Rise of the Oriya Novel : 1897-1930

Orissa Review * November - 2007 Rise of the Oriya Novel : 1897-1930 Jitendra Narayan Patnaik The trajectory of Oriya fiction from its formal published in 1901, is a historical romance dealing beginning in 1888 to its movement through the with the anarchical condition of Orissa in the wake first three decades of the twentieth century not of Maratha invasions during the eighteenth only marked its development as a legitimate art century. Lachama follows the tradition of the first form, but also brought into existence a number of two Oriya novels, Padmamali and Bibasini whose significant landmarks that opened up wider plots were drawn from history. Most of the perspectives and possibilities Among the characters in Lachama are non-Oriyas and its successors of the first two major novelists, Umesh narrative is governed by action relating to war Chandra Sarkar and Ram Shankar Ray, are Fakir and military diplomacy. Narrated in the epic Mohan Senapati, Chintamani Mohanty, Aparna manner of historical romance, its declamatory Panda, Mrutyunjay Rath, Ram Chandra Acharya, style, exotic atmosphere and heroic mode sets it Baishnaba Charan Das, Upendra Kishore Das, apart from the colloquial style, local atmosphere Gopal Ballav Das, Nanda Kishore Bal and and mock-heroic mode of the other three novels Kuntala Kumari Sabat.With the emergence of of Fakir Mohan. The urge to write this historical these novelists, the focus shifts from the genre of romance might have sprung from Fakir Mohan's historical romance to a deep concern with preoccupation with history which had earlier led contemporary social problems such as those of him to write two volumes of school textbooks on economic exploitation, widowhood and widow Indian history. marriage, political corruption, caste hierarchy, Fakir Mohan's first novel, Chha Mana Atha women's education, colonial power and agrarian Guntha written during 1897-1899 and published tenancy system. All of them were ideologically in book form in 1902, is considered as a engaged with a sense of social reform as well as revolutionary creation in Oriya language for two resistance to evils, injustice and moral depravity important reasons. Firstly, with the emergence of The four novels of Fakir Mohan Senapati, this novel, the language of fiction changed from written between 1897 and 1915, reflect the social that of the pundits to that of the common man. and political conditions of Orissa during the His deft handling of the spoken language of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Lachama, Oriya rustics redeemed Oriya prose style from 46 Orissa Review * November - 2007 the burden of Sanskrit and Bengali influences and social and political realities of colonial Orissa provided a distinct literary identity to the native during the nineteenth century and the early Oriya language and vocabulary. Secondly, this decades of the twentieth century. The three novels novel, as well as the two novels Mamu published of social realism cover the socio-political in 1913 and Prayaschita published in 1915, was conditions of Orissa from 1800 to 1920, which a pioneering attempt at producing fiction of social was a crucial period in terms of the dominance of realism in Oriya language. Set in the colonial feudal power in rural Orissa as well as in terms of Orissan society during the early decades of the Orissa's intense search for a distinct Oriya identity nineteenth century, Chha Mana Atha Guntha is in the face of the overpowering influence of the story of an evil landlord, Ramachandra Bengali and Western cultures. Fakir Mohan's Mangaraj, who exploits poor peasants and novels, in addition to being great works of art, appropriates their property. Exploitation of the are also authentic social documents that reflect poor villagers by the zamindars and the rise of a the ethos of a crucial period of Orissa's socio- new class of exploiters among petty officials and cultural history. clerks under the British government were the two Among the contemporaries of Fakir dominant traits of the Oriya society during Mohan, four novelists deserve special mention: nineteenth century and early decades of the Aparna Panda, Mrutyunjay Rath, Ram Chandra twentieth century. In the three novels of social Acharya and Brajabandhu Mishra. Aparna realism, Fakir Mohan not only exhibits a sharp Panda's Kalavati and Brajabandhu Mishra's sense of observation of minute details relating to Basanta Malati were both published in 1902, the the social reality of rural Orissa but also makes year in which Chha Mana Atha Guntha came out incisive comments on the corrupting forces that in the book form. Kalavati, which came out from threatened the erosion of moral values in society. Paralakhemidi, is written in the fictional form of a While Chha Mana Atha Guntha depicts the travelogue. The heroine, a beautiful and educated suffering and agony of the common man caused young woman, describes her adventures and by the tyranny of the zamindars, Mamu deals with experiences as she travels through Orissa, the new class of exploiters in urban Orissa whose Madhya Pradesh, Madras and Bengal. The novel greed for wealth leads them to ruthless villainy speaks of the spread of Brahmo Samaj in Calcutta, and cruel action. This novel is a sharp indictment the corruption of the priests and monks in Nadia of the educated youth who grew up in the colonial and Brundaban, the influence of western lifestyle ambience of power and wealth and ignored all in the city of Bombay and the conflict between traditional moral values in the selfish interest of the traditionalists and modernists in Orissa. grabbing wealth. In Prayaschita, Fakir Mohan Brajabandhu Mishra's Basanta Malati, which presents the tragic effects of caste system on the came out from Bamanda, depicts the conflict family of a college-educated youth who defies between a poor but highly educated young man tradition to marry a girl of his choice. Within the and a wealthy and highly egoistic young woman formal features of aesthetic form, Fakir Mohan's whose conjugal life is seriously affected by ego novels are a faithful representation of the historical, clashes. Through a story of union, separation and 47 Orissa Review * November - 2007 reunion, the novelist delineates the psychological thus amalgamates the elements of historical state of a young woman in separation from her romance and fiction of social realism. Though husband and examines the significance of marriage Gopal Ballav authored only one novel in his as a social institution in traditional Indian society. lifetime, it remains a significant achievement and Ram Chandra Acharya wrote about seven novels an integral part of Orissa's literary history. during 1924-1936. Interestingly all his novels are Quite a few Oriya novelists emerged in the historical romances based on the historical events nineteen-twenties and wrote through nineteen- in Rajasthan, Maharastra and Orissa. Mrutyunjay thirties. Chintamani Mohanty's Jugala Matha, Rath's novel, Adbhuta Parinama, published in published in 1920, speaks of the moral depravity 1915, centres round a young Hindu who gets of a spiritual person, the head of a math, whose converted to Christianity to marry a Christian girl. indulgence in wine and women leads to his Though he becomes a father of two children, he expulsion from the math. He eventually settles realizes that his conversion was a blunder. Out of down at Puri and expiates his sins.Mohanty's frustration, he tries to kill his wife and children by Tanka Gacha, published in 1923, deals with the hurling them into the sea. The children die, the problem of migrant labour, the predicament of wife escapes death and the husband is sentenced the poor Oriyas who run away to the tea gardens to solitary confinement in a distant island. The novel of Assam in search of work and livelihood. Bula is a fictional account of the actual acts of Fakira, published in 1924, is the story of a conversion that was engineered by the Christian prodigal youth who runs away to Calcutta and missionaries in the early decades of the twentieth through trials and tribulations reforms himself and century. leads a happy life. This novel also depicts the state Bhima Bhuyan of Gopal Ballav Das was of misery and humiliation of young widows in published in 1908 and is considered to be the traditional Oriya families. A common trait in all first Oriya novel dealing with a tribal community the novels of Chintamani Mohanty is his deep of Orissa. The plot of the novel took shape while concern for the rural poor. His novels clearly Gopal Ballav worked as guardian to the king of reflect his missionary zeal for social reform and Keonjhar who was a minor. During this period, rural development. he came in contact with the Bhuyan tribe of the area and studied their habits, rituals and customs. The two novelists who may be treated as Based on his personal experience, Gopal Ballav the most worthy successors of Fakir Mohan are constructed a plot revolving round Bhima whose Upendra Kishore Das whose novel Malajanha, love for a girl of his community remains unfulfilled published in 1922, is indisputably a modern and the love between him and a princess remains classic, and Baishnab Charan Das whose novel unrequited. This plot of unrealized love is Manemane, published in 1927, deals with an contextualized in the ambience of tribal life and unconventional theme of love between a married society as well as a royal court and family. The woman and a young man. The plot of Malajanha novel also reflects the tendency of the petty royal centres round a young girl Sati who is forced into officials to exploit ordinary people. Bhima Bhuyan marriage with an ugly old man living with a 48 Orissa Review * November - 2007 concubine.

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