Page 267 - Communication Processes Volume 3 Communication Culture and Confrontation

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(Jodhka 2002). ‘[I]n its fight against modernity, the tradition was
also transformed and the nation and its leadership were redefined’
(Jodhka 2002). Rangabhoomi, the village depicted by Premchand,
is one of the ideal type. The main character of the story is himself a
Dalit, here taken as the representative of a reformed Hinduism, free
of cast discrimination and dominance, opposed to Christianity, the
oppressor’s belief.
In this political novel the cultural resistance to Western domination
is, therefore, basically a religious one. The Dalit, a blind beggar,
inherits a piece of land that he wants to use for the benefit of pilgrims.
An Indian Christian wants to use the land to build a cigarette factory.
Thus, the cultural–religious struggle is depicted as an economical
and social issue, which serves as a support to a broader criticism of
industrialism. However, moral arguments prevail over economical
ones, as the fight is one of idealism against materialism, moral order
against profit making, community against individualism. Premchand
insisted on ethical rather than political–economical values in an attempt
to revive the spirit of Indian nationalists after the withdrawal of the
non-cooperation movement launched by Gandhi.
The author argues that Premchand was little aware of the fact that
‘the conception of a unitary Hinduism was a modern phenomenon de-
veloped under colonial influence, and is as much a modernist/colonial
construct as the justification for industrialism’. This lack of awareness
of Gandhian intellectuals has paved the way to the development of
Hindutva as a leading ideology of post-colonial India (Patel 2002:
4828).
The chapter ‘Street Theatre in Maharashtra’ by Hema Rairkar, is
a historical record and analysis of a socio-cultural intervention on
the issue of deserted women in rural Maharashtra. A study group of
social animators, both men and women, first worked on ‘identifying
the collective attitudes, the social and cultural structures, and the
system of values which prompt and motivate this generalised practice’.
In the process of gathering this knowledge, the group decided that a
play would be the most appropriate medium for its impact on a large
audience. In other words, the choice of the form was determined by
the message and the intention behind the act of communication—not
the other way around. In addition, the fabrication itself was not based on
a formal study of rules of the art. It took place in a self-training process