Subaltern Voice in Ular
By-Satya Narayan Sarkar
Nayan Raj Pnadey's Ular' presents Prem Lalwa as a subaltern character. He is very badly victimized by poverty and deprivation. He is so much deprived that he is not able to take a concrete decision. He is in a state of confusion and unable to take appropriate decision. He is away from his own identity. He is fully depended upon other's desires and expectations.
If there is discrimination, the real quest of identity appears more vividly. Culturally marginalized classes opt for autonomy as there is domination of a group of people over the other and the full bloom of the people dominated in the society is not possible.
Prem Lalwa suffers a lot in his life. He loses his father and mother and the property inherited: everything lost was lost as the local elites captured them. Rajendra Raj is the local leader. Prem Lalwa does not know that his fate is created by the oppressors like Rajendra Raj. He obeys their order to be the order of the god. Day by day, instead of gaining, he loses and confines himself to be like a slave of the elites. He is so honest that he never doubts or bothers to know the politics of Rajendra Raj. He is very badly scolded by Draupati as he exaggerates Rajendraraj as the local patron (10).
Prem Lalwa's illiteracy brings in a state in which he agrees to whatever the local elite ask him to do. When his father is killed in an accident, Rajendraraj charges the vehicle owner eighteen thousand rupees. However, he gives only eight thousand and keeps ten thousand rupees to himself (15). Prem Lalwa happily accepts the amount because he believes that in the absence of Rajaendra Raj, he will not be able to get even that amount of money. On top of it, Rajendra Raj helps him to buy a cart. He earns some money lending the cart on hire but the money is not enough. When he suffers from pneumonia, Rajendraraj advises to sell the house. While selling the house, he is asked to sign on a receipt of one hundred thousand rupees but he gets only thirty thousand rupees (17). He is frequently cheated by the social elite. With the money, he got, he purchased small piece of land far from the town (18). The margins are otherred. Prem Lalwa was frequently sent away from the town.
He does not only buy the land but also a pony that helps him pull the cart. He begins to earn money also. He thinks he has become independent from the elite. When the matter of emotion and feeling comes, a person tries to revolt against established social rules and regulations. He completely stands against it. He questions, “Who can say what I do whether I bring a prostitute or a virgin girl?” (24) Now he shows his courage to fight against social taboos. The subaltern always sees the dark future even in a short happiness. Whenever Prem Lalwa reaches his house, he finds everything scattered on the floor. He has to adjust himself with few utensils and his pony in the same house (25). He curses his fate as he believes he can do nothing to change the state of his life. He knows he has nothing to do but he is content with the condition he was going through. He has to satisfy himself. Prem Lalwa as a subaltern cannot easily revolt. His poverty oppresses him so much that he most of the time compromises with his fate.
In Shanti Raja's victory-celebration, he is offered some money. At first he denies because he knows that his pony is sick. But yet he decides to go as he is offered some more money (29). A subaltern takes a risk as he gets good payment because financial support matters in their life. His pony becomes seriously ill. In spite of the medicine, she dies on the way back home (27). Prem Lalwa is now helpless because the only source of income is gone. The subaltern is suppressed from every side. He neither gets any job nor any way of earning money.
The death of pony indicates the death of Prem Lalwa. He leaves the pony's dead body and moves ahead in life (38). He has no option left except regretting and cursing his fate. The misfortune follows him throughout his life. He cannot explore any stable source of income. He is completely confused regarding what to do in the coming days. He can neither cry nor show his anger. He controls his emotion (40). Because he cannot point out the reason behind all the incidents in his life, he fails to sort out a solution to all the problems that he encounters in life. Regarding the condition of such people, Bhabha states, "The presence of authority is properly established through non-exercise of private judgment and the exclusion of reason" (43). Prem Lalwa has no right to raise the issue regarding the death of his pony rather he should plead. The minority cannot have anger. They only compromise with the situation. The final way for them is to surrender himself again in front of the elite.
The death of pony forces Prem Lalwa to go an urge Rajendra Raj. He shows least concern to Prem Lalwa (41). Prem Lalwa expresses his sorrow to him, letting him know that he might starve to death after the death of the pony. He shows his sympathy and wrote a small note to Shanti Raja. The elite want to escape when he does not see any benefit aching for the subalterns. They just show that they are helping and they know their concern is just as useless. Rajendra Raj knows that Shanti Raja will not help him. With slight hope, Prem Lalwa goes to Shanti Raja for help. Directly, he does not ignore him; rather, Prem is told to come the following day (44). The elites pretend that they are ever willing to help the people. Only a few positive words of hope are enough to console the subaltern. Though Shanti Raja does not help him, Prem Lalwa sees slight hope in his words when asked to come the next day.
Only the hope of the future where safety is guaranteed keeps the subaltern moving. In other words, they expect only good thing to happen. When Shanti Raja tells Prem Lalwa to come the next day, he goes there the next day to remind about the word. When Prem Lalwa r reminded, he tries to remember and then tells him to come to Kathmandu because Shanti Raja is going to resume the office a minister the next day. At the moment, Prem Lalwa is in great dilemma. On the one hand, he does not have enough money for bus fair; on the another, he has to go to Kathmandu to get the financial help from him. He manages the two way- fair with the help of Draupadi and goes to Kathmandu (51) with a hope to regain the lost pony.
The bad luck follows him to Kathmandu as well. As he goes to Kathmandu, he immediately cannot meet the minister. After a long effort, he meets him but the minister orders his P.A. to deal with his problem. Again he is cheated because he finds the P.A's words much more distressing. Whatever he achieves is emptiness, sadness and dissatisfaction; hence, he eventually returns with sad face and curses luck while coming back home. There is yet another tragedy waiting for him. His cart is stolen and the house is completely damaged (72). The poverty hits him from each and every corner of life that is in itself full of despair and frustration.
Rajendra Raj is waiting there to buy his land. Now Prem Lalwa understands that Rajendra Raj is expert at making a person homeless (75). He realized that the elite is after him from the beginning. Until and unless subaltern is completely ruined, such people never leave them. Rajendra Raj tells Prem Lalwa to sell the land to buy a cart and a horse. Prem Lalwa signs the receipt of ninety thousand rupees but receives only thirty thousand rupees. After receiving the money, he buys a small piece of land far from the town. More importantly, he buys a cart and a horse. Very interestingly, he is awakened now. Various obstacles, challenges and difficulties render him into a man of decision. Now, he becomes the master of everything that is to happen in his life. On top of it, he discards the patronage of Rajendra Raj and assumes the power of decision in him. Hence, he decides to accept Draupadi as his wife. Now he has enough courage to fight even against the society if they raise their finger at what he has done.
The subaltern people always suffer and suppress their voice. All the time they have to compromise with a variety of situations which enable them to learn how to manage and get adjusted with such circumstances. Everyday challenges turn them into people of practicle action. Facing various challenges and obstacles, they sharpen and enable themselves to adopt and compromise with the situations. Prem Lalwa has learned a lot after he has lost almost everything! He understands the game of politics, treachery, cheating, and shamelessness. From all the circumstances, he enables himself with the power of self-decision, ultimately leading to the attainment of the quest for autonomy. Prem Lalwa succeeds in the end and takes a firm decision for his life by accepting a Badi (a prostitute) as his wife.
The novelist has successfully portrayed the contemporary political society of Nepal. "The novel clearly portrays the picture of the national politics after the 1990 revolution" (3), Shyamal argues. The police authority is assigned to play a role to protect the life of common people but a police officer sexually exploits Droupadi in the novel. It has really focused on the perversion even in complete democracy. Shyamal says, "People were emotionally exploited" (5). Draupadi was the example to denote the extreme exploitation prevailing in the society even after the revival of democracy in Nepal. Such circumstance forces a person go against the masters and revolt with them. That's why, "Prem Lalwa decides to accept Draupadi as his wife but not to allow traveling Rajendraraj's family members free of cost nor accepting Shantiraja's overload in his cart" (6). Prem Lalwa is a dynamic character and we find him completely changed at last. He revolt against those whom he thought to be his life giver because he knew that the same persons exploited him throughout his life and gamed with his emotions.
By-Satya Narayan Sarkar
Nayan Raj Pnadey's Ular' presents Prem Lalwa as a subaltern character. He is very badly victimized by poverty and deprivation. He is so much deprived that he is not able to take a concrete decision. He is in a state of confusion and unable to take appropriate decision. He is away from his own identity. He is fully depended upon other's desires and expectations.
If there is discrimination, the real quest of identity appears more vividly. Culturally marginalized classes opt for autonomy as there is domination of a group of people over the other and the full bloom of the people dominated in the society is not possible.
Prem Lalwa suffers a lot in his life. He loses his father and mother and the property inherited: everything lost was lost as the local elites captured them. Rajendra Raj is the local leader. Prem Lalwa does not know that his fate is created by the oppressors like Rajendra Raj. He obeys their order to be the order of the god. Day by day, instead of gaining, he loses and confines himself to be like a slave of the elites. He is so honest that he never doubts or bothers to know the politics of Rajendra Raj. He is very badly scolded by Draupati as he exaggerates Rajendraraj as the local patron (10).
Prem Lalwa's illiteracy brings in a state in which he agrees to whatever the local elite ask him to do. When his father is killed in an accident, Rajendraraj charges the vehicle owner eighteen thousand rupees. However, he gives only eight thousand and keeps ten thousand rupees to himself (15). Prem Lalwa happily accepts the amount because he believes that in the absence of Rajaendra Raj, he will not be able to get even that amount of money. On top of it, Rajendra Raj helps him to buy a cart. He earns some money lending the cart on hire but the money is not enough. When he suffers from pneumonia, Rajendraraj advises to sell the house. While selling the house, he is asked to sign on a receipt of one hundred thousand rupees but he gets only thirty thousand rupees (17). He is frequently cheated by the social elite. With the money, he got, he purchased small piece of land far from the town (18). The margins are otherred. Prem Lalwa was frequently sent away from the town.
He does not only buy the land but also a pony that helps him pull the cart. He begins to earn money also. He thinks he has become independent from the elite. When the matter of emotion and feeling comes, a person tries to revolt against established social rules and regulations. He completely stands against it. He questions, “Who can say what I do whether I bring a prostitute or a virgin girl?” (24) Now he shows his courage to fight against social taboos. The subaltern always sees the dark future even in a short happiness. Whenever Prem Lalwa reaches his house, he finds everything scattered on the floor. He has to adjust himself with few utensils and his pony in the same house (25). He curses his fate as he believes he can do nothing to change the state of his life. He knows he has nothing to do but he is content with the condition he was going through. He has to satisfy himself. Prem Lalwa as a subaltern cannot easily revolt. His poverty oppresses him so much that he most of the time compromises with his fate.
In Shanti Raja's victory-celebration, he is offered some money. At first he denies because he knows that his pony is sick. But yet he decides to go as he is offered some more money (29). A subaltern takes a risk as he gets good payment because financial support matters in their life. His pony becomes seriously ill. In spite of the medicine, she dies on the way back home (27). Prem Lalwa is now helpless because the only source of income is gone. The subaltern is suppressed from every side. He neither gets any job nor any way of earning money.
The death of pony indicates the death of Prem Lalwa. He leaves the pony's dead body and moves ahead in life (38). He has no option left except regretting and cursing his fate. The misfortune follows him throughout his life. He cannot explore any stable source of income. He is completely confused regarding what to do in the coming days. He can neither cry nor show his anger. He controls his emotion (40). Because he cannot point out the reason behind all the incidents in his life, he fails to sort out a solution to all the problems that he encounters in life. Regarding the condition of such people, Bhabha states, "The presence of authority is properly established through non-exercise of private judgment and the exclusion of reason" (43). Prem Lalwa has no right to raise the issue regarding the death of his pony rather he should plead. The minority cannot have anger. They only compromise with the situation. The final way for them is to surrender himself again in front of the elite.
The death of pony forces Prem Lalwa to go an urge Rajendra Raj. He shows least concern to Prem Lalwa (41). Prem Lalwa expresses his sorrow to him, letting him know that he might starve to death after the death of the pony. He shows his sympathy and wrote a small note to Shanti Raja. The elite want to escape when he does not see any benefit aching for the subalterns. They just show that they are helping and they know their concern is just as useless. Rajendra Raj knows that Shanti Raja will not help him. With slight hope, Prem Lalwa goes to Shanti Raja for help. Directly, he does not ignore him; rather, Prem is told to come the following day (44). The elites pretend that they are ever willing to help the people. Only a few positive words of hope are enough to console the subaltern. Though Shanti Raja does not help him, Prem Lalwa sees slight hope in his words when asked to come the next day.
Only the hope of the future where safety is guaranteed keeps the subaltern moving. In other words, they expect only good thing to happen. When Shanti Raja tells Prem Lalwa to come the next day, he goes there the next day to remind about the word. When Prem Lalwa r reminded, he tries to remember and then tells him to come to Kathmandu because Shanti Raja is going to resume the office a minister the next day. At the moment, Prem Lalwa is in great dilemma. On the one hand, he does not have enough money for bus fair; on the another, he has to go to Kathmandu to get the financial help from him. He manages the two way- fair with the help of Draupadi and goes to Kathmandu (51) with a hope to regain the lost pony.
The bad luck follows him to Kathmandu as well. As he goes to Kathmandu, he immediately cannot meet the minister. After a long effort, he meets him but the minister orders his P.A. to deal with his problem. Again he is cheated because he finds the P.A's words much more distressing. Whatever he achieves is emptiness, sadness and dissatisfaction; hence, he eventually returns with sad face and curses luck while coming back home. There is yet another tragedy waiting for him. His cart is stolen and the house is completely damaged (72). The poverty hits him from each and every corner of life that is in itself full of despair and frustration.
Rajendra Raj is waiting there to buy his land. Now Prem Lalwa understands that Rajendra Raj is expert at making a person homeless (75). He realized that the elite is after him from the beginning. Until and unless subaltern is completely ruined, such people never leave them. Rajendra Raj tells Prem Lalwa to sell the land to buy a cart and a horse. Prem Lalwa signs the receipt of ninety thousand rupees but receives only thirty thousand rupees. After receiving the money, he buys a small piece of land far from the town. More importantly, he buys a cart and a horse. Very interestingly, he is awakened now. Various obstacles, challenges and difficulties render him into a man of decision. Now, he becomes the master of everything that is to happen in his life. On top of it, he discards the patronage of Rajendra Raj and assumes the power of decision in him. Hence, he decides to accept Draupadi as his wife. Now he has enough courage to fight even against the society if they raise their finger at what he has done.
The subaltern people always suffer and suppress their voice. All the time they have to compromise with a variety of situations which enable them to learn how to manage and get adjusted with such circumstances. Everyday challenges turn them into people of practicle action. Facing various challenges and obstacles, they sharpen and enable themselves to adopt and compromise with the situations. Prem Lalwa has learned a lot after he has lost almost everything! He understands the game of politics, treachery, cheating, and shamelessness. From all the circumstances, he enables himself with the power of self-decision, ultimately leading to the attainment of the quest for autonomy. Prem Lalwa succeeds in the end and takes a firm decision for his life by accepting a Badi (a prostitute) as his wife.
The novelist has successfully portrayed the contemporary political society of Nepal. "The novel clearly portrays the picture of the national politics after the 1990 revolution" (3), Shyamal argues. The police authority is assigned to play a role to protect the life of common people but a police officer sexually exploits Droupadi in the novel. It has really focused on the perversion even in complete democracy. Shyamal says, "People were emotionally exploited" (5). Draupadi was the example to denote the extreme exploitation prevailing in the society even after the revival of democracy in Nepal. Such circumstance forces a person go against the masters and revolt with them. That's why, "Prem Lalwa decides to accept Draupadi as his wife but not to allow traveling Rajendraraj's family members free of cost nor accepting Shantiraja's overload in his cart" (6). Prem Lalwa is a dynamic character and we find him completely changed at last. He revolt against those whom he thought to be his life giver because he knew that the same persons exploited him throughout his life and gamed with his emotions.
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