Arun Kolatkar’s Jejuri (1976) is an ironic comment on the presentday condition of Hinduism. The rational, secular protagonist finds Jejuri environment steeped in commercial values, the dilapidation and general decadence that oppress the poet’s sensibility. The poet’s ironic treatment of the Jejuri scene evinces us that at Jejuri there is little scope to cultivate spirituality. The modernity has snared Jejuri environment. The result has been the decay of the ancient Hindu spirituality. The poet finds that the temples, the priests, the attendants and also the Gods have lost their sanctity and the devotees who expect renewal of mind by material interests get exploited through many religious agencies. The devotees face more burdens than the free course of their dialogue with God. Kolatkar’s satire, ridicule and ironic treatment of Jejuri scene suggest the acute sense of the deterioration of the Hinduism in the present day. Naturally, this criticism paradoxically recalls to us our spiritual enrichment in the past. The Jejuri vision offers us the idea of the reintegration of Hindu spirituality by guarding it from the modem evil practices and thereby, the achievement of the consolidation of Hindu community.
Head, P.G. Department of English, Ram Lakhan Singh Yadav College, Bakhtiyarpur, Patliputra University, Patna
