The Cow of the Barricade - Raja Rao

 

The Cow of the Barricade

Raja Rao

“The Cow of the Barricade” is the best-known story by Raja Rao. The story takes place in pre-independent India at a place called Gorakhpur. The story begins with a description of a character named Gouri. Gouri is a cow and it is called by that name as it comes on every Tuesday. It visits the Master on every Tuesday evening before sunset. Till next Tuesday, Gouri would not be seen anywhere. It eats only food from the Master and will not accept food from others. It munched the food slowly like articulating some holy words. Due to this strange behaviour, people called Gouri a strange creature. People were curious about Gouri and asked the master about Gouri. He replied that Gouri is the vehicle of the Goddess.

The fame of Gouri spread, and people waited for her visit on Tuesdays. People with different demands prayed for the fulfillment of their desires. Merchants prayed for an increase in harvest, which could improve their business, students for education, young girls for husbands, widows for purity, and childless couples for children. Hence, on every Tuesday, many people waited at the Master’s place with offerings for Gouri. As Gouri did not touch the food, they threw them into the river and the fish thrived upon it, which resulted in the disappearance of the crocodile. The author describes Gorakhpur as a place filled with peace and harmony.

The peaceful life in Gorakhpur gets changed with the arrival of the Red men’s army. As the city is situated above the hill, people could see the arrival of the army men from the railway station. People in the city prepared themselves to face the army with the help of the workmen. They called the Master as President of the group that safeguarded women, children and aged people. They were moved into the fields with their valuables. The city was depopulated and all the streets were blocked by barricades. Workmen and men from the town were behind the barricades with weapons, waiting for the Red men’s army. But the Master was unhappy about this as he was a follower of non-violence. When he imposed on them to follow non-violence, they opposed his view and mentioned that with non-violence, they cannot defeat the Red men’s army. Hence, the master resigns from the presidentship and sits in meditation with an aim to safeguard the city.

That day seemed strange as owls hovered about in the midday light and in the evening the stars hung low. That evening, people were waiting for Gouri. But Gouri came by night, crossing all the streets of the city. People followed her. Though Gouri walked slowly, people ran behind her to follow. People worshiped Gouri with the belief that she would protect them. They were carried over by a strange feeling and started to chant ‘Vande Mataram’. Gouri claimed over the barricades. The Red men’s army was confused and thought Gouri was a flag of truce. When they identified it as a cow, they too were carried over by a strange feel and started to chat ‘Victory to Mahatma’ and joined the workmen. But the chief of the army shot Gouri on its head and it fell down among the people. Magically, the blood did not gush out from its head; instead, it came out from its breast.

After independence, Seth Jamnalal Dwarak Chand constructed a metal statue for Gouri with a human look. People were worshiping her by offering flowers, honey and the first green grass of spring. Children of Gorakhpur were playing with the statue of Gouri. The carpenters made the statue of Gouri and it was sold in the railway station and people from across the nation brought it.

Later, when people enquired about Gouri, the Master replied that Gouri is in the middle of Heaven and she will be born again when India faces a problem. The story concludes with a statement that Mahatma Gandhi might be wrong about politics, but he was completely right about the love for all living creatures.

 

 

Project Detail- Indian Diaspora

 

Project Questionnaire - Indian Diaspora

 

Dear Friends,

I am Sujaritha,  working on a Project on Diaspora. To know more about Indian diaspora, I have prepared a questionnaire which would be very helpful if you could respond. Please share the link with your family members and friends staying abroad. Thanks for your support.

For the Second generation of the Indian diaspora: https://forms.gle/7WPtjE98WgnACAzdA

For the First Generation of the Indian Diaspora: https://forms.gle/5rj8MubxPfLds9Vr5

 

 

 

Freedom and Democracy

Erich Fromm

The essay “Freedom and Democracy” is taken from Erich Fromm’s famous work The Fear of Freedom. This essay is about the thought process of the modern world. He begins the essay by stating that the individuals feel powerless and alone, anxious and insecure due to the modern industrial systems. The developments instead of making humans to feel powerful, leave them with many psychological problems. In this essay he looks at five major aspects and its impact towards the degradation of human psyche. They are 1) freedom of expression, 2) originality discouraged, 3) Confusing Issues, 4) loss of self, 5) sacrifice.

1) Freedom of Expression:

The modern humans think proudly that they have their individuality and thus they are uncontrollable by any external authority. Hence they believe that they have complete freedom to express their thoughts and feelings which again guarantee about their individuality. Contradictorily in reality societies in general discourage emotions. Emotions are viewed as being unbalanced and humans are suggested to live without emotions. However avoiding emotions completely is impossible which may pave way for the cheap sentimental movies and songs. The writer insists upon the importance of emotion by describing about a tabooed emotion i.e. the sense of tragedy. Suppression of the sense of tragedy affects the root of personality. The writer is of the view that awareness of death and tragic aspects of life are the basic characteristic of human. He gives example of the practice of coping with the problem of death from various cultures. Both the Greeks and the Christianity religion look at death as a shadow that promises life after death. Only the Jews accepted death realistically. The society instead of allowing humans to be aware of death, suppresses it subconsciously. The denial of sad expressions about death leaves human to live with the fear of death. With this example, Fromm tries to project that the present society lacks freedom of expression.

2. Originality Discouraged:

This sub-heading is the continuation of the previous one. Like emotions, original thinking is also misrepresented in the society. Children are filled with curiosity to know the world both physically and intellectually. But their curiosity/interest is not taken seriously and forces them to have modern education. Fromm believes that education discourages original thinking and on the other hand it insists on filling mind with readymade thoughts. Thus modern education maimed independent thinking of the children.

          Fromm explains some of the educational methods that discourage original thinking. 1) The importance given to knowledge of facts. Here knowledge of a person is assessed based on more number of information/facts one knows. Thus information alone becomes knowledge which in reality is an obstacle to thinking. Hence one should maintain balance between information and thinking. 2) Considering all truth as connected: truth in reality is based on the interest and need of individuals. Some even may try to conceal truth. Without interest no one will be finding truth and altogether every human will have a need to find truth.

3. Confusing Issues:

 Another big problem with the present society is to confuse the issues. Even a smaller problem is made as a complicated one which cannot be understood by a common person. It is projected in a way that only a specialist can understand. Continuous flow of information stop humans from giving specific importance to one fact. Thus ability to think critically is paralysed with the constructed ideas of the world. Radio, TV and Newspapers play a crucial role in the construction of such notions. News about some serious issue is interrupted by advertisements for a fancy or luxurious item. This disturbs one’s genuine emotion towards the issue. It leads to change in the attitude of humans and they look at everything with indifference. In the name of freedom humans break the structure of life and he/she looks at it as a piece and not as a whole.

Humans lack originality not only in feeling or thinking but also in the act of willing. Whatever humans have as their desire is not originally theirs but the societies. From education to luxury house and car, they live with the thought of others. When they realise that they do not need those assumed ambitions, they reject such thought which made them tired or depressed. Later, again they start to work towards aims which they assume as theirs. This proves that even human ambitions are not original.

4. Loss of Self:

The next concept loss of self leaves one to doubt his/her own identity. The negative freedom what the modern human celebrate leaves him/her to be an isolated and weak self. Due to the feeling of isolation and to avoid loneliness, they try to keep themselves engaged with continuous work. Spontaneous realisation of the self is the only way through which humans can get out such lonely feel. Love is the basic component of such spontaneous realisation. Here love does not mean possession of others or dissolution of the self in another but it is a union of individual with others. Love leads to be in oneness and at the same time it maintains individuality. Another component of spontaneous realisation is work. Fromm looks at work as a creation where humans and nature become one in the act of creation. He rejects the other views of work such as relationship to nature, activity to escape from aloneness. Thus work and love maintains the individuality of the self and unites the self with humans and nature. It enables human to understand the act of living and positive freedom. Positive freedom implies that individual self is the higher power and each human is the center of his/her life.

5. Sacrifice:

Many misunderstand freedom as non-submission to any power that excludes sacrifice. Even sacrifice is misunderstood by many today. Fromm talks about two types of sacrifice. 1). It is seen as a tragic fact of life where physical self conflicts with mental self. But through sacrifice the physical self will integrate with the spiritual self. 2). It is preached in the modern worlds by Fascist. Here sacrifice is not a tragic fact whereas an aim and it is contradictory to the real sacrifice. In the name of sacrifice suicide is committed. Instead of developing the self, it reduces the self to nothing. The real purpose of sacrifice is to bring integrity whereas the second type proves lack of morality.

Certain words in languages are used to hide the true meaning of a word. Fromm brings out difference between Democracy and Fascism. Democracy works for the welfare of the individuals by developing economic, political and cultural condition. Whereas Fascism forces individuals to subordinate for unnecessary purposes and through this weakens the development of individuality. When humans subordinate economic machine by mastering society, they can escape from aloneness and the feeling of powerlessness. Today’s human have better economic condition but they do not find meaning in life. It leaves them as automaton. Fromm recommends to be a human again by developing faith in life and truth and realisation of self.

 

"The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant- Summary

The Necklace

Guy de Maupassant

Guy De Maupassant is a famous French writer. “The Necklace” is known for its twist, which was a hallmark of de Maupassant's style. The theme of the story is the contrast of reality and appearance.

Mathilde, the protagonist of the story, is a charming woman. She always feels upset about born in a poor family and desires to be rich. Due to her economical condition, she marries a poor clerk in the Ministry of Education. He is able to provide her only with a modest lifestyle. Mathilde feels the burden of her poverty. She regrets about her life condition and imagines a more wealthy life. While her husband expresses his pleasure at the simple food she has prepared for him, she dreams of an elaborate feast served on fancy china in the company of wealthy friends. She does not possess any fancy jewels or clothing and she longs for that. She has one wealthy friend, Madame Forestier, but refuses to visit her because of her poor condition.

One night, her husband returns home bringing an invitation to a party hosted by the Ministry of Education. He hopes that Mathilde will be happy to attend that function, but she feels angry and begins to cry. She tells him that she has nothing to wear and he has to give the invitation to others. Her husband is upset by her reaction and decides to buy a new dress for her. Later she starts to behave oddly. She confesses that the reason for her behavior is lack of jewels.  He pleads her to visit Madame Forestier and borrow something from her. Madame Forestier agrees to lend Mathilde her jewels, and Mathilde selects a diamond necklace. She feels happy at Madame Forestier’s generosity.

At the party, Mathilde looks very beautiful, and everyone notices her. She feels happy about others attention on her. Finally she looks for Monsieur Loisel, who has been sleeping for hours in a deserted room and leave from the party.  He covers her bare shoulders in a wrap and asks her to wait inside, while he fetches a cab. But she is ashamed of her cheap wrap and follows her husband outside.

When they finally return home, Mathilde is saddened that the night has ended. As she removes her wrap, she discovers that her necklace is missing.  Monsieur Loisel goes outside and searches but could not find it. He instructs her to write to Madame Forestier and say that the clasp of the necklace is broken and she will get it mended. They decide to replace it. They visit many jewelers, searching for a similar necklace, and finally find one. It costs 40,000 francs, although the jeweler says he will give it to them for 36,000. The Loisels spend a week to collect money from all kinds of sources. After three days, she purchases the necklace and returns it to her.

The Loisels begin to live a poor life. They dismiss their servant and move into a smaller apartment. Monsieur Loisel works three jobs, and Mathilde does the heavy housework. After ten years they cleared their debts. Mathilde’s beauty is now gone: she looks just likes the other women of poor households. They are both tired from these years of hardship.

One Sunday, while she is out for a walk, Mathilde sees Madame Forestier. She approaches her and offers greetings. Madame Forestier does not recognize her first and says that she looks different. Mathilde says that the change was on her account and explains to her about the loss of the necklace, replacing it, and working for ten years to repay the debts. At the end of her story, Madame Forestier replies that the necklace was made of fake diamonds not more than 500 francs. The story ends with a twist.

"The Lion’s Share" by Arnold Bennett- Summary

The Lion’s Share

Arnold Bennett

Arnold Bennett’s “The Lion’s Share” is a humorous short story. Most of his stories are located in Five Towns. This story also takes place in Five Towns. Arnold Bennett begins the story by stating that this particular incident was very famous among the people of Five Towns. Everyone including the narrator consider that incident as a comedy. But when he wanted to write it as a story, he felt it as a tragedy. Bennett says that he leaves it to the judgement of the readers to decide whether it as a comedy or tragedy.

Mrs. Carpole, a widow lived with her stepson Horace and her son Sidney at Bleak ridge. Horace was nineteen years old who was seen as a model boy due to his commitment in business and interest in learning new things. He took care for his step brother as like an uncle. Might be due to his perfect nature, he did not have any friends. Sidney was contradictory to his brother. He was eight years old; with very attractive personality he received everyone’s love. But he was affected with slight deafness and weak physic with frequent fever. At that time, after getting cured from a disease, Sidney started to walk slowly. Horace thought that he should be brought downstairs for fresh air. He decided to carry him down in spite of disapproval from Sidney and Mrs. Carpole. Horace was determined with his mission and carried him down. Unfortunately Horace fell down with Sidney. Sidney was affected by it and Horace spent his savings to treat Sidney.

Later Horace arranged school education for Sidney. Unfortunately the same evening Sidney was affected severely with attacks. Hence his schooling was stopped and the neighbours started blaming Horace for dropping him in the staircase.  Horace tried spending huge amount to a great brain specialist at Manchester. Even then there was no development. As Sidney started having the attacks regularly, Horace sent him every year for six weeks to some sea side resorts. Horace spent huge amount for it and people said that he should feel happy to have money to spend on his brother. The agony of Sidney’s tragic condition and his deafness slowly killed his mother. Later Horace inherited property of his maternal grandfather and Sidney did not have any. People advised that he should share his fortune with his half brother. Accepting their views he bought a house and started living with his brother. Moreover he started a business. Sidney started working in Horace office but due to his ill health not regular to work. Even then Horace paid him three pounds a week as salary.

            Horace met a girl named Ella whom he thought as a nice girl, who was a guest to Mrs. Penkethman’s house. That time Sidney went to foreign country for refreshment. Horace invited Ella and Mrs. Penkethman to his house for an evening.  Surprisingly Sidney returned from his trip when they entered. Sidney was so handsome and Ella was attracted towards him. They both spent time together and later they fell in love with each other. Horace spent a lot of money for their marriage. He arranged a house and furnished things for the married couple to live happily. He spent huge amount for their happiness which resulted in loss in business. Ella and Sidney went to Llandudno for some period. Meanwhile Horace settled all his debts, and went to meet Sidney and Ella. Even there he hid his bankrupt condition instead said that he was going to Germany.

            A few months later when Sidney and Ella returned Bursley, the house of Horace was about to be auctioned. They decided to buy as it is their family property. They bought it and lived in the house. They named their child Horace. After several years Horace returned to Bursley to meet his brother’s family and was expecting to narrate his adventure in Germany. But they invited him casually as if he left the previous day. When they were going down for tea, little Horace asked his uncle to carry him down. The matured Horace answered immediately that he cannot; otherwise he has to loss all his money.

            The title “The Lion’s share” means big/huge share. In the story though Horace inherited huge money and in business made money, he did not enjoy his money, Whereas Sidney enjoyed the money. Hence Sidney got the lion’s share in the story.

"The Open Window" by H.H. Munro- Summary

The Open Window

H.H. Munro

Saki is the pen name of H.H. Munro. He is a famous short story writer from England. His stories are known for its satire, wit and humour. The short story “The open Window” by Saki is famous for its twist in the climax and humour. The story is about Frampton Nuttel’s, the protagonist of the story, visit to the house of one of his neighbours, Mrs. Sappleton.

Nuttel suffers from a nervous condition. He has come to a village on the doctor’s recommendation to spend some time alone. Earlier his sister has lived in the area. His sister, by considering that he may not talk to his neighbours, has given him letters of introduction to his new neighbours. With her letter Nuttel starts to visit his neighbours. Nuttel visits the Sappleton family first, where he meets a fifteen-year-old girl named Vera, the niece of Mrs. Sappleton. Vera gives company to Nuttel while he waits. By knowing that Nuttel has not met the Sappletons, Vera tells Nuttel some information about the family. Vera says that three years ago to the date, Mrs. Sappleton's husband and two younger brothers went for hunting. On an October those three went through a large French window. They never returned. Vera gives descriptions about the clothes they were wearing, the dog that accompanied them, and the song that Mrs. Sappleton's younger brother sang on their way. Vera says that her grief-stricken aunt keeps the window open and watches out the window expecting their return.

Meanwhile Mrs. Sappleton enters apologising for her delay to meet him. She asks whether he mind to open the window in the afternoon. She adds that she opens it as she expects her husband and brothers to return at any moment. Nuttel listens, thinking that Mrs. Sappleton has gone crazy. He feels sorry to meet her at such a tragic condition and tells about his nervous disorder to her. Suddenly, Mrs. Sappleton brightens as she tells Nuttel that her husband and brothers are arriving. Veera looks at that direction in a horrified way. The frightened Nuttel runs away from that place.  Mrs. Sappleton thinks his nervous breakdown as a reason for Nuttel's strange behaviour. But Vera replies that he is afraid of dogs.

The last line of the story: "Romance at short notice was her [Vera's] specialty." reveals the theme of the story, and unveils the character of Vera.  Veera perfectly victimized Nuttel by narrating about her aunt's family through her imagination. Bored Vera took her chance to deceive Nuttel and later the same trick she used to her aunt about Nuttel. The climax shows that Veera played intelligently to wile her time.