Travel Reality: Just a Voice of "Munshi Premchand".

 

Munshi Prem Chand was a man who loved rural life. Although he had a simple nature and a principled personality, his soul was always restless. He believed in freedom. Thinking deeply and living courageously were the guiding principles of his life. He strongly opposed those who were enemies of humanity, understood the rise and fall of nations and felt their effects. Mentally, Premchand was always developing. The changing conditions of India caused him both grief and hope.

Simplicity was prominent in Premchand's nature. Within this simplicity was a painful heart and he also had an awareness of human psychology. His proximity to and understanding of the rural environment allowed him to understand the demands of life and nature. He foresaw the changes in the world long ago, so he aligned the journey of his stories with time travel and made truth the center of the universe. His stories, such as "Kafan," "Hajj Akbar," and "Sarf Ek Awaz" reveal the reality of this journey. He never tried to elevate spirituality and emotion over reality. Although some of his stories feature elements that are somewhat unnatural, he never strays outside the social framework. He described every aspect of life in a pleasant manner.

Civilization affects people quickly, constantly changing their thoughts, sometimes sharpening emotions, and sometimes inflaming emotions. A sense of hopelessness and purposelessness begins to emerge. Social demands and cultural decay diminish human dignity. The agony of people due to social degradation can be seen in stories like "Movement", "The Writer's Honor" and "Holi Holiday". Premchand's personality explored every aspect of life, including moments of joy and sorrow.

Although conservative, Premchand viewed the partition in India with sadness, attributing it to the landlords who themselves had created the partition. The characters in his stories are a symbol of simplicity which was also prominent in his personality. Although Premchand expressed exhaustion at times in his life, he never let it overwhelm him, as his stories reflect a bright and promising future.

Many aspects of Munshi Premchand's personality are revealed, each with a unique perspective. In the realm of Urdu literature, especially in the world of storytelling, Premchand's personality is a great legacy. His intellectual depth left a deep imprint on his personality where the bitterness of life was intertwined with its sweetness. He gave this essence of love, calling it purity by nature. Some of the clouded aspects of his personality were a result of the imbalance of Indian society, which led to his occasional bouts of despair.

Social and political vicissitudes combined with bitter and sweet experiences raised his intellectual and consciousness level. He was deeply moved by rural life in India, where widespread injustice, pain and suffering were evident. The humility and compassion in his character significantly influenced his literary status. The most prominent theme of his stories is the helplessness, hunger and poverty of the Indian people, highlighting their petty desires. Premchand believed that one of the main reasons for this was the physical, intellectual and spiritual slavery of the Indian people.

Premchand's ideology went beyond the boundaries of religion and nationalism. He tried to free human thoughts from imagination and bring them into the realm of real world truths. He never compromised on the truth in any matter, maintaining a nationalist edge in his writings which made each of his stories resonate in the heart of every Indian. Premchand's ability to introspect the elements of life, combined with his unique perspective, earned him a prestigious place in Urdu storytelling.

Premchand was deeply troubled by the social and religious contradictions in India, as well as the poverty and hardships endured by the people. His language was simple and connected to real life. He did not neglect the aesthetic aspects of his creations. A prominent feature of his stories is their local color – the color of Indian life, with the rural aspect prominent. Premchand saw the true essence of nature in rural areas, portraying the incidents of ordinary life in a charming way.

Premchand's first collection of stories "Soz Vatan" depicts the waves of awakening in his mind and the factors that fostered the feeling of exhaustion. The characters in his stories show love for humanity, a theme less common in the world of Urdu fiction. He beautifully developed the themes of good and evil according to the environment, incorporating religion in a way not seen by other writers. In fact we can say that Premchand alone presented Hindu religious emotions and sentiments in Urdu fiction with greater clarity and breadth.

Premchand's literary greatness is evident from the fact that the principles of storytelling he laid down are still followed today. He had a natural talent for observation, which is the reason why the intensity of emotions in some of his stories is felt more strongly. The man inside him was always looking for peace. The gradual upward development of Premchand's writings earned him a prominent position in the world of fiction.

He was truly a man who understood time, embodying both thought and action. He proceeded with this mindset, never confining his work to religion, nationalism or social thought, but embarked on a class struggle where only consciousness played its part. This conscious process is still an experience for us today. Premchand was well aware of the intensity and impact of the movements emerging in the changing Indian society, which is why his stories reflect these conditions. As the concept of realism evolved, so did Premchand's intellectual and conscious views.

Premchand believed that literature cannot be separated from life, but inner emotions and feelings should also be considered, as these factors play an important role in the formation of any society. The class struggle in Indian society was taking a new direction, and it was impossible for the intelligent and educated to ignore these facts. There is no room for sentimentality in such a society. So Premchand proceeded with a balanced mindset. When anti-social elements tried to divide the people using religion and language, Premchand brought out the essence of Indian elements in his stories, showing that despite being divided, they remained united at their core. .

The journey of realism that began with "the world's most precious rattan" and ended with the "Shroud" reached the level of consciousness that is the experience of our time. Premchand, be it reformist or ideological stories, continued to transform literary life with his unique romantic sentiments. Nationalist sentiments were at their peak, and under such circumstances, how could an intelligent, sensitive person like Premchand not consider the basic elements of the process, which were burning many hearts.

The realism of the society often makes people fall apart mainly due to lack of tolerance and entrapment of self in the shell of ego. Keeping social consciousness in mind, Premchand identified elements in his stories which we can call "constant struggle". As his mind was always evolving, his ideas came with the events of observing that the spirit of the Indian people, overwhelmed by suffering, was striving for a better life. It can only be achieved through continuous struggle and it requires individual and collective suffering. Human indifference with poverty creates a picture where humanity falls into tyranny and such tyranny surrounds us even today.

Premchand's life was a combination of ups and downs. He explored the reasons for the highs and lows of life in the lives of the people living on the fertile land of India and recognized the underlying bitterness in them. The human behavior depicted in his stories emphasizes the social inequality we feel so keenly, portraying the journey of a man who constantly lives in this world with his restless soul.