PANGU (CRIPPLED)
A BRIEF CRITICAL REVIEW
“Pangu” is an exquisite Maithili novel authored by the charismatic Maithili poet, novelist, story-writer and playwright, Sri Jagdish Prasad Mandal. The literary excellence of this novelistic composition was perceived and acknowledged by the peer team of the Sahitya Academy, New Delhi and the novel was duly honoured with the prestigious Sahitya Academy Award in 2021. The novel has emerged as a pleasant and tasteful literary pabulum for Maithili readers. For them it is a Mithila-Darshan, an overview of Mithila. It is a graphic and picturesque descriptive account of the crippled agriculture-based economy of Mithila, a major chunk of Bihar.
Literature is defined as a mirror of society. Following the ethics of this literary principle the novelist has laid much stress on the realistic depiction of the socio- economic life of the pre-independence and post-independence Mithila. He has artistically presented a varied and detailed description of the geographical, social, economic and cultural pictures of this significant region. It is no exaggeration to state that the novel is a topography of the entire Mithila region. The novelist has taken pains to throw vivid light on the crippled agricultural system, the ravages of natural disasters, the miseries of the have-nots, landlordism (zamindari), monkery (mahanthgiri), participation of Maithils in freedom struggle, changing scenario in independent India etc.
As a matter of fact, “Pangu” is specially known for immensely detailed, varied and realistic portrayal of Mithila. Such portraits of all the facets of Mithila life in one novel are unprecedented. The novelist himself says in the novel:
“vaicharic rup main akhno hum mithilak o rup dekhiye rahal chhi je adauk chintan-dharakak anukul achhi. Tain hum sabh ajuk mithilak chitrankan jan nai karab tan khali jadu tona wa chhu-mantar kahi dela san bhay jayat, e sambhava nahi achhi. Hajar lakh pahiluka satyug treta san nikail aaya ham sabh ekaisan sadi me pahnch chukal chhi.”
(Theoretically, even now we can see the picture of Mithila which reflects the old stream of thoughts. So, if we do not depict modern Mithila, it is not possible to be successful by using magic spells or incantation. we have reached the 21st century after passing through thousands of years of old Satyug or Treta age.)
In the novel all the events of the story occur in and around Sitapur which is a representative village of Mithila. The writer, Sri Jagdish Prasad Mandal, the 76-year-old resident of central Mithila learns the ins and outs of the entire region through his long span of his active agricultural life, his sensitivity to social activities, love of communist ideas and wide travels. He gives expression to his realistic experiences in different genres of literature. His rapid flow of literary creations has resulted in his rainbow -world of literary works. At least in the frequency of literary publications he is unprecedented in Maithili literature. As his writing is centred in Mithila, he can be called a regional novelist like the famous English novelist, Thomas Hardy and the well-known Indo-Anglian novelist, R.K Narayan. Sitapur in “Pangu” is “Wessex” of Hardy and “Malgudi” of R.K Narayan.
The real charm of the novel lies in vivid pictorial description of the geographical, social, economic and cultural atmosphere of Mithila represented through the village of Sitapur. The novelist narrates that the northern border of Mithila is beautifully fenced by the mountain ranges which are diversified by both the greater Himalayas and Kailash mountain with lovely Mansarover lake in it. Again, the southern border of Mithila is built by a group of rivers including the sacred Ganga which has holy banks like Sultanganj and Simariya ghats.
The fauna and flora of Sitapur is pictured with scientific accuracy. The village with almost a thousand acres of land with ponds, lakes and rivers produces all kinds of grains, fruits and vegetables. Different kinds of fishes, domestic animals, trees, flowers, and fruits are graphically described. The detailed lists of all these things are the testimony of the writer’s intimate personal knowledge from his real-life association before holding the writer’s pen. In this context, the anecdote of the former agriculture minister of India, Sri Chaturanan Mishra’s talk with the supremo of Poland about the varieties of mango fruits presented dramatically provides a fine reading.
Similarly, the economic and educational conditions of the village have been highlighted with utmost precision. The novelist says that the antiquity of Sitapur can be perceived even today in the infrastructure and human living conditions. Just as in olden days dwellings were built of wood and straws, such huts and cottages can be seen in the dwellings of the poor where they pass their rainy and cold nights. It does not mean that the village lacks two-storeyed or three-storeyed concrete buildings. There are several other things like education and health which obviously differentiate haves and have-nots. It is shown in the description that there is no health centre and only a lower primary school in Sitapur. With his leaning towards the communistic philosophy of economic equality, the novelist indirectly shows his concern for the hapless class of the poor and aggrieved.
The novelist enlists our sympathy for the hungry lot of Sitapur by his exclusive narration of their pitiable plight. Hundreds of landless families here did not get adequate farm-work to earn their livelihood. So, they often took recourse to exodus to other states for sustenance. This exodus continues even today in independent India. The writer deplores that now when all the facilities of basic needs are available in cities and towns, thousands of villages like Sitapur have nothing to utilize the physical and mental manpower of the workers rendering them unemployed and hungry and promoting exodus. The flood and drought add injury to the wound. The Koshi flood in 1958 not only made them homeless but brought them to the verge of starvation. In the drought of 1967 many persons starved to death, while a great number of them saved their lives by unearthing and eating “Bisandh”, the root of a watery plant. The sensitivity of the writer gives vent to the feeling of the crying need of improvement in the living conditions of the economically handicapped villagers of Mithila.
Theoretically, a novel consists of six elements- plot, characterization, atmosphere, dialogue, style and purpose. A novelist may emphasise particular elements in his fictional work. Plot is the skeleton of a novel. Let us have a bird’s eye view on the chronological plot of “Pangu”.
In Sitapur a peasant named Devcharan had got ancestral property of three acres of land. The land was earlier seized by auction from his ancestor by a landlord of the village who allowed him to till the land and give one fourth of the harvest to the landlord. Later due to a quarrel in the landlord’s family over the issue of the elder son, Singheshwar’s marriage with a prostitute at the age of sixty there was an offer to Devcharan to purchase the land from the landlord. Devcharan afforded to purchase the land for one hundred and fifty rupees by selling his pair of calves.
Devcharan’s son, Radhacharan was a dull and inactive man who shirked from work. So, Devcharan was worried about the well-being of the descendent lineage. But the birth of Radhacharan’s son, Haricharan brought a ray of hope for Devcharan. At the age of sixty he became hopeful from Haricharan who passed middle school examination but could not be admitted to high school for lack of resources. He gave proper guidance to Haricharan for looking after the agricultural work. Later he got him married to a caring and industrious girl. After the death of Devcharan Haricharan with the active support of his wife brought a drastic change in the old agricultural process. He faced the obstacles bravely and won over the handicaps of agriculture. With his hard labour and new thoughts, he proved himself a model for farmers, “kisanbrind”.
This plot of crippled agricultural life is interwoven with the sub-plots of singheshwar’s marriage with a prostitute, the quarrel of mango orchard and a few others. The novelist has delineated the character of Haricharan with utmost care. He remains the hero of the novel with his virtues of obedience, perseverance, sagacity and sociability. It can not be denied that the vital plot element of the novel remains a bit dim under the larger interest of the novelist to highlight the topography of Mithila and his enthusiasm to provide practical teachings of family and social life to the young generation.
The element of atmosphere has been given much importance. The atmosphere of crippled agricultural life pervades in the novel throughout. The novelist is able to create the proper atmosphere of the story in details.
The elements of dialogue and purpose have been duly emphasised in the novel. They impress the readers very much. The dialogue between old, anxious Devcharan and the hope of the future, Haricharan (the grandfather and grandson) reflects the concern of the novelist to train the new generation to follow the footprints of their wise elders. The optimism of the novelist finds expression in the comic end of the novel. The counselling classes continue in the 4th, 5th, and 6th chapters of the novel. Finding himself in the evening of life the patriarch tutors the novice grandson in the lesson of shouldering the responsibility of working for the family. He preaches him the ethics of hard work for success in life. He tells him;
“Baua, akhan tak parivarik bhar apan sir saij gadik jua mein kanha laga Khichait elon, muda aav o samarth nahin rahul jakar khagta parivar ke aichha” (My child, I have shouldered the responsibility of the whole family but now I do not have the might which the family needs).
Getting positive response from his grandson, the patriarch imparts the lesson of following his footprints and working for the prosperity of the family. “Parivarak je Pangupan rahul okar purti karait, ohi pangupan ke metbait jahina chirai akash mein swachhand Jeevanak saans lait uraiya, tahina parivaro ke banaib chhah.” (You have to do away with the helplessness of the family and make the family as happy and free as a bird flying in the sky).
The novelist intends to provide basic teachings of life to the new generation through the long dialogue between the grandfather and the grandson.
Suspense is the soul of a novel. The novelist lingers the avid curiosity of the readers by interspersing his detailed contextual comments with the events of the story. By this way he provides the “why” and “how” of the incidents. The realistic observation of the writer and his wishful thinking go side by side. The readers have no difficulty in understanding the message of life that the novelist wants to impart. The novel begins with the mention of Haricharan in the village of Sitapur. After 25-page-long topographic description of Sitapur the ancestral family background is presented. Every event of the story is interrupted by the lengthy referential comments and explanatory notes of the novelist. It continues to the end of the novel. So, the story element is shadowed with the bright light of vivid Mithila portrait and the sermons of life. But nowhere the interest of the readers in the story of Haricharan flags. The novelist manages to interrelate the story with all descriptions. Here lies the artistic brilliance of the novelist. Instead of the old story-telling technique of chronological order the novelist uses the flashback technique. The story begins with the birth of Haricharan and then, by flashback, the ancestral background is narrated. It provides a grandeur to the narrative style of the novelist.
The great poet Vidyapati wrote centuries ago –
“Desil vyana sab jan mittha, te taisan jampao abhatha” (Folk dialects are sweet to all persons, so I compose in abhatha, the popular rural language).
In “Pangu”, the novelist has chosen to use the language spoken in the far-flung remote areas of Mithila. Maintaining his theory of realism in both theme and style he has used the spoken language in the novel to popularise its attachment to the ground. The usage of such words and idioms provides sweetness to the language. Of course, Maithili is not a descendant of Hindi. It has its own distinct entity. In this context, we remember a great novelist of Hindi from Mithila itself, Sri Phanishwar Nath Renu who used profusely certain dialectical terms in his novels which enhanced the beauty of the literary works. So, Maithili transcription of some Hindi words so far used in Maithili language and literature provides an extra flavour to the literary style of the novelist. In this context, it is interesting to mention some words like Paryas (attempt), Vekti (individual), bebdhan (hindrance), Nawn (name), Pubhar (eastward) etc.
Jagdish Babu knows that Maithili is not a bilingual expression. That is why he presents a pleasure-some reading with his experimental usage of some words like kukor, Sukor and Nakor. Describing Sitapur, he says, “Gaon ta gaun chhi, Muda ohu maen ne nakor sukor aa nakorak gun seho achhye.” (A village is a village but even here there are features of well- designed, ill- designed and undesigned shapes). Again, we find a word-play in Abhav, Kubhav and Subhav (need, hindrance, aid) when in the last chapter of the novel the novelist narrates how Devcharan lived his life by treating his indigency not as hindrance, but aid and left the footprints of his virtuous life for Haricharan. Here is the quote from the novel:
“Abhavon ke kubhav nahi bujhi subhav bana Jeevan Vasar karabe kela je apan sabh gun-sheel Haricharan ken daan dakshina men dait ai dunia san vida bhela.”
Jagadish babu is a master of simple, rustic Maithili prose. He writes with extreme simplicity about the lives and aspirations of average middle and lower middle-class Maithils. His simplicity in the novel is touching. His prose is unaffected by the powerful positive quality of the Maithili language which the urban Maithils use.
The title of a good work of literature should at once arrest our attention by pinpointing interest on the central theme of the novel and its hero. The title of the novel “Pangu” is apt and appropriate in view of the theme of the novel. India is traditionally described as an agricultural country. But in Mithila, agriculture remains crippled both in pre-independence and post-independence periods. Being the only source of livelihood, the agricultural economy remained wretched on account of the ravages of the Kosi flood causing endless miseries to the poor people. The writer says:
“Jahina Krishi kshetra pangu banal chal, tahina khete par Jeevan Japan Karain bala Kisano bonihar pangu banale chhal. (Just as agricultural field was paralyzed, the peasants and labourers living on agriculture remained crippled).
Struggling against this prevalent crippledness Haricharan paved his way to the path of prosperity by virtue of courage, patience, and perseverance. The writer finally comments-
“ona ketbo pangupan Haricharanak aagu men kiya ne naach karai, muda kihsanak samaj main kisanbrind kahebak adhikari ta achhiye.” (Even if too many handicaps may try to hinder Haricharan, he has every right to be called Kisan-brind, the farmer’s crown in the society of farmers).
The theme of the novel is the crippled farming system of Mithila. The terms “pangu” and “pangupan” have been used frequently in the novel. The descriptive texts of the novel throw much light on this wretched disability of the poor peasants. The novel ends with the optimistic note of victory over crippledness. Thus, the title is quite significant in view of the theme of the novel.
The title reminds us of the famous oft- quoted verse of the “Ramcharitmanas”.
“Mook hoye bachal pangu chadhai girivar gahan”. (The dumb can become eloquent and the crippled can climb the mountain top).
Of course, Tulsidas refers to the above situation by the mercy of God. In the novel, Godly power is interpreted as one’s perseverance and willpower. It is rightly said that God helps those who help themselves. As a matter of fact, self-help is the key to success. It embraces the mercy of God with it.
– Dr. Ram Ashish Singh
