Predicament of Identity in Kamala Markandeya’s The Golden Honeycomb

Kamala Markandaya is one of the best of contemporary Indian novelists. Her novels are remarkable for their wide range of experience. She has been most successful and impressive, in dealing with the problems of the educated middle class. She has a gift in particular for delineating the self-imposed laceration of the dissatis ed. Women in the novels of Kamala Markandaya are the victims of social and economic pressures and disparities. However, they raise above all these and cross the barriers of discrimination only for the larger concepts of universal love and concord. Indeed, their vitality, both physical and emotional is appreciable. Markandaya’s characters belong to the different strata of society viz., peasants, and middle class educated women as well as from the royal families. Nevertheless the common thread in all her women characters is that the quest for autonomy for the self, coupled with nurturance for the family They also confront with several obstacles emerging mainly from the irregularities in the social system along with economic dif culties. They develop a mature vision of life when they grapple with these forces. Though the desire of autonomy and nurturance leads to disillusionment at every stage, the women characters remain form without losing courage. Kamala Markandaya’s women are in search of something positive. She portrays a gloomy scenario of Indian life due to changes in social, economic and political spheres. She believes that togetherness and mutual understanding can create a meaningful existence for mankind. The paper attempts to throw light on the identity crisis of the women characters in The Golden Honeycomb.


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International Journal of English http://www.shanlaxjournals.com She shows common sense and worldly wisdom by saying that a king's fi rst duty is to his country and to his people. She declares that a king is the father of the people. She fi nds fault with Bawajiraj for forsaking his country, his people and his life-long partner for serving a foreign country in its war with another set of aliens. She openly says that Bawajiraj is blind to many truths.
She is anxious about her man's and her son's health when they are sick. Though she is not a lawful wife, she is an ideal woman. The word ideal does not mean a woman who obeys all the nonsensical things which the husband asks her to do. Mohini possesses a critical mind and she knows what is good and what is bad for herself, her husband and her son.
She raises her voice whenever she cannot agree with Bawajiraj. She quarrels with him at the Delhi Durbar over the arrangements of the screens. She is courageous enough to say that Bawajiraj can make no demands of her. She adds that he has no right to question her regarding the pilgrimage she plans for herself and her son. She does not even give him an accurate date of their return. Bawajiraj even fears that, she will not come back. Sir Arthur sees that Bawajiraj is completely devastated when Mohini is away. He is anxious about Mohini's safety because he does not want to harm her by any means. He fi nds that she bundles up sex with her soulful emotions. He notices a vast difference between his physical contact with Mohini and with Saanta Devi Mohini has the power of independent action and speech because she is not bound to Bawajirah by any tie other than that of love and she is never afraid to use her independence for her purposes. She is overwhelmed at the thought of her native village. She is very happy when she comes across mimosa pudica. She points out the plant to Rabi saying that its leafl ets will close like a butterfl y. Though she is a concubine she is a chaste woman. She regards her son and her husband as the treasure of her life. She accepts the fact that kings have more than one wife or paramour. Before he sets out on expedition to fi ght the Hum on behalf of his overlord, Bawahiraj tells Mohini that he would not mind if she had trysts with lovers during his absence. He seems ignorant of the true devotion of a good woman like Mohini for whom there will be no lovers. Kamala Markandaya projects Mohini as rebelling against male tyranny.
She is a popular fi gure in the palace. Manjula is very close to Mohini. It is Manjula who brought Mohini to the palace because she knew that, in the prevailing historical circumstances, the country's fate can be changed only by a concubine and not by a lawful wife.
She takes Rabi on a pilgrimage so that he can experience the real life of the people other than the luxurious palace. She wants him to meet the common people. She is bent upon being a commoner. As a boy, young Rabi has not seen the places outside the palace. So he does not know the nature of the common people and their underlying diffi culties. Rabi is unaware of scarcity and drought. He thinks that the people are given whatever they demand. It is Mohini who alters his thoughts.
Mohini shows a feminist mentality when she thinks of the parity between men and women. During her pregnancy she wonders why the burden of pregnancy should be suffered by women when the sexual pleasure is enjoyed by both man and woman. Bawajiraj misses her much and the palace turns out to be an empty tomb in her absence.
Manjula is aware of Mohini's ability and power. So she entrusts Mohini with the duty of making her grandson a rebel against the British and succeeds in her endeavour. The Pandit also plays an important role in bringing up the child to rebel against the British. Mohini is Bawajiraj's weakness. She knows it very well and exploits his weakness. She admits openly that Manjula is her teacher. Markandaya rightly points out : Manjula and Mohini are rebellious and independent very like each other. Because Mohini has a large sphere in the action of the novel, she achieves some measure of individuality. She is self willed, and out spoken, vivacious and and volatile, shrewd and intelligent sensual and loving, absolutely feminine in her caprices, her sense of humour and her independence. She is realistic in National Virtual Conference on Cognizance of Current Trends in New Literature & Research her assessment of India's involvement in England's war, in contrast to the Maharajah's idealistic fervor, which sends him to the battle fi elds of Europe (Honeycomb154).
The Golden Honeycomb marks the culmination of Markandaya's quest for cultural synthesis. The rise of nationalism and the awakening of the ideals of independence within the country are well brought out in the novel. Stories about a variety of characters from all walks of life combine to suggest the diversity of Indian society. These stories form a complex interweaving of narrative strands that effectively reconstruct the historical period and social organisation of the British Raj.
The movement towards national unity, with its partial erosion of caste and class barriers, is embodied in the union between the central characters, Rabi, the illegitimate son of a native prince, and Usha, the daughter of an infl uential Brahmin teach bound to the other by love and a commitment -to the national movement. Yet in many ways this unity remains embryonic. Rabi and Usha are only shown at the early stages of their relationship when Independence is little more than an anticipated event. According to Markandaya, cultural unity is a dream that has yet to be realised. Indeed, she is concerned less with representing the potential unity of the Indian people than with demonstrating the similarities between one ruling class and another.
Markandaya explores the mechanisms of power in India's past in order to isolate and interrogate inequalities particularly the caste and gender that persist in modern India. She explores the various and diverse positions of Indian women by demythologising 'public' history and reconstructing the past from the dual perspectives of Indian nationalism. In The Golden Honeycomb Markandaya uses the historical saga-a literary principle used for politically subversive purposes.
The Golden Honeycomb clearly and decisively establishes Markandaya's reputation as a leading novelist. The novel is not only her best imaginative effort to project the development of national consciousness but also her most ambitious and brilliant work of art. It reveals her extraordinary sense of conscious realism and historicity that is rarely evident in contemporary British fi ction. Although Mulk Raj Anand and Manohar Malgonkar have attempted to portray the lives of the royal people in their novels -The Private Life of an Indian Prince (1953) and The Princes (1963) seem somewhat incomplete in the artistic reconstruction of the decline and fall of the institution of monarchy. Markandaya's novel, in contrast, creates a sense of history in the reader's mind by depicting the events that rocked the State of Devapur for three generations. She, therefore, achieves a sense of historical continuity -a quality of tradition -while recording the tribulations of fortune that befell Devapur, a representative princely State. She describes the details with meticulous care and delineates the characters with a sympathetic attitude. Markandaya shows exemplary respect for the recorded facts of history but uses them with a stunning irony and biting economy of phrase in dramatizing the saga of princely patriotism and the growth of individual consciousness. The inventive imagination of Markandaya exhibits the usual pomp and pageantry of an imperialistic regime. The growth of Rabi's individual consciousness in terms of cultural awareness is well integrated in the novel.
The Golden Honeycomb divided into three parts sums up the trials and tribulations of our country under foreign rule through a succession of moving events. It brings to light the pitiable strikes, round -the-clock agitations and lockouts. It is undoubtedly Markandya's memorable fait accompli in which she turns her all -absorbing mind to the momentous historical events shaping and affecting India's fate during the British regime.
Bawajiraj III has received European education through English tutors, and has attended the Chief's College, the Military Academy, and the special coaching in civil administration under an experienced I.C.S. offi cer. He is, therefore, well -suited to carry on British interests even at the cost of his own people and their resources. He acts as an intermediary between the rulers and the ruled. He often feels the progressively growing levies and restrictions on his people, but is SHANLAX International Journal of English http://www.shanlaxjournals.com helpless to offer them any relief. In spite of these weaknesses, Bawajiraj has subtle positive streaks in his character. He is a fond lover of his family and his subjects. There are individuals for whom he can sacrifi ce all, such as Mohini and Rabi. He never says a word against his mother. He counts on the devotion of his people to him. He knows that the Dewan is a man with an unquestionable record of sincerity to the State and of honest dealings with one and all. Mohini is one person before whom the Maharajah is helpless. In any argument with him, she often emerges triumphant. Though she loves him deeply, she has the guts to face him and convince him of the validity of her point. She does not like his unfl inching loyalty towards the foreign rulers. She tells him that the Britishers are here for their fi nancial and territorial gains. They are least interested in the upliftment of the Indian populace. Her strong views are also shared by her son, Rabi, the Pandit and the Dewan. The powerful, irrepressible Manjula, the Dowager Maharani is also on her side. She enlightens her grandson at times and fuses into him the anti -British feelings. Similarly, the Pandit and the Dewan are deeply attached to Rabi. The Pandit injects nationalistic feelings and thoughts into the boy and prepares him for the fi ght ahead. The Dewan, Tirumal Rao, is a shrewd person entirely devoted to his Maharajah and to the people of his State. He is one who can be favourably compared to the Englishmen in talent and manipulations. Narsimha Rao, his father and also his ancestors were incisive. These illustrious race of Brahmins are conscious of their intellectual superiority over others.
Rabi born as Rabindranath in the Palace of Bawaji Rao III to Mohini, his concubine, grows before the readers' eyes. He gets his early education and training by Panditji. He develops ideas and tendencies prejudicial to the British and at times to the Maharajah too. Unlike his father, Rabi is taught by an Indian tutor on the insistence of his mother. He does not attend the Chief's College or the Military Academy. He learns a lot through his tutor, mother and grandmother, about the golden past of his land and about the heroic deeds of his ancestors. He has the opportunity to mingle with the commoners and their children in the palace grounds as well as in the open countryside. Naturally, Rabi develops as a contrast to his father. His father is compared to a salt because he does not protest against Salt Taxation whereas Rabi is identifi ed with Water, as he undertakes to build a dam for his people. He does not like the rotten British Raj, who relentlessly pursues the 'divide and rule' policy. He is devoted to the Dewan, but is opposed to the Agent. He visits the Delhi Durbar along with his father and other members of his family, but he is not worried about the offi cial or princely duties bestowed upon him. Rabi is shocked when he sees his adored father bow to the Viceroy, and back away like a messenger. Rabi develops a fondness for Sophie, the daughter of the resident after the Grand Durbar. Rabi grows up by witnessing the privileges of the palace and residency and also the hardships of the common people owing to famine and drought. Sir Arthur Copeland breaks the news of the Viceroy's decision of accepting Rabi as the heir of Bawajiraj III. Bawajira j is delighted at the news but Rabi is not particularly overwhelmed by the news. He is mature and realizes that the concept of princely states and their British -approved rulers is little more than 'a fragile golden honeycomb'.
They soon leave for Shimla for a sojourn. Then, they decide to proceed to Bombay to receive the delivery of a fl eet of Rolls -Royce cars. Bombay is in a maze due to strikes of mill -workers and dockers. The royal family encounters a tense situation. The Maharajah and Rabi are seriously injured. Rabi gets wounded when he joins a group of striking labourers on Chowpatty Beach and the procession is lathi -charged by the police. The Maharajah recovers at the Imperial Hotel whereas Rabi is looked after by Jaya, a mill-worker in her hut. She not only nurses him back to health but also teaches him to love. Rabi also has a fi rsthand experience of the dreary life led by the poor.
The royal family returns to Devapur, where the national awakening has made its inroads too. On his return, Rabi's intentions are fi rm. He is determined to improve the lot of the people of his state.

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In contrast to Rabi, the Maharajah is so loyal to the Empire that he raises a force and leads it to the Western Front during the World War I.
He shows his mettle there and wins laurels for his gallantry. He takes the opportunity to get Sir Arthur Copeland reinstated as the Resident of his State in place of the stubborn and offensive Mr Buckridge. Markandaya weaves into the main plot two other sub-plots involving the other two institutions, namely, the story of the Agent s and Residents Sir Arthur Copeland as well as Mr Buckridge. The Indian masses are in no mood to cooperate with the foreigners, who levy new taxes on them day by day and render their lives miserable. In Devapur, things seem to be going against the Maharajah who does not resist these taxes and harassments. Rabi whole heartedly supports the people. He derives strong support from Usha, the youngest daughter of the Dewan. Once, she stages a subversive play depicting the rulers as monsters to the horror and distaste of the Resident Markandaya's The Golden Honeycomb is a representation of the bourgeois class, the princes of India, who alienated themselves from the common man of the country by their manner of thought and style of life. Rabi, the protagonist is disillusioned by the incongruities involved in the concept of the princely states and the role of the rulers. This alienation and disillusionment is the direct result of the search for identity. Critics believe that the search for identity is a recurrent theme in Indian Writing in English as the writer often feels alienated from his society and suffers from "culturalschizophrenia" for he is himself in search of an identity. S.C. Harrex relates this search specifi cally to Markandaya. It is rightly noted that Markandaya's literary sensibility projects itself in this novel as an acute perception of the different and distinct forms of national consciousness. Her contribution to Indo -English fi ction lies in her capacity to explore the vital and formative areas of individual consciousness. She projects the images of cultural change. She may not be one with the day-to-day lifestyle of the common Indians, particularly in this novel; yet she is aware of an all -encompassing national consciousness. This consciousness has always prevailed in all her novels. The Golden Honeycomb does very little to justify her claim of Indianness.
The various predicaments of identity in the novels of Kamala Markandaya are affected by the East-West clash of codes that is part of modern India. In The Golden Honeycomb, BawajiRao III is blissfully ignorant and shamefully insensitive to the problem of his true identity under the mask of a Maharajah. He develops an awareness of his responsibility for the people of the land towards the end. His identity lies in awareness and acceptance of his responsibility for his people. This is a splendid beginning of the people's struggle for freedom in the state of Devapur. Manjula and Mohini play pivotal roles in the affi rmation of the continuity of the essential cultural values amid the myriad political changes in modern India. They represent the best of India's traditional womanhood in guiding and shaping the destiny of BawajiRao III and Rabindranath. The Dewan is responsible for running the state. He is a vital link between the king and the people. He plays a key role in the development of the princely states of the British Raj.
Usha and Mohini are the embodiments of the two races, one representing the past and the other the future. The novel highlights the rancor and the sadness of the British-Indian relationship. The SHANLAX International Journal of English http://www.shanlaxjournals.com only solution to the problem was to break the association by withdrawal. Eventhough there are wide disparities, the novelist ends the novel on a note of reconciliation.
Markandaya has been very creative in presenting her character, Mohini. She depicts her self sacrifi ce in a realistically. It is a journey that results in self realization to that of self assertion. In short, the female characters are depicted as the ultimate victims and nurturers. They struggle a lot and overcome their predicament in an exemplary mode.