Gora: Book Review

This was the first time I started reading an Indian author(well if you don't count How Opal Mehta got drunk, got wild and got a life), that too one from before independence. And I feel that I have wasted these 20 years of my life, after reading this masterpiece of Rabindranath Tagore.

Such profound ideas, clarity in thought, poetic word formations!!! It is difficult not to lose oneself in it. What struck me first was the depiction of the pre-independence India, the life of people, their customs, traditions and their thoughts and the revolutionary changes that were going on in their minds. For if it is difficult to talk about inter-caste marriages nowadays it was impossible to even think about them in those days. No wonder Tagore was considered to be revolutionary! But one thing that was surprising was the level of intellectual and social maturity which was present in every character's speech. I was dumbstruck when I found out that Sucharita's age was only twelve or thirteen which came only towards the end. And I'm not sure if I can believe it. Were the teenagers of those days so developed in intelligence and maturity, were they so proficient in their understandings, that such a book that came in those days could actually portray the Calcutta of the 1910s? What is evident in the entire book is the author's immense knowledge of not only his religion, customs and rituals but also of his knowledge of all the societies existing in that period. For his arguments cannot be so powerful if they weren't something he had experienced personally and given years of thinking to. My favorite character in this book is without doubt Gora. Although deep in his heart he knows his religion to be posing unwanted and unimportant obstacles in the way of India's development, he never once tries to display contempt and shields his feelings with hair-splitting arguments as to why one must not revolt against them for the mere fact that whatever their ancestors were following for centuries could definitely do no harm. Till his realization in the end, Gora gives absolute and unwavering respect and submission to the Scriptures. His rigid opinions and his resolve in making his stand clear to the entire society with no fear of contempt and with the fullest dignity was admirable. The parts of the book where I was totally held in awe, were the speeches made by Gora. Be it for defending the caste system or idol worship or the destruction of Hinduism, Tagore has a wonderful gift of wording his arguments with perfect analogies, whichever side he takes, whether Paresh Babu's or Gora's or Binoy's. Paresh Babu's character was also intersting. For every argument in the book, I expected a particular retort, but the one given by the author himself was not only the most perfect way of putting it but also made me feel humiliated for the way I would have replied to them. And another factor that differentiates Tagore's style of writing from any other's is the way he lets the reader form an idea about the characters by their reactions to various situations, instead of giving an introduction to how they are as soon as they are introduced, which gives the reader very less scope for forming their own opinions on different persons. For example in Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austin introduces the Bennets and Darceys by giving us a brief idea of their characters, which actually gives way for the reader’s prejudice. Strong character formations in this book ensured each one to be as individual and different from the other.

The concepts explained in this book are so pertinent to the Indian society, that it would be difficult for any foreigner to even get into the mindset of the characters and understand the actual difficulties that the characters face. Because when it comes to concepts like arranged marriage, idol worship, devotion to motherland, etc. it will be difficult for them to grasp their significance and they would feel as to why the characters are giving importance to familial bonds, promises, respect to society and so on. This makes it all the more important that we as Indians definitely read such books and keep alive our past, our heritage and our pride.