these gods reveal a striking similarities between gods and their creations and this makes the readers wonder if they have to be magnified as gods. Kolatkar views man’s relationship with god as one JETIRAG06021 Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (JETIR) www.jetir.org 98 © 2019 JETIR March 2019, Volume 6, Issue 3 www.jetir.org (ISSN-2349-5162) with terms and conditions. He vehemently expresses his disagreement with the concept of the ‘demanding gods’and the efforts to glorify their names sarcastically through the line ‘And also I’m sure they’re all to be praised’ Man is destined to praise gods not out of spiritual zeal but out of fear and anxiety. YeshwantRao on the other hand demands nothing and sets no expectations. He does not offer anything unrealistic. He never promises the earth and never gives an assurance of a place in heaven. He does not send the person spiralling downwards when he or she fails to exalt his name.Being headless, armless, feetless, YeshwantRao is regarded as the patron god of all those who have lost their limbs and go to Jejuri to worship him. He has the power to restore the lost limbs to the petitioner who comes to seek his aid. “He is merely a kind of a bone-setter.” YeshwantRao according to Kolatkar does not assure a new life free from all the negatives but aims to fix the life that one is already living and acts as a kind of support to reinstall the person back on his or her feet. YeshwantRao is imperfect in shape and can understand people’s blemishes, so people can approach him freely even to attain spirituality. He does not stir in them the need to go on the road which leads to perfection. He just mends the broken souls and makes wholly functional.YeshwantRao, unlike other gods promises mental and physical healing and rejuvenation without any expectations or rituals from the devotees. The insignificance of his appearance is compensated by the execution of the promised healing. ArunKolatkar’sYeshwantRaodrives home the vanity of religious rituals. His poem is not a protest against religion, but it is a criticism of the steps involved in reaching god. The lines mock the aspects that reduce religion to threats and expectations of gods. His comparison of YeshwantRao to the conventional gods provokes one’s attention towards the nothingness behind rituals and unnecessary sacrifices. Religion and gods should help restore peace and goodness and provide comfort. They should provide healing of the mind and body. But the conventional practices require materialistic contribution and physical exhaustion to help gods notice their devotees.
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