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U. R. Ananthamurthy:
Omnibus
Being a versatile writer he has dealt with varied genres like short story, novel, poetry and essays with equal masterly skill. He stands unparalled for his creativity and vision. Both realism and the metaphysical are woven together superbly in the texture of his works. Recently, liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation have generated a totally new era in the society, which may be termed as post-modern world; hence liberalisation and the tradition go together in his works. He himself confesses in Five Decades of my Writing: "I revisit the world that I have described in my earlier works and try to discover aspects of that world in a new light of emphatic understanding." Searching ethical authenticity of the self on the background of social, historical and political conditions along with adjustments and confrontations is the major theme underlying his earlier works like Samskara Bharatipura, Awasthe and Clip Joint. For example, Praneshacharya, the protagonist in Samskara, finds himself as an alien in society. During his journey, he notices drastic changes that make him feel that he has lost his "authentic self" and doesn’t know what the future holds for him. Obviously, the writer brings out the nature of complex society in which the individual’s self interacts with socio-cultural and historical forces. As already stated, Ananthamurthy moved with the times. Imposition of Emergency by Indira Gandhi upset him. Consequently, there came forth Awasthe, a political novel, which deals with Krisnappas, a visionary as well as a socialist politician who seeks "authenticity of the self", upholding justice and equality. Manipulations of various political parties too are displayed beautifully how they are after power alone. Jaratkaru, Akkayya and Mouni show the influence of liberalism, privatisation and globalisation. A very mature vision runs through these pieces. Mouni, a powerfully emotional story of the farming community, shows how capitalism had affected the individual, silencing him forcibly. "The dehumanising economic order" crushes the very spirit of the individual. Akkayya is an emotional story centred around how the male-dominated society treats women. Here again the traditional and the modernism form the underlying theme. Srinivasa yearns for his land staying abroad. Though physically he is abroad, his mind wanders in India. His old jolly self revives when he dances to the writer’s funny but realistic rhymes. The school time naughty Srinavasa is reborn in a foreign land. This is how the writer’s ambivalence works out. Question is another short story set in the rural backdrop that artistically portrays the conflict between the tradition and modernism. The protagonist Rangiah asks Sharada, "Give up your entire past and come with me ... And I your future ...." A rebel against tradition, he even didn’t weep at the death of his father. The writer is par excellence in providing dramatic end to his stories that adds to their appeal and beauty. Question ends with Rangiah’s words, "Let’s not ask the question now. Please." Besides this, Stallion of the Sun shows the writer’s superb handling of humour and satire. Venekata’s humour sends us into peels of laughter along with a sprinkling of satire here and there. Ananthamurthy’s language, especially in stories and novels gets poetic in nature. As a poet, he deals with cultural, social and historical forces the individual faces in life. If Who are you? brings forth the problem of identity in the modern times, The Dalai Lama and History shows that the Dalai Lama is still hopeful of "truth to triumph" because the creative genius of Ananthamurthy points out to a future in which moral forces would surely win, if the individuals and communities hold on to the old values of life. The essays included in the collection show a great intellectual at work. A great literary figure like Ananthmurthy didn’t restrict himself to literature alone, but was aware of the various forces at work around him. In Towards the Concept of a New Nationhood, he appreciates the concept of unity in diversity in Indian literature. He was greatly influenced by Mahatma Gandhi whom he reckons as a major force in the history of India His essays depict a very mature and sensitive intellectual at work. An insider critic he has looked at the outside both creatively and critically. It won’t be an exaggeration to sum up in the words of Ashok Vajpeyi: "He has articulated in powerful and innovative ways and in many genres, a deeply liberal vision equally interrogative of tradition and individuality."
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THIS is a remarkable
collection providing a comprehensive view of the man and his works. A
writer with a difference that he is, U. R. Ananthamurthy is not
confined to the ivory tower most of the literary figures are bound to
be. Hence one gets a glimpse of the major socio-cultural and political
forces at work in the country. To quote Prof. N. Manu Chakravarthy:
"Only a few writers have been able to respond to the evolving
consciousness of India as a society and a culture with the intense
kind of ‘immediacy and rootedness’ with which Ananthamurthy, as a
creative writer and thinker, has done". The inherent beauty of
his writings lies in his understanding the complexity of Indian
society with an appreciable ambivalence.