Degeneration of Culture in Indira Parthasarathy's High Noon (Utchi
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INFOKARA RESEARCH ISSN NO: 1021-9056 Degeneration of Culture in Indira Parthasarathy’s High Noon (Utchi Veyil ) V. Sri Ramachandran Research Scholar Assistant Professor, Department of English National College (Autonomous), Tiruchirappalli – 620 001 Affiliated to Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli 620 024 Dr. K.S. Dhanam Research Advisor Associate Professor, Department of English Periyar E.V.R.College (Autonomous), Tiruchirappalli 620023 Affiliated to Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli 620 024 Abstract: High Noon is a novella first published in Tamil as Utchi Veyil in 1968 by Vachakar Vattam – an innovative publishing concern of the time in Tamil. It is a totally different piece of fiction portraying the distinctive cultural flavour of Thanjavur District. It has autobiographical references of Indira Parthasarathy. It was made into a film called Marupakkam by Sethu Madhavan and won the Swarna Kamal award in 1990. Translator of the novella, M. R. Sivaramakrishnan published it in The Illustrated Weekly of India. This paper aims to study how Indira Parthasarathy was successful in putting the story forth to the readers how Indian culture was degenerated? and its impact in the life of the protagonist. Volume 8 Issue 11 2019 1601 http://infokara.com/ INFOKARA RESEARCH ISSN NO: 1021-9056 Degeneration of Indian Culture in Indira Parthasarathy’s High Noon (Utchi Veyil ) V. Sri Ramachandran Research Scholar Assistant Professor, Department of English National College (Autonomous), Tiruchirappalli – 620 001 Affiliated to Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli 620 024 Dr. K.S. Dhanam Research Advisor Associate Professor, Department of English Periyar E.V.R.College (Autonomous), Tiruchirappalli 620023 Affiliated to Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli 620 024 Laa. Sa. Raa. a well known Tamil Novelist, states about Indira Parthasarathy “I believe a writer should have one consistent avatar, but you seem to have too many conflicting avatars within you happening at one and the same time”. (Preface of High Noon and Other Stories, p. 10.) Indira Parthasarathy a well known contemporary Indian author writing in Tamil has received the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Sathiya Akademi Award and Saraswathi Samman Award. He is the only writer who has received all the three prestigious awards. Translator of the novella, M. R. Sivaramakrishnan was India’s first ambassador in Viet Nam after Viet Nam War. Then he became the ambassador to Poland and High Commissioner in Canada. He started his career as an editorial staff in The Hindu, then The Indian Express, New Delhi. He translated this story and published in The Illustrated Weekly of India. High Noon is a novella first published in Tamil as Utchi Veyil in 1968 by Vachakar Vattam – an innovative publishing concern of the time. It is a totally different piece of fiction portraying the distinctive cultural flavour of Thanjavur District. It has autobiographical references of Indira Parthasarathy. It was made into a film called Marupakkam by Sethu Madhavan and it won the Swarna Kamal Award in 1990. Indira Parthasarathy uses Stream of Consciousness technique in this novella High Noon. The stream of consciousness swings to the past life of Ambi the protagonist of the novella and his father Vembu Ayar’s past life and comes to the present to make the reader to understand past and present of these major characters. Ambi’s father Vembu Iyer’s past events are printed in italics to differentiate with the present. As usual, many of Indira Parthasarathy’s heroes are from Villages of Tamil Nadu, working in New Delhi, Ambi @ Murali is also from Kumbakonam, returning to his home town from Delhi in the beginning of the novella. He found nothing has changed in the past two years except people had become older. When Ambi entered into his house, his mother Janaki welcomed him and showed him the status of his father Vembu Ayer. Vembu Ayer, understanding the presence of his son Ambi, sitting in the swing, in silence, spoke to himself and laughed how charming life was when Ambi was young. When Ambi called him “Appa” (16), he as usual, in silence, spoke to himself about a past events of his life and laughed. Volume 8 Issue 11 2019 1602 http://infokara.com/ INFOKARA RESEARCH ISSN NO: 1021-9056 At home, he found nothing has changed except that the things gathered a layer of dust in his absence. It reminds him of his past with his friends at this room when he was at school. Ambi’s grandfather had died when his father Vembu Ayer was just four years old. Ambi’s grandfather lived a happy and fashionable but short life. But Ambi’s father, a self educated man “determined to grow up quite unlike his own father. he was variously described as the lion of Vedanta and the tiger of Vyakarana.”(17), but now it was all gone. He becomes fragile and silent. Vembu Ayer’s present status reminded him of an old man who stayed at his neighbouring house some time ago in Delhi. He looked like a high priest of brahminism. When Ambi takes bath at the back yard of the house, people from the neighbouring houses enquired about his broken marriage and fragile status of his father. Ambi could not answer them. Ambi was forced by these enquires to recollected his sweet days with Sweete @ Rita Ayar. Whose mother is a Bengalie and father is from Madras – a retired army Major called Major Sundaresa Ayar from Aduthurai. Ambi’s mother was major’s first cousin. Since then they develop their love affair. Ambi after bath, found his father still sitting in the same manner and looking at Ambi. Vembu Ayar’s consciousness again went back and thought of his disciplined life which his father never practiced. He repents now for his orthodox life, for having observed all the religious rituals throughout his life. He says It now strikes me that I could have lived differently, done differently. When hungry, we eat. When thirsty, we drink. Why clamp down on desires then? My controlled passion has shriveled up my body, which will go up in flames one day. if sin is a matter of man’s intentions, show me a man without sin. I wanted to lock away carnal desires and grow up the anthithesis of my father. Did I succeed? (23) He thought of his unsuccessful love affair with his friend Uppili’s sister, his first Wife Avayam who was beautiful, he divorced her by listening to his mother’s bad intentions, and due to her unproven illicit relationship and her inability to give birth to a child. The current status of Mr. Vembu Aiyer, Ambi could easily understand that his father is experiencing communication with God. Ambi could not believe his father’s silence. He always chants mantras and recite slokas and performs poojas twice a day but now he is completely different. Ambi understood that his father is repenting for his past ruined life. But his mother, never had any views of her own, and lived completely on shadows of her despotic husband, who refused permission for his marriage with Sweete. His father replied in one of his letters for his request to marry Sweete, “don’t ever darken my door again in the future”. (24). When Ambi sat down on the floor to eat, he found ants on the wall. He put a line by using his figure to stop ants come to him. Mother said looking at it as “poor things” (24). Ambi replied that “what is poor or rich about it? If they have the brains they will get across. Intelligence and courage are needed.” (24) For Ambi’s statement, his mother questioned “Do you mean to say that those who transgress do not get scattered?” (24) and moved away without expecting an answer from him. Ambi also does not want to continue the conversation. She means Ambi’s cross Volume 8 Issue 11 2019 1603 http://infokara.com/ INFOKARA RESEARCH ISSN NO: 1021-9056 religious marriage as transgression which was broken and scattered. Ambi’s cross religious marriage was not in practice at his orthodox home town and they felt that it is forbidden. After Ambi’s lunch, when he and his mother started talking about his broken wedding, Mangalam; one of the neighbour entered the house and enquired the status of Vembu Ayar. She directly went to him and questioned him whether he can recognize her? He stared at her and again his consciousness went back and compared Mangalam with Sarasa a cleaver woman, one of the relatives of him. He again compares Mangalam and Sarasa with Avayam. Avayam was a nice singer. But she always had tussle with her mother -in- law who had lost her husband at the early age, and loved her son Vembu. She hates Avayam for the simple reason that her son shares her love with his wife. So “Mother made up so many stories about Avayam. Not that I believed any of them. But what terrible things, I did just to reassure my mother of my affection. What an idiot and a fool I was ! Avayam, Avayam!” (26). Unfortunately, breaking the marriage was not considered as outrageous even at this orthodox society. It has become a practice with a valid reason. The reason for the break in their marriage was, Avayam unable to bear a child and her mother in law suspects her character. Mangalam enquired about Avayam because Vembu Ayar was frequently telling the name Avayam and she herself replied that it was Ambi’s stepmother. And he remembers his first wife. But Janaki, Ambi’s mother does not want to continue the discussion anymore and decided to leave Ambi alone to take rest. Once, Ambi as a college student visiting a friend in Madras, the lady next door dropped in.