PEASANT'S PROBLEM, CONSCIOUSNESS AND STRUGGLE IN PREMCHAND'S NOVELS
Author(s): Mahendra Pratap and S.B. Singh
Source: Proceedings of the Indian History Congress , 2000-2001, Vol. 61, Part One:
Millennium (2000-2001), pp. 922-929
Published by: Indian History Congress
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/44148167
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PEASANT'S PROBLEM, CONSCIOUSNESS
AND STRUGGLE IN PREMCHAND'S
NOVELS
Mahendra Pratap & S.B. Singh
Literature is called the mirror of society because it reflects both its
good and bad images. A realistic and committed writer draws his
characters from all classes of society. He shows his commitment for
the 'have nots' who are the producers but cannot consume their
production. Premchand was one such realistic and socially committed
story writer and novelist.
Village folk and peasants, average farmers, farm-labourers or
tortured and exploited people, such are the characters of Premchand's
stories and novels. Among his characters are also the people who were
responsible for the plight of the majority the - landlords, money-
lenders, purohits who are sometimes money lenders as well.
Premchand's works describe the miserable condition of farmers
bending under the burden of debt seeing their production go into other
hands. The conspiracy of exploiters, their links with officers and new
ways of exploitation are also explored. This research paper analyses
the problems and struggles of farmers as described in Premchand's
major novels and his recognition of the factors responsible for their
situation. Premchand did not idealize village-societys, he clearly
depicted the ^weaknesses of farmers, their jealousies, their desire t
cause harm to others. In some cases they are also in league with
exploiters. Here we propose to visualize their problems, views an
struggles as given in his novels, focussing on Godan and Rangbhum
in particular.
Premchand was familiar with important world events and took
inspiration from them. Moved by the Soviet revolution he has mad
Balralm, one of his characters in Sewa Sada , to say- " Tum log to ais
hansi udate ho mano kastkar kuch hota hi nahi. Vah jamidar ki begar
hi-bharane .ke liya banaya gaya hai. Lekin mere pass jo paper aata-
hai usarne likha hai ki Ruse men kastkarion ka raaj hai. Vah jo chaht
hain karte hain. Usake paas Balgari main haal main hi kastkaron ne
raja ko gaddi se utar diya hain aur ab kisano our majduron ki
panchayat raj karati has.
In Ranghbhumi we see the clear impress of Gandhiji, the hero of
the Non-co-operation movement. Yet there is no reference to th
movement of the farmers of Awadh and its leader Baba Ram Chandra
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Modem India 923
in this book published in 1925
labourers were continuously pr
reason perhaps is, that Premch
in this novel but a town Pandeyp
of the novel is a ten-bigha stre
hero Surdas which is used for
the road side and the other peo
farm-labourers but their economic condition is much the same.
In Rangbhumi there is a Christian industrialist named John Sevak
who wants to establish a cigarette-industry in Pandeypur near the city
where he has a godown of leather. He wants the land of Surdas for
this, but knows nothing of its owner. The land is for public use, and
cattle of the town and of the villages near by graze on it 'Pilgrims of
panda Nayakram' use to stay there and some people had built huts on.
it. John Sevak has good relations with the English officers and public
representatives. Respected merchants and rich people of the city are
the holders in the proposed factory. Surdas, is a farmer who does not
work as a farmer, but is deeply attached to the land: " Sarkar yahi
purukhon ki nishani hai , benchakar unhei kaun muh dikhaunga.2 Ass
paas ke dhoryahin charane aate hain. Bench dunga to dhoron ke liya
koee thikana rah na jay ega."7.
Disappointed at not getting the land from Surdas, John Sevak uses
his contacts and succeeds in acquiring the land with the help of officers
and Raja Mahendra Bahadur, the son in law of Kuwar Bharat Singh,
partner in the factory, and chairman of the municipality.4 The
Muncipality passes a resolution acquiring the land in the public interest.
However Surdas refuses to take the government compensation. The
industrialist wins over the people of the town by showing them a golden
dream of the future.5 When the question of building the barracks for
labour arises, John Sevak has the settlement vacated with the help of
the police. The inhabitants are given compensation for their huts but
Surdas refuses to accept it. People feel Surdas is the victim of injustice
for refusing to sell his land and for his appeal to the city against the
acquisition. When he refuses to vacate his hut and sits in front of it,
people around gather. The Police and soldiers come to vacate the hut
and D.M. shoots at Surdas.6 Later Surdas dies in the hospital.7
In his novel Rang Bhumi there are not the faintest trace of
inspiration derived from the peasant movement in Awadh and other
parts of the còuntry. Some scholars are of the opinion that Surdas
symbolises Gandhi, and the idea of a struggle between good and evil
with mass support. The struggle of Surdas is the passive resistence
against the oppression of 'hegemonic class'.
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924 ¡HC: Proceedings, 61st (Millennium) Session, 2001
The contents of his novel Karm Bhumi published in August 1932
do not relate to rural society but traces of the miseries of peasants are
present. " Mujhe to us Aadmi ki Sur at nahi Bhulati jo 6 mahine se
bimar tha
jo kuchh ghar mein the neelam kara liya. B
Premchand's novel Godan published is Ju
narrative of the life of Indian peasants". I
sorrows of peasants, it has the fragrance of th
of their tears. If there is unending oppr
jamindar , karinda , moneylender and patwa
to take this opression in their stride consid
Hori, the hero of this novel is an ordinar
village Belari in Awadh who rents three big
peasants Hori is also a victim of oppression
the headman, patwari, purohit and money l
will of God or his destiny. His ambition w
gets it from a peasant of neighbouring vill
the next crop. After some days his brothe
This is because when his son Gobar brought
fiance Jhuniya home and fled to Lucknow
her shelter despite the stiff resistance of J
himself insulted Bhola demands the cost of th
earn enough for the family, and the fruit
village exploiters. Because Hori cannot pay
takes his pair of bullocks home.11 The panc
- rupees as a fine and to give a feast to th
shelter to a pregnant widow in his house. T
give all his grain and hand over his house
Singh as *Rehan'12 His agricultural-work n
is done with the help of the money lender
as a labourer for Datadeen.13 Hori's son Gobar works as a labourer in
Lucknow and also opens a tea stall, and collects some money and
comes home. He argues with the money lender about the high rate of
interest on the loan but Hori wants to hold to the terms of the loan.
Annoyed, Gobar returns to Lucknow with his wife and children.14 Hori
had to take a loan for the marrige of hifr elder daughter Sona, which he
could not pay back. The 'karkun' of the landlord threatens to
consfiscate his land for not paying the rent for three years.15 Forced by
circumstances Hori has to marry his youngdr daughter Rupa to an aged
man for some money to save his lands.16 Hori falls seriously ill but
because of his religious beliefs he craves for 'Godan* till his last breath.
There is no money in the house but Dhania gives one and quarter
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Modem India 925
rupee of her hard-earned mon
with the death of Hori the trage
an end.17
'Godan' is a living description o
exploiters - the village mukhia
Nokhhey Ram and the money
are the followers of the landlo
of Suraj. Revealing their real c
ke mukhia hain, garibon ka
najrana, ghoos-ghas jaise bhee
jel jaane se suraj na milega.
Premchand does not show the i
National movement, because th
their exploiters. The farmer
dependent on landlords, relati
patwari. Most of their earning
landlord or interest to the mon
true to their word. After comin
not to pay more than one perc
threatens to go to court. Bu
Datadeen: " Maharaj jab tak m
chukaunga. Ladake ki baat par
beech me huaa hai wah kaun hota hai.i9 The farmer of Premchand's
novel tries to follow the right path according to his conscience. To
give shelter to Jhunia, to submit to the punishment of the panchayat
and to keep to the interest he had committed himself to pay are such
examples. He is illiterate but he recognises the reason for his problems
and the people responsible, but he is unable to fight against them. In
Premchand the capacity to struggle is found in his woman characters
specially in Dhaniya, who is courageous enough to stand out against
their exploiters.20
In Premchand's analysis of village exploiters his description of
money lenders is particularly unique. The money lender mahajans and
their ways of exploitation are of many kinds. Mangaru Saah's paternal
occupation is to lend money at a high rate and he has no concern with
village politics. He only cares for the crop and money which he is to
get as interest. The other is Dulari Sahaueen who "Aaney rupaya sood
se kam par udhar na deti theen. Yadyapi mool ke lobh men sud bhi
haath nahin aata tha
karane se rahi, Thana police karane se rah
par jyon jyon umra ke saath jeebh ke teji
ghatti jaati thi.21" Then there are the ne
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926 ¡HC: Proceedings , 61st ( Millennium ) Session, 2001
Singh and Datadeen who are more influential. Whatever law the
Goverment passes, on the rate of the interest, whether it obliges the
landlord or karinda to sign on the paper, they know the man who needs
money will meet their demands. They lend money after taking one
fourth of the interest and x najaranď as an advance.22
Jhinguri Singh became a money lender with the help of the money
of his brahmin mistress: " Pahle naukari khojate phirate the ab usake
paise se mahajan ban gaye hai. Thakurai ka robe to tha hi mahajani
ka robe bhi jam gaya. "23 Datadeen Maharaj, the purohit of the village
is the most dangerous of these - no one can free himself if he borrows
money from him. Datadeen is the grabber of Hori's land, getting Hori's
daughter married to an aged man in lieu of payment. The source of his
power is not only wealth but also 'dharma* i.e. religion.24 Hori thinks
that if he was in debt to a thakur or merchant, it would not have been
a matter of anxiety. But if one paise (pice) of a brahman's money
remained unpaid it come out of the bones.25 A loan taken from the
purohit- moneylender, and left unpaid would destroy life after death.
Datadeen not only realises his power but also takes full advantage of
it: " Wah sabka samman paane ke aadi the . Karinda ki to baat hi kya
Ray Saheb tak unhe dekhate hi sar jhuka dete the.26 Dr. Ram Vilas
Sharma considers the issue of debt is the central problem of 'Godan*.
He connects this with Premchand's personal problems "When
Premchand wrote 4 Godan 1 he himself was under the load of debt. The
original problem of 'Godan* is the problems of debt. In this novel he
was giving his autobiography while describing about the farmers."27
This seems to me too much of a generalization, because other aspects
of rural exploitation and torture are also relevant to the novel.
Pt. Nokheram, the karinda of landlord Ray Amarpal Singh is
described in the following terms "Barah rupaye betan milata tha
parantu kharch sau rupaye se kam na tha . Isliye aasame kisi se unke
changüí men phas jeay to bina use achhi tarah chuse ha chodate the. " 2 8
He realises the revenue from the farmers without giving them a receipt
and warns them to pay again otherwise they would be uprooted from
their land. When the exploiters are planning to hold a panchayat against
Hori after he has given shelter to Jhunia, they ask if he has any arrears
of government revenue. Jhinguri Singh and the Patwari say that he
has but that he has not been given a receipt " Nokheram ghamand ke
saath kahte hain-Lekin abhi-raseed to nahin dee sabut kya hai ki
lagaan kar diya.29 The last member of this group of exploiters is
patwari Parmeswari who is a government servant and wields the terror
of his pen, so " Apane khet begar mei jutwate the, seechaee begar men
karvate the aur aasamyon ko aapas men ladakar rakam marate the.
Sara goan unase kapta tha Garibon ko das -das panch-panch karj de kar
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Modem India 927
unhone kaee hajar ki rakam ba
The peasants of Premchand's
do not show any inclination
Premchand locates the spirit o
marginalised groups such as
son of the village priest Datadi
the reaction of Dalit marginal
very fierce. Her father Harkh
Matadin ko Chamar Bana ke
kar denge. Tum hame Brahma
Chamar Bana sakate hain?x
hame do }2 This reaction of the dalits is not confined to threats alone.
They transform it into action also. " Do Chamaro ne Lapak Kar Matadin
ke hath pakad liye. Tisre ne unka janeu tod dala
Chamaro ne Matadin ke muh main ek badi si haddi ka tukada dal
diya "33 Hindi critic Virendra Yadav in his article in "Tadbhav*
observes that Premchand places this incident of dalit resistance in a
broader social perspective. The village people do not oppose this
reaction because 44 Matadin ka vayahar Sabhi ko napasand tha, wah
gaón ki bahu betiyo ko ghura karata tha isliye sabhi uski durgati se
prašane the . Hanupri man se log chamaron par rob jama rahe the ".34
According to Virendera Yadav the dalit discourse of Godan is the
symbol of the internal fragmentation of Hindu society which forces
Matadin to throw away his sacred thread.35 Premchand observes " usne
janau utar phenka aur Purohiti ko ganga mein duba diya. Ab w oh
pucca khetihar tha" . 36 Matadin undergoes a change of perspective
because of his personal experience not because of a Gandhian change
of heart. After this Matadin Proclaims 44 Main Brahman nahi charmar
hi rahna chahta hun. Jo Apna dharam pale wahi Brahman hai. Jo
dharan se muh mode wahi chamar hai ".37 It is important that
Premchand put the leadership of dalit resistance not in the hands of a
sympathetic high caste Hindu but in an elderly dalit. Harkhu Chaudhari
"Jo kala dubla sukhi mirch ki tarah pichaka hua par utna hi tichhad
tha ".38
The women characters of Godan D haniya and Siliya, are full of
fighting spirit in comparison to their men. Gayatri Chakravarthy Spivak
considers Dhaniya as the most vocal character, a rebel, in total
opposition to the depiction of Hori.39 "Hamne zamindar ke khet jote
hai to woh Apna lagan hi to lega , Uski khusamad kyo karenf uske
talve. kyo sahlave "4() When the panchayat imposes a fine on Hori she
challenges them and says 44 Hame nahi rahana biradai mein. Biradari
mein rah kar hamari mukut na ho jayegi. Abbhi apne pas ine ke kamayi
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928 IHC : Proceedings , 61st ( Millennium ) Session, 2001
khate hain tab bhi apne pasine ki khayege.41 She thunders against
Datadin, the man responsible for the transformation of Hori from a
peasant to a labourer "Bheekh mango turn jo Bhikhmange ki jat ho.
Hum to majur thahre, Jahan kam karenge wahi char paise pany enge"*2
In my opinion Hori is the tragic hero of Godan but Dhaniya is the
more attractive character. Virendra Yadav states that 'the women
discourse of Godan is not singular but plural in accordance to the
composition of Indian society
specific model of "Narivaď but a vast dimen
It is the women's reality and is still relevan
that Premchand has done this when there w
consciousness of women lib nor any organised women movement
present.43
Traces of the peasant's problems and their life style are also
depicted in some of Premchand's other novels, Seva Sadan , Rangbhumi
and Karmbhumi but not as the main theme. Godan is the grand narrative
of the Indian peasant. When it was published in June 1936 many
important events related to the peasants had taken place. The Awadh
peasant movements, the Eka movement and the no-rent campaign in
U.P. during the civil disobidience movement had left a lasting
impression on the national movement. But Premchand was not inspired
by any of these. His peasants are poor and helpless and accept the
atrocities of their opressors as the will of God or their destiny. Here
the writings of Premchand seem retrogressive rather than progressive
but in' the description of marginalised dalit and women segments of
society Premchand travelled beyond the limits of reality. His dalit
charachters not only react against their economic and social oppression
but fight successfully against these evils. The incident of converting
Matadin from a Brahman into a chamar by putting a bone in his mouth
is the symbol of this spirit. Premchand seemed in favour of dalit social
revolution when this was not on the agenda of any ideology or political
party. He had an unflinching faith in the power of women to express
rebellion even in a patriarchal, male-dominated rural society. Parallel
to the helplessness of Hori is the uprightness and fighting spirit of
Dhaniya.
NOTES AND REFRENCES
1 . Amrit Kiì^Kalam ka Sipahi , p. 196
2. Premchand, Rangh Bhoomi , p. 14.
3. Ibid., p. 14.
4. Ibid., p. 200.
5. Ibid., p. 5 16.
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Modem India 929
6. Ibid., p. 543.
7. Ibid., p. 571.
8. Premchand, Karm Bhoomi , p. 27.
9. Premchand, Godan (1975 ), p. 103.
10. Ibid., p.l 18.
11. Ibid., p. 147.
12. Ibid., p. 124.
13. Ibid., p. 194.
14. Ibid., p. 2 14.
15. Ibid., p. 331.
16. Ibid., p. 338.
17. Ibid., p. 344.
18. Ibid., p. 110.
19. Ibid., p. 209.
20. Ibid., p. 109.
21. Ibid., pp. 222-23.
22. Ibid., pp. 233-34.
23. Ibid., p. 99
24. Birendra Yadav, Aupaniveshikata sanskritik Rashtravad Aur Bhartiya Kisan-
Sandarbh Godan , Tadbhav-(2) Sept. 1999.
25. Premchand, Godan, p. 209.
26. Ibid., p. 208.
27. Dr. Ram Bilas Sharma, Premchand Aur Unka Yug, p. 101.
28. Premchand, Godan, p. 251.
29. Ibid., p. 122.
30. Ibid., p. 120.
31. Ibid., p. 238.
32. Ibid., p. 238.
33 . Birendra Yadav, Aupniveshikata, Sanskritik Rashtravad
1999 p. 96.
34. Premchand, Godan, p. 238.
35. Birendra Yadav, op. cit., p. 96.
36. Premchand, op. cit., p. 326
37. Ibid., p. 390.
38. Ibid., p. 237.
39. Gayatri Chakravarti Spivak, "Can the Subaltarn speak", cited in Birendra Yadav,
Tadbhiv, 2, p. 99.
40. Premchand, Godan, p. 7.
41. Ibid., p. 123.
42. Ibid., p. 186.
43. Birendra Yadav, op. cit., p. 101 .
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