Arun Kolatkar's Jejuri: Perspective Modern View on Faith, Realism and Scepticism

Volume II Issue I, April 2014 ISSN 2321 - 7065

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Arun Kolatkar’s Jejuri: Perspective Modern View on

Faith, Realism and Scepticism

Vilas K. Tayde

Asst. Professor and Head

Humanity and Science Department

B.M. Polytechnic, Badlapur,

Dist. Thane, Maharashtra, (INDIA)

Abstract

Jejuri, probably the most remarkable Indian poetry in English. Arun Kolatkar, bilingual poet,

aesthetically and graphically express his views on faith, realism and scepticism. Jejuri,

Commonwealth Prize winning, appeared in 1976. His first book of English poetry. Chirmiiri, his

another book, made history by going into 2nd

edition within six months of its release. It is bare

fact that Indians are devout and still having impact of culture and tradition that turned them

religious minded. Apart from this the youth are having impact of science as a result of that

society turned into the mix of thoughts, culture and tradition. Jejuri celebrates life in all its

varieties and reverent openness to life in its livings is one of the most endearing qualities of the

poem. At the same time the poet’s use of cross-cultural and trans-historical imagery situates

Jejuri within a macrocosmic. Kolatkar presents through a special kind of consciousness of

microcosm reflecting in some significant way the macrocosm of the universe. He also puts forth

man’s quest for his identity in this vast universe.

Key Words: tradition, pilgrims, accustom, culture, sacrifices, compromises, accustomed.


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Introduction

Jejuri, one of the controversial book of English poetry, is a collection of stunning simple, but

hunting 31 poems, pertaining to a visit of his to a religious place with the same name Jejuri in

Maharashtra. Jejuri is situated approximately 50 km from Pune in Maharashtra state. Jejuri is a

small town where Jejuri temple is situated, which lies to the southeast of Pune city. Khandoba

temple is one of the revered temple in Maharashtra state, known as Khandobachi Jejuri –the

place of Khandoba. The temple is dedicated to Khandoba, also known as Malhari Martand.

Khandoba is an incarnation of Lord Shiva and regarded as a God of Jejuri who is held in a great

reverence by Dhangars one of the oldest tribes. As well as the God is worshipped by all castes

and communities in India. It is believed that he can bestow wealth, health and children on his

devotees. Salman Rushdie calls Jejuri, Arun Kolatkar’s sprightly clear-sighted deeply felt poem

cycle, is widely recognized in India as a modern classic. Kolatkar’s sequence of poems requires a

particular kind of critical response: one that is too attentive to the historical and cultural

specification of the text. Amit Chaudhari rightly comments, Jejuri is, on its most obvious level

(and a very rich level that is in term of realism, observation, irony), an account of a man who

arrives at the pilgrimage town on a “state transport bus” in the company of people whose intense

is clearly more devotional than his is and has less to do with seemingly unfathomable curiosity. 8

(p. xvi) The journey to Jejuri starts from ‘The Bus’ and ends at ‘The Railway Station.’ The entire

sequence is framed between sun-rise and sun-set.

The poems evoke a series of images to highlight the dilemma in modern-day life. He

ironically attacks on religion, culture and tradition, although exposing blind faith. When we go


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through, suddenly, the question arises in our mind that who the protagonist is, pilgrims or

visitor? He left clues behind at the very beginning poem, “The Bus”. While prejudicing the old

man, the protagonist describes that he looks religious because there is teeka-mark beyond the

eyebrow. Thence after we come across that the protagonist is a visitor not a pilgrim. It clearly

indicates that the poet somewhere seems neutral-sceptic not religious.

“Your own divided face in a pair of glasses / on an old man’s nose

is all the countryside you get to see” 2

(Jejuri,P.13)

The glasses are symbolic through which face seems divided. It is dilemma, his mind is not

stable. Most probably, he feels that the old man is classifying community through glasses.

Elsewhere, the poet might be irritated by the thought of separations. It leads us to make

perception that the protagonists do not have faith in religious accustomed. It is a true picture of

the mentality of the remote people. At the end of the poem he ironically comments:

“You don’t step inside the old man’s head.” 2 (jejuri, P.13)

The protagonist’s perception is that the old man seems religious and follower of tradition.

Eventually, the poet hated him, for he thought of communalism. It shows that the protagonist is

secular. Indeed, Jejuri is strikingly modern in expression having impact of traditional Indian

sensibility.

The protagonist ironically describes how the priest exploits pilgrims in the poem, “The

Priest” as in following lines:


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“A catgrin on its face

And alive, ready to eat pilgrim

Held between its teeth” 2 (Jejuri, p. 15)

The priest is eagerly awaiting for the pilgrims. For him, pilgrims are like fresh prey. He catches

the pilgrims the way cat chases to prey mischievously, play with it, before the hunt. It is a daily

routine work of priest to find pilgrims to help them in worshipping the god and goddess. The

protagonist eloquently depicts the true picture of victimization.

The poem, “Heart of Ruin,” the protagonist keenly observes and focus on the reality as

follows:

“No more a place of worship this place / is nothing less than the house of god” 2 (Jejuri, p. 16)

The temple is badly damaged and most striking thing is that unclaimed bitch begotten puppies

that are sheltering under the roof of doom temple. Both lines are paradoxical. This is not the

place where you would like to offer pooja happily. But for bitch, this place is nothing less than

house of god. The condition of temple is completely direful and soul destroying. Anjali Nerlekar

rightly comments that Maruti the god, the bitch, and her puppies appear equated because the

refrain connect them, rendering them at subliminal level to type of the abandoned outcast an

especially, even bitterly ironic fate for one sanctified inhabitants of formerly hallowed place.4

(A.Nerlekar,P.5)


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The next poem, “The Door,” the protagonist portray pathetic site through surrealistic description

of sundry objects. The object is seen on two levels: mundane and the sacred, religious. He

adequately depicts ramshackle condition of the door.

“A profit half brought down / from the cross. / A dangling martyr” 2 (Jejuri,p.19)

The narrator observes the decay of religion and religious accustomed. It is notable that the

protagonists think of Christ and crucifixion. ‘the heavy medieval door’2

( Jejuri,p.19)

it indicate that the door is broken-down which was solid and useful in those days. Now, it hangs

on a single hinge.

The poem, “ A Low Temple” reveals seekers visit to a temple which is located in a cave. The

matchbox enables him to observe the bronze, stone of the goddess. The poet beautifully

depicting the picture in the following lines-

“One by one the god comes to light” 2

(Jejuri, p. 21)

As he burns the matchstick, the temple becomes visible and he gazes at god one by one

gradually. The protagonist is told by the priest that she is eight-armed goddess.

“Who was that, you ask / the eight-arm goddess, the priest replies” 2

(Jejuri, p. 21)

But when he counted, the deity had eighteenth arms. The protagonist attempts to clear his

confusion, but in vain, the priest is defiantly unmoved therefore he remains dejected. Hence, it

indicates that fact is blurring before faith.


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The poet acutely depicts the elegiac condition of poverty in the poem, “An Old Woman.” It

deals with the confrontation between Manohar, the protagonist and the destitute old woman. She

is walking lamely to chase him and offers to take to horseshoe shrine just for fifty paisa. Though

his stiffen ignorance she tightens grip on his sleeves. It is a realistic picture wherever you go at

holy places you will find out such situation all over in India.

“They stick to you like burr”2 (Jejuri, P.25) Once you caught, they don’t leave you alone until

and unless you agree with them. At the end of the poem, the protagonist describes poignant

condition of an old woman as follows –

“What else can an old women do / on hills as wretched as these?” 2 (Jejuri, P.25)

She is despondent and compares herself with dismal hills. They can’t shift somewhere else, even

if they wish. He practically unmasks poverty-stricken situation of Jejuri.

The poem, “The Priest Son” It deals with the faith and skepticism also expose perplexing

situation of both of them. The priest ‘s son use to come there to guide people in vacation. The

protagonist is told that the Khandoba had killed five demons and they turned into five hills.

do you really believe that story / you ask him

he doesn’t reply / but merely looks uncomfortable

Shrugs and looks away 2 (p. 30)


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The protagonist checks whether the priest is believed in or not. The priest by disregard looks

away without answering. The priest is discomfited by the question it is the same situation that

happened with poet himself when asked by interviewer whether he believe in God, Kolatkar

answered, “I leave the question alone, I don’t think I have to take the position about the god, one

way or the other” the poet is the traveler not pilgrims. But he put a thin line between faith and

scepticism. 5 (p. 6-10). At the end of the poem the poet brilliantly reveals the sharp presence of

mind of priest in the following lines-

Look / there’s butterfly /there 2 (p.30)

It shows that how the priest tactfully divert the attention of protagonist.

The poem, “Butterfly” has symbolized life. It deals with steep life and pleasure of life that

connected with a legend or myth. But it is relatively with butterfly.

“It has no future / It is pinned down to no past” 2 (Jejuri, p.31)

The butterfly’s life spam is nine months. Neither she bothered about the future, nor she clasps

past. She lives present moment blissfully. “It has taken these wrecked hills / under its wing” 2

(Jejuri, p.31) . The butterfly covered destructed hills under wings. It is the fact that people thinks

lot about past and future. They miss the joy of the moment in these practices. The protagonist

attacks on the audacious nature of human beings by setting an appropriate example of the

butterfly.

The poem, “Scratch” sneer at the technique of a priest who beguile people that god are

converted into various stones by linking different myth to them. The protagonist also shown the

scratch in big stone, told that it is Khandoba’s wife, once she was hit by Khandoba in great anger

and she turned into stone. In this poem, the poet beautifully described faith and scepticism.

“What is god /and what is stone / the dividing line / if it exists / is very thin /

at jejuri /and every other stone / is god or his cousin” 2 (Jejuri p.32)


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The poet ironically comments that even crannied stones are turning into god and becoming the

members of the family of the god. All are residing at Jejury. “there is no crop / other than god.” 2

(Jejuri p.32) Jejury is the place where you can accessibly find the god all over. Neither there is

farmer nor husbandry at Jejuri. Thus, it becomes barren land. The priests, their only occupation

is harvesting god 24 x 7. M.K.Naik rightly comments that all the reaction of Manohar, to Jejuri

manifestly show him typical modern sceptic.3(p.26) While winding up ‘Scratch’ poem, the

protagonist comments ironically as follows: “ scratch a rock / and legends springs” 2 (Jejuri,p.32)

The protagonist amusingly specifies that crannied stones are turning into god, its matter of faith

or blind faith.

The poem, “Makarand” is full of contrast; the speakers skillfully reveal the faith and

scepticism.

“ Take my shirt off / and go in there to do pooja? /no thanks / not me /

but you go right ahead / if that is what you want to do / give me the matchbox

before you go / Will you? / I will be out in the courtyard / where no one will mind it /

if I smoke”2 (Jejuri, p.43)

The great impact of modernity and metropolitan culture shaped his mind with dilemma.

Makarand prefer to smoke Charminar cigarette rather than to offer Pooja that left us behind with

dubious mind. The poem suggests that the modern religious sensibility is at low ebb. There is

conflict between modernity and tradition as well as contradiction between scepticism and faith. It

also focused on the ambiguities in modern day life. Ian Hamilton & Jeremy Noel-Tod rightly


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comments, “An idiosyncratic humor pervades much of Kolatkar’s writing; it derives some of its

force from viewing common place detail at an unaccustomed angle.” 6 (p. 327)

The poem “ Ajamil and the Tigers” deals with sacrifices and compromise. Ajamil, the

shepherd keeps sheep dog to protect herd. So tigers face starvation. After knowing this King

tiger got angry and turns to Ajamil’s hut. Interestingly, the tiger king and shepherd both lie each

other. Shepherd believes that he can have harmony with the tigers if he allows them to eat some

of his sheep. Either he is scared or maintains the natures balance. Similarly, pilgrims allow

priests to diddle them just to fulfill wishes or for the survival of religion.

The poem, “Yashwant Rao”, the protagonist intensely highlight an oscillation between faith

and scepticism. He brilliantly described in the following lines :

“Gods who soak you for your gold

Gods who soak you for your soul.” 2 (p. 49)

The protagonist smartly depicting the god can make your life full of prosperity and he can bring

harmony in your life. He jovially comments as follows:

“God who put the child inside your wife”2 (p. 49)

It is a true case of a dilemma. Modern pilgrim knows that it is impractical, refutable even though

he never goes against it. The mind of Indian youth is mix of faith, myth, culture, tradition and

scepticism. Subconsciously, they believe in myth to protect religion. Alike they support fact to


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boom. It is an infinite dilemma. The poet’s thoughts are swinging from Faith to skepticism.

Indians, they have impact of science and religion on their mind, therefore they are mix minded.

People frighten by the threats of God also. The protagonists comments ironically-

“God who will see you drown

if you won’t buy them new crown” 2

(Jejuri,49)

Pilgrims are accustomed to offer crown if God fulfills their wishes. On the other hand, they have

to keep promises otherwise they will suffer and dies by the curse of God.

The next poem Gabharyatala oondeer (The Rat of Low Temple) published in Marathi book

only. So I tried to translate those lines in English. It deals with the rituals of Hindu tradition.

The newly married lady comes to worship Khandoba and takes blessing for happy married life.

The protagonist portrays the traditional and cultural accustomed very ironically in following

lines-

Pujaryachya galavar khali / Dimple on priests cheek

pandharya deedbot dadhi aad / hidden behind one and half inches

dadleli 1

(p.38) white beard


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She is, having a bunch of green bangles in her hands. She is offering whitish unripe banana and

crushing it on the top of linga. While worshipping, the bangles are jangling and beautiful dots of

bangles are shining and slightly moving. Pujari – The priest is watching everything and he is

smiling. The hidden dimple is symbolically used. Probably there is something that no one

knows except the priest.

The poem, “The Blue Horse” exposes the reality. The old woman, toothless, impoverished,

beggar, singing for money. Two brothers, drummers, one of them is pockmarked, their black

skin is sun tan so it becomes bluish.

“Gods own children

making music” 2

(Jejuri,p.51)

As far as Indian tradition is concerned drummer belongs to a lower caste in Maharashtra. Still,

there is no improvement in their life style. Mahatma Gandhi called them harijan-son of God.

After watching pathetic site of drummer and beggar, he turns to the house of the priest who

arrange cabaret for him. The protagonist amusingly highlight the confusion of priest in following

lines-

‘The singers sang of a blue horse.

How is it, then, that the picture on your wall / shows white one?’

“Looks blue to me” 2 (Jejuri, p. 52)


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The seeker goes through the picture which hangs on the wall and closely observe that a mare is

white. When he asks about blue horse the priest ignorantly says it is blue for him. They have

nothing to with fact. The fact is that the artist used blue color for shade. It also indicates that they

are enough habitual to make their own sense. Again, facts seems blurring before unconvincing

logic.

Conclusion-

The poet views Hindu tradition skeptically and bitterly attack on blind faith. The world of

jejuri is full hypocrisy and fake religious world. The impact of religion on the mind is indelible.

Though, now a day, pilgrims do not gather at religious place with full faith in God. M. K. Naik is

of the view that Jejuri, could have been a far more substantial achievement had the poet’s vision

been less fragmentary and had he not remained content with scratching the surface of the

problem. 7

(p. 218) As well as he put question before us; he is not fully conciliated by the reply

of the priest.

Jejury, typical Indian sensibility made vehicle, steering by realistic fellow, having two wheels

one is front and the second one is rear full of scepticism and faith respectively.


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Works Cited

1. Shahane, Ashok. Jejuri Arun Kolatkar(Marathi) ,50th

Pras Prakashan ,2011

2. Shahane, Ashok. Jejuri Arun Kolatkar, Pras: 43, Sixth edition, 2006

3. Naik, M.K. Dimensions of Indian English literature, New Delhi: Sterling Publishers, 1984.

4. Nerlekar, Anjali, The rough ground of translation and bilingual writing in Arun Kolatkar’s

Jejuri, Perspectives: Studies in Translatogy.2012

5. Kolatkar, Arun. “An Interview, The Indian literary Review.Vol.1 No.4

6. Hamilton, Ian & Noel-Tod, Jeremy. The Oxford Companion to Modern Poetry, Second

edition, 2013

7. Naik, M.K., A History of Indian English Literature, Sahitya Akademi, 2009

8. Chaudhari, Amit. Jejury by Arun Kolatkar, introduction by Amit Chaudhari, New York

Review Book, 2005.

Arun Kolatkar's Jejuri: Perspective Modern View on Faith, Realism and Scepticism

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