CHAPTER-IV

FAMILY AND SOCIETY

Society is the sum total of formal relationships in which

associating individuals are bound together. - Giddings.
As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole
world in which we live. - Pope John Paul I1
Family is the basic unit of society. A family consists of members
related by blood as well as by marriage. A nuclear family is a small family
where the father, mother and their immediate off springs live. An extended
family includes grand parents, their off springs, daughters-in-law and grand
children. Communities are bigger units of society. The members of the
same community share a common culture. Family structures and role
relationships differ from community to community. Each community has its
own needs and its cultural notions depending upon the geographical
position, their living atmosphere and experience.
The family structure and the role relationship in the Indian society are
for a major part, according to the prescription of the Smritis, the ancient
law-codes of Hindus, since a majority of Indians are Hindus. Many Hindu
law givers have from time to time modified the codes of behaviour, to suit
the social needs of the time. Manu, Yagnyavalkya, Parasara are some of

the law givers. Though some of these laws and the notions which were
behind them have changed, some of them are followed even today.
According to these laws, the society was divided into four groupsBrahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas and Sudras. Brahmins were responsible for
preserving and perpetuating the knowledge base in all fields. Kshatriyas
were responsible for protecting the society from the threats outside and
inside, Vaisyas were engaged in agriculture, trade and commerce and
Sudras did manual labour. Likewise there were also family laws that
specified the rights and duties and code of behaviour for every member.
The Varna-system (caste division) aimed at preserving the various
professions and cultural traditions and Asrama (the Life-scheme) aimed at
preserving Dhar ma. The Hindu Laws stress the importance of dedication,
love, sharing, trust and recognition in the individual's life.
These ancient systems are now considered to have engendered
caste discrimination as well as gender discrimination in the society. The
familial roles and the codes of behaviour prescribed were in favour of the
patriarchal society. Till the advent of the British, the Indians remained
conventional in their notions. The English rulers considered most of the
practices like Sati, sacrifice etc., to be barbaric and took steps to abolish
them. The educated lndians also contributed for the development. A

tremendous change in social life took place in the lgth century during the
British rule. However, some of the basic traditional notions did not change
and many Indians remained conservative even in the early 2othcentury.
According to Paul Verghese, "there is no better yardstick to measure
the culture of a nation than her literature, which is an expression of society"
(1971: 110). Indeed, literature mirrors life, and reflects the social activities,
culture and notions of the people. No writer of any age is free from the
influence of the socio-political notions of his time.
The Indian novels of the 1930s and 40s, written in vernacular or in
English, mirrored the socio-political situation of the time and had as their
theme, the national struggle for freedom, East-West encounter and other
social problems of the period.
In the words of Meenakshi Mukherjee :

A study of the emergence of the novel in India has to be more

than a purely literary exercise. The factors that shaped the
growth of the genre since the mid-nineteenth century arose as
much from the political and social situation of a colonized
country as from several indigenous though attenuated narrative
traditions of an ancient culture that survived through constant
mutation. English Education and through English an exposure

to Western Literature were by far the strongest influence at work

(1985: 3).

The Western impact on lndia can be perceived in the language as well

as in the outlook in the writings. The early romances were replaced by the
novels of realism. Paul Verghese observes that, "the contact with the West,
the desire of enlightened Indians to revive the culture of the past and the
growing demand for social reform had their influence on the creative minds of
the time" (1971: 15). Most of the novels written during that period took up
these issues and depicted the social life of Indians, either as the central
theme, or at least by way of providing a background.
Both Raja Rao and L.S.Rarnamirtham, have portrayed lndian life,
particularly that of the South, in their works. Raja Rao's novels are essentially
Indian. In fact, he has been acclaimed as the first lndian English writer to
depict lndian life in all its facets. J.P.Sharma observes:
But never before Raja Rao, had lndia been interpreted to the
West in the fictional form, although G.V.Desani has been the first
in this field to try his hand.

Raja Rao has interpreted lndian

politics in Kanthapura, lndian philosophy in The Serpent and the

Rope and The Cat and Shakespere and lndian life, (particularly
South Indian) in The Cow o f the Barricades and other stories of
the West in his unique style (1980: 2).

Raja Rao's short stories and his first novel reveal his deep political
and social concern, though his later novels are concerned more with the
philosophical aspect of life. However, in all his novels, he presents a vivid,
yet realistic, depiction of the Hindu society. He picturises the life style of the
Hindu society by giving an elaborate description of the Hindu families, the

structure, the role and the interaction between the members; the ideals and
notions that prevailed among them.
In the works of L.S.Ramamirtham too, there is a depiction of the
Hindu families, through which the reader is able to get a glimpse of the
society at that time. In fact, he himself acknowledges that he has been
criticized for confining himself to 'families' in his work. He answers this
criticism in the following words:
I have been criticized that I have confined myself to family life,

that I have not written about society. I tell you this ...Family is a
small world in itself. How many whirlpools, how many types,
what emotions, shades of emotions, confrontations and
reunions, what forces and compulsions... I still keep analyzing
and probing - and from cradle to death bed, the whole of my
lifetime is not enough for this analysis of human life. Family is
my laboratory. The society is born out of family (MPT: 208).

Most of his short stories deal with problems and conflicts in family life.
He describes in his novels and short stories, the aspirations and
expectations of the individuals and how they sacrifice and compromise for
the family. The description of the familial duties and the reaction of the
characters throw light on the existing notions and the ideals of the society.

A number of families belonging to different communities with a variety

of characters are portrayed in the works of Raja Rao. He describes the
south lndian Brahmin families, the north lndian families, the Keralite
families, French and other European families in his novels. However, in a
majority of his works, he depicts the Hindu families. Raja Rao does not
only reveal his knowledge of the way of life in different communities but
also brings out the attitude of one community to the other thus throwing
light on the relevance of caste division and patriarchy.
In Raja Rao's early works, the focus is on society.

The families

portrayed in these works serve to throw light on the social evils such as
child marriage, the strict norms for widows, the oppression of women and
family violence, poverty, caste division and the inhuman practice of
untouchability. In "Akkayya" he describes a traditional Brahmin family in a
patriarchal society. Akkayya, married at a very young age, becomes a
widow soon after marriage. She is not even old enough to understand the

seriousness of the situation. "Akkayya did not understand anything of

what happened and she perfectly enjoyed the doll show - for it was
Dassera then. They only asked her not to put on the kumkum mark and
she did not mind that in the very least" (PR: 47). There is a poignant
picture of the consequences of the practice of child marriage. The girl,
married at an age when she could not even comprehend the meaning of
marriage or the concept of widowhood, grows up to remain a widow all
her life, a dependent on others without having anyone even to mourn for
her death. He delineates the pathetic and lonely life of a widow in a
Brahmin family very effectively in the short story.
It is a typical middle class, north Indian, shop-keeper's family
that one comes across in his "The Little Gram Shop". Moti Khan and his
son represent the male-chauvinistic society of the time. Raja Rao gives
a close picture of their ways of life, describing their day-to-day activity
giving attention to even the minute details. "Narsiga", a story about an
illiterate shepherd boy, also throws light on the caste discrimination and
Narsiga's admiration for Gandhi for treating every one alike.
His "Client" describes the conflict of an educated poor boy as to
whether or not to marry an uneducated girl from a rich family, which will

provide him the necessary money for his education. This also describes
the condition of the poor educated boys in India.
"Javni", another short story describes the woeful life of a widow in
a low-caste family.

Raja Rao pictures the petty quarrels among the

members of the family, the jealousy, and the immaturity of the people
around her. The writer also depicts the humility of Javni, which is the
result of many years of caste discrimination. When the narrator asks
Javni to come inside and eat, she says, "I do not want to dirty the floor of
the hall" (PR: 89). The narrator's sister too feels that it is "irreligious"

(PR: 89) to dine with the untouchable. The narrator thinks of Lord
Krishna's saying, "Whenever there is misery and ignorance, I come" and
wonders, "when will the conch of knowledge blow" (PR: 89).
In his first novel Kanthapura too, there is a portrayal of social as well
as the familial hierarchy. As U.R.Anantha Murthy observes, "In vivid detail
Rao describes the daily activities, the religious observances and the social
structure of the community and he brings to life in his pages a dozen or
more unforgettable individual villagers" (1998: 171). The idea of caste that
is fixed in the mind of the people is discernible in the words of Achakka:
Moorthy goes from house to house and from younger brother to
elder brother himself, and what do you think? he even goes to

the potters' quarter, and the weavers' quarter and the Sudra
quarter, and I closed my ears when I heard he went to the
Pariah quarter.

We said to ourselves, he is one of these

Gandhi men, who says there is neither caste nor clan nor family
and yet they pray like us and they live like us. Only they say
too one should not marry early, one should allow widows to
take husbands and a Brahmin might marry pariah and a pariah
a Brahmin, well, well let them say it, how does it affect us?

(K: 15).
Moorthy, the central character belongs to a Brahmin family.
Influenced by Gandhi, he preaches equality in the village and is promptly
excommunicated by the Swami. Narasamma, Moorthy's orthodox mother,
can not even bear to hear about his excommunication. She exclaims
sorrowfully, "Oh! to have a son excommunicated. Oh ! to have gone to
Benares and Rameshwaram and to Gaya and to Gokurna and to have a
son excommunicated. I wish I had closed my eyes with your father instead
of living to see you polluted" (K: 46). Moorthy himself, brought up in
brahmin tradition, feels a little hesitant to mix up with the pariahs. But
gradually he gains moral strength, becomes more and more mature, and
follows the Gandhian principle of equality with greater conviction.

Raja Rao portrays vividly the different aspects of family life, familial
relationships, family structure and also the cultural aspects associated with
different occasions in different communities in his novels, The Serpent and
the Rope, The Cat and Shakespeare and The Chess Master and his
Moves. The Serpent and the Rope portrays a traditional Brahmin family.
Rama, the protagonist, learns the Vedas at the age of five. He is conscious
of the spiritual aspirations of his ancestors and continues the quest.
Though he goes to France he carries with him his brahminic notions. He
shows the influence of the Vedas and the Upanishads and also the
brahminic tradition and culture. His feelings throb with Brahmin superiority
and male supremacy which reveal the influence of the Indian caste system
and patriarchy.
There is also a true-to-life account of the family bond and
relationships. The joint family system that prevailed in the Hindu society
encouraged a close knit family, each member caring for the rest. The
Serpent and the Rope sketches the relationship among the various
members of the family. Rama's recollection of his grandfather's activities
and the conversations with him tells us a lot about the warm and
affectionate relationship between the two. Rama remembers how brave
and noble his grandfather was. His grandfather is orthodox and does not

want Rama to perform his death ceremony. He explains that he does not
love him less but only that he does not want to violate the convention, since
Rama went out of the country and married a French woman. However,
being an intellectual himself, he appreciates Rama's learning and says that
he should continue his pursuit. It could be noticed that Rama is inspired
and influenced by his grandfather. The relationship between Rama and the
other members of the family is also typical of the relationships in a
traditional brahmin family. His father has great ambitions about Rama. He
wants him to study mathematics and to become a distinquished person in
the field. Though Rama did not understand his father's love when he was
alive, he realizes it after his death. Rama has fond memories of his mother
too. Little Mother who comes to replace his mother also has a place in
Rama's heart. He understands her feelings and respects her. However,
the loss of his mother is irreparable to him.
In the Hindu family, the elder brother is considered second only to the
father and he shoulders the burden of the family along with the father. After
his father's death, Rama becomes the head of the family and tells Saroja,
"I have become the head of the family now and since I must return to
Europe soon, Little Mother will be my representative, with the power of the
baton and the bank account" and Saroja immediately says "We obey"

(TSTR: 49). The elder brother has special privileges too. Everyone looks
upon the elder brother for help and moral support. Saroja and Sukumari
share their feelings with Rama. They respect him and also love him. Little
Mother accepts the authority of Rama, respects his knowledge, and
consults him in each and every matter before taking a decision. The
affection that the family members have for each other is delineated
artistically in the novel.
Family relationship of a different kind is presented in The Cat and
Shakespeare. The relationship between Ramakrishna Pai and his wife is
not a happy one and the husband has an extra marital relationship with
Shanta. His wife Saroja stays in her maternal house with her son.
Ramakrishna Pai stays with Shanta and his daughter Usha lives with him.
He is very fond of Usha, and wants to build a house for her. Shanta takes
care of Usha just as a mother would do. Raja Rao stresses here that
family is not made of the outcome of a series of rituals at the marriage but
is built on love, affection, devotion, and compromises.
The portrayal of man- woman relationship in his works brings out
what he thinks an ideal relationship should be. He considers woman as the
'essential' half of man and feels that the extinction of ego on both sides
only will lead to perfect union. The ideal relationship according to him

should make one realize the self within. This he portrays in the relationship
between Rama and Savitri and Pai and Shanta.
In The Chess Master and his Moves also, there is a portrayal of
family relationships. The hero Sivarama is a Brahmin. The details about
his family are given through his words. The reader comes to know of his
father's aspiration, his mother's death and his sister's problems.
Sivarama's father writes to him about Uma's condition. His sister Uma is
overcome by grief as she does not have a baby and this affects her
relationship with her husband. She wants to undergo treatment in France
and looks for her brother's support. His father hopes that Sivarama would
help Uma by taking her to France for treatment.

Uma herself has great

faith in Sivarama and says, "Brother, what is it that you can't do?"
(TCMM: 58). Sivarama renders all the support he could, like a brother of a
traditional Hindu family. Uma also admires her brother and is proud of his
knowledge. Similarly, in Javni, the narrator's sister Sita expresses her
admiration for her brother, "who knows what incarnation of a God he may
be? who knows?" (PR: 85). In all the works of Raja Rao the reader can
notice a good, healthy and proper understanding between the mother and
the son and also between brothers and sisters. It can also be noticed that
women respect male authority and are willing to be subordinate.

Familial relationships of various kinds are portrayed in the works of

L.S.Ramamirtham. The reader could infer, from his portrayals of
woman relationship, his concept of ideal relationship.

man-

Most of the

husbands and wives, show love and affection for each other. "Tarahki~l",
"~a'k+iiyiql', "SBvitrl', "Apiirva rgkafikar, and "Amall' are noteworthy
instances. He also portrays the incompatibility in between husband and
wife leading to quarrels and estrangement. The wife in "T6fu1' is very
materialistic and the husband, unable to withstand the bickering, leaves the
house.

In "Twanl', the father is angry with his children for their

disrespectful attitude and with the mother, for her decision to stay back with
the children. In Ke'ra!attil Enkc also, the narrator leaves his house, and
stays in a remote village in Kerala, in order to be away from the family-the
children are selfish and are not interested in satisfying the elders; the father
stays away but the mother decides to stay with the children. The writer
indicates that women are down to earth and practical and adjust to all
changes whereas men find it difficult to do so. In Apita, the husband and

wife live together, but keep quarrelling all the time since they are unable to
understand or satisfy each other. Ampi marries Sgvitri out of a feeling of
gratitude to her father who gave him a job. His poverty and the inferiority
complex arising out of his status is one of the reasons for their quarrels.

However, even in unhappy relationships, it is the man who goes out. The
woman stays back and takes care of the family. This is according to the
traditional pattern where a woman with patience and endurance was
praised and idealized. In the various man-woman relationships portrayed,
the reader comes across many individuals - some passionate, some
passive, some short-tempered, some patient, some with extra-ordinary
sensitivity, some others hard, and so on.
Most

often

the

man-woman

L.S.Ramamirtham is conventional.

relationship

presented

by

He does not describe in detail the

sexual unions. Extra-marital relationships find their place only in one or two
stories of L.S.Ramamirtham, and even there he does not elaborate on
them. In "KastGril' the writer presents an illicit relationship between the
narrator's wife and his friend. In Apita the old man's passion for the young
girl Apita who is the daughter of his childhood love is described. In
"MiyamZn", the husband has extra-marital relationship with the cook.
Through these portrayals, the writer gives a picture of the society of his
time. However, even in these stories the writer describes how their
unconventional relationships affect the individuals psychologically and
mar the happy atmosphere in the family. The author thus subscribes to
the conventional moral codes prescribed by the society.

On the other hand, in the works of Raja Rao, there is a detailed

description of sexual life, the frustration or satisfaction, an analysis of the
resulting feelings leading to reflections on man-woman relationship. The
protagonists have extra-marital relationships, but are not bothered about
moral questions, which in turn throw light on the author's attitude to moral
conventions.
The parent-child relationship described in L.S.Ramamirtham's works
often brings out the love of the parent for the young ones, the gulf between
the generations due to change in values. Understanding elders either give
up their ego or decide to live separately for the happiness of children as in

"Sivitri".
The relationship between children and their grand-parents has been
brought out touchingly in "Tu!aciV and "Kirukkal". "Tulaci" describes the
affectionate relationship between a boy and his grandmother. The boy
recollects the happy days spent with the grandmother, after her death and
expresses his admiration for her. "Grandma, there is nothing that you do
not know, there is nothing that you have not experienced. Grandma, you
are an ocean" (Aval: 297). He feels that the soul of the grandma (whose
name is Tulaci) should have merged with the tulaci plant in the house and
imagining then the plant to be his grandma he shares his feelings with the

plant. "Kiykkal" describes the friendship of a child and his grandfather.

After the death of his wife, the father comes to live with his son. Life moves
mechanically in the family as both the son and his wife go for job. They
force education and good manners on the child, not allowing him to be free
to enjoy childhood. But after the arrival of the grandfather, the child keeps
playing with him till the parents come back. The parents do not like the
change and warn the child that he should be more disciplined. Once when
the mother finds that the boy has scribbled on the wall, they punish him
severely. The grandfather feels sad and shows his anger scribbling every
where on the wall.

Here again the writer points out that the younger

generation has become materialistic and selfish and their children suffer
the consequences. This materialistic, uncompr.omising attitude of the
younger generation is presented in many of his works like "UttarZyanam"
and "Siivitri". In "SZvitri", there is a realistic picture of the confrontation and
problems that occur in a joint family. The daughter-in-law in her
involvement in dressing up forgets to cover the vessel of flour with a lid and
a lizard goes in. The mother-in-law who could not bear this carelessness

warns her. But then, the son takes the side of the wife and admonishes his
mother. Ssvitri quits the house the same day, telling her son, that she has
left some work undone in the village, and hence she must go. Recollecting

the incident later, Savitri observes, "their time and their ways are different''
(Paccai: 189). As L.S.Ramamirtham is concerned with emotions and
passions of the individuals, he focuses on the reaction of the individuals to
various situations. And hence the reader comes across a variety of
characters in his works. Even within the traditional set up, the characters
differ widely and are not stereo-typed. As Ferro Luzzi points out, "perhaps
out of a sense of equity, perhaps also because of his religiousphilosophical convictions, Ramamirtham always tends to represent the
whole gamut of possibilities" (1995: 86). Hence, a problem is viewed from
many points of view. The younger generation's expectations and
disappointments and the elders anxiety about the youngsters behaviour
and outlook are brought out through different characters in many of his
works. In "KEralattil Enkc", the son tells the father, "Do not change the
track, daddy. Can't we have our own way?

Even if it is thorny and

bushy, if you discover that, then whether it is a narrow path or a broad

one - is that our fate?" (KE: 98). The writer's preface for the same novel
expresses the feeling of the elders effectively and poetically:
I am your root
You are the supporting branch

I have not yet become weak

still I want to lean on you.

That is my pride.
So, come closer. (KE: 4)
The close bond between the brother and sister that is seen in Hindu
families is brought out in many of his stories. In most of the stories, like
"Tayz", "Ammulu", brothers take care of their sisters. In "Jamatakni" there is
a beautiful picture of the brother-sister relationship. The sister while trying
to pull away the younger brother from fire, gets burnt herself and being

handicapped she does not get married. But she is selfless and does not
regret it. The brother fondly remembers her sacrifice even after her death.
Most of the families presented by both the writers in their works are
joint families. The joint family system was very much alive in the post
independent period. A lot of adjustment and compromise was demanded of
the individuals there. Women especially had to be more patient and
flexible, like the Little Mother in The Serpent and The Rope. She comes
as the third wife to Rama's father and takes care of all the children as
her own. The family of Akkayya and the family pictured in 'The Little
Gram Shop' are all extended families. In the patriarchal set up, the joint
family system exercised both positive and negative influences.

Men

enjoyed more rights. They were dominant and authoritative, whereas

women had to be passive and submissive. The children had many

companions to grow together with, and many elders to shower love on
them.
Most of the families portrayed in L.S.Ramamirtham's works are
traditional brahmin families and many happen to be joint families too.
His "P@kataln portays a family with members of four generations. The
grandmother, the father and the mother, the sons and daughters-in-law
and their children. The writer commenting on this story observes:
I am an idealist. I want my parents, elders and ancestors. I

am not ashamed that my story advocates tradition, family

prestige, pride, the spirituality that runs through, the poetry and
mysticism. Isn't society itself a family? No need to label
oneself as a humanist. The joint family system ,itself is the
actual, practical expression of humanism. (MPT: 90).
Both Raja Rao and L.S.Ramamirtham portray in their works the rites
and rituals, the festivals and ceremonies which reflect the culture and
tradition of the Indians. M.N.Srinivas observes in his Caste in Modern India,
that:
While the intellectual has concentrated his attention on the
Upanishads, Bhagvat Gita and the writings of the three great

acharyas and their followers, the ordinary man's religiosity has

found expression in the punctilious observance of the rules of
pollution and purity, in praying as required by family and caste
tradition, in the performance of the elaborate rites of passage,
in the celebration of calendrical festivals, in undertaking fasts
and religious austerities, in the elaborate propitiation of dead
ancestors and local deities, in listening to public reading of
religious stories and in going on pilgrimages to sacred rivers
and to the shrines of reputed deities (1962: 159).
The families portrayed by Raja Rao and L.S.Ramamirtham show all
these aspects of the Hindu tradition. In Kanthapura, Moorthy arranges for
Harikatha and the willing villagers assemble to listen to it. There is also a
description of the festival of Kadhika in Kanthapura. In The Serpent and
The Rope, Rama and his Little Mother go on a pilgrimage to Kasi, after his
father's death. The Little Mother tells Rama and others the story of a man
who used to tell the story of Rama every Saturday to the members of his
family. There is an effective and artistic presentation of Saroja's wedding
in the novel, the way people gather and talk, their garrulous nature and
their comments on each other, the

procession, music, anointing the

bride with henna and turmeric, the Brahmins chanting the mantras the

description of the bride, her farewell etc., C.D.Narasimhaiah considers

the description as one of

the best in Indian English novels: .

Take, for example, that superb description of the Hindu

wedding which, it seems to me, has for the first time found
its way into an lndian novel in the English Language. And it
is n't
before

recorded
our

descriptively but as something happening

eyes

and

in every detail

one

traditional way of life of a Hindu family in a n

sees the
organic

community and the novelist's implicit affirmation of the

values that have preserved the Hindu way of life (2000: 86).
There is an elaborate description of the death rites Rama performs for
his mother, throwing light on the belief of the Hindus that the ancestors
who died should be offered food as they would come to partake of it on
the annual ceremony day, "ShrardhJ'. The ritualistic performance is
considered necessary by the society.
Both the writers point out that these rituals are gradually losing their
meaning. Raja Rao criticizes the attitude of the brahmins who conduct it. In
The Serpent and The Rope, Rama says he would "rather have thrown the
rupees to the begging monkeys than to the brahmins" (TSTR: 12).
Madhoba who sells wood for the funeral says, "brahmins are keen masters

in this choice of good fire wood. Their tasks have to be finished quicker.
Otherwise, they would lose their next client. So between the brahmin and
the fire wood sellers there was as it were, an ancient pact: four annas to
the rupees would go to the brahminsJ1(OGG: 27).
In "Tulaci", L.S.Ramamirtham describes how the mother is troubled
when her son eats a bit of "Appam" before the ritual offering for the
ancestors on the day of Shrardh and is about to beat the son, but the
Grandmother decides to offer the same thing to the ancestors (without
preparing again). L.S.Ramamirtham also expresses his disbelief in rituals in
some of his works. In "Twani" the protagonist stops the ritual all on a
sudden because he feels it is not necessary. In K&-alattil Enk6 too the
central character does not give importance to the ritual. He is, however,
superstitious and when a snake enters into his room, he associates it with
the ceremony that he did not perform for his mother and feels that the
snake reminded him of that.
In L.S.Ramamirtham's stories also the reader comes across

- .

descriptions of the celebration of festivals - DiwZili in "P6rkatalV "~Tkku!i"

"Ammulu" etc., Navarztri in "MEnak3" and so on. Hindu beliefs,
superstitions and sentiments also find expression in their works. In "Caps
vimijcanam" (Tulaci) the narrator expresses the feeling that if the parents

belonging to a particular family have only a single heir for generations then
it must be due to

aka cZpZ (The cobra's curse). Achakka in Kanthapura

says how Kenchamma protects the good and punishes the wicked. The
short story "Kanakapala" (the protector of Gold), is about a family that got
divided because of the ancestral property, guarded by a snake.

Here,

along with the description of the members of the family and their attitude
towards each other, he throws light on some of the superstitions and beliefs
among the people. The belief

that the snakes have the power to

understand the cunningness of the man (originating from the Hindu myths)
has been worked on here.
Both the writers show the influence of the Hindu notion of the four
goals of human life - Dharma, Arta, Kama, and Moksha. Many characters
in their works try to practice detachment. Sivarama explains the four stages
to Madam X. and tells her his father "having lived a householder's life
[grahasta] is now after the Truth, as it were -he wants the solitude of the
forest [vanaprastham]" (TCMM: 43). Rama after fulfilling his duties, tries
detachment and looks for a Guru. Sivarama is also in quest of truth. In
L.S.Ramammirhtam's Kal cirikkiratu, Tarmarajan tries detachment from
familial bonds. In Kgra!attil EnkK the frustrated father goes away from
the family. In "Twani" too, the father lives separately from the family

since he feels that the family members do not respect him. He also feels
that his duties are over and that it is time for him to live a detached life.
From the above study, it emerges that both the writers have
imbibed the spirit of the Hindu Laws from the Hindu scriptures, myths
and philosophical writings. They are guided by the Hindu Dharma and
uphold love, dedication and humanism. However, their approaches are
different. L.S.Ramamirtham is very conventional and traditional in his
outlook. He respects moral values and insists that everyone should follow
them. Raja Rao, on the other hand does not attach much significance to
the social and moral conventions. He is more interested in experiences
and is eager to comprehend the nature of life. Hence, the quest aspect is
more pronounced in his works.