Samkaleen Sahitya

                                            

Poster for theatre performance of Kafan by Premchand

-Brian Mendonca

    A writer has to tell the truth; the historian has to tell the truth; the teacher has to tell the truth.                                                                                                                            -Devendranath Chaubey

How does one teach 'Idgah' or 'Kafan' by Premchand (1880-1936)? You may skim over them in class, but the stories need to be understood in the context of the time.

A topic like 'Contemporary History of Literature' may seem daunting. But Professor Devendranath Chaubey was equal to the task. Listeners were captivated by his wide-ranging knowledge and his remarkable familiarity with key texts in Hindi, English and French to illustrate his point. 

Prof. Chaubey began by saying it is important to study historical trends as history says what happened in the past; it helps us make sense of the present; and it predicts the future. An important attribute of history is memory - social memory. People in societies as diverse as Japan and Sri Lanka think the same thing at the same time. 

The historian has to be aware of events. In 1974 when Jayaprakash Narayan called for Sampoorn Kranti it was the beginning of the end for Indira Gandhi who was ousted after the Emergency in 1977. The students who were in the vanguard of this change were only one expression of protest movements across the globe, notably China and France. In 1968 the slogan of 'Give Me More Freedom' rocked France. It stemmed from Nanterre University on the fringes of France.

Samkaleen Sahitya [contemporary literature] is both an ideology and a time frame. The three moments are i) 1947 - from the time of Independence; ii) 1967 - the rise of student protest movements; and iii) 1990 - globalization, when the world changed. 

History is created. It consists of theory and practice. Derrida's Postcard is worth reading. Why could it not have been envelope? Because it is meant for public consumption. A great writer like Walter Benjamin died as a fugitive because of the time he lived in. Gramsci wrote about the discrimination among factory workers in Turin, Italy. He was arrested and imprisoned in 1926. It was at that time he wrote his Prison Notebooks. 

Ramchandra Shukla was a historian of Hindi literature. Gynanendra Pandey and Shahid Amin's work can be seen in subaltern studies. In Japan, for instance, you have poetry on the Hiroshima bombing of 1945. The air is still thick with a trace of the atoms today. One Japanese poet has evoked the timelessness of Kashi by reflecting on the cow on the roads in Benaras. You can only go home when the cow goes home.

Literature is the mirror of society. Today corporations influence politicians; politicians influence society; society produces literature. Dalit writing in India is a powerful expression of contemporary literature, viz. Namdeo Dhasal and Sharankumar Limbale. Its moorings can be seen in the efforts of Ambedkar and his earlier disagreements with Gandhiji.  Dalit writings can be seen in Gujarati, Marathi and other languages.

Naxalbari is a term which took its name from a place in West Bengal which saw the Naxalite-Maoist insurgency in 1967. Hazaro Chaurisi Ki Ma [Mother of 1084] by Mahashweta Devi is on this subject. Draupadi brings to the fore the struggle of Dopdi for what is precious to her. The poetry of Punjabi poet Pash also speaks of the downtrodden.

In Delhi there is Krishna Sobti. Her novel Mitro Marjani focusses on women's empowerment and freedom in terms of sexuality, morality and way of life. The main character has a loud voice which is heard in the streets. The voice of the bahu [daughter-in-law] should not travel beyond her own aangan [hearth]. Mitro Marjani tries to break this stereotype.

Three novels which frame Partition in India are Aag ka Darya [River of Fire] by Qurratulain Hyder; Tamas [Darkness] by Bhisham Sahni and Jhoota Sach [Lies and Truth] by Yashpal. A comparative study may also be made of Urdu novels.

There was a time when all the steel plants in India - like in Bokaro - were funded by Russia. Russia also funded books on literature, while the US preferred to fund social sciences. But now the funding has dried up. The World Bank usually funds in areas of health, food and education. But that is not happening now. As a developed country, one cannot ask for funds.

In the near future, permanent posts may be a thing of the past, with teachers appointed only on tenure. Teachers may need to teach new courses every year, rather than after 15 years or so earlier. This is because society - and the world - is changing. 

In times of violence it is always language which bears the brunt. In 1835 Macaulay decreed that English would not be a subject but the medium of instruction in British India. 

In Gunter Grass's Tin Drum there is a character who comes in to class and always praises the good work Hitler is doing. The students are worried he will not complete the portion. Alphonse Daudet's story 'The Last Class' is about a French teacher who knows that the Germans are at the doors of France. The next day German will be imposed. Yet he writes on the blackboard 'Vive la France' [Long live France]. He leaves his class with the advice never to lose the French language. 

War reporting is a useful source of knowing about the past. The battle of Buxar in 1764 consolidated the rise of the British in India with the defeat of the Mughal Emperor. 

The connotation of spaces changes over time. The bazaar [market] signifies different things at different times. Go down to the mohalla [village meeting place] and speak with the elders. Ask them to share their memories.

A teacher should understand his/her bhumika [role]. S/he should not be afraid. Earlier there was a lot of resistance. Not so much now.
---------------------------
Professor Devendranath Chaubey, Centre of Indian Languages, School of Language, Literature and Culture Studies, JNU, New Delhi, addressed participants of the online Refresher Course on Languages, Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies organized by HRDC, Goa University on 20 October 2021. Pic courtesy creativeyatra(dot)com. Updated 8 November 2021.