Rajaji, a great freedom fighter and a shrewd administrator was also a great contributor to modern Indian literature. He wrote both in English and Tamil with effortless ease. His writings are sprinkled with profound wit and wisdom and his style is characterised by clarity and subtle sarcasm. Dr. S. P. Benjamin Elango who had done his Ph.D. on Humanism in the Works of C. Rajagopalachari, brings out this book, The Art and Vision of Rajaji as his first comprehensive book on the literary genius of Rajaji, a prophetic visionary.
The study begins with a critical evaluation of Rajaji's essays which appeared in the Swarajya, a weekly, claiming to be a gadfly like Socrates. His writings are governed by a spirit of truth and public welfare, without looking for mass popularity or votes or the power derived from people. His first commitment is truth however unpleasant it may be to the readers. He is a courageous critic of public affairs both at the national and international levels. But it is not confined to ephemeral politics, because he is always concerned with eternal values. As the author says, "Rajaji is not a leader of a movement which needs fame, but an unassuming teacher of humanity like Socrates, Goutama Buddha, Ramakrishna and Vivekananda. Such a teacher strives not for greatness but for rightness."
As an ardent devotee of the Almighty, Rajaji removes the adverse criticism based on image worship in "A Fallacy about Religion" with a logician's insight and a Rishi's wisdom, says Elango. Rooted in the teachings of the great seers, the Upanishads and the Epics of India, Rajaji rightly propounds self-control as the bedrock of culture.
Rajaji is a great parable maker and he uses the parable to articulate abstract truth so that even ordinary minds can perceive it. He combined it with subtle sarcasm and gentle irony.
In the next chapter, Elango analyses the translations of Rajaji and shows how Rajaji has rightly chosen Kamban's Ramayana and discloses also how it differs from Valmiki in significant parts. Rajaji also achieves aesthetic excellence by finding proper equivalents for metaphors, images and symbols. This applies to his translation of Avvai's Songs also. In translating Kural, Rajaji brings out the exact semantic equivalence for words like 'எச்சம்'
Rajaji has also interpreted the great Indian epics; the Mahabharata and the Ramayana for the benefit of the common man and this is, according to him is the best service he has rendered to his people. His rendering of the Ramayana depicts the conflicting emotions of Rama as a human character. He has a comparative vision of the versions of the Ramayana by Valmiki, Kamban and Tulasidas. Whereas Valmiki's Rama is a human hero, Tulasidas's Rama is completely a God, but Kamban's Rama is a human incarnation of the divine. Rajaji also compares Rama to Jesus and Ravana with Satan and Shylock.
While retelling the Mahabharata, Rajaji is keenly aware of the resemblance of the older World to the India of our own time. His rendering retains its epic grandeur and its dramatic quality. Characters are portrayed with individuality as well as embodiment of human values. Dr. Elango is also sensitive to Rajaji's style and his use of images and symbols. Being a good student of Northrop Frye, the author pays special attention to the archetypal symbols in Rajaji's rendering of both the epics.
Dr. Elango then proceeds to study Rajaji's Jail Diary (later titled as Rajaji's 1930 Jail Life) as an autobiography. It records one of the happiest periods in his life and is very successful as an autobiography because of the writer's tryst with truth and righteousness. The autobiography reveals Rajaji the man of God as he envisages an earthly Paradise, where everybody follows the path of truth with the torch of righteousness.
Is it a good book? The answer is "Yes"! The Art and Vision of Rajaji is an utterly engaging and a substantive book about an extraordinary life.
It is brightly written, readable and thoroughly professional book that tells the art and vision of Rajaji, one of the greatest politicians, statesmen and administrators in India. The author has vividly brought out his many-sided personality as a statesman, philosopher, a patriot and a freedom fighter, besides a moralist with particular emphasis on his art and vision.
Rajaji is noted for a variety of themes in his writings mixed with satire; his writings contain irony, sarcasm, humour, simile, symbols and imagery. Above all, he has translated the two Indian monumental epics -the Ramayana and the Mahabharatha apart from the Thirukkural, Avvaiyar's works and Poet Kambar's Ayodhya Canto into English in a very simple style giving much importance to aesthetic values with clarity using suitable and appropriate words devoid of redundancy. Words are aptly chosen to be evocative and well expressive.
Considering his autobiography, it is portrayed magnificently about Rajaji's jail life besides detailed information as humourist, satirist, master of irony, social reformer, freedom fighter, true Gandhian, warm-hearted husband, moralist and prophet who foresaw separation of Pakistan from India. Moreover, Rajaji was a nostalgic writer, a literary critic, a man of God, a lover of all religions and also an expert in character. The author has brought out all the characteristics of Rajaji with regard to his art and vision in a brilliant manner.
Rajaji was also a teetotaller who was for total prohibition. In his short stories, he brought out all these aspects in a lucid style, which could be understood by commoners. Above all, Rajaji's speeches have the main aims to inform, to convince, to gain action, to impress and entertain. Rajaji endeared himself to the audience by his tone of friendly intimacy. The purposiveness of Rajaji's speeches was sternly moralistic and reformative.
Rajaji deserves to be ranked with the great writers of Prose in English as well as in Tamil.
The author of this book, Dr. S. P. Benjamin Elango, has laboured hard on collecting information about Rajaji. He deserves our appreciation for having employed the exact vocabulary to bring out the salient points on Rajaji. His contribution to English literature through this book is remarkable and prize-worthy. Being a historian and a person who enjoyed personal rapport with Rajaji during my college days, I find this book, a monumental record of historical facts with unswerving loyalty to veracity.
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