Kocharethi The Araya Women by Narayan 20 4

Kocharethi: The Araya Women by Narayan 20. 4. 20 Dr. Suresh Kurapati CUSB

Winning ad loosing • Life and Death • Death Rituals during the burial and post-burial • Philosophy: “you who were born of the soil, dissolve into soil”

Prosperity in the Hills • Land • Forest laws • Exploitation: Maharajas/British/Present • Boundary to the hill and road making • Forest Rangers/Guards/DFO

Recording the names • Representation of lack of awareness in the society • Misrepresentation of the community • Census of names • Ownership of land • State power and victimization • Issues of land possession • The feeling of insecurity

Bitter Harvest • Abundant crop • Nanju- mixture- Fishing skills – they catch better than others • Singers – lullaby –Tribal imagination and fantasy • Moothanaare – Exploitation. . The debt never ends. . • All cheaters around with their crooked balances -Pepper and cashew • Cheater think arayars are easy to cheat • Looking down at araya women • Ignorance and knowledge – whose ignorance • Kunjipennu pregnant again Parvathi first daughter in her lap

Beseiged • Crops and valuation - Treachery • Traders and Treachery – arayar’s ignorance of counting • Criminalization – Pareethu and robbery at his shop – police station-beaten up well- nobody believed in them -- escaped – own people also blamed them • Ottathengan alias Devassy alias chetty alias papan pilla • Ottathengan – Chetty’s rowdism • Going to the tailor – blouse / bodice (Kochuraman and Kunjerukkan – fighting techniques) • Extortion in the hills: a old man used marmani to fight extortion

In the name of God • Tribal philosophy: God settled every ones account • Chetty robbed, beaten up, molested, etc. became a beggar • Black Smith Kuttan’s wife –Karthyayani- Ottathengan – died – had a sin on his name – brutal rape of velan kochu’s wife • Issue of god and temple: pattathil Kunjunni Pilla and his taxes and his luxurious life a member of temple of sabarimala • Isse of untouchability and entry into the temple – a new treachery

In the name of king… • Cutting the forest – blaming false cases on arayas • Forest officers and their men took away – plants and fruits, etc. • Destruction of surroundings of Arayas: their houses/ plants/ trees • Government forest? No land for arayas?

Ch-13. The protector – self protection • • • Arayas in deep trouble: 17 members ware arrested Arayas had to unite against atrocities Kandathil Krishna Pilla X Pattathil Kunjunni Pilla Police custody: foul language/ pouring urine on them / other atrocities Who are wild and uncivilized? Arayas or others Questioning untouchability Fight between arayas, and Kunjunni and Kocheepan : Self defence Use of marmani and stick wielding – stone fighting Fierce fight between araya and Kununni’s men Then approached Krishna pilla for support

the seeds of education • Krishna Pilla: shows some sympathy • Use of marmani and police are interested in it • Krishna pilla informed not to teach police • Kochuraman helped kunjurukkan to setup self defense for ten youth, given them oil and clothes to learn marmani • Kochupilla, an Aashan- a teacher, entered the hill • Kunjunju or Shankaran is a son, third in the family of Kochuraman

Ch-14 Dispelling Darkness – desire for learning • Hope: Kochuraman felt a crack in darkness with learning to write • Author use of language: Learning to write vs education • Knowledge is Saraswathi, Aashan informs to kochuraman • Importance of reading and writing – 14 students and increasing • Kalari, school was built – Saraswathi Vilams Kalari • Panchangam – inauguration – Picture of goddess saraswathi and rituals and dakshina to Aashan- betel and nuts • Wrote om on their tongues • Mid-day meal arranged

Changing names, gods, culture • Kallani became kalyani and paruthi became parvathi • Narengutti name became Narayananankutty • Writing with iron on palm leaves • The origin of name of Arayan – Ref from Mahabharata and Ramayana • Story of an Arethi and Aranya- forest • Arayar- fisherfolk and agriculturists - aboriginals • Difference b/w Jackal and so called civilized people • Taught only one God no need to go to puliambulli and others

Religious conversions • Can the civilized people talk of equality? • If you are poor no one will cheat you. • Too many doubts: how to become a police • Religion conversions into Hindus, Christians, etc. • Preachers condemning their gods and shown new ways • People baptized and now no more arayas • India is ruled by the English king; became equal citizens • Kochuraman not interested in conversion • Priests and their thoughts on araya women

Ch-15 Parvati goes to school • Hoping more: Kalari to govt school • Growing religions – Christianity, Hinduism, etc • Shrinking community and relations • Govt. schools vs missionary school and shostels • Issue of failing and dropping even for the successful and helping at home • Parvati and kalyani want to study to become magistrate • Now they are grown up girls

Girl Child education • Issue at home and community • Parvati going ahead and her muracherukkan failed. Will marriage take place? i. e with Raghavan • Kunjipennu anxious about her grown up daughter going to school • Parvati learning English and answering Aashan • Maturation – mother waiting, become a woman, Celebration: Traditional involving many relatives, • Does Parvati go to school again? Many dropped due to maturation

Participation in freedom struggle • Seeds of independence in the classroom and representation – Kochumadhavan, Congress madhavan • The Congress was banned in the school by then govt • Attachment to congress and one araya was expelled among seven • He was attending Sathyagrahas and was beaten • Now parvati became close friend to Padmanabhan, i. e. Pappan

Ashan’s End – Independence to India • Congress, Independence and partition of the country • Araya Identity? Kunjali. Are you going to Pakistan? Thomaskutty? • Insecurity gripping in Araya hills too. • What about Daniel and Mathew of venthikosthu? Where will they go?

Post independence – changes Kochuraman, you pay 4 anas and become the Congress member Gandhi caps and Khadi clothes Sulaiman and Kochumadhavan seemed to be leaders Leaders were saying. India belongs to all- Hindu, Muslim, Christian, including arayas. • Jana gana mana became national song. • Sc and Sts no fee for studies • Aashan became very old and requested to bury near Kalari He used to advice on every occasion • Parvati does not lit the lamp and pray to god • •

Her mother’s Daughter • Does Arayas discriminate girls against boys? • Shekaran failing in studies and fighting with his sister, complains against parvati to his mother and reveals love relation – letter • Mother slapped parvati and told her husband not to allow her to school • Kochuraman wants to marry off her • Parvati aspirations for education- wanna hang herself, letters written to her friends and her friends supported • Girl education is not easy!

Modern livelihood • Parvati’s Love and education • Appan got job in Kochi port • Trust • madhavan • Her customs and Raghavan

New Issues in Modern world • Kochuraman’s dependency • He became ill • His sense of loss • Father and daughter • Parvati became alone like her mother again

Kocharethi • About Kocharethi • Character List • Summary and Analysis • Chapter wise summary

Major themes • Dignity: wish to live with Dignity • Tribal, Cultural Identity and Development in Narayan’s Kocharethi - The Arya Woman • Theme of protest: Against all the misrepresentations • Self representation: Through this writing, the tribal writers try to demolish the perception of the non-tribal writer that adivasi culture is backward, uninvolved and superstitious • Representation by others: In Hindu mythology the demons are variously called rakshasan, nishacharan, asuran and the connotative significance of being uncultured who had to be killed by a diety wielding a shoolam (trident) or a savarna (uppercaste) of divine parentage.

Major themes • Resistance against representation: • The novel deals with their life and experience in the changing socioeconomic and cultural contexts. • The novel also deals with issues related to tribal woman, sexuality, marriage, pregnancy, child birth and so on. • Culture portrayal