‘Unknown Indian’ crosses the bar
By Veena Singh

THE death of Nirad C. Chaudhuri in the last year of this millennium has marked the end of an era. The ‘unknown Indian’, was one of the most renowned, the oldest and the strongest pillars of Indian writing in English. He has been called ‘a great solitary’ among our writers, ‘a walking encyclopaedia’ and to use the words of William Walsh,. "A modern version of the Indian sage, a very different and even fantastically individual version is Nirad C. Chaudhuri".

Chaudhuri’s latest book of essays Three Horseman of the New Apocalypse, written at the age of 99 shows that he remained creatively active till the end, at an age when most people wait for death passively. His great contribution to English language has been acknowledged not only in India but also in other countries. Khushwant Singh wrote about him in the New Statesman: "Chaudhuri writes the English language better than any Indian has done before and is much the most erudite writer in the country. His encyclopaedic knowledge has made him somewhat of a legend, he is meticulously painstaking about what he writes and is particularly felicitous in expression. He is provocative and at times offensively anglophile at the expense of his countrymen".

Chaudhuri shot to fame with his first controversial book The Autobiography of an Unknown Indian (1951). Like V.S. Naipaul’s India: An Area of Darkness. The autobiography came into sharp criticism for laying bare the Indian malaise. It is confessedly more of a national than personal history. The writer, in this book takes up various topics besides the vicissitudes of his childhood, boyhood and youth, and the quirks and oddities of his own temperament. He writes about his family antecedents, the rural cultural milieu, the nationalist fervour that swept the land in the wake of the partition of Bengal, the cold war between the rulers and their subjects, the city and the University of Calcutta, the coming of Gandhi and the upsurge of new politics in the twenties. Chaudhuri explains in the preface: "This book describes the conditions in which an Indian grew to manhood in the early decades of this century... My main intention is thus historical, and since I have written the account with the utmost honesty and accuracy of which I am capable, the intention in my mind has become mingled with the aspiration that the book may be regarded as a contribution to contemporary history". At certain places in the book, he is very critical of Indian culture and Indian life. His observations and remarks offended many Indians. Nonetheless, it cannot be denied that he portrayed a true and realistic picture.

A Passage to England, a major work, like The Autobiography — is delightfully controversial. Chaudhuri went to England at the age of 57 for the first time. Although later he made Oxford his home till the time of his death, many of his notions about Europe were shattered by his first trip abroad. His outstanding intellect shows an unusual awareness of the English character, its strong and weak points as seen through Asian eyes. It was described by the New Statesman: "He has a poetical mind with a sceptical turn, and the English are lucky to have come under his shrewd peeled gaze. He is best at direct observation and he writes like an angel". The book shows that the author is quite at home with Western literature, music, painting, sculpture, architecture; and his immense knowledge is revealed on almost every page of the book. It is written with sharp-edged wit and picturesque vividness. He compares conditions in India and England. The book is marked by a great scholarship, insight, sense of history, understanding, and above all, admirable and unmatched prose.

Chaudhuri’s other books are The Continent of Circe, To Live or Not to Live, his biography of the German scholar Max Muller, Scholar Extraordinary and his collection of essays. His latest book of essays is an indictment of what he called India’s failed leadership, he also laments the decline of the country. His books created a furore in India’s intellectual circles. He also contributed a great deal to newspapers and magazines.

This great writer suffered a stroke on July 12 and died peacefully in his home in Oxford where he lived for 30 years. People like K.C. Sharma who saw him at his death-bed described him as "a shadow of his former self", and said "the mischievous smile has become fainter".

Chaudhuri was a highly acclaimed author and scholar. He possessed a sharp mind, an amazing memory, a keen power of observation and penetrating intellect. His inimitable prose style has made him immortal. He also came into criticism for his extremist stance and his derogatory remarks about India. He told an interviewer of The Times, London, "People are about half and half, against me and for... Previously all were against me.I know I am extreme in my views. It is like a tug-of-war. I cannot stand up straight, or the other side will put me down. But I know my exaggeration".

He always remained controversial and was known for his eccentricities. Although he lived in England and some of his habits were English, he wore a dhoti to receive his guests, whereas in Delhi’s hot climate, he wore a western suit and bowler hat. He was also described as "a man born in the wrong country in the wrong century". He was ahead of his times.

He criticised not only India but also England and Europe. The theme of many of his books is the clash between the East and West. In one of his essays he compares life in India and England: How the Indian streets are full of colour and life, while in England, these are quiet. The people in India are friendly even to strangers, and not reserved and aloof like English people. However, Chaudhuri did not like strangers imposing themselves on unwilling talkers like him.

One may agree or disagree with his views but Chaudhuri remains the master of a remarkable prose style, a writer and a thinker. He will always occupy an eminent place in the world of writers.