Untouchable
It is written in a third person omniscient narrative.There is a stream of consciousness technique in it. There is a slight incestuous instance in a part of the Novel. Bakha's jealousy on the upcoming marriage of his sister Sohini,and his possessive mentality manifested vividly in the passage where Bakha was dishonoured in the temple and Sohini mistreated by the pundit and both of them were accused of "polluting" the holy place.We must remember that it was the time of Joyce,Woolf,Elliot in the 20s.
We made a terrible journey in the world of latrins,ditches,swipers, agonies,mistreatment,abuses,and dishonor along with Bakha. After reaching page number 100 we find Bakha truly happy/pleased for the first time.
He was given a hockey stick by Havildar Charat Singh."He was overcome by the man's kindness . He was grateful,grateful,haltingly grateful,falteringly grateful,stumblingly grateful,so grateful that he didn't know how he could walk the ten yards to the corner to be out of the sight of his benevolent and generous host(p100)"
How ugly the morning was,how cruel the people were in the morning,how tough time he had all the day,yet we find him to say "How beautiful the afternoon is"(p101)
See ,how a simple hockey stick made him happy,how limited his dreams were!
With the much desired new hockey stick Bakha is on the field to play in the team 38th Dogra boys against 31st Punjabis . There arose a fight among the boys in a broil over a foul by Chota, Ram Charan, Ali, Abdullah on the goalkeeper of the 31st Punjabis who at first struck Bakha spitefully being defeated by superior tactics of the later. There was huge fighting,punching and throwing of the stones among them.(p106) "But a bad throw from Ram Charan's hand caught him(the little boy of the Sahib,who was keeping a watch over Bakha's coat) a rap on the skull. He gave a sharp,piercing shriek and fell unconscious."
This accident bring about new disgrace for Bakha. As the mother of that boy without knowing the whole thing, abused and scolded Bakha. (107)" I knew my touch would pollute. But it was impossible not to pick him up. He was dazed,the poor little thing. And she abused me. I only get abuse and derision wherever I go. Pollution,pollution,I do nothing else but pollute people"
He returned home after his ullyssesan or Herculean hard day. At home he faced the "rain of abuse" from his father.
After calculating his all days work what he found in his account?
We will find him to say-(110)" Unlucky, unlucky day! What have I done to deserve all this?' he cried in exasperation."
(111)"What a day I have had! Unlucky, inauspicious day! I wish I could die!' And he sat nursing his head in his hands, utterly given up to despair."
Bakha got a friendly touch for the first time in his utter despair from Colonel Hutchinson, a missionary,and a chief of the local Salvation Army.
He inherited his apprehension from his father of the suspicious activities of the missionaries.(p114)"If he(Lakha) saw him(Colonel) in the distance,saying that the old sahib had wanted to convert them to the religion of Yessuh Messih and to make them sahibs like himself,but that he had refused to leave the Hindu fold, saying that the religion which was good enough for his forefathers was good enough for him."
Though we can say it is unethical or problematic to force other to convert in Christianity, but the logic Lakha showed behind not accepting Christianity were nothing sacred but devotion to his ancestors!
Yet Colonel Hutchinson used his all energy and tricks to convert Bakha into Christianity. Bakha got relieved from the grip of the padre after the padre himself caught in the grip of his everdominating wife who was spiteful of the 'dirty' 'bhangis' and 'chamars'!
Then the Arrival of Mahatma Gandhi episode:
Mahatma Gandhi's arrival is similarly described as the pass over of the Jesus. The coming of Mahatma Gandhi is described as the "The Coming of the Ship" episode in "The Prophet" by Kahlil Gibran, where the arrival of 'Al-mustafa is described. The untouchables were running towards Gandhi,(127)and like Bakha they hadn't stopped to ask themselves why they were going.
They were just going; the act of going, of walking, running, hurrying,occupied them. Their present motive was to get there,to get there somehow,as quickly as possible."
Mahatma Gandhi, messaiya came to speak their apparent deliverance. Mahatma's coming and the running of the people towards him was quite similar with the pass over of Jesus. (134) "This strange man seemed to have the genius that could, by a single dramatic act, rally multicoloured, multi-tongued India to himself."
then the chanting of the hymn episode.
Its a beautiful hymn with profound meaning:
'The dawn is here, O traveller, arise:
Past is the night, and yet sleep seals thine eyes.
Lost is the soul that sleeps-dost not thou know?
The sleepless one finds peace beyond all woe.
...
What thou wouldst do to-morrow do to-day,
Do thou the task that thou must face to-day.
What shall avail thy sorrow and dismay
When thieving birds have borne thy grain away.
-A Hindu hymn
Then came the Mahatma's most waited speech. Mahatma's speech was listened from Bakha's perspective, where he was hanging himself on a tree to listen Gandhi's speech. The balmy, comforting sympathy of Gandhi touched and swayed the heart of Bakha.
The honour he was feeling with the words of Gandhi,at the same time he was remembering the disgrace he had gone through that day.
The Speech to Bakha was as weighty and liberating as the speech of prophet Mohammad(pbuh) in the "Last Pilgrimage"(Biday Haj) where he declared "the slaves will get equal treatment as their master, they will eat the same foods,wear the same clothes as their master do".Gandhi declared-(139)" All public wells, temples, roads, schools, sanatoriums, must be declared open to the Untouchables. And, if you all profess to love me, give me a direct proof of your love by carrying on propaganda against the observance of untouchability."
After the end of Gandhi's speech Bakha met two educated young man,one of them who was 'Vilayat' returned who scolded and criticised Gandhi's speech severely. And the other was a "(141) a young man with a delicate feline face, illuminated by sparkling dark eyes and long black curly hair, who stood next to him dressed in flowing Indian robes like a poet's.
That young poet argued against that 'Vilayat' returned young man for Gandhi.
The young poet is shown to be a nationalist. We get their introduction in the page-144, Iqbal Nath Sarshar,the young poet who edits the Nawan Jug(New Era).and his companion was Mr. R.N. Bashir, B.A.(Oxon.),Barrister-at-Law.
(146)Their important part of the discussion was of "the flush system",to introduce the machine which clears dung without anyone having to handle it.
Bakha was in great wonder how the machine would be!
As the sun descended with the odyssian eventful journey of Bakha,he had started his homeward walk.
"(147) As the brief Indian twilight came and went, a sudden impulse shot through the transformations of space and time, and gathered all the elements that were dispersed in the stream of his soul into a tentative decision:'I shall go and tell father all that Gandhi said about us,' he whispered to himself, 'and all that that poet said . Perhaps I can find the poet some day and ask him about his machine.' And he proceeded homewards.
What happened to Bakha?
Did he changed his profession and his fate?
Or, he remained in the same profession which is written in his blood?
I don't know-
It is written in a third person omniscient narrative.There is a stream of consciousness technique in it. There is a slight incestuous instance in a part of the Novel. Bakha's jealousy on the upcoming marriage of his sister Sohini,and his possessive mentality manifested vividly in the passage where Bakha was dishonoured in the temple and Sohini mistreated by the pundit and both of them were accused of "polluting" the holy place.We must remember that it was the time of Joyce,Woolf,Elliot in the 20s.
We made a terrible journey in the world of latrins,ditches,swipers, agonies,mistreatment,abuses,and dishonor along with Bakha. After reaching page number 100 we find Bakha truly happy/pleased for the first time.
He was given a hockey stick by Havildar Charat Singh."He was overcome by the man's kindness . He was grateful,grateful,haltingly grateful,falteringly grateful,stumblingly grateful,so grateful that he didn't know how he could walk the ten yards to the corner to be out of the sight of his benevolent and generous host(p100)"
How ugly the morning was,how cruel the people were in the morning,how tough time he had all the day,yet we find him to say "How beautiful the afternoon is"(p101)
See ,how a simple hockey stick made him happy,how limited his dreams were!
With the much desired new hockey stick Bakha is on the field to play in the team 38th Dogra boys against 31st Punjabis . There arose a fight among the boys in a broil over a foul by Chota, Ram Charan, Ali, Abdullah on the goalkeeper of the 31st Punjabis who at first struck Bakha spitefully being defeated by superior tactics of the later. There was huge fighting,punching and throwing of the stones among them.(p106) "But a bad throw from Ram Charan's hand caught him(the little boy of the Sahib,who was keeping a watch over Bakha's coat) a rap on the skull. He gave a sharp,piercing shriek and fell unconscious."
This accident bring about new disgrace for Bakha. As the mother of that boy without knowing the whole thing, abused and scolded Bakha. (107)" I knew my touch would pollute. But it was impossible not to pick him up. He was dazed,the poor little thing. And she abused me. I only get abuse and derision wherever I go. Pollution,pollution,I do nothing else but pollute people"
He returned home after his ullyssesan or Herculean hard day. At home he faced the "rain of abuse" from his father.
After calculating his all days work what he found in his account?
We will find him to say-(110)" Unlucky, unlucky day! What have I done to deserve all this?' he cried in exasperation."
(111)"What a day I have had! Unlucky, inauspicious day! I wish I could die!' And he sat nursing his head in his hands, utterly given up to despair."
Bakha got a friendly touch for the first time in his utter despair from Colonel Hutchinson, a missionary,and a chief of the local Salvation Army.
He inherited his apprehension from his father of the suspicious activities of the missionaries.(p114)"If he(Lakha) saw him(Colonel) in the distance,saying that the old sahib had wanted to convert them to the religion of Yessuh Messih and to make them sahibs like himself,but that he had refused to leave the Hindu fold, saying that the religion which was good enough for his forefathers was good enough for him."
Though we can say it is unethical or problematic to force other to convert in Christianity, but the logic Lakha showed behind not accepting Christianity were nothing sacred but devotion to his ancestors!
Yet Colonel Hutchinson used his all energy and tricks to convert Bakha into Christianity. Bakha got relieved from the grip of the padre after the padre himself caught in the grip of his everdominating wife who was spiteful of the 'dirty' 'bhangis' and 'chamars'!
Then the Arrival of Mahatma Gandhi episode:
Mahatma Gandhi's arrival is similarly described as the pass over of the Jesus. The coming of Mahatma Gandhi is described as the "The Coming of the Ship" episode in "The Prophet" by Kahlil Gibran, where the arrival of 'Al-mustafa is described. The untouchables were running towards Gandhi,(127)and like Bakha they hadn't stopped to ask themselves why they were going.
They were just going; the act of going, of walking, running, hurrying,occupied them. Their present motive was to get there,to get there somehow,as quickly as possible."
Mahatma Gandhi, messaiya came to speak their apparent deliverance. Mahatma's coming and the running of the people towards him was quite similar with the pass over of Jesus. (134) "This strange man seemed to have the genius that could, by a single dramatic act, rally multicoloured, multi-tongued India to himself."
then the chanting of the hymn episode.
Its a beautiful hymn with profound meaning:
'The dawn is here, O traveller, arise:
Past is the night, and yet sleep seals thine eyes.
Lost is the soul that sleeps-dost not thou know?
The sleepless one finds peace beyond all woe.
...
What thou wouldst do to-morrow do to-day,
Do thou the task that thou must face to-day.
What shall avail thy sorrow and dismay
When thieving birds have borne thy grain away.
-A Hindu hymn
Then came the Mahatma's most waited speech. Mahatma's speech was listened from Bakha's perspective, where he was hanging himself on a tree to listen Gandhi's speech. The balmy, comforting sympathy of Gandhi touched and swayed the heart of Bakha.
The honour he was feeling with the words of Gandhi,at the same time he was remembering the disgrace he had gone through that day.
The Speech to Bakha was as weighty and liberating as the speech of prophet Mohammad(pbuh) in the "Last Pilgrimage"(Biday Haj) where he declared "the slaves will get equal treatment as their master, they will eat the same foods,wear the same clothes as their master do".Gandhi declared-(139)" All public wells, temples, roads, schools, sanatoriums, must be declared open to the Untouchables. And, if you all profess to love me, give me a direct proof of your love by carrying on propaganda against the observance of untouchability."
After the end of Gandhi's speech Bakha met two educated young man,one of them who was 'Vilayat' returned who scolded and criticised Gandhi's speech severely. And the other was a "(141) a young man with a delicate feline face, illuminated by sparkling dark eyes and long black curly hair, who stood next to him dressed in flowing Indian robes like a poet's.
That young poet argued against that 'Vilayat' returned young man for Gandhi.
The young poet is shown to be a nationalist. We get their introduction in the page-144, Iqbal Nath Sarshar,the young poet who edits the Nawan Jug(New Era).and his companion was Mr. R.N. Bashir, B.A.(Oxon.),Barrister-at-Law.
(146)Their important part of the discussion was of "the flush system",to introduce the machine which clears dung without anyone having to handle it.
Bakha was in great wonder how the machine would be!
As the sun descended with the odyssian eventful journey of Bakha,he had started his homeward walk.
"(147) As the brief Indian twilight came and went, a sudden impulse shot through the transformations of space and time, and gathered all the elements that were dispersed in the stream of his soul into a tentative decision:'I shall go and tell father all that Gandhi said about us,' he whispered to himself, 'and all that that poet said . Perhaps I can find the poet some day and ask him about his machine.' And he proceeded homewards.
What happened to Bakha?
Did he changed his profession and his fate?
Or, he remained in the same profession which is written in his blood?
I don't know-
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