Question and Answers
1.Write the summary of Act I & II of the one-act play “Kanyasulkam”
The one-act play “Kanyasulkam” is written by Gurajada Appa Rao. It is the first Telugu play to deal with social issues. It is translated into English by C. Vijayasree and T. Vijayakumar. The play portrays the practice of kanyasulkam which was common among the Brahmins in the Telugu speaking area of southern India. The play also depicts the objections to widow re-marriages and hatred towards English educationThe play takes place in a village called ‘Bonkuladibba’ near Vijayanagaram. The lead character in the play is Girisam. He is an English educated man. His life is full of debts. He used to live in the house of putakoolamma. She is a widow. He goes to Venkatesam’s native place as his teacher to teach him English. In the mean time he enjoys with Mahuravani. Maduravani is a prostitute. She is the muse of Girisam in the beginning of the play and that of Ramappa panthulu in the rest of the play Agnihotravadhanulu is a key role player in the play. He is an egoistic Brahmin. He rudely slams his food plate on the face of his young widowed daughter when she objects the early marriage of her sister to an old man. Parents in those days sell their pre-pubescent daughters to old men for money which refers to be Kanyasulkam. The writer strongly blames this evil practice in the Indian society.
2.Sketch the character of Girisam in the play “Kanyasulkam”
Girisam is a lead character in the play “Kanyasulkam”. He is a very clever young man. He desires for easy money. He tells lies very easily. He stays with a boarding house widow. He borrows money from others and spends on dancing girls. No one is left in the town to cheat and borrow money. He claims to be an educationist. He wins the favour of Madhuravani with his skilful conversation. Madhuravani is a young prostitute. She is beautiful. She likes Girisam more than the boarding widow.Girisam enters as tuition teacher to Venkatesam, the son of Agnihotravdhanulu. What he teaches Venkatesam is nothing but smoking cigars. He goes to Venkatesam’s village to escape from his creditors. It helps him to pass time with free boarding and lodging. When Venkamma requests Girisam to speak to her son Venkatesam in English, he said ‘Twinkle, Twinkle little star, How I wonder what you are!’.Venkatesam replies ‘There is a white man in the tent’Girisam shows another angle in his character. When he sees the young widow Butchamma, he makes his plan to make her his own, at least for some time. He gives a long lecture to Venkatesam on the necessity of child marriages. He says that it is a new discovery to get young girls married to old men. He makes a satire on politics. Unless one changes one’s opinions from time to time, one cannot become a politician.
3.Sketch the character of Agni-hotravadhanulu in the play “Kanyasulkam”
The main theme of Kanyakam is social reform. A 70-year-old man who is not seeing his second daughter as a child is going to give up to Lubdawadhans and get married. Girisham, a fraudster who enters into the house of Agnihotravadhans, tries to give his son tuition and boasts. Agnihotravadhanas had already taken the eldest daughter, Buchemma, and tied the knot to the old man, and the bridegroom died soon after the wedding.Impressed by the beauty of the widow's house, Buchemma tries to seduce her and marry her. On the other hand, Madani, a humane Sani man who had previously been patronized by tribalism, approached the Ramapandas who were trying to get money by cheating the Lubdawadhans. Agnihotravadhans wife threatens to die if the daughter gets married, while her brother Karatakasthani tries to get rid of it.He introduces himself to his disciple and introduces himself to the Ramappandantas as gunturists, and gives Agnihotravadhans daughter to Lubdhavadhans and marries them to a female disciple and takes him to a kanyakultura. If invented, the work of karatekastra is well received with the aid of marriage. The female disciple walks as far as he can, wrapping himself in jewelry and clothes.In the meantime, Agnihotravadhans who are getting married, take the buchemma from the bandhikotti and get up. Agnihotravadhanas is outraged at these developments and sues Lubdawadhans with Ramapandam. In this case, Lawyer Saujanya Rao, who is known as a virtuous, sociopathic and anti-prostitute of the Lubdawadhans party, advocates. In the end, the drama ends with Madhuravani Soujanya Rao sending the buchemma to the asylum.
4.Sketch the character of Lubhdavadanulu in the play “Kanyasulkam”
Lubhdavadhanulu as the name itself revealing his nature , Lubha means Greedy ,Avadhanulu is the name given to a brahmin who has complete knowledge about vedas.
Lubhdavadhanulu is a greedy person and showing interest to marry a girl called Subbama who is daughter of Agnihotravadhanulu in leau of 1800 Rs as bride price.
He is having a widow daughter Meenakshi.
The very reson behind his intention to maary by spending Rs 1800 is , he came to know that if he marry her he will get lot of money as per the horoscope.
But that horoscope is manipulated by Ramappa Panthulu by managing Siddanthi and others.
Lubhavadhanulu is a kind of person who will do anything for the sake of money without predicting the consequences.
He believes words of people like Pujari and Siddanthi and trapped by Gunturi sastrulu .
Finally he got married with a boy Mahesham who costumes as Subbi.
Mahesham acted like subbi with the influence of Karataka Sastri who is his master.
Lubhavadhanulu given Bride Price to Gunturu Sastrulu alias Karataka Sastri who is brother of Venkamma.
As Subbi escapes with kanti a false case filed against Lubhavadhanulu and finally he realised about his mistake and his age as well by saying .."this is the age to go to Kasi but not for marraige".
5.Sketch the character of saujanyarao-Panthulu in the play “Kanyasulkam”
Soujanyarao Panthulu is an advocate with good values . He known for his ethics and good nature as his name itself resembles his character.
He is known as "anti notch" as he even doesn't want to see the face of prostitute (sani).
words of him like " if I got touch with Prostitute I will cut that part " shows his character and rigidity towards prostitutes.
After talking with Mahuravani who is Prostitute came to visit him to give valuable info regarding the case of Lubhavadhanulu Soujanyarao Panthulu realises the fact that "Good can be taken even from the bad people".
He says thanks for the help of Madhuravani to conclude the case finally he will shake hand with madhuravani though its violating his principles.
He encoraged widow remarriages and restricted child marriages with Kanyasulkam which can be seen while he is suggesting Agnihotravadhanulu for th contentment of his elder daughter Buchhamma and asking Agni to take back the case on Lubha for not consumed marriage with Subbamma.
He is a kind of notable person in the play and ideal person in this play.
Kind of this character persons can reform the society even in these days.
His character shows gender equality as well.
Gurajada Shows what reforms he want to impart in the society with this character..
reforms like -- widow remarriages, abolition of child marriages, gender equality ,empower women education.
6. Sketch the character of Madhuravani in the play “Kanyasulkam"
The second main character of the play is "Madhuravani". In this role, abnormality, evolution, and progression. Madhuravani, who at first appears to be a common prostitute, appears to be a great man by the end of the play. It is the magical magic. When Ramapandasi giggled at his cheek, he said, “There must be righteousness for the man or woman. If not touch her ear".A heartbreak that does not deprive a person of independence and perseverance in any difficult situation.Critical intelligence and analysis. Thinking about them. Ramappanthuppattu above is shown as the lotarum in the graph. If the other prostitutes are looking for money, Madhuravani tells her that the one who holds her should do well and that she is greater. She is samskaravati. Do not tolerate atrocities. We know her tactical power to keep her husband from tying the knot with a nun and marrying Subbi.With Karatakastra,"Do you think that a professional should prostitute wherever a prostitute should be? At the end of the play, Karataka Shastri is freed from prison and Lubdhavadhani is sentenced to death. "Wow! What a worthy man".The role of Madhuravani in the feminist movement is an early one. Madagarawani is a sacrificial creature who has helped the neighbors and proved good in this sinful world. The character transcends the dramatic range of each time and shows the universe. Madhuravani is a character who spends money and falls in love with it. "Kapu manishi is born and is contributing to eggplant and chilli plantation in Mogudi farm.
7.Describe Social Esthetic in 19th century.
In 19th century reformative movements started ..
We can call this is like reformative era .
Reformations happend in this era are --
Abolition of Sati: This was influenced by the step of Raja Ram Mohan Roy’s frontal attack. The British Government decided to abolish the practice of Sati or live burning of widow and declared it as culpable homicide. The Regulation of 1829 was applicable for the first instance to Bengal Presidency alone, but was extended with slight modification to Madras and Bombay Presidencies in 1830.
Abolition of Slavery: This was another practice which came under British scanner. Hence, under Charter Act of 1833 slavery in India was abolished and under Act V of 1843 the practice of slavery got sacked by law and declared illegal. The Penal Code of 1860 also declared trade in slavery illegal.
Widow Remarriage: These practices were high on agenda of Brahma Samaj and issue got polarised. There were a number of steps taken to promote widow remarriage by establishing women’s colleges, universities, associations and preaching of Vedic stand on widow remarriage.
Prohibition of Child Marriage: In 1872, the Native Marriage Act (Civil Marriage Act) intended legislative action for the prohibition but had very limited periphery because it was not applicable to Hindus, Muslims and other recognised religions. In 1891, B.M Malabari’s efforts bore fruit when the act of the Age of Consent was enacted which prohibited the marriage of girl child below the age of 12 years. Finally after Independence, the Child Marriage Restraint (Amendment) Act made further changes in the age of marriage, for girls- 18 years and boys 21 years.
Reform Movements in Southern India
A significant movement which was particularly important for the upliftment of the oppressed sections of the society was started by Sree Narayana Guru in Kerala. Narayana Guru was born in 1854 in an Ezhava family. The Ezhavas, along with some others in Kerala, were considered untouchable by Hindus of the so-called upper castes.
Many reformers in southern India concerned themselves with the reform in certain practices connected with Hindu temples. They advocated ending of the system of Devadasis who were attached to the temples. They also demanded that the wealth of the temples should not be amassed by the priests but that the public should exercise control over it. In many temples, people of the so-called lower castes were not allowed to enter and sometimes even some roads adjoining the temples were barred to them. The reformers launched powerful movements for temple-entry and against other evil practices which had become associated with temples.
8.Narrate Economical Situations in those days.
One hundred years of colonial revenue policy of the British East India Company made the entire Indian peasantry impoverished and indebted to unscrupulous moneylenders and bankers.
It is all because of the high incidence of land revenue fixed and imposed by the British, existence of many intermediaries between the cultivator and the state, subdivision and fragmentation of landholdings and pressure on agriculture due to the growth of population.
Besides these factors, uncertain monsoons, poor means of irrigational facilities, and lack of modernization of agriculture also contributed to the impoverishment of the peasantry.
Added to these factors, the most important feature was high demand for revenue and its constant increase year after year throughout the colonial period.
The British collected as land revenue from Bengal in 1767 an amount of sixty lakh of rupees. By 1793, the amount rose to Rs 1, 09, 59,130. Besides high tax on the cultivator, many intermediaries exploiting the innocent and uneducated peasant by demanding tax at various levels made the cultivator approach the moneylender to pay the revenue due to the state. Consequently, the peasants were indebted and it led to rural indebtedness as rural industries based on rural handicrafts declined due to rapid industrialization of England and the drain of wealth from India to England.
The early Indian nationalist thinkers Dadabai Naoroji, R.C. Dutt and Govind Mahadeva Ranade and many more, made minute studies of the drain of wealth and causes of rural indebtedness and finally came to the conclusion that it was all due to the British colonial interests destroying the Indian agriculture and rural industries.
Bishwesvar Prasad aptly remarks that the prosperity of England beckoned poverty of India, for imperialism based on a colonial economy thrives on the exploitation of the dependent subjects. India had become the victim of colonialism and all the evils of imperialism had become evident before the power and position of the East India Company had been extinguished after the revolt of 1857. By 1911, the rural indebtedness was estimated as 300 crore and by 1937 it rose to 1,800 crore.
Further, besides man-made disasters, natural disasters like famines also affected the Indian peasants and made them impoverished. A number of major famines: 1759 (Sind), 1783 (UP, Kashmir, Rajasthan), 1800-1804 and 1837-38 (UP). Famines occurred in 1787, 1790-92, 1799-1804, 1812-13, 1819-20, 1824—25, 1833-34 in Maharashtra and Rajasthan, famines occurred in south Indian region in 1781-82, 1790-92, 1806-1807, 1833-34 in Maharashtra and Rajasthan. Of all the famines the most devastating was the 1770 famine of Bengal, where one crore people perished.
The failure of the British colonial power to improve irrigation and the failure to tackle famines through a sustained policy also contributed to the impoverishment and indebtedness of rural India. We may conclude that the British colonial policy coupled with land revenue experiments made India an impoverished and debt-ridden country.
9.Summary of kanyasulkam.
Instructions :
- Write about author
- Write the characters involved in the Play
- brief info about main charactes
- plot of the story
- act wise description for 7 acts
- problems or issues which are open to think in the play like if prostitutes leave their profession how they will servive? will society will accept them as normal people ? will they get married again ? etc.
- your answers for the questions
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