Vaikuntapaali: A review

In the history of Telugu fiction, the two decades 1950s and 1960s have been significant. Writers
have produced notable fiction from the perspective of themes, technique and in recording social
history of the times effectively.

Immediately after the declaration of independence, the country set out to educate the public, and
newspapers and magazines played a huge role in this effort. Women writers dominated the field of
fiction at this time. Several women writers of this era are warmly remembered by readers even to
this day.

Under the title, revisiting the stories of yester years, I would like to introduce some of those novels
highlighting the peculiarities of our fiction and cultural nuance as reflected in the past fifty years, from
today's standpoint.
-- Nidadavolu Malathi

The title vaikunthapali (pronounced vai.kun.Tha.pA.Li) refers to a kind of board game. Literally,
the term "vaikunthapali" (also called paramapada sopaana paTham) means the heavenly abode
or steps leading to the ultimate destination. Philosophically speaking, winning in the game meant
reaching the ultimate destination after fighting the innumerable odds in life. We roll the dice (actually
seashells are used in Andhra Pradesh) and move on to the next square, up the ladder or down the
spine of a snake. Snakes and ladders are symbolic of the events in our everyday lives. The western
board game Snakes and Ladders is a variant of the same game.

Avadhani went to consult Sastry, a local astrologer and friend, to find an auspicious day for
performing the ritual of adoption. Much to their disappointment, Sastry told him to wait until the
boy turned three; second year was not auspicious.

Avadhani had been to another village as a polling officer and run into a young woman, Rajeswari,
his former student. She had invited him to their home. Avadhani learned of their disheartening
situation.

Rajeswari's mother Mahalakshmamma had been sick for sometime. Rajeswari had an older, sister,
Saraswati, and three younger siblings, Ramu, Subhadra and Vasu. Their father took to drinking and
had been spending away any money he could lay hands on, and a few things he could find to pawn
away.

Somebody brought a proposal for Saraswati from a pristegious family. Saraswati's parents could
not turn it down, considering their circumstances. The marriage was performed in style in step with
the groom's status. Saraswati moved to her in-law's home.

One day, he pulled out an old coat to wear to a wedding and discovered a letter his wife had given
him long time ago, and he had forgotten to read. It was the same letter Saraswati had written to
Rajeswari.

It said, that Saraswati's life had miserable at her in-law's place. Her father-in-law had had used up
most of the family fortune on his extravagant habits and died. Her mother-in-law had been keen on
keeping up the same extravagant lifestyle, despite lack of resources. Saraswati's husband had been
squirming under the pressures from his mother. He had learned that his wife was pregnant, got
scared and fled, leaving Saraswati and her unborn child to their fate. Saraswati had died after giving
birth to a baby boy.

Rajeswari went to another town for teacher training. There, she met a young man, Syamala Rao,
who expressed his feelings for her. She also had feelings for him, which she kept to herself.
Syamala Rao got a scholarship for higher studies in America and left.

Rajeswari was diagnosed with tuberculosis. She wrote to Avadhani, begging him to visit her.
Avadhani went to the sanatorium, where he met with Syamala Rao, who had returned from America
and landed a job in Calcutta. Rajeswari begged Avadhani to raise her sister's baby. Avadhani
promised her that he would take the baby.

Rajeswari died. Syamala Rao told Avadhani that he would perform the death rituals for Rajeswari
in Benares. He felt that he had earned that right, although they had never been married, but that
kind of bond existed between them.

Avadhani received a letter from Subhadra. After Rajeswari's death, Syamala Rao was sending
them money, specifically for her education. Mother died. Ramu, like Rajeswari was taking care of
the family, but he also died. Vasu married a girl from a rich family and moved out. Subhadra had no
one to turn to but Syamala Rao for help. Eventually they got married.

The little boy turned three and Avadhani went to Sastry once again to set a date for adoption. He
learned from Sastry's wife that his wife Parvatamma was pregnant. Sastry had misgivings, and
advised Avadhani to examine carefully the logistics of adoption at this point.

Avadhani returned home, and asked Parvatamma whether she would feel the same way about the
first child after she had one of her own. She dismissed his fears and assured him that she would
never discriminate, never choose one over the other.

Avadhani took Ranganatham to admit him in school. The headmaster insisted on giving Ranganatha
Rao a surname. Avadhani was in a dilemma. He could not give his own surname to the boy, since
the adoption had never taken place, and he could not give the birth-father's surname; he had never
known their surname. It was decided to note down a single letter 'A' as Ranganatha Rao's surname,
rather arbitrarily

Santha was Avadhani's first cousin (their mothers were sisters). Avadhani has always been treating
her as his own sister. Santha, her husband Satyanarayana and daughter Sudha came from Delhi for
a brief visit. Santha proposed to take Ranganatham to Delhi with them. Avadhani and Parvatamma
had reservations but let Ranganatham go, hoping that it might give him a better future.

In Delhi, Ranganatham was admitted in school. Santha kept assigning chores to him, which
interfered with his schoolwork. He received an undue punishment from Satyanarayana, who was
unaware of his wife's part in it. Ranganatham took all the beating without speaking a word.

Ignoring Avadhani's specific instructions, Santha talked about Ranganatham's past inadvertantly;
and Ranganatham was devastated as he heard it from his cousin. He confronted Santha but failed
to get a direct answer, much to his dismay. He was heartbroken and fell ill.

Avadhani and Parvatamma heard of Ranganatham's illness. They went to Delhi and found that
Ranganatham has been seriously ill for sometime now. Parvatamma insisted and they moved into
another apartment in town. They stayed there until Ranganatham was strong enough to travel and
then they all left for their village. That was a blow to Santha who has become fond of the boy and
has been hoping to marry Sudha to him and make him an illarikapu alludu[1] (resident
son-in-law).

In the final year of his high school, Rananatham had to deal with the issue of surname once again.
The school clerk refused to accept a single letter 'A' as a surname. Ranganatham was mortified.

Ranganatham finished high school. Parvatamma fell ill. Santha and Satyanarayana came for a visit.
Santha invited Ranganatham to Delhi, promising to send him for higher studies. Parvatamma and
Avadhani were torn between keeping their son at home and letting him take Santha's offer, which
included a bright future. Ranganatham told Santha that he could never live with himself, if he left his
adoptive parents behind, trading them for his own future.

Ranganatham agreed initially to marry a girl of his mother's choice but things changed quickly. His
colleague, Janaki sent him a telegram, saying her mother was seriously ill. He went there only to find
that it was a ploy to get him to her place. He returned home and told Parvatamma of his decision
to marry Janaki. He assured her that she (Parvatamma) would be pleased with Janaki.

Ranganatham and Janaki had a baby girl. He wrote to Avadhani that Parvatamma had returned to
their home as a little baby girl. Avadhani returned and broke into tears as he held the little baby in
his arms.

The central theme is adoption. On a secondary level, the interpersonal relationships reveal the
social phenomena of the times. The interaction between husband and wife, and brothers and sisters,
even when they were not born to the same mother or in the same family, have been presented
truthfully in this novel.

Let's first review the main characters in the story. The main characters in the story, besides the
protagonist, are Avadhani and Parvatamma are the childless couple, who had taken in Ranganatha
Rao for adoption, and Santha, who was interested in taking Ranganatha Rao under her wing.

Avadhani was depicted as an intelligent school teacher, who constantly weighs the pros and cons of
each issue, and the propriety of his actions, but rarely consults his wife. In the first scene, he walks
in with a two-year-old baby in his arms, and tells his wife that the child was theirs to keep. There is
a line in the narrative stating that he explained how he had come to bring the baby home. There is
no indicaton of any prior discussions with his wife, although the subject was on his mind for quite
sometime.

The couple told themselves that "although we did not go through the ritual of adoption, he is and
will always be our son; we have accepted him as our son in our hearts," and swore that they would
never show favoritism toward one over the other. In their minds, there has been no discrimination.
However, the question of surname for Ranganatham has surfaced twice and both times Avadhani
failed the boy.

A note on surnames is in order here. In Telugu families, surname connotes a lot more than just an
identification mark. Very often, families are referred to by their surnames; and sons, daughters, and
even daughters-in-law by their surnames (surname + boy, girl or daughter-in-law. e.g. achanta
vaari abbay would be the a boy from Achanta family).

The headmaster refused to admit Ranganatha Rao in school without a surname. If you don't
consider him as your adoptive son, tell me his father's surname, he said. And I know only
Ranganatham's father's name is Sivakamayya; Rajeswari told me only that much, not any more. I
thought he (Ranganatham) would go and find out himself, if he were interested in his roots later. I
can't go about it now; I have neither the strength nor the motivation to do so. That's what I told the
headmaster.

Somehow, the process was about to be wrapped up, the same question came up once again. All
the children will have an initial (representing their surname). ... If Ranganatham's name carried no
initial letter, it could cause problems later, if not right away. ...

To me, the reason for ignoring a very important aspect of one's life like surname by an apparently
intelligent man like Avadhani illustrates the manner in which even the most important events in one's
life were passed up in those days. This action on Avadhani's part had left a permanent mark on
Ranganatham's mind and on his life.

Avadhani does not consult Parvatamma even in matters of consequence. So, what kind of
relationship they are supposed to have between themselves. After Parvatamma's death, Avadhani
reminisces the past and the times they had had while playing the game, vaikunthapali.

Parvatamma had been winning almost always. One time, she had lost and broken into tears.
Avadhani tried to console her that it was only a game. Parvatamma had turned the conversation
into a discussion on husband-wife relationship.

That's different, you are a man, she said, and continued that, the difference is built into the psyche
of man and woman. A woman is compared to a vine wound around a trunk. When that support is
removed, the vine collapses to the ground. So also a woman; her entire life is wound around man's
life. Physically, she might be a separate entity but mentally she is united with her man into one piece.

For man, that is not the case. He allots one part of his life for her, he loves her and adores her in
that position. But he also has the remaining part of his life, separate from her. A man is complete
only when he has these portions united. He might grieve his wife's death but he also has the facility
to manage his grief, with the help of the other part in his life.

Avadhani looks back now and ponders, "Parvati, I could not refute your argument on that day, but
you are wrong. Today I know so from my experience. Here is my rebuttal. I am unable to keep my
feet on the ground; I am on the run endlessly. ...

A woman may not be the only thing in a man's life. But she holds the rudder that can make his life
run smoothly. ... A man without his wife is like a hand with his thumb cut off. A man receives all his
passion for life and happiness from a woman in his attempts to shape his life. Withut that source of
passion, man is left with nothing but darkness and sorrow. A woman may display her sorrow in
front of others and humble herself in the process. A man does not even have that provision,
unfortunately. He has to suppress his grief within himself and burn inside."

Despite her views on the status of woman, Parvatamma was depicted as a strong character in her
own way; she would put up a fight only when it matters. One good example is when they went to
Delhi to see Ranganatham. She noticed that Ranganatham's illness was more serious than they had
been led to believe. So, she decided to move Ranganatham to another apartment in the same
neighborhood, take care of him, and bring him back to their home, after he recovered. Avadhani
tries to point out that it could hurt the feelings of Santha and Satyanarayana, but to no avail. She
was determined to take care of her son herself and she did it. On the other hand, she would let go
in regard to the two sons' marriages, despite her attempts to fix them up with brides of her choice.
Both the sons disappointed her, but she would not fight them because she was keenly aware of
changing times.

Santha is a naive, middle-aged woman, who means well but acts without much forethought. When
she saw Ranganatham for the first time, her thoughts were to marry him to her daughter and keep
both of them at her house. After arriving in Delhi, she started assigning him chores, hurting his
education in the process. She did not realize her mistake until he had taken the punishment from his
uncle for missing school, without pointing a finger at her. Ranganatham missed the school bus
because she had sent him to bring banana leaves from the store. She knew it was her fault, but did
not have the courage to admit it. Her logic was "how can I make bobbatlu[2] without banana
leaves to press on?". Her second mistake was to talk about Ranganatham's birth parents, ignoring
Avadhani's instructions. Her redemption lay in changing her attitude toward Ranganatham but it
came too late.Both the mistakes played a major role in shaping Ranganatham's character and life.

Ranganatha Rao, the protagonist, was portrayed as an archtypal hero. Symbolically, he was the
pawn who moved up the ladder or down the spine of a snake at the whims of other players. As a
hapless child, whose mother died and father absconded, he still had a ray of hope in his aunt
Rajeswari. And she had set up a place for him in Avadhani's home, prior to her death. Thus, each
step of the way, his life was balanced with ups and downs.

His character was delineated with flair. From the moment he had learned that he was going to have
a baby brother to the moment he had to make a decision about his marriage, it had been one tough
ride for him. Yet, he handled it like a man, even when he was a little boy! Probably, that was the
problem in a way. There are occasions, like when his uncle beat him up for missing school, when
the reader wonders why he did not speak up.

His silence at Santha's house could have come from the fact that he never felt at home there.
Although, it is not unusual in our families to assign small chores to children, the fact that Sudha has
never been asked to do any chores makes Ranganatham's situation look worse. There was a time
when he did tell his aunt that it was getting late for school but Santha dismissed it as a trivial matter.
That was a crucial turning point in his life. After that, he kept his lips tight for ever. Sudha
developed friendship with him but that was not enough for his little life.

Into this gamut of characters, the theme of adoption was worked in. While there were some serious
implications and repercussions in regard to the ritual of adoption, the ritual itself had become
immaterial for the couple, and supposedly for the son. In Avadhani's mind, legal issues could arise
only if there was a property to allocate, and he had no property. The only issue would be taking
care of the parents in their old age, and both the sons were more than willing to do so. That was
not an issue at all.

The incomplete adoption process came to the fore twice in the story - both the times, it happened
in a school environment. Avadhani, a school teacher, did not foresee it, and did not find a plausible
solution for Ranganatha Rao. Once again, it reflects the attitude of the adults during that period. The
age-old belief that things have a way of taking care of themselves - the karma theory of sorts -
kicked in..

A second occasion was when Santha invited Ranganatham to live with them, and Avadhani's
justification to allow him to go with them. It points, rather indirectly, to the same argument that
Ranganatham's life and his future must be evaluated in the light of his adoption. Avadhani felt that he
had made a promise to Rajeswari that he would give Ranganatham a better life, and therefore, he
must of necessity set aside his own preference to keep him with himself and his wife. It is obvious
that his thoughts would not be on the same lines if Ranganatham were his own son, Gopi. In fact,
even Santha might not have thought on the same lines if it were Avadhani's own son.

In all, they all seemed to have acted in a rather slapdash fashion, despite all that intelligent and
highly cogent arguments Avadhani, Santha and even Satyanarayana had. Some heavy duty
discussions did take place between Avadhani and Parvatamma, and again between Santha and
Satyanarayana regarding how Ranganatham should be raised but, in reality, none of them had taken
away or even tried to alleviate the pain they had caused him in the process.

The novel depicts the massive social change that had been taking place during that period as well.
One such instance has been the interpersonal relationship between generations - the freedom
parents allowed to their children. In the past, children followed fathers in their of choice of vocation
automatically. A doctor's son was a doctor and a lawyer's son was a lawyer (pretty much like
caste-oriented vocations). But in the post-independent Andhra, sons and daughters have started
showing signs of independent thinking[3] and parents allowed it, while struggling to let go of the old
habits.

Ranganatham became a teacher, not because his father was one, nor at his father's suggestion, but
due to other prevailing cicumstances. Gopi, on the other hand, wanted to become an engineer and
Ranganatham was willing to foot the bill. Avadhani and Parvatamma let the children make their own
decisions, even when it went against their grain.

A second area was the husband-wife relationship. In this novel, we see both the angles - the past
and the present. Avadhani brought the little boy with not so much as mentioning it to Parvatamma in
advance. But Parvatamma played a major role in bringing Ranganatham away from Santha's home,
botching her plans.

As for the structure of the novel, we must, first, look into the process of serialization. In the fifties
and sixties, novels were written for publishing them in instalments in magazines. That meant creating
segments to fit 3 or 4 pages at a time, and including a cliff-hanger line to sustain the readers'
curiosity. In creating these artificial breaks however the story suffered from lack of cohesiveness at
times. For instance, the time frame of the letters when they were actually received and how much
time had passed between the reading and writing were not very clear. It is even more confusing
when one reads the novel in a book form. Sometimes, one incident switches to the next without
even an extra space between the two.

Most of Visalakshi's novels and stories are pivoted around the middle class - their economic
problems, women's education and more importantly the familial relationships. Like most of the
women writers of the 1950s and the 60s, she wrote about the life she has been familiar with. One
of her strong points is the struggle of finding a happy medium between the traditional values and the
progressive views. Her characters are deeprooted in tradition yet open to experimentation in
modern ways to improve their lives. This is particularly true of women characters.