SARATCHANDRA AND TELUGU WORLD

J. BHAGYALAKSHMI

Nearly a hundred years ago when a boy was born in Devanandapur of Bengal on Sarat purnima (full moon) day nobody could have imagined that the boy would grow up to be an immortal writer and would win the hearts of the reading population all over India. It is Saratchandra Chatterji, whose popularity competed even with Rabindranath Tagore’s in 1920s. In fact some readers approached Sarat and told him that they liked his works better than those of Rabindranath Tagore. Sarat replied, “Yes, I agree that I write well. I write for you people whereas Rabindranath Tagore writes for me.”

We may as well wonder how Sarat could become so popular in his days and how he is still ranked among the top class writers. Even now many a literary Pundit would raise their eyebrows to regard the genre of novel as a branch of genuine literature. They consider it as a passing fancy and a momentary impulse to express something in a readable and appealing way. Yet it is this genre that brought fame and name to Saratchandra Chatterji whose works the present day readers read with the same enthusiasm as did their counterparts half-a-century ago.

It is humanitarian appeal, a sort of heart-to-heart talk, that counts first in Sarat’s novels. It seems he never wrote his works in a hurry. He took pains to polish his work till it could be polished no more. We have yet to come across a writer who can glorify Indian womanhood as much as Sarat did. His sympathy and understanding were not restricted to “respectable” women only. For him, woman was a woman whether of a high class or was a lowly born. Her intrinsic value and innate nature were same.

In his childhood Saratchandra was more interested in sports and games than in formal education. He led a care-free life. He mixed with all classes of people and visited a number of places during his aimless wanderings. In this process he enriched his experience. Philanthropist as he was, he acquired first-hand knowledge of life. That is why there is nothing unconvincing as far as his writings are concerned. They are realistic pictures of life in its many facets. Sarat also underwent bitter experience of poverty. But in his case it proved to be a blessing in disguise. It sharpened his vision and heightened his understanding. We could say with Shakespeare that,

“Sweet are the uses of adversity; which, like the toad,

ugly and venomous, wears yet a precious jewel in his head.”

We can trace Saratchandra as an individual in his works. His childhood experiences are so well-reflected in Srikanta that it is claimed as his biography. Sarat did not attempt to write anything which he did not know. Mostly the zamindari families and middle class families of Bengal at the turn of the century served as milieu for his stories and novels. He strongly reacted to the atrocities committed by rich and powerful people. He discarded social evils and depicted the evil doings of the so-called upholders of tradition in true colours. The novels were realistic but at the same time they were shocking to the complacent society. He sympathised with child widows and shed tears for the women in chains. Many a time he expressed that he could not believe evil of any woman.

Saratchandra glorified women to such an extent that he made them appear divine. No doubt he discarded the evil customs of the society but he did not discard the society as such. We are often faced with the criticism that though Saratchandra championed the cause of women he never liberated them from their shackles nor did he suggest the ways of liberation. It is all right for us to speak in a free and changed society about the conventional attitude of Saratchandra. But during the time when Sarat wrote, it was something novel even to register the cruel customs of the society. To speak of a widow’s love for a man or to ennoble a singing woman by making her a leading character of a novel was something unimaginable. Sarat himself had to brave a hostile criticism in his days. Moreover his stories about individuals written from a new angle certainly widened human outlook. We should not forget that our so-called broadmindedness has its foundation on the works of liberal writers such as Saratchandra Chatterji. It is only just that we should judge their works in the context of the time they were written.

Saratchandra is well-known throughout India. Though his works are in Bengali, Indians are fortunate enough to have his translations in their respective languages. Telugu people are more fortunate in this respect because they can read all the works of Sarat including his unfinished novels. They are ever grateful to those translators who made Sarat works appear so original and natural that Sarat is not an outsider to Telugu readers. He has become one with them influencing their ideas, moulding their ideals and guiding their literary trends. There are a good number of writers who still imitate him. Apart from the external aspects even in content a few writers attempted to write novels which have traces of Sarat’s novels.

As if in imitation of the first part of Srikanta, well-known Telugu writer, Gollapudi Maruti Rao, has written Rajanikanta, a novel for children. In this novel we have a character by name Rajani who very much reminds us of Indranath of Srikanta. Yet another novel, Kalakanya, by Nanduri Vittal reads like Sarat’s novels. Kalyani and Raja Rao, two leading characters of this novel, talk, behave and react like Sarat’s characters. The way they defy the society, the sickly constitution of Raja Rao and Kalyani’s sacrifice can easily fit into anyone of Sarat’s novels.

Dwivedula Vishalakshi, one of the mellowed writers of Andhra, is too much an individual to be influenced by any writer. She draws natural and realistic pictures with moderate sentimentalism. Still in her novel Varadhi there is a remote resounding of Sarat’s novels, especially in regard to maternal love of Meenakshi towards her brother-in-law, Varada, whom she likes better than she likes her own child.

Agatadina and Alekhya, the two incomplete novels of Saratchandra have been completed by Lata, a novelist renowned, for drawing attention to the distorted cult. While completing these novels we find that she keeps herself apart as a writer and identifies herself with Sarat’s writings.

Sarat’s novels are popular among the masses too. Devadas, Bindur Chele and Ramer Sumati were picturised more than two decades ago and were a great success with Telugu public; In fact Devdas was was picturised again only recently.

Telugu public consider Sarat as their writer. People are so sentimental over his works that one cannot call Devdas a weak and impractical character without evoking a volley of adverse comments. Saratchandra Chatterji, the beloved “Saratbabu” of Andhras is a lasting influence on Telugu readers ever widening their outlook as persons as well as writers. Our regard for him is unfathomable as our love for his works is inestimable.

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