Gujarati writer Darshak showed us why resistance is crucial
SALIL TRIPATHI
Gujarat’s literary universe is filled with amazing works such as Narmadashankar Dave’s patriotic poetry, Govardhanram Tripathi’s aesthetic vision of an ideal village, Mohandas Gandhi’s constant self-examination in his search for the truth, Kanaiyalal Munshi’s vivid imagining of our past, and Umashankar Joshi’s humanist poetry. Yet, one novelist stands apart, with his modernist vision and commitment to democratic ideals. That is Manubhai Pancholi who wrote as “Darshak”. An educationist committed to rural life, Darshak wrote many books, including interpretations of Sanskrit classics, essays on village life and development, and Gujarat’s culture.
Two novels stand out: the three-part Jher To Pidha Chhe Jaani Jaani (We Imbibed Poison Knowingly, published from the 1950s to the 1980s) and Socrates (1974). Both are expansive in their outlook. The former is an intricate tale set in a village, where the protagonist is a universalist who hasn’t let his life in a small village limit his engagement with the forces that shaped the 20th century. Prescient in its anticipation of the authoritarianism of the Emergency, Socrates is a masterpiece. It tells the story of the provocative Greek philosopher who asks probing questions of his students and society about the meaning of governance, politics and life, at a time when the Athenians and Spartans are at war with each other. Socrates questions, questions, questions, compelling his students and listeners to re-examine their beliefs, and encourages the spirit of defiance and dissent to pursue truth—the cornerstone of liberal democratic ideals. I was a teenager when the novel was published, serialised in a Gujarati newspaper, and read it at the urging of my mother. It strengthened my belief in debate and the need to challenge, and made me realise how important it was to doubt and question assertion. As India is in the midst of another era of darkness with the old certainties vanishing, resistance is crucial and commitment to core democratic values is critical: and in Socrates, Darshak showed us the way.
Salil Tripathi is a writer and human rights advocate whose forthcoming book The Gujaratis is being published by Aleph.