Gulvadi Venkatarao's Indirabai - a brief summary

The first realist novel set in contemporary times in Kannada, Indirabai, was published in 1899.  Written by Gulvadi Venkatarao, Indirabai became the first of a series of social-realist Kannada novels written at the beginning of the 20^th century that fictionalized the changes taking place in Kannada society inspired by ‘social-reform movements’ in Bengal and Maharashtra.  In Indirabai, Venkatarao rewrites the problems of his Chitrapur Saraswat community in Dakshina Kannada at the turn of the 19^th century and the clamour for reforms from the educated progressive members of the community. 

There are a number of exciting and interesting issues and facts in and about Indirabai.  I want to keep each post brief and readable and therefore these would appear in subsequent posts on the novel.  And since this is the first, I would like to give you a ‘story-summary’ as I had written it.  

This is the cover of the 1985 edition of Indirabai published (very carelessly and shoddily I must say) by The Directorate of Kannada and Culture to commemorate the World Kannada Conference held in that year

Indirabai is born to an ambitious mother, Ambabai, and her acquiescent husband, Bhimarao.  Bhimarao‘s is a rags-to-riches story.  He firmly believes that his success is only due to his wife‘s good luck, and unhesitatingly plots the murder of his apprentice, Sundararao, on the basis of a concocted complaint from his wife.  Indirabai is married off to Vithalrao a year before she reaches puberty.  The only son of wealthy, indulgent parents, Vithalrao is unable to control his sexual ardour and cannot wait till his wife, Indirabai, comes of age. With the tacit approval of his parents and Indirabai’s parents, he arranges to live in a bungalow on the outskirts of the city with two concubines.  His insatiable sexual appetite and debauched lifestyle ultimately lands him in bed with a high fever and he dies leaving Indirabai a virgin widow.  

Indirabai's mother wants her to get her head tonsured and lead the life of a widow.  Her father, however, disapproves of tonsure and brushes aside suggestions of sati made by the priest.  She is made to wear white saree-s, asked not to comb her hair or even apply oil to it, and not to wear blouses too. She rebels and disregards her mother‘s injunctions, except for wearing a white saree.  Her mother conspires to send her off with a group of dubious ‘swami-s‘, who go around conducting rituals and collecting unwanted widows for their various services.  One night, when these swamis are camping in her house, and when one of them tries to molest her, she locks him up in her room and manages to escape.  She takes refuge in the house of Amritarao, a lawyer in the town.  

Amritarao had earlier adopted Bhaskararao, the son of Sundararao, and had supported his education. Bhaskararao is in England for his ICS studies.  On hearing Indirabai‘s plight, Amritarao allows her to stay in his house.  His wife, Jalajakshi, concurs with her husband. Bhimrao and Ambabai ask Indirabai to comeback and threaten Amritarao, but as Indirabai had decided to stay on at Amritarao‘s house on her own volition, her parents cannot do anything further. 

Amritarao learns that Indirabai is keen on studies and sends her to a widow‘s home-cum-school in Satara run by Pandita Anandibai.  She returns on passing her exams and Bhaskararao too returns from England having qualified for the ICS. Amritarao broaches the subject of marriage to both Indirabai and Bhaskararao separately. Both develop a liking for each other and disregarding the fact that Indirabai is a widow, Bhaskararao decides to marry her, thus ending the novel.