Dr. Koushik Nath
Volume-XII, Issue-III, April 2024
Volume-XII, Issue-III, April 2024 | ||
Published Online: 30.04.2024 | Page No: 202-207 | |||
Role of religion in socio-political awakening in Raja Rao's Kanthapura: A brief study Dr. Koushik Nath, Assistant Professor, Department of English, Jagannath Singh College, Udharbond, Cachar, Assam, India. | |
Religion seems to be the nucleus of socio-political regeneration in India during pre-independence era and it was aptly used by writers and social activists to rouse the slumbered soul of the segregated Indian society at large. They exploited the religious fables and festivals as instruments to educate and aware the masses about the contemporary socio-political ills and the ways to cope with those. Attainment of political goal (Swaraj) and social awakening through reforms stood complementary to one another. Raja Rao, in Kanthapura, records the same grip of religion over the society to rouse the conscience of the society at the socio-political ills and injustices which eclipsed Indian life during 1930s. Common masses started to practise social reformative activities such as eradication of untouchability, removal of caste system, rubbing out illiteracy, eliminate ignorance, do away with superstition, emancipation of women, freedom from the British economic exploitation by means of boycotting foreign goods, spinning yarn and wearing Khadi etc Alongside social reforms and regeneration political awakening was witnessed in the village Kanthapura when Moorthy brings in the Gandhian Satyagraha Movement into the lives of the villagers. The village becomes part of the nationwide struggle against the British rule. Bhajans and Harikathas were arranged at the temple and other places to plant polical ideas in the mind of people.Hindu mythology and contemporary politics were mingled to paint a picture of socio-economic picture under the British Raj. | |
Keywords: Religion, Awakening, Harikatha, Freedom, Satyagraha. |