Why Munshi Premchand and his works are more pertinent than ever.
- consciencecollecti0
- Aug 15, 2024
- 5 min read
Updated: Sep 29, 2024
A Revolutionary is Born
Under the reign of Queen Victoria in British India, postmaster Ajayab Rai Srivastava and his wife Anandi Devi welcomed a baby on the last day of July in the year 1880 in their ancestral home in Lamhi, near Banaras (Varanasi). Named Dhanpat Rai Srivastava, the boy was affectionately called Nawab Rai by his doting mother. Their bond, however, was tragically cut short when Anandi Devi passed away when Nawab Rai was just seven. Left to navigate a challenging world with a preoccupied father and dwindling finances, the young boy's life took a difficult turn. His father's remarriage brought further complexities, leaving Nawab Rai isolated and struggling. These early hardships fostered a keen understanding of human emotions, injustice, and societal ills. With extraordinary talent, he transformed these experiences into powerful stories, earning titles like 'Kalam Ka Sipahi' and 'Upanyaas Samrat.' Writing under the pseudonym Premchand, he became a beacon of hope for countless readers, using his pen to challenge the exploitative social order.
The Brilliance of Munshi Premchand
Mrinal Sen, a renowned film maker who adapted one of the writer’s short stories into a film once remarked that Premchand is the most important writer of the 20th century. The statement is not hyperbolic considering his stories reflect the tapestry of rural life interwoven with complex interplay of identities, rigid social customs, exploitative forces that undermined the dignity of the women, backward caste communities, poor peasants at every step with a blend of poise and anguish that is still unmatched. In the times we live in, where the crown has long withdrawn from the affairs of the subcontinent and freedom, liberty and justice are touted as the abiding principle of Indian society, one might feel tempted to dismiss the need of eulogizing the writer and label such practices as an exercise in futility. However, this must not be the case. The genius of Munshi Premchand lies in his realistic fiction and critique of some fundamental social institutions that have strongly stood the cruel test of time and continue to inspire readers to foster critical thinking and a sense of justice in the milieu they live in and in turn, work towards inclusivity and harmony through their collective actions. It is essential to read Premchand whose works underscore themes of morality, power, justice, equality and emancipation with a contemporary sensibility and take guidance from the righteous characters that struggle against the inherent unequal social dynamics where deceit, contempt, exploitation are valued and still do not entertain expedient adjustments even after persistent pressures. Sometimes, they emerge victorious like Vanshidhar in their battles against powerful men such as Pt. Alopidin (Namak Ka Daroga) retaining their virtues while on other occasions, they lose the battle against the society bereft of conscience like in the case of Gyanchandra, a married man who shelters an abandoned woman in his home to prevent her sanctity but eventually faces social ostracization culminating in suicide (Bahishkaar).
Reading classic tales with contemporary pretext
One of the most celebrated authors associated with the Progressive Writer’s Association (PWA), the stories penned down by Munshi ji echoes in eternity and the reason for which perhaps could be attributed to his remarkable grasp over the inequities embedded in the social systems such as family system, justice machinery, social institutions. Through his thought provoking and prescient works, he reinforced the supremacy of ethics over emotions and taught the readers that justice is above all the relationships and interests and must be served even at the cost of childhood friendships. A friendship as strong as Jumman Sheikh and Algu Chaudhary (Panch Parmeshwar). In the current times, where nepotism in the judicial system is at an all-time high with favours and corruption repeatedly indicting the pious institution, it becomes ever relevant to revoke the ‘holiness’ attached to the panchayat and remember that ‘Pancho ke dil mei khuda basta hai’. (God resides in the heart of judges). Additionally, the exploitation of the peasants, farmers, people belonging to the dalit community by feudal lords and upper caste men in the colonial India is documented by Premchand in his works such as Godaan with a passion that is hard to reproduce without a deep sense of commitment to the cause of the disenfranchised classes of the society.
The themes of communal harmony, caste violence and blind faith have been dealt with extraordinary concerns in the novels and short stories of the writer. His life was itself emblematic of the syncretic culture of the civilization that he wrote extensively about as he was schooled by a maulvi in a village in Kashi (Varanasi) and learnt to embrace the plurality of beliefs from a young age evident in his works such as Biradari and Kshama. Premchand unabashedly condemned the sorry state of affairs in the country that prided itself on the humiliation of lower castes and never shied away from exhibiting the ugly forms of exploitation in his works such as Sadgati, kafan and Thakur ka Kuan. Unfortunately, such hideous manifestations of caste discrimination have still not become a thing of the past. Cases of violence and honour killings in the name of caste continue to be reported widely throughout the country in times like these, Munshi Premchand commands an absolute pertinence in our seemingly advanced society.
Similarly, women in the stories of premchand were as diverse as women in the Indian society. The headstrong lower caste ghaaswaali could confront a thakur as she rejects his amorous advance (Ghaaswaali) while Mrs Padma despite her erudition and dynamism fell prey to a duplicitous man who left her helpless and shattered in desperate conditions (Miss Padma). He pronounced his defiance of the patriarchal social fabric that shamed, chastised and almost unequivocally reduced her into a promiscuous being only capable of satisfying other’s carnal desires. He fiercely critiqued the unequal institution of marriage and associated social evils such as dowry, child marriage most famously through his novel, Nirmala. Surprisingly, as a male himself, his stories never lacked authenticity when it came to the portrayal of sensitive women characters and perhaps such solid grip over his craft earned him the title of ‘Upanyas Samrat’ by the literary critics and audience alike. One of the few early writers who was not apprehensive of populating his fiction world with female protagonists, his works such as Sevasadan are a testament to his unwavering support for the feminist movements. The noted poet and filmmaker, Gulzar, who adapted Premchand’s works into tele series called ‘Tehreer Munshi Premchand Ki’ once emphasized that Premchand specialised in the subjects that revolved around women and had an intuitive sense of their emotional vulnerabilities more than his counterparts.
The heart-wrenching short stories compiled in eight volumes titled ‘Mansarovar’ composed with a virtuoso symphony of empathy and hope for the mankind successfully obliterate the rigid time-space barriers and provoke readers to relate the events and characters in stories in the contemporary context. The impeccable finesse in conveying a complex thought to the readers without indulging in excessive jargonism and decoratives has helped in cementing Munshiji’s stature as the foremost writer in Hindi Literature. He is remembered not just as a writer who left an indelible imprint on the literary canvas but also a pioneer who showed the way forward to future literary legends like Dharamveer Bharati, Rajendra Yadav, Nirmal Verma, Amrit Rai, Manu Bhandari, Mahadevi Verma among many others.
Personal Troubles and Later Years
Despite his immense popularity and critical acclaim, Munshi Premchand's life was marked by personal struggles, ideological conflicts, and financial insecurity, rooted in his tumultuous childhood. A teenage marriage to an incompatible partner led to a tumultuous divorce, causing significant emotional and material distress. His unwavering commitment to the freedom movement led to the resignation from his teaching position, despite his precarious financial situation. To support himself and his family, he dedicated himself to publishing, launching Saraswati Publications and the literary magazine Hans. His prolific writing often served as an escape from his challenging reality. In a final attempt to find financial stability, Premchand ventured into the Bombay film industry but returned disillusioned. Exhausted and overworked, he passed away in 1936 at the age of 56, leaving behind a legacy of profound wisdom.
by Ashay Raj
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