Paper no 4 assignment

  Name: Kajal Keraliya

Topic: Reflection of Indian mentality in The Fakeer of Jungheera

Roll no.: 19

Paper no 4: Indian writing in English

M.A: Sem-1

Enrolment no.:2069108420180030

Year: 2017-19

E-mail: Www.kajalk1@gmail.com

Submitted to:

Smt. S.B. Gardi Department Of English

Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji

Bhavnagar University

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Introduction of Henry Derozio:

 

Henry Louis Vivian Derozio, (born April 18, 1809, Calcutta, India—died Dec. 26, 1831, Calcutta), poet and assistant headmaster of Hindu College, Calcutta, a radical thinker and one of the first Indian educators to disseminate Western learning and science among the young men of Bengal.

The son of an Indian father and an English mother, Derozio was influenced by the English Romantic poets. He began publishing patriotic verses when he was 17, which brought him to the attention of the intellectual elite of Calcutta. In 1826 he was appointed instructor at Hindu College, where his reportedly brilliant teaching influenced his students and won him their loyalty. In 1828 his students organized the Academic Association, a debating society that drew both Britons and Indians to discussions of religion and philosophy.

In the spirit of English rationalism, Derozio criticized the social practices and religious beliefs of orthodox Hinduism. Accused of irreverence by his students’ orthodox Hindu parents, he was forced to resign by the directors of Hindu College in 1831.

Long after Derozio’s death (of cholera), his influence lived on among his former students, who came to be known as Young Bengal and many of whom became prominent in social reform, law, and journalism.

Fakeer of Jungheera:

The Fakeer of Jungheera - A study in the Narrative Art. “The Fakeer of Jungheera” is the masterpiece creation of Henry Derozio. The Fakeer of Jungheera as a Revolutionary Poem Satipratha Caste System Religion. In his poems, he deals with the theme of patriotism, of love, of nature, of death. The central theme of ‘The Fakeer of Jungheera’ is the ignoble and in human practice of ‘sati’ in the contemporary orthodox Indian society. This rotten system had been in vogue in the Indian society for centuries, and Derozio vehemently protested the ‘sati’ system both in his social life and in the classroom as a teacher at the Hindu college, Calcutta. He wrote this poem to highlight the issue. Derozio’s uses Christian imagery, such as heaven and juxtaposes it against the Hindu tradition of sati, Muslim prayers and tantric tale of raja Vikramjit and Baital to create acquaint, romantic atmosphere. In poem we see that how nature and village people have to evil to this both lover life. We see that Nuleeni was protagonist and she is fear to become dying of them. Derozia was imagines to this pure and innocent woman “Nuleeni” became “Sati”. She loved Fakeer. Nuleeni was the widow and her husband was dying. At that time Nuleeni’s husband funeral pai and she thinks that her lover Fakeer came. She has thought to her husband but her eye in sun light of happiness to free this world.  

The sun like a golden urn

Where floods of light ever burn,

And fall like blessings fast on earth,

Bringing its beauties brightly forth.

 

 

              She was free to this social thinks. But in the novel the women seem to Nuleeni face and how she thinks that at end of the day happy of them. She is center, silence. Innocent and prays to god. In that time Derozio portrayed to Nuleeni’s beauty.Naleeni ‘s Beauty “The smile comes from her ruby lips like the sun rushing from eclipse”.

Her hope for Fakeer “Nuleeni’s eye is not upon the dead to one after her parting thoughts have flead; and she remembers now the blissful hours where east she met him! Love is elysian beam”.  Nuleeni’s father could not bear the insult of his daughter Inter-cast marriages. He fights alone but could not stand the big army. He gets injured and dies on the lap of his beloved. Here we see that Death and love are together of them. In here we see that Victimization of Women NULEENI AS a VICTIM Widow of her husband Victim of “Sati Pratha” Victim by society Helpless Mentally dead Death of her “beauty” and “Charm” Death of her love Becomes second widow of her lover Fakeer.

                People have se and Nuleeni should do at bad thinks to goes to Fakeer. So we see that Nulleni’s eyes in Fakeer. She should do bad thinks. But at thing to deconstructed ideas of that Moral and ideal thinks. Which time goes that beautiful night in jungle? Fakeer and Nuleeni fear of that.  Society becomes killing to her lover. Both are gone to jungle and fear of that village people came here and kills them.    Derozio imagined beauty and nature   not in favors to Nuleeni.

 

“His eye though sifted into love far from the mildness of the dove”.

 

Derozio write and narrated to poem beauty. He thought that morality and modern thinks are change in this poem. Love external, immoral of Fakeer. But at morning Nuleeni’s face as dark, fear, sadness and no any hope feeling them. The village people came here and talk to both of them.   Nulleni’s Father was unhappy and his attitude of society as rich, upper caste person. So we see that both lover fail. Nuleeni was no any hope and feelings. At end of the novel Fakeer said that: No farewell to spoken ‘Death is victory’.

 

                 So we can say that in this poem my objective that to discuss the musicality in the poem, the impacts of the Romantics and some other unnoticed fetchers of the beautiful poem. How woman is center and society rigidity as became evil to Nuleeni’s life. And we found to morality, poverty, caste differences, religious, sati pratha etc

 In 'The Fakeer of Jungheera' Deroiz mixed the tantric, Hindu, Mythological, Islamic and Cristian tradition. He got the idea about writing the poem of spiritual love from Baital Pachisi. As the story goes, if King Vikram remains stead fast  in his love for his queen he can resurrect her and once more both can find happiness together. The dauntless fortitude and courage that The King exemplifies by passing through the horrible ordeals in the graveyard leading to his triumph, inspire conclusion to the tragic death of the Fakeer in the arms of his beloved Nuleeni. If the Nuleeni can again be resurrected in the arms of the Fakeer if she can pass through the horrors and temptations of life.

          Fakeer and Nuleeni are two star crossed lovers like Romeo and Juliet. In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet were the children of two enemies whose love brought the tragic end. Here, in 'The Fakeer of Jangheera'.  Fakeer is the follower of Islam. Fakeer means saint a person who has renounced the world but here he loves a lady Nuleeni who is married and also an uppercaste Female. Nuleeni was married to a Brahmin. Her husband dies in an early youth.

          Naleeni, the beloved of Fakeer never loved her husband. In the days of never loved her husband. In the days of Henry Derozio Indian subcontinent was cought by many evils like 'Sati Pratha' killing girl child by boiling the still born baby in the hot pot of milk etc. Nuleeni belonged to a conservative Hindu society in the nineteenth century.  She was pure and beautiful she doesn't went to end her life behind a person whom she never loved.

          Nuleeni was brought to the spot where her husband is to be cremated. Women were singing songs praising sati. They sang of going to heaven but poor Nuleeni was lost in the thoughts of Fakeer. She refuses to die on the funeral pure of her husband and esapes with the bandit faker to his cave in Jungheera to a life from death; She escaped death but she starts a life of forbidden love though frightened by violent social norms she believes that her lover's courage and her anfailing love will finally make them victorious. Her fair and beautiful face brightens the dark social setting of the poem and mitigates the bold audacity of the Fakeer who snatches her from the midst of a group of mourning upper caste Hindu at the Funeral.

          In the intense bond of love they forgot the society. They forgot their caste discrimination. They forget strength of power. They Forgot strength of power. They Challenged the man made norms of the society. Both of them completely forgot themselves and did not realize that their lives were at risk. Fakeer, bravely snatched her from the hands of so called upper-class people. Would they tolerate this insult of taking away of female by weaker sect. Here, the brave rebellion of the weaker sect draws the attention to the inequality of the sexes and social malaise rampant in Bangali Society of the time. In can say that the poem makes an important stage in the use of social themes in literary texts endorsing a syncretistic tradition quite popular in 19th century Bengal. Instead of  be laboring upon the misery of slavery, Derozio embarked upon a mission of resolving some of the inherent evils of Hindu society especially the practice of widow burning.

The romantic atmosphere is raise due to the development of Hindu-Muslim love affair. The Fakeer of Jungheera is in two cantos of twenty eight and twenty four stanzas respectively written in the iambic, anapestic, trochaic and dactylic meters to suit the different rhythems ranging from the normal spoken voice and slow description to the racy battles and the chant of priests and women.

          The poem starts with nature's description and then takes many twists. The poem deals with many serious issues of social evil along with the tragic love affir as the protagonist of the poem is a robber Fakeer who belongs to some unidentified Muslim sect, While the heroine, the widow Nuleeni, comes from an upper caste Bengali Hindu family. Derozio uses Cristain Imagery, Such as heaven and angles flitting about. He juxtaposes this imagery against the Hindu tradition of sati and muslim prayers. He imitates the English Romantic poets like wordsworth, shelly and Coleridge. In the poem, the imagination is marvelous.

          Derozio breaks all the norms of writing of the contemporary poem writing. It was not easy for the contemporary writers to break the established laws and at the same time challenging the upper-class of the cosecant. He wanted to eradicate the social evils that slowly swallowed the society. This Hindu-Muslim love story arose great sensation. The poet was marginalized in his time.

          The poet paints the heroine as a 'perfect' Bengali beauty – with large black eyes, black in braided tresses, a pale lily complexion and majestic walk. When she arrives at the funeral her eyes searched somebody when he comes she escapes with. He, her lover Fakery had to fight before taking his beloved with him. At the Fakeer's cave. Nuleeni and he lived very happily. They both are lost in the materialistic. They both are lost in the materialistic imaginative life. They are lost in their world. But Nuleeni in the midst of happy life always feared of some unseen danger. Here, the midst of happy life always feared of some unseen danger. Here, the description of nature seems to be one with the feeling of the love.

          The first canto of the poem mainly deals with the fantastic description of nature, the funeral procession of a Bengali upper-class Hindu family's son, the escape of the widow with her faker lover to his cave. The upper-class widow lived with many maid lives happily in the cave of her Fakeer lover always waiting for something unseen to harm them. She smelt something wrong. She worried for she doesn't want to depart from her lover at any cost. Many a times through the poetry we see her lost in her world, sometime. We see Fakeer lost in his dreamland.

          As happens in ancient Greek tragedies and Shakespearean tragedies, their tragic doom and mistake of risking their life were waiting for them. As they were run-away lovers Nuleeni's father – the so called upper-class widow's father would definitely revenge him.

          Now, Derozio sees love between a Hindu and a Muslim as transcending religion, though this could be Derozio's own atheistic vision of religion categories based on his rationalistic temper. There was a hardening of identity of Bengali Muslims in the subcontinent as Islam provided 'a sense of belonging' to the Muslim community. In the absence of powerful Muslim leadership in 19th century Bengal, the ulema emerged as the leaders. Britishers were partial too. On one hand the prohibited sati system on the other hand they allowed being sati with permission. The hardening of religious categories in colonial Bengali lays the ground for the inevitable conflict that ensues in the second canto.

          In the beginning of the canto the end lies. The popular belief that love for a woman can lead any god-fearing young man away from the worship of Allah. Then starts the tragic events one by one. The father of beautiful widow Nuleeni determines to avenge Fakeer. He goes to Shah Shiva the king of his time. He requests him to send  his army with him to avenge the Fakeer. The uncertainty of life and death begins at this stage. Nuleeni's father comes to the place where the lovers lived with the army to avenge his insult. He did not even think of his daughter's happiness or love.

          Now Fakeer has no choice, if he runs away from the battle field. He would be caught and punished. He decides to fight back the army of Nuleeni's father. The story at this point becomes somewhat sketchy but the robber Fakeer decides to make a lost stand and  fight. However Nuleeni fears that the dubious hour might bring doom :

          Let me warn the that our doom so bright may darkly end – as darkly speeds the night – But the Fakeer is confident of Victory.

          Ere long I'll worn thee in my breast again –

          With the 'battle cry' of 'the moslem ringing afar' to fight the 'royal cavalry', he is mortally wounded with a lance.

          Nulleeni cradles him in her arms and dies together with him – he 'eloquence had all burned out'. She becomes a free agent to choose her destiny; she prefers to die together with someone she loves than with her husband whom she does not. In ancient India woman were allowed to choose their life partners on their own. In our Epics sita, Rukmani, Sati, Parvati (The incarmation of Sati) Draupadi, Subhadra, Kunti, Gandhari, Sanyogita etc. Choose their husband on their own. In absence of Pritiviraj Chauhan Sanyogita put  garland on his statue and took her with him – such was grand and glorious past culture of India which was ruined due to foreign invasion.

          Nuleeni did not die behind her husband. Now, she is free here to die with Fakeer. She did not die with her husband because she did not love him but she loved Fakeer beyond anything else in the world. For him she left all the luxuries of her life, He also risked his life to be united but they were doomed to depart. Nuleeni decides to die behind him. The Sanskrit word sati means a 'good and vitreous woman' who was truly devoted to her husband. And according to the Hindu tradition these virtues found expression is the ultimate act of self-immdation. Women who sacrificed themselves continued to be called sati long after they were dead and usage of the term 'to the sacrifice alone, the act as well as the agent.

          The secular and universal ideas that Derozio espoused in his poetry do not go well with the separatist and divisionary politics of modern India.  These are some of the revisionist consequences of modernity. However, the 'modes of social life' that emerged in the early nineteenth century in response to modernity in India now take us 'beyond modernity' into the information age. If India must shine it must do so within its own traditions and Derozio occupies a central place in it. The poet through the impossible and bold story of love – affair between Hindu upper-class widow and a Muslim lower class Fakeer reflected and criticized the evils of Indian Society.

 

References:

http://www.britannica.com

http://kashmirabajadeja152013.blogspot.in