Kanthapura is a hillside village in the Kara district of South India, close to a British-owned coffee estate. Its story is told by Achakka, an elderly Brahmin widow, in the manner of a sthala-purana, the traditional legend of a place, so village gods, gossip and politics flow together in one breathless voice.
The change begins when Moorthy, a young Brahmin who has returned from the city as a follower of Gandhi, starts spinning khadi, mixing with Pariahs and urging the villagers to join the non-cooperation movement. Opposition comes from the orthodox priest, the British-backed police and the estate's managers, and the women of the village, led by the widow Rangamma, become central to the resistance.
Published in 1938, Raja Rao's first novel is famous for its preface, which argued that Indians must write English in a rhythm of their own. Its long, comma-strung sentences imitate oral storytelling, and it remains a key novel of the freedom struggle seen from below.
Book details
| Author | Raja Rao |
|---|---|
| First published | 1938 |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Classic |
| Type | Fiction |
| Pages (approx.) | 240 |
| Setting | Kanthapura, a village in Karnataka (Mysore region), early 1930s |
Themes
- Gandhian movement
- Caste reform
- Women's resistance
- Village life
- Colonial oppression
Who should read it
Readers interested in how the freedom movement transformed rural India, told in a distinctive oral style.