Kanthapura

Chapter 1 begins with the narration of an old woman, Achakka, as she describes her village of Kanthapura. Located in the province of Kara, high in the mountains, the village is at the end of a long road of trading villages and larger cities. The village is busy, with the cardamom spice and coffee being shipped abroad to Britain and the Crown’s trading partners. During the night, the residents can hear the sound of carts taking away their wares for sale. The village worships a local goddess, Kenchamma, and they have a rich mythology surrounding her, believing that the hill near the village is red from the blood of the demon she once killed. The village believes that their lack of misfortune comes from Kenchamma’s will, and every recovery from illness or rainfall during a drought is of her doing. The village is small, with 24 houses in the Brahmin quarter. Some are big, and some are small. The biggest house belongs to Rangamma, the childless widow of a rich man, and this causes no small amount of resentment in the village, especially from her sister-in-law, Venkamma. The village also grows concerned over the habits of young men who go to the city to study and come back with new beliefs. Some fall back into their traditional habits soon, but others are dedicated to new teachings. Achakka compares these bold young men unfavorably to a young man named Moorthy, who lives in the corner house. A quiet, serene young Brahmin man, he has many young women who wish to be married to him.

The village has a Brahmin quarter, but other castes are present as well. They include a Potter’s quarter, a Weaver’s quarter, a Sudra or labor quarter, and a Pariah quarter. All together, the village has a hundred residences. Achakka primarily stays on the Brahmin side, but still manages to keep up with the larger village’s gossip. She’s observed a man named Bhatta who takes advantage of others’ struggles to add to his own territory and now owns close to half of Kanthapura. She speculates he’ll become the owner of the whole village one day. In the Brahmin village, Achakka relates the story of the events that began at the Kanthapurishwari’s temple. While working at the temple one day, Moorthy uncovers a half-sunk linga—a sacred Hindu object—and suggests washing it and consecrating it. The ceremony becomes a huge celebration for the village, with Rangamma hosting the dinner. Moorthy suggests keeping the celebration going, but to do that, he needs money. He collects it from around the village, including from the low-caste Pariah quarter. This scandalizes the village, as they realize he has become a follower of Gandhi and therefore no longer believes in the traditional caste system. Despite this, Moorthy gathers 147 rupees, including ten from Rangamma. The village throws an epic festival, where a famous storyteller named Jayaramachar is invited, and he tells the village the story of Brahma and Krishna, a tale of great heroes battling evil serpents. However, before the end of the festival, a policeman comes to the village. A heated conversation between the police, the storyteller, and Moorthy results in the storyteller making a fast exit from the celebration. Moorthy seems oddly sobered by the experience, and begins to talk to more and more people in the village. Soon, many people in the village are getting rid of their foreign clothes and becoming followers of Gandhi. Soon afterwards, a policeman named Bade Khan comes to live in Kanthapura.

As Chapter 2 opens, Officer Bade Khan is having trouble finding a place to live in Kanthapura. As a Muslim, he doesn't fall into any of the caste divisions and seeks a place to live from Patel Range Gowda. Gowda says he has none to offer, and Khan becomes angry, threatening Gowda. The Patel is unintimidated, and Khan is left to fend for himself. He goes to live outside Kanthapura’s grounds, on the Skeffington Coffee Estate. He takes on a Pariah woman as his servant. The village is full of speculation about what Bade Khan is doing in the village, and many suspect he’s just passing through. Venkamma, however, insists he’s there because of Moorthy and the Gandhian ideas he has brought to the village. Ever since the events of the festival, Moorthy has become more controversial and is spending more and more time at Rangamma’s. Rangamma’s house is quickly becoming a meeting house, and after Moorthy meets with the Karwar Congress Committee, he then spreads his views over the various quarters and castes of the village. He wins people’s support by giving them traditional Indian clothes while urging them to reject foreign influence. He advocates for keeping Indian money in India and makes them aware of how the colonial system has been abusing them. He is able to win over local weaver Nanjamma, who agrees to take a loom as a gift and begins spinning authentic Indian clothes to sell. Suryanarayana, who works at the post office and is already a follower of Gandhi, helps Moorthy spread his philosophy, and they win more hearts and minds in the village. However, Bade Khan continues to be seen lurking around the corners of the village, observing them.

In Chapter 3, Bhatta remains the main voice against the growing Gandhian movement in the town. He is frustrated by the trouble they are bringing to the village. He is the first Brahmin, the leader of the high-class caste, and he and his second-in-command Ramanna have high influence in the city. Bhatta has his fingers in a lot of deals in the city, and is very powerful in the moneylending trade. With connections to most people in the village, Bhatta owns close to half the village and the surrounding areas, and most people in the village are in debt to him. Despite this, he is seen as a benevolent figure and is loved even by those in his debt. Many suspect that his dislike for Moorthy and his beliefs is due to the fact that there is no money in being a follower of Gandhi, only hard work. He meets with Rangamma and unsuccessfully attempts to end her support of Moorthy and the Gandhians, saying that it’s destabilizing the village and undermining the caste system. A traditionalist, Bhatta believes that boys like Moorthy should be settling down in marriage. Bhatta reports just how much influence Gandhi is having on the traditional ways, something he has seen during his visits to the cities. He is furious by the example that Gandhi is setting, citing the fact that he’s adopted a Pariah girl as a daughter. Bhatta’s dislike for Pariahs drives most of his opposition to Gandhi’s movement, and he sees a dangerous slippery slope ahead. Although Rangamma agrees to hear him out, she is an educated woman and aware of the world outside both Kanthapura and even India. To her, the caste system is meaningless and she is fascinated by the culture of other countries that have gender equality and no caste divisions. Although she may feign ignorance in front of some people to avoid being an outcast, and pretends to be a soft-spoken woman when speaking to Bhatta, she is clearly unmoved by his appeal to tradition.

The conversation between them ends when Rangamma mentions Moorthy’s name; Bhatta vows to have him exiled. Bhatta leaves when Rangamma’s sister, Kamalamma, arrives. Kamalamma is a controversial figure in the village, a young widow who acts as though she never lost her husband and wears the attire of a married woman rather than a woman in mourning. She is resented and distrusted by many of the women in the village but seems unbothered by this. As Bhatta is heading home after his meeting with Rangamma, he encounters Bade Khan, who begins a conversation with him in the hope of getting information. The next morning, Bhatta’s conversation with Rangamma is the talk of the town. Venkamma agrees Moorthy should be exiled, while others are unsure. However, they all quiet down when Narsamma, Moorthy’s elderly and pious mother arrives. Although Moorthy is controversial, Narsamma is beloved by the entire village and Moorthy was always her favorite child. From a young age, Moorthy was groomed for marriage, but he had no interest in that once he went to the city and met with the Mahatma. That interaction with Gandhi changed his life, and he returned almost unrecognizable to many people. Although Narsamma grieved when she discovered what her son now believed and at first threatened to disown him, she eventually came to terms with it. Frequently warning him that if he stayed unmarried he would turn to evil ways, she kept hope, holding a vision in her mind of a grand wedding. Venkamma, always deeply resentful of Moorthy’s views, sets out to poison the village against him and takes great joy in taunting Narsamma with talk of Moorthy’s actions. She warns Narsamma that Bhatta is planning to exile Moorthy to the Pariahs and says that the whole village may pay the price of excommunication if this continues. Overcome with grief and horror, Narsamma nearly collapses as Rangamma tries to calm her and assures her that things will be fine once they talk to Moorthy.