February-March - 2014 Review

Enticing Fictions and Illustrative Creativity of Pratibha Ray

Santosh Tripathy

In the post Kahnu - Gopinatha era and during the able to receive 'the Jnanapitha', the grand literary post-modern development of award of India for her life-long creative Pratibha Ray stands out as an indefatigable genius perseverance and major contribution to Indian in the field of fiction making. Looked from different literature. Her fictions have designed to entice stylistic canons and diversity of thematic angles reader into spending impressive experience and she is regarded as the motive power of Odishan optimistic estimation. As a philanthropist her main fictional chapter (1975-2010). She deserves perspicacious creativity probes into six areas a prominent place as a philanthropic fictionalist in mainly to formate fictions, these are rural, tribal, the post-colonial Indian literature. Leaving behind urban, histromythic-circle and universal affection the traditional prose style she has textured a (or primitive colloquial, regional, national, dramatic-poetic and epistolary narratology in her international, cosmological and decolonial). It is fictions. Love of nature, love of culture and ritual, needless to say that Pratibha's greatest crative love of life and love of universal distinct race with achievement is in novels and short stories. Like its eco-humanitarian ideals are powerful entities Gopinatha, Kahnu Charan and Surendra she is found in almost all her novels and stories. She deeply entangled with socio-cultural realities and has written extensively novels, short stories, instincts. Pratibha is also quite prolific to provide biographies and travelogues and is established the necessary nourishment for the growth of post- today as a very substantial writer of Odisha. In independence and post-colonial Indian literature. her novels and stories the contemporary In the popularity-scale she is the most popular challenges of socio-ethic existence have been fictionalist today in Odisha as like as Kuntala, shaped evocatively with a probing spirit and human Kalandi, Kahnucharan, Gopinatha, Surendra, understanding. Her novelty mind is like a sensitive Basanta Kumari, Rajakishore and Bibhuti and antenna that almost always received the messages most of neo-idealistic fiction makers like Santanu, of an eternal and immortal life and projected the Chandrasekhar, Manoja and Gobinda. integrated feelings and aspects of human-race in a friendly speaking and solicitious way. Her novel making work started to be published from 1974 and by mid-eighties (1985- Beginning from early seventies as a 86) she was already established as a forefront versatile feminist writer Pratibha is writing writer. She was awarded Jnanapitha's, Murti Devi continuously for about 40 years and recently is Award for her stupendous deconstructive mythic

125 Odisha Review February-March - 2014 novel Jajyaseni in 1991. Her other effective and rustic issues of the race, corrosion of socio-polito well appealing novels are Barsa Basanta Baisakha system and human suffering with its transcendental (The Rain Spring Summer, 1974), Parichaya (An prevention. Mostly Ray's short stories is based identity - 1978), Punyatoya (The Hallowed River on a humanitarian notion and dealt with social - 1978), Asabari (The rhythm asabari, 1980), situations in connection with human behaviour. Nilatrushna (The Blue Thirst, 1981), Sila Padma Besides these intensity of emotion with (The Stone Lotus, 1983), Uttarmarga (The philosophical state of mind is a hallmark of her Salvation Way-1988), Adibhumi (The Primal stories and her framework of rural lores, legends, Land / The Primitive Land - 1993), Maha Moha idioms, beliefs and insight of good faiths help to (The great fascination / The great lust - 1997), provide a romantic touch to readers. As a whole Magnamati (The Sunken Earth / The regenerative a refined reader may be noted three aspects in earth, 2005) and Maharaniputra (The queen's son, her stories : firstly a seraphic attitude towards 2008). negative feelings and ominous of life, secondly a strong feministic commitment towards reality and Next to novel the literary genre that thirdly a sympathic universality. emerged in richness in the creative world of Pratibha is short story. In response to this effective Unlike her great predecessors and genre the achievement of Pratibha's creativity is contemporaries (in Odisha and abroad) Pratibha remarkable. Thematically her stories are often has used her novel-creativity for didactic concerned with middle class life and its manifold purpose. Till date she has framed 21 novels, out problems, issues and individualistic psyche. These of which 10, gained huge popularity for their also provided a deep and sympathetic outstanding and high literary merit. These are understanding of human life through psychological Barsa Basanta Baisakha, Nila Trushna, Ashabari, entanglement. Some of her stories are socio- Silapadma, Jagyaseni, Uttar Marga, Adibhumi, ethical, some are ritually mysterious and some are Mahamoha, Magnamati and Maharaniputra. feministic in appeal. She has written more than These are capable to serve unending and reliable 260 short stories and these stories have been strength of feeling of better human relationship in collected in about 20 collections, that include as : an immersing and perspective narrative Samanya Kathan (The little talk / The ordinary techniques. The worth excellence merits of these talk - 1979), Aikatana (concert sound - 1981), novels are humane-feminism, historization of Gangasiuli (mossflower - 1982), Ghasa O' Akasa contemporary realities and events, deconstructing (Grass and the sky - 1984), Abyakta (Latent the pre-mythic narratives and elements, spoken -1986), Itibrutaka (The annals / A juxtaposition of ritual tradition and modernity, Historic, 1987), Harita Patra (Gray Leaves, pseudo argumentative presentation, develop a 1989), Pruthak Iswar (separate God, 1991) hyper reality to great reality, demythilization of Bhagabanra Desa (The country of Lord / Lord's race-milieu-moment, re-production of new ethics country, 1991), Moksha (The Salvation, 1993), and appreciation of psycho-philosopic Ullanghan (The violation / The transgression, understanding. She is influential writer, whose 1998), Gandhinka Gan (The village of Gandhi, novels in a way created a taste for reading and 2003) and Story telling mode of Pratibha has co- accepting the novel-art in the last part of 20th mixed with the individual's intensive emotion, century, for which she is a household name in her

126 February-March - 2014 Odisha Review native land Odisha and having made a notable combines with the soil dreams and tragedies, journey from her obscure village 'Alabola' of native rituals and decades, cultural ambience and district, to the hearts and minds of histrograpic aesthetics, legends and myths, temple readers of all over India. culture and folk motion, ethnological race and pastoral essence, national attitudes and existential The earlier novels (1974-82) of Pratibha modernity etc in a optimistic manner. She is suggest a sense of natural eroticism and romantic capable to experiment with different discourses, aesthetics. The appealing factors of novels of this themes and stuffs; such as socio-political, Anthro- period are able to proclaim about romantic scientific, histro-mythical, psycho-philosophical, realistic treatment. Here we can discuss two eco-geographical and even plots dealing with novels as example. evolution of mankind, women and their social The first novel is 'Barsa-Basanta- issues and psychics. In middle turns her novel is Baisakha'. The protagonist Sulagna has faced death with such type of issues as love, sacrifice, three types of victim and false promises. Society widow remarriage and caste restriction, inherent also detached her. The tragic plight of her life (due relationship, family ties and regret and to her erotic love) draws sympathy incites commentment. Her story telling and picturable resentment against those victims who look upon themes and its tolerant tone and compromising romance and love as commercial goods in the attitude have a great appeal to the middle class market. The second one is 'Parichaya'. In this sentiment. novel there is a conflict between the rural and Pratibha is best known for her three urban life style. Eternal love rather than body- prose-epic, i.e. Silapadma, Jagyaseni and enjoying-love has been skillfully and Uttarmarga. These three given a celebratic idea psychologically depicted in this novel. This type to reader that women is the greatest source of of her early novels has a flair for emotional, but chaos and disruption in the soceity. In these three her latter novels of middle phase (1982-88) show Pratibha is in quest of a value based humanistic a greater concern with socio-eco-ethical life. In society. The protagomist of these novels want to the novels of this chapter readers find social issues establish a new model of humanistic idealism in given a wide as well as diversified treatment and every sphere of life (regimal to universal). the formative talent of Ray seems to play a humane Compared with the males, women characters play game with contemporary existence and feminist dominent roles in these novels. Females are more background. Pratibha has a novelized universal emotional, more active-reactive and sympathic mobilize vision as well as a nativist mind. So far also and this complex lends some more weightage her novels help readers get in touch with their to the theme. interior spaces, learn to access and deal with important internal realities of their lives, time and "Silapadma' (The lotus of stone / The values. Again the cycle of birth, flowing of life and Stone Lotus - 1983) and histro-realistic novel on goodness of death are also found throughout her Konark, the Sun temple of Black Pagoda of novel-circle which give a constructive Odisha and its legendic surroundings. The metaphysical idea about Indian transcedental structural discourse of this novel is so differ from faiths to the readers. From ‘Sila Padma’ to previous novels. For the first time the novelist has Jagyaseni and ‘Adibhumi’ Ray’s novelism laid emphasis on arrangement of stuffs rather than

127 Odisha Review February-March - 2014 making of characters. Stuffing synthesization of area and then fictionalized them as pertaining history, myth, religion, legend, folk rituals, sacrificial heroes. Lastly she has historalized the monumental sublime and allegorical imagination facts of a little famed area and time for future is an attractive quality of this novel. The past generation. Uttar marga has been accepted by dignity (13th century) and the present condition histro-enthusiastic reader as a well-made (related with Touri-cultural discourse) seem to be nationalist novel. standing at a particular point of inner tone of this Adibhumi (The Primal Land/The Primitive novel. Pratibha's Jagyaseni is most popular novel land), Mahamoha (The great fascination), nagna today in Odisha and abroad. The entire novel is mati (The Regenerative Earth) and Maharani written in a epistolary pattern. Krushna (myth Putra (The queen’s son) - these four novels may based ) in her letters to Krishna has be accepted as mega-Novels of Odia literature. poured out her sorrows, sufferings, torture, These fours able to establish Pratibha as a prose- sacrifices, hopes, desires, distress and dismay. epic-creater and give a national reputation. Pratibha is able to deconstruct the mythic sense of Draupadi. In this epic-novel the reader can The problem of human sensibility, notice the mythical descent of Jagyaseni (made derefresh of historical facts, post modern by Vyasa and Sarala in their ancient epic) from a conditions, neo-humanistic traditions and thorny condition in to the dusty path of current globalized fellow feeling sympathy and overall race. Eventually and incidentally the demythic brothership outlook etc. have come out neatly in protagonist Jagyaseni raises various protests these novels. against the male dominated Chauvinism and Adibhumi (The primal land) is a research logically declares that all war, elite establishments oriented ethnological novel based on life style and and their elation are trifling in response to rituals of primitive tribes Bonda. Before writing refreshment of new life. She also reveals the this maga-novel Pratibha engaged her inquisitive principles and ethics of Kaurava and Pandava’s mind to know about ethereal, folk ethical and basically husbandship of Judhisthir and other socio-ritual life style of the Bonda’s in the Bonda brothers are futile and the rejection of heaven- hills of South-West Odisha. Her anthropological willing is only truth for earthly living human. investigative experience has fictionalized in this Undoubtedly it is a grand-narrative of modern naturalistic novel. She has taken a poetic-novelic feminine attitude and is based on remodulating language and emotive style to present and enliven and modelling faith of humanistic sentiment. The the Bonda culture, society, life and their nativistic demythical creativity of Pratibha has played a pattern. In this novel the creative persona of damaging match with ancient epic facts, events, Pratibha has aided a life giving force, a vitalizing characters and tones as well as its poetic justice. strength and an insight which has rendered this novel as a classic masterpiece. The ecstasy mind The nationalistic novel Uttar Marga of Pratibha has also played with the ecological (1988) is written broadly on social and political philosophy of the primitive Bonda in a sympathetic issues of pre-independence time. It deals with and mysterious way. freedom fight movement relating with the birth regional area of novelist as a symbolic way. Firstly ‘Maha Moha’ is outstanding philosophical Pratibha has taken the freedom-fighters of village aesthetic novel in Indian literature written in Odia

128 February-March - 2014 Odisha Review language and it is a demythical illustrative novel humanities and optimistic moralities have been able to give a new taste to Indian post-modern portrayed artistically in Magnamati. In this feministic trend. She has used radical feministic connection the central character of novel Kubera logic, reason and outlook. In this way she can Dalai believes in the eco-ideal relationship and make the great character Ahalya as a complete togetherness of human kind that exists in a fellow woman biologically and a truthful icon spiritually feeling situation as ‘Basumatipur’. According to and an eternal symbol of love-experience structural point it is a unique and magnificent psychologically. exposition of Odia prose in idiomatic and lyrical vein which is the hallmark of Pratibha’s success. Pratibha has an offbeat and interesting Here arrangement of incidents is systematic and histrographic documentary novel that is ‘Maharani having logical connection with each other. Plots Putra’(2008). Very successfully she has been able are skillfully constructed in a episodical manner. to bring the past close to the present in this novel. More than one story has been running together It is true that in the novel Maharani Putra the both with similar impactive force. Shortly in Magnamati type of personal and historical problems are Pratibha has a power of graphic description. closely linked. Pratibha often finds only the plots from history to create a thematic circle in novel, Finally it can be said that as a fictionalist but the dramatic action, emotive reaction and of great reputation Pratibha’s illustrative creativity humane conflict has been flowed from beginning has aided some new enticing features to the growth to end. This novel is a documentary experiment of the Indian literature in post-colonial and post about the mass-revolution relateing to colonial modern era. Considering cultural mind, social plot history of Keonjhar. psychological mode, constructive-value based theme, figurative and poetic structure, dramatic The best and well-impactive mega novel presentation and coherence an affectionate reader of Pratibha Ray is ‘Magnamati’, based on the can easily arrive at the conclusion that Pratibha 1999 devastating cyclone of Odisha. Externally Ray has displayed her communicative and the theme of novel relates with unhoping natural consummatic skills as a humanist - feminist writer. disaster, but internally it commixes with a grand feeling about mother-earth and global brotherhood. Magnamati is not only a novel, it is a prose epic of great magnitude and power. This novel is largely accepted by reader for its felicitous style and picturable presentation.

The post independence scenario, the Santosh Tripathy, Reader in Odia, Utkal University, Vani globalization movement, the spirit of world- Vihar, Bhubaneswar.

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