Research Paper
Education
E-ISSN No : 2454-9916 | Volume : 9 | Issue : 1 | Jan 2023
SETH GOVIND DAS AND ASHOKA-A CRITICAL STUDY
Sanjeev Kumar Associate Professor, Department of English, Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar College, Delhi University Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Introduction One of the most significant and well-known figures in the context of Indian independence resistance is "Seth Govind Das". Voters elected Govind Das in Berar and Central Provinces to serve as their representatives in the Assembly. He spoke during the Assembly's discussions of the national anthem, the national language, and the ban on cow slaughter in the Indian political and social contexts. Das began participating in the Indian National Congress in 1920. Over time, he has participated in several movements, including the Quit India campaign, the NonCooperation movement, the Civil Disobedience movement, and protests around the Simon Commission. As a result, he has faced repeated detention by the British police in the country. "Seth Govind Das" joined the All India Congress Committee in 1920 and engaged with in Tripuri Congress Working Committee in 1939. He was elected there as Speaker pro tem by the President for the Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Lok Sabhas before the speaker was formally elected. He also gave the other Lok Sabha representatives their oaths of office. From 1957 until he died in 1974, he constantly represented Jabalpur in the Indian Parliament from the first to the fifth Lok Sabha. The following literary paper will establish a critical study of one of his outstanding works, Ashok Natak or Ashoka, and evaluate his contribution to Hindi literature during the freedom movement while also highlighting his other associated involvement with Indian Politics and the freedom movement. 1.2 Background On the occasion of Vijayadashami in 1896, Seth Govinddas, a member of the famous Maheshwari commercial dynasty of Jabalpur, was born to Raja Gokuldas in the city of Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. Sethji was raised in a royal family and received an excellent education. During his time at home, he mastered both the Hindi and English languages. His residence was primarily associated with a spiritual setting (Gundimeda et al., 2018). In addition to attending performances like Raas Leelas and those of the Vallabh Sampradaya, he sometimes used to appreciate religious festivals when he was a little child while residing with his family. This is where he found the inspiration for the plays he composed during his era of proficiency. Seth Govinddas was indeed an adherent of the Gandhian philosophy. He was passionate about literature and actively engaged in the nation's independence movement, which resulted in multiple jail terms for him. He exclusively produced several works while he was sentenced to prison. He was elected to the position of Member of Parliament in 1947, and he retained it for the remainder of his life. He supported the designation of Hindi as the country's official tongue (Srivastava and Kumar, 2018). He contributed to Hindi since it was not just one language used throughout the enormous country of India but was also the vocabulary of the independence movement. In literature, Seth Govind Das was greatly influenced by Shakespeare. The well-known plays by Shakespeare, including "Romeo and Juliet," "As You Like It," "Pericles, Prince of Tyre," and "Winter's Tale" served as the inspiration for Sethji's works like "Surendra-Sundari," "Krishnakamini," "Honhar," and "Vain Suspicion." written in fiction. These novels served as the foundation for Sethji's literary career in this manner. He developed a greater interest in poetry during the same period. He wrote a poem called "VanasurParabhav" and used poetry in his novels. 1.3 Research Rationale Regarding the rationale for this result, it can be stated that this research will help justify it. The "Ashoka" play of Seth Govind is one of the essential works in Hindi literature, but there are very few studies on it. This research will highlight the play of Seth Govind Das, and it will also be taken further into Govind Das's life events and his literary-based works. The Ashoka play is not so well known in Indian literature; one of the vital aspects of this research is that this will find all the information available on the Ashoka of Govind Das. This research will fill all the knowledge gaps open on this topic and give the readers knowledge and an overview of the play by Seth Govind Das. Further, this research will study the historical evidence of Ashoka and construct a historical perspective of the play by Seth Govind Das and how it creates history.
1.4 Aim and Objectives When it comes to the aims and objectives of this research, the first and major aspect of the aim is that this research will able to provide data and information on the play, Ashoka by Seth Govind Das. this research will be studying that how Ashoka, the play is aligned according to the history real-life events regarding Ashoka. Further, this research aims to give an overview and analyze both Seth Govind Das and his play. The objectives of this research are mentioned below. Ÿ To study the aspect of the Ashoka play. Ÿ To get information on the present, an elaborate study on the play. Ÿ To achieve some information regarding the political works of Seth Govind Das. Ÿ To draw a historical construction of the play. 1.5 Research Significance The research aims to develop a critical literature analysis concerning the work of Seth Govind Das and understand his contribution to Indian Hindi literature. The primary significance that the study is an important document for the play of Seth Govind Das, Ashoka. This work will especially go through the alignment of the original life events of Ashoka. So this will justify the importance and analysis of Seth Govind Das's literary creation. This research will conduct the significance of the topic. The amount of relevance lies in the information on the topic, which will be further discussed in this research. This research will carry the significance of the subject matter in an informative way and the research is a fair study on "Ashoka", the play by Govind Das. This research will be using all the important real-life incidents in Ashoka and put the elements of the play Ashoka. So there will be a proper alignment of the historical incidences in the contemporary era of Ashoka's emperorship in the literature account of Ashoka Natak by Seth Govind Das. 1.6 Research Structure In terms of the research structure of this research, this will be using research on information available based on the information and data available on the subject of this research which is Ashoka by Seth Govind Das. So it can be stated that the research structure of this study will be going through all the information and the analyze them. First, two kinds of data have been taken in this research. First of all, the real-life information on the base of the life of Ashoka are then aligned and analyzed with the play of Seth Govind Das. All the work taken here is processed by a single structural format; introduction, primary information, the discussions, and finally, the summarization of the whole piece. The structure of this research is quite simple and has avoided any hard structural base so that all the information can be aligned and placed following the information available for the study to be completed. Further, the structure of this study follows a conventional method of studying a particular subject. 1.7 Summary Govind Das has essentially captured every authentic facet of Ashoka's life. Govind Das claims that the drama is focused on the life of Ashoka when describing the play's historical context in the prologue. The character of Kanchanmala, Kunal's wife, is this drama's sole wholly made-up component. Ashoka's 28-year rule is demonstrated in the drama (263 BC–235 BC). Except Ashoka's family life and personal difficulties, which are more emphasized than the portrayal of the Kalinga War, he has not omitted any key event from his life from the play Ashoka. On it, there are minuscule imperfections. . The work of Seth Govind Das is one of the most significant historical works based on the life of Ashoka; it may be said further in terms of summarising this research study. Govind Das has emphasized more on household matters, such as Ashoka marrying Tishyaraksha, his former maid. This union negatively impacted his home life in many ways. Each story that is discussed in the play comments on the actual historical occurrence and, in turn, helps to organize the information about the occurrence into a more enticing and literary structure Chapter 2: Literature Review 2.1 Overview of the "Seth Govind Das." "Seth Govind Das" is one of the most important and well-known characters in
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