Karna is the voice of the subaltern, Gayatri Spivak Can the subaltern speak?

1. Batch 2021-2023
Presentation Season 3
Code – 22406
Paper no.201
Indian English Literature –Pre - Independence
• Vachchhalata Joshi
• Roll no.20
• Vachchhalatajoshi.14@gmail.com
• Department of English
• Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavanagar university
• Topic: Karna as a voice of Subaltern

2. Content
 Writer Introduction
 About Novel
 Subaltern Theory
 Karna as Subaltern

3. About Writer
If at first, you don’t Succeed
Starve Prey, and try again
_Kailasam
T.P.Kailasam is known as “The
Father of Humorous plays.”
Birth:1884
Died: 1946
The literary works of illustrious playwright and poet, Thyagaraja
Paramasiva Kailasam or TPK, are, without doubt, the best among
the modern-day writings in Kannada to date a captivating mix of
humor, poignancy & relevance. His works have essential realism
and meaning that are valid to this day.
He remains the soul of Kannada theatre and resides in the heart of
every connoisseur of Kannada theatre and poetry.
"Kannadakke Obbane Kailasam"

4. About Novel
• An impression of Sophocles in
five acts.
• Life of Karna – Tragic Hero
• First published in 1946 and re-
published in 1969.
• Even he used classical themes,
his purpose was contemporary”.
Radhakrishnan.
• “My love for thee reveals to me
that fate hath wove thy life and
death in threads of Tragedy.”

5. The Novel
• It has 5 Acts
• Act.1 in scene 1 Karna leaves ashram and in
scene 2 Raama curse Karna
• Act.2 Competition at Hastinapur The royal
Stadium.
• Act.3 Draupadi’s Swayamvar in Panchal, scene
1 Draupadi insults Anga and in scene 2 Anga
recalls the curse he has.
• Act.4 Cheerharan of Draupadi in sabha.
• Act.5 Battle field of Kurukshetra scene 1
Karna’s encounter with Kunti and in scene2
Arjuna and karna’s fight which led Karna to
Death

6. Tragic Hero - Karna
Unsung Hero of
Mahabharata
Born with Kavach
and Kundala.
More credible than
all Pandvas.
The only one who
followed Dharma
throughout the life.
A self-made man.
He Valued
relations, even
with his friend
Duryodhana.
He wanted to be
known as
“Radhey”.
He was defeated
by Krishna’s trick
in Kurukshetra.
He was Noble,
Humble and
Powerful.
Still Known as
Danveer Karna.

7. Karna as
Subaltern
• He refers to the Populations that are socially,
politically and geographically outside of the
legitimate power structure of the colony and
of the colonial homeland.
• Tragic character with Tragic fate.
• Marginalized by gurus, warriors, princes,
panchalee , kings.
• His identity was as Marginalised people , he
deserved to be at centre but his struggle and
society caused his death.
• Illegitimate , Abandoned , Lowborn.

8. Karna as a Subaltern
• Downstream, Adhiratha was sitting on a rock, hoping to catch a fish for the midday meal. He was a
gentleman, a charioteer by trade, and his wife Radha was a gentle and good woman. They were
often sad, however, for they were unable to have children. Adhiratha cast the line out over the river
and sighed again, he waded out into the current and caught hold of the basket. His surprise knew
no bounds when he discovered the sleeping newborn baby inside the boat. When Radha saw the
tiny baby lying peacefully asleep, she was overjoyed and said to her husband, “Swamy, it seems
that our prayers have been answered. We will keep this baby and bring him up as our own”. He
replied I agree with you. He is a gift from God in answer to our prayers. In fact, he himself is
Godlike with these divine earrings and armor. After consultation with the Brahmins, he was named
Vasushena since he was wearing a Vasu He also came to be known as Radheya or the son of
Radha, and more famously as Karna. Radheya was outgrowing like every other young boy of his
age in the village.

9. Karna as Subaltern
• special features and personality, anybody could see that the boy did not quite belong to the
category of ordinary village lads. Because of his strength and skills at any kind of game, nobody
would mess up with him and he became a natural leader in the village. Although he soon lose
interest in the games that other boys played, while at home he would shape beautiful clay toys.
Outside the home he would be interested in wrestling or cut stout branches of trees, shaping them
into bows and arrows and shooting them at imaginary targets. Seeing his son in such getup
Adhiratha decided to provide him a formal education. Adhiratha was particularly tense, as he
recalled how Dronacharya had initially refused to do anything with a Suta Putra, and how he had to
seek the intervention of King Dhritarashtra himself. Even after the royal intercession, Guru
Dronacharya had only agreed to impart basic education and training in arms to his son. In due
course both father and son entered the hut of Guru Dronacharya and touched his feet with due
reverence. Karna was lodged in the section reserved for ordinary pupils and away from the section
reserved for princes and other high caste students.

10. Karna as a Subaltern
• After a few days when Adhiratha visited his son in his lodgings, he found him tense and
somewhat angry as well. Before entering the room, he had assured him that his son was
very bright and a quick learner. But on entering the room he found him in a different
frame of mind which made him apprehensive. On being asked, Karna started asking all
sorts of questions with his father. He asked, “Baba is it a crime to be a Suta-Putra? Why
do scriptures sanction this class-based discrimination? Why the princes and other so-
called upper-class students should be given better food, better lodgings, and better
education as compared to students like me, who seem to have an inborn stigma attached
to their names? Where does my fault lie in all this?”

11. Adhiratha’s answer to Karna
• To console Karna Adhiratha sensibly replied, “My dear son, during your education you
will surely study scriptures and find out for yourself that they don’t sanction any kind of
discrimination. These divisions are all manmade and tools used by those people who
wield power to subjugate those who are weak and less fortunate. Let me assure you, my
son, being a Suta is not a crime. We earn our living by fair means and struggle hard to
make both ends meet. Be assured there is no dishonor involved in all this. But you and I
are not able to change the system. My advice to you is that you can earn recognition by
hard work and dedication and outshine everyone with your superior capabilities. For that,
you must work very hard and convert your anger into the will to overcome the handicap
of discrimination. I am sure one day you would achieve such heights as are aspired for
only by the best of men”

12. Subaltern
Theory
The term Subaltern is
a term Spivak
borrows from the
Italian Marxist
Antonio Gramsci to
signify oppressed
class.
Spivak’s well known
argument is that the
subaltern cannot
speak for him/herself
because of the very
structure of colonial
power prevents the
speaking.
She argues that the
work of intellectuals
is to visible the
position of the
marginalised the
subaltern must be
“Speak for”.
The project Subaltern
was launched in 1982
under the leadership
of Ranjit Guha.

13. Subaltern
Theory
This project argued that traditional
historiography only celebrated the actions
of elite.
Thus the “Freedom Struggle” in traditional
history, was represented as the story of the
Actions as selected leaders like Gandhi,
Nehru and Tilak.
It ignored the peasant and tribal rebellions
that preceded the formation of the Indian
National Congress.

14. Subaltern Theory
• By the term ‘subaltern’ conventionally denotes an
inferior military rank, it is more generally used as
‘a name for the general attribute of subordination
in South Asian society’ often expressed in terms
of caste and gender as it is being acquired. at birth
and is non-changeable. The term ‘Subaltern’ was
coined by Ranjit Guha and later it was adopted by
Marxist Antonio Gramsci and further it was
discussed by Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak in her
essay ‘Can the Subaltern Speak?’ People consider
Subaltern as the unrepresented group of people in
the society, people of inferior race, not fit for
making any real contribution to the society and
therefore they cannot speak, but subaltern can
speak but others do not have the patience to listen
to them.

15. Citations.
• bharata: The voice of the Subaltern ," International Journal of Linguistics, Literature and culture , vol.
Vol.2, no. 4, 2016, pp. 15-25, Accessed 1 Nov. 2016.
• Kailasam, Tyagraj ParamsivShrinivasan, Anuradha . "Eccentric genius, master punster." Citizen
matters, 12 Jan. 2012.
• Kapoor , Kajal . "Karna (The unsung Hero of Mahaa. The curse or karna. Banglore , B.s.Rama Rao,
1946, p. 176.
• Morris Rosalind C and Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak. Can the Subaltern Speak? : Reflections on the
History of an Idea. Columbia University Press 2010.
• Nayar, Pramod . An introduction to culture studies . 2nd ed., USA, Viva books private limited , 2016.
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