The Hidden Pathos Behind the Refrain “Two Leaves and A Bud”
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61841/vgc3r546Keywords:
Exploitation, indentured,, plantation, artist,, underdog, humanist,, villain,, rakshas,, complement,, pessimistic,, medley, unsavory,, cliché,, niche.Abstract
The present paper aims at - how the word “refrain” plays a vital role in Mulkraj Anand’s Novel “Two Leaves and a Bud”. According to grammar, the word “refrain” has two lexical performances: As a Noun and As a verb - as a noun the word means: “a phrase or a verse recurring at intervals in a song or poem, especially at the end of each stanza in chorus.” - as a verb the same word means: “stop oneself from doing something.” The novel “Two Leaves and a Bud” takes its title from the simple refrain which the tea leaves gatherers, at the Macpherson Tea Estate in Assam, recite as they pick two leaves and a bud:
I will make a sheaf Plucking, plucking, plucking Two leave and a bud
Two leave and a bud
The workers at the workplace sing this type of refrain for getting rid of tiredness. But the hidden pathos behind the refrain makes the workers refrain from thinking of their own welfare, human justice as well as human rights.
It is an attempt to show the pathetic conditions of the Indian labourers at the tea estates; how they are, brutally, exploited by the rulers and also why the poor workers at the tea plantation refrain from protesting against injustice and inhumanity instead of enjoying themselves by singing the refrain at work
Downloads
References
1. Anand, Mulk Raj: “Two Leaves and A Bud”, Hind Pocket Books (p) Ltd, New Delhi, 1937
2. Sharma, C.K: “Perspectives of Mulk Raj Anand” (Ed), Vimal Prakashan Ghaziabad, 1978.
3. Agrawal BR : “Mulk Raj Anand”, New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers and Distributors, 2005.
4. Premila Paul, “The Novels of Mulk Raj Anand: A Thematic Study”, New Delhi: Sterling Publishers Pvt.Ltd, 1983.
5. Saros Cowasjee, “So Many Freedoms: A Study of The Major Fiction of Mulk Raj Anand” ,Madras: Oxford Uni.Press, 1977.
6. Ketaki Goswami, “Mulk Raj Anand Early Novels”, New Delhi: Sterling Publishers Pvt.Ltd, 1983.
7. Indra Mohan TMJ, “The Novels of Mulk Raj Anand: A New Critical Spectrum”, New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers and Distributors, 2005.
8. George CJ, “Mulk Raj Anand: His Art and Concerns”, New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers and Distributors (P)Ltd, 2008.
9. K.R.Srinivasa Iyengar, “Indian Writing in English”,New Delhi: PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd., 2009.
10. Balaram Gupta, “Mulk Raj Anand: A Study of his Novels in Humanist Perspective”, Barely: Prakash Book Depot, 1976.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
You are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format for any purpose, even commercially.
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
- The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.
Under the following terms:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit , provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made . You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
Notices:
You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation .
No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material.
