Orissa Review * November - 2008 Four Major Modern Oriya Novelists Jitendra Narayan Patnaik While the first major event in the hundred-and- Panigrahi also wrote five novels, four of them twenty-year old history of the Oriya novel is the having been published in the nineteen-thirties and publication of Fakir Mohan Senapati's Cha Mana nineteen-forties. His first novel, Matira Manisha, Atha Guntha in 1897, its full potential as a published in 1931, is considered a modern classic legitimate literary form was realized during and in Oriya language. Its film version, directed by after the nineteen-thirties when Gandhian and Mrinal Sen, was a great success and won a Marxist ideologies as well as the politics of number of national awards. The plot revolves resistance against colonial power and a pervasive round the family of Shama Pradhan, a rural farmer sense of social reform in the wake of exposure to and his two sons, Baraju and Chakadi. At the modern educational system led to a renewed time of his death, Shama Pradhan entrusts Baraju vision of social and historical forces that found with the responsibility of looking after his younger felicity of expression in the new fictional form of son Chakadi and entreats him to prevent partition the prose narrative. The four novelists discussed of land and the house between the two brothers. in this paper began writing in the nineteen-thirties Baraju is a peace-loving person who commands and nineteen-forties and while three of them--- respect from the villagers for his idealistic way of Kanhu Charan Mohanty, Gopinath Mohanty and life. Baraju's wife Harabou is also an ideal Surendra Mohanty--- continued to publish their housewife who is very caring and affectionate works through the nineteen eighties, one of them- towards Chakadi, his wife Netramani and her two - Kalindi Charan Panigrahi-wrote his last novel children. Chakadi, in contrast, is a carefree in 1957. All these four novelists are now vagabond loafing around the village. His wife, indisputably acknowledged as major landmarks Netramani, who is envious of Harabou, keeps in the history of the Oriya novel and as insisting on partition of property. A village tout, consummate artists who reflected in their novels Hari Mishra, also tries to create discord between highly sensitive perceptions of history, society and the two brothers. Swayed by the villainous politics. designs of Netramani and Hari Mishra, Chakadi A versatile genius who wrote poems, short asks his elder brother to divide the property stories, plays, essays and literary criticism in between them. Baraju is shocked, but in reverence addition to his autobiography, Kalindi Charan to his father's advice and out of affection for 65 Orissa Review * November - 2008 Chakadi, tells him that he is free to own the entire published in 1933, has been porayed as an idealist property and that there is no need for partition. who dedicates his life to the service of the poor Baraju leaves the house with wife Harabou and and downtrodden. Savitri and Gauri of Ajira his two kids with no regrets or rancour. After Manisha defy all unjust social injunctions against Baraju's departure, Chakadi feels miserable, gets women and get deeply involved in the mission of nostalgic about his brother, sister-in-law and their social reforms and spread of education among two kids. He goes to Baraju and begs him to rural women. The novels of Kalindi Charan are return home. But Baraju, who is committed to thus governed by social realism as well as by an the spirit of sacrifice, non-attachment and love, idealistic vision of life. advises Chakadi to go back and take care of all A novelist who wrote about fifty-six novels that he has left behind. .The complex plot of between 1930 and 1985, Kanhu Charan Matira Manisha encompasses a wide range of Mohanty published about twenty-two novels contexts and themes such as the Gandhian and between 1930 and 1950 which included many of Marxist ideologies, postwar social conditions, his best and most popular works. All these novels agrarian culture, rustic life, joint family system and reflect the novelist's deep concern with social human relationships. It is a poignant story that problems and his commitment to the spirit of social upholds the human values of moral concern and reform. At the same time they centre round sacrifice, delineates the landscape and traditions moving stories of human suffering, struggle for of a typical Orissan village and presents life in its survival in the face of poverty and exploitation multiple dimensions of good and evil, love and and the plight of women in a superstitious and hatred, joy and sorrow. male-dominated society. Nishpatti, published in Kalindi Charan Panigrahi published his fifth 1932, is perhaps the first Oriya novel to have and last novel Ajira Manisha (Today's Man) in come up with the actual event of a widow 1957. The other three novels, apart from Matira marriage. Its theme is governed by the relationship Manisha (1931), are Luhara Manisha (1947), between Haramani, a child-widow, and Braja, a Muktagadara Khyudha (1933) and its sequel young man with a missionary zeal for social Amara Chita (1933). Interestingly, the reform. The three novels of Kanhu Charan written overwhelming reception of his first novel Matira in the thirties and forties that are considered Manisha has almost completely overshadowed significant achievements in modern Oriya fiction his other three novels whose studies have been are Ha Anna, published in 1935, Tunda Baida, cnfined to academia.All his novels, however, are published in 1944, and Sasti, published in 1946. informed by a sense of idealism based on The two novels, Ha Anna and Sasti Gandhian values and marxist concern for the contextualize the great famine of Orissa and its proletariat while the narratives are contexualized aftermath during the years 1866 and 1870. Both in realistic settings of rural life. In Luhara Manisha, the novels weave stories of romantic love into this Baraju of Matira Manisha eventually joins the social context of acute poverty, starvation and freedom movement and turns into a votary of death. While the protagonist of Ha Anna, Jagu, Gandhian ideals. Sanatana, the protagonist in revolts against the false sense of aristocracy of Muktagadara Khudha and Amara Chita, both his rich father and protests against caste 66 Orissa Review * November - 2008 discrimination that stands as a barrier between be a very wide range of themes and styles. him and his beloved, Uma, the protagonist of However, the one unifying preoccupation that runs Sasti, Sania, is a victim of the terrible aftermath through all his novels is an acute awareness of of the great famine who is famished and is forced human frailties and social ills fictionalized in terms to satisfy his hunger in charity camps. His beloved, of moving stories. In fact, Kanhu Charan is a highly Dhobi, who has become a widow, helps him to accomplished story-teller and has been a very get restored to normalcy, but gently rejects his popular and best-selling novelist while his novels offer to marry him since widow marriage is a social have also been treated as literary masterpieces. taboo. The heroes of both the novels are rebels Some of his novels have been made into successful and end up with the firm resolve to fight against films and quite a few have been prescribed as superstition, exploitation and caste discrimination. textbooks at the college and university levels. His The novel, Tunda Baida, deals with the pernicious novel, Ka (Proxy), published in 1955, is effects of rumour and gossip on the peace and considered to be a major work of the post- happiness of a family. Sura respects, loves and independence period. This novel won the Central supports Tulsi, his elder brother's wife who is a Sahitya Akademi award in 1959 and has been widow. The villagers, however, gossip and spread rendered into a film. The story revolves round rumours about the relationship between the two Sunanda, Nandika and Lalita and is based on the and even suspect Sura of murdering his elder social stigma associated with barren women. brother to possess Tulsi. But Sura treats his sister- Unable to give birth to a child, Nandika persuades in-law with great reverence and purity of love. her husband Sunanda to marry Lalita. But False rumours create suspicion in the mind of Tulsi eventually Nandika dies of childbirth after about Sura's motives. The novel, of course, ends delivering a child and Lalita assumes the role of with a happy note with Tulsi solemnizing Sura's the mother. The novel delineates delicate emotions marriage with Chabi. Most of the novels of Kanhu of love as well as destructive emotions of hatred Charan published in the thirties and forties are and jealousy. It also records the social conditions based in rural settings and present realistic images of Orissa with all its superstitions, ignorance and of rustic life in all its aspects of poverty, suffering, marginalization of women in the pre-independence human relationships, superstitions, prejudices, period. In another of his post-independence moral values and petty villainies. These novels are novels, Khyana Khyanake Aan (The world worthy successors of the Fakir Mohan tradition changes every moment), published in 1975, of social realism circumscribed by a profound Kanhu Charan narrativizes the social stigma concern with moral values and a missionary zeal associated with step-mothers as well as the for social reforms. These novels also historicize tyrannical treatment of men towards women. contemporary reality in terms of its political and Throughout his career as a novelist, Kanhu ideological implications. Charan basically concerns himself with social About twelve of Kanhu Charan's novels realism and is thus aptly considered as a faithful were published between 1950 and 1969 while follower of the Fakir Mohan tradition.