Page 284 - Communication Processes Volume 3 Communication Culture and Confrontation

Resisting Colonial Modernity 259

colonialism could be mounted. Tradition, therefore, became the im-
portant point of reference and a tool to fight the alien regime. However,
Premchand, like Gandhi, was aware that the traditional social order
in India was inegalitarian and oppressive, particularly for those be-
longing to the Dalit (or untouchable) castes. He, therefore, created in
Rangabhoomi, a non-hierarchical and relatively homogeneous village
community, as a source of resistance to industrialism and ultimately to
colonialism. And this resistance was led, sometimes single-handedly,
by the hero who belonged to a Dalit caste. Therefore, in its fight against
modernity, tradition was also transformed, and the nation and its
leadership were redefined.
The theme of Rangabhoomi is driven by the anti-imperialist
imperative and by the attempt to encourage nationalists not to
despair at a time of political withdrawal and inactivity. The resistance
visualized is at two levels—cultural and political. The cultural resistance
is against industrialism and Christianity, while the political one is
against the colonial regime. While the first is explicitly stated, the
second is symbolically represented. The cultural resistance takes
precedence over the political, and, in certain senses, itself acquires a
political character. Industrialism and Christianity are considered the
twin aspects of the colonial cultural onslaught and the battle against
them is waged by the two central characters. One is a Dalit (Surdas)
and the other a woman (Sophia) born in a Christian family and both
traditionally outside the boundaries of the mainstream Hindu social
order. While Surdas’ character is based on Gandhi, Sophia’s character,
by author’s confession, is inspired by Annie Besant. The choices are
significant because they strengthen the cultural locales from where the
resistance to colonial cultural offshoots is launched. It is an imagined
liberal and reformed Hinduism without discrimination and hierarchy
which serves as the centre of this cultural opposition. Surdas, in his
quest for defending the traditional community, and Sophia, in her be-
lief in a tolerant, value-based Hinduism, provide resistance points
to colonial cultural hegemony. They respectively defend the village
community and Hinduism against the assault of modern industry and
narrow-minded Christianity.

Rangabhoomi, by author’s own confession, is a political novel. Its
story moves along twin axes, both equally important and intertwined
in political terms. One is located in Pandeypur, a small semi-rural