Stories of India’s freedom struggle through Tagore, Premchand and Manto

Rabindranath Tagore’s novel Ghare Baire (1916), translated into English as Home and the World, engages creatively with Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s Anandmath (1882). Tagore’s novel is critical of the western idea of nationalism, advanced by a character called Sandip. Set against the backdrop of the Swadeshi movement in Bengal, the novel presents a nuanced view of the movement through Nikhilesh’s and Sandip’s different perspectives. 

Sandip, shown to be a hypocrite, preaches the idea of Swadeshi to his followers but possesses a shelf of Western medicines. Nikhilesh, on the other hand, has a more balanced view of the Swadeshi movement. Following the spirit of the movement, he writes with a quill and uses home-made furniture, but he also understands the need of poor hawkers and shopkeepers to sell foreign clothes and goods for their living.

Premchand’s writings for freedom and harmony

Premchand’s many writings demonstrate his patriotism, his anti-colonial stance, his commitment to communal harmony, and his love of Gandhian philosophy. His first collection of stories in Urdu, Soz-e Watan (1908), published under the pen name ‘Nawab Rai’, was considered seditious by the British government and banned. 

His novel Karmabhumi (1932), set in the 1930s, explores the role of the Gandhian philosophy of non-violence in achieving social justice for the poor and the marginalised sections of society. Amarkant, the main character of the novel who represents Gandhi’s idea of non-violence and his commitment to social justice, helps the Dalit villagers to fight for their rights and enter temples. Initially unable to understand Amarkant’s ideology, his wife, Sukhada, later joins the movement. The novel also shows villagers’ protests against unjust land taxes. 

Premchand’s story “Samar Yatra”, written in the context of Gandhiji’s Satyagraha and Dandi March, shows the impact of the movement on a village and the enthusiasm of ordinary villagers to welcome the Satyagrahis and their cause. The story also presents an old and ailing woman, Nohari, who welcomes the freedom fighters, overcoming her physical limitations. 

Premchand also wrote the play Karbala (1924) to bridge the growing differences between Hindus and Muslims. An important feature of this play is the inclusion of many Hindu characters fighting for the Prophet’s grandson Hussain in the Battle of Karbala and sacrificing their lives for a righteous cause. In the play, Premchand presents a Hindu village in Saudi Arabia with a temple where Sahas Rai and his brothers perform a havan. Hussain, the protagonist of the play, and his companions praise the Hindu brothers, their religion, their country of origin and their ideals.    

Gandhian ideas in Raja Rao’s Kanthapura

Raja Rao’s famous novel Kanthapura (1938) is as much known for his use of de-anglicised English as for his treatment of many Gandhian ideas in the novel. Set in a remote village in South India, the novel depicts the impact of Gandhi’s non-violent struggle against British rule and his fight for social reform, including the eradication of untouchability.

The figure of Gandhi in the novel possesses divine powers and is believed to alleviate the suffering of the people. Moorthy, the main character of the novel, is the Gandhi of the village and feels greatly inspired by his ideas and personality after having a vision of him: “There is but one force in life and that is Truth, and there is but one love in life and that is the love of mankind, and there is but one God in life and that is the God of all.” 

Jayaramachar, a Harikatha performer in the novel, also talks about Gandhi’s spiritual values, his social reforms, and his commitment to communal harmony: “Fight, says he, but harm no soul. Love all, says he, Hindu, Mohammedan, Christian or Pariah, for all are equal before God. Don’t be attached to riches, says he, for riches create passions, and passions create attachment and attachment hides the face of Truth.” Though Kanthapura is imbued with Gandhian ideology, an alternative view of Nehru’s socialism can also be felt towards the end of the novel.

Manto’s 1919 ki ek baat and Abbas’s Inquilab

Among the stories exploring events of the freedom movement, Saadat Hasan Manto’s “Naya Qanoon”, “1919 ki ek Baat” and “Tamasha” stand out as iconic stories. “Naya Qanoon” indirectly refers to the Government of India Act 1935. It presents an interesting character called Mangu, a coachman who hates Englishmen and is considered very wise and knowledgeable in his circle. The story shows his high expectations of the new law and his hope for a change. However, his expectations are belied as his social and political position remains the same after the new law. 

“Tamasha” and “1919 ki ek Baat” were written against the backdrop of the Jallianwala Bagh tragedy. “Tamasha” is narrated from the point of view of a child and shows the brutal nature of a king, who symbolises British rule in the story. “1919 ke ek Baat”, which was written in 1951, shows how Thaila, a person of seemingly questionable character and conduct, sacrifices his life for the country and achieves heroism in his death. Exposing the bloodthirsty nature of the British power, the story presents Gen. Dyer as the villain and Gandhi as a virtuous figure. Critic Alok Bhalla observes that for Manto, “1919 signifies the loss of the legitimacy of British rule”.

Khwaja Ahmad Abbas’s Inquilab (1955), promoted as the first great novel of the Indian revolution in its 1958 edition, portrays an important phase of India’s fight against British colonialism. Also published in Urdu (1975), it depicts the landmark events such as the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, Bardoli Satyagraha in Gujarat, Dandi March and Civil- Disobedience movement, Gandhi-Irwin Pact, Round Table Conference. The novel also presents major leaders and freedom fighters like Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Mahatma Gandhi, Subhas Chandra Bose, Ali Brothers, Motilal and Jawaharlal Nehru and Bhagat Singh. 

Spanning the life of its main the protagonist Anwar from the age of eight to adulthood, the novel shows how his personality is shaped by the political events and the spirit of the freedom struggle. 

From Inquilab Zindabad to Partition

A major part of Attia Hosain’s Sunlight on a Broken Column (1961), set in Lucknow of the 1930s, shows the interpersonal relationships of characters unfolding in an India witnessing major political transformation. Narrated by Laila, an educated girl from a taluqdar family, most of the characters in the novel also belong to an aristocratic set-up who gradually discover their political leanings. 

With the change in the political climate, the warm conversation of characters has been replaced by acrimonious discussions. Among Laila’s group of friends, Nita is a loyalist, Nadira is closer to the Muslim League’s ideology, Joan, an Anglo-Indian, has divided loyalties, and Romana, given to fashion and idle talk, is not interested in any political ideology. 

The novel depicts a demonstration of students chanting the slogans ‘Inquilab Zindabad’, ‘British Raj Murdabad’ and ‘Azadi ki Jai’. Laila’s cousin Asad, a nationalist and a believer in Gandhi’s non-violence, participates in this demonstration and is injured by police’s lathis. A contrast in attitudes towards the freedom struggle emerges when Laila calls the students’ march a movement, while her uncle Hamid, a taluqdar of Awadh and a British loyalist, dismisses it as “a demonstration of irresponsible hooliganism”. 

The last part of the novel also presents the division within families after Partition. Laila’s cousin Kemal, who is committed to nationalist ideology, chooses to remain in India after Partition. His younger brother Saleem, given to propounding all kinds of grand theories, moves to Pakistan. Asad’s younger brother Zahid, a Muslim League sympathiser, is killed during the Partition violence.  

An ironic view of the leaders of the freedom movement is presented by Shashi Tharoor in The Great Indian Novel (1989). In the novel, he transposes the story of the Mahabharata into the twentieth century and visualizes many well-known political figures as characters of the epic. In his creative retelling, Bhishma is recast as Mahatma Gandhi, Dhritarashtra as Jawaharlal Nehru, Pandu as Subhas Chandra Bose, Gandhari as Kamala Nehru, Vidura as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Dronacharya as Jayaprakash Narayan. 

Post read questions

In what ways do Munshi Premchand’s writings demonstrate his patriotism, his anti-colonial stance, his commitment to communal harmony, and his love of Gandhian philosophy? Illustrate your answer with examples.

How Raja Rao in his famous novel Kanthapura depicts the impact of Gandhi’s non-violent struggle against British rule and his fight for social reform, including the eradication of untouchability.

How does Saadat Hasan Manto’s Naya Qanoon critique the promises and failures of colonial legal reforms?

Do you think literature offers not just a kaleidoscopic portrait of India’s freedom struggle, but also a critical insight into it? Support your answer with examples.

(Mohammad Asim Siddiqui is a Professor in the Department of English at Aligarh Muslim University.)

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