Ancient, Modern historiography & Fiction - 4

Original Source: https://stage.jeyamohan.in/197339/

Date: 25-Mar-2024

 

In some form or other, there is a history in every fiction and a fiction in every history. The history in a fiction is not really a history in a strict sense, whereas the fiction in historiography is certainly history.

We always call as historical fiction only those stories that tell a slightly older history. i.e. If the imagination is let to elaborate the history that we had developed with minimal proof, we call that a historical fiction. When contemporary history is fictionalized, we do not see the history in it. We consider it 'realism'.

We have defined a boundary for 'contemporaneous'. For us, the period before independence is historical period. Post that, it's contemporary period. That is why novels like Suthanthira Thagam (Si.Su.Chellappa), Anbe Aaramudhe (Thi. Janakiraman) that have as their background Indian independence movement, do not seem like historical fictions. Whereas, the fiction 'Ratham orae niram' by Sujatha that tells about an older period seems like historical fiction.

Both history and philosophy are incorporated in all of my novels. To elaborate on my questions within the contexts of history and fiction, I employ fiction. Therefore, not only 'Vellai Yaanai', even 'Andha Mughil Indha Mughil' is a historical fiction. The latter entails the historical context of South Indian cinema.

In my Travanacore based historical stories, I am taking up my questions that are based on what I had heard during my childhood days and later my readings regarding historical events that were written by Travanacore historical writers from Diwan Velu Thampi to P. Shungoonny Menon. 

(Manu Pillai's history book on Travanacore - Ivory Throne is indeed good. It is the best as a general read. But, Satya Thilakan Diwan VeluPillai's book 'The Travanacore State Manual - Veluppillai' and V. Nagam Aiya's book 'Travanacore State Manual' are the complete books more closer to historiographical language. Because, they present history together with information on geography and economics. Shungoonny Menon's History of Travanacore is also a good book). 

Even in my childhood, I had known about the history regarding Gowri Parvati Bayi, Gowri Lakshmi Bayi, Velu Thampi Dhalavai. The values hoisted on them had reached me. Ulloor Parameswara Iyer had erected a monumental epic 'Uma Keralam' on Queen Umaiyamma Rani. There are popular novels on Marthanda Varma and Dharmaraja written by C.V.Raman Pillai.

I traverse through the history to reconsider my values. For instance, Diwan Velu Thampi is Kerala's valorous hero, with his statues all over there. But what did he do for Kerala? Nothing. He became a Diwan with Britisher's support, paid taxes and got killed when he rebelled against them. What history portrays about his rebellion is merely its pitiful defeat. If the one who gets defeated with thirty thousand soldiers is a warrior, then what about Colonel Chamiers that defeated him?

Hero worship was required for us during the period of independence movement. We created courageous heroes. Whereas in democracy, it is the administrators who undertook welfare schemes that need to be revered.  In Kerala, it was the queens who were major contributors towards that end. Even in Tamilnadu, it is queens like Rani Mangammal who were good administrators. They ought to be promoted, right?

In my view, a good ruler is a one that provides a peaceful life to the subjects. Majority of the rulers went to battle purely out of their own ego. Putin will be remembered as a national hero in their land's history. But, I think he is a disease destroying its people. If not for the Mangammal that entered into a compromise with Aurangazeb, South India would have been ruined.

History is always being written as though it is moving towards a specific center with a specific intention. If it needs to be presented from another perspective, fiction is the only way. To the question on whether history can completely be written as a fiction, the answer is perhaps yes - but it wouldn't qualify as a critique on history. Rather it would remain as an imagination. Such attempts are present in world literature and cinema. An example - Inglorious Basterds.

I intend my stories to have an aspect of review on history. It must convey that history can also be seen 'this' way. The Napoleon presented by Tolstoy is not a hero. He is but a spec carried away by fate. It is an alternate perspective on history. We know the way it transformed the world's perspective on historiography.

The reason for fiction writer to intrude history is to reconsider the values and to establish the vision applicable forever. The simple maids and soldiers were the untolds in the history of yesterday's rulers. If an author writes their history through his imagination thereby filling up the gaps in history, he accomplishes a transformation in values. He brings in the value that it is the commoners who are history.

History can also be written to understand how a vision of life establishes itself in a millennium. If I write a novel about an asylum from the period of "Ay Andiran", then its intention is to espouse the vision of "Ahimsa".

A minimum historical proof is sufficient for this. The foundational data to advocate an alternate perspective should suffice. It is not needed to prove it without doubt - even in history, no perspective was ever proved thus. For instance, there is a hero stone about an asylum from the era of Ay Andiran at Padmanabapuram. One can construct a story based out of it. 

An incident described in the fiction "Aayiram ootrukal" had legendarily been passed on and is in history. Ulloor Parameswara Pillai converted it into an epic. Many have recorded it. Manu Pillai asserts it as an imagination remarking that it doesn't have proof. It has also been written that there isn't any historical proof for the picture of Napoleon portrayed by Tolstoy. It isn't about rejecting fiction. Fiction is but elaborating on a conjecture. It takes only the basis for that conjecture from history. 

 

J

 

References: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._S._Chellappa

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31159448

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thi._Janakiraman

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25955819

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sujatha_(writer)

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/13090824-rattham-ore-niram

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travancore

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/58460730-andha-mugil-indha-mugil

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20660639-vellaiyaanai

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velu_Thampi_Dalawa

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20272586-a-history-of-travancore-from-the-earliest-times-volume-1

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/28264135-the-ivory-throne

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15421950-the-travancore-state-manual

https://keralabookstore.com/book/the-travancore-state-manual-vol-1-2-3-and-4/11096/

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gowri_Parvati_Bayi

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gowri_Lakshmi_Bayi

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velu_Thampi_Dalawa

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulloor_S._Parameswara_Iyer

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umayamma_Rani

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._V._Raman_Pillai

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marthandavarma_(novel)

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17568457-dharmaraja

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangammal

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ay_dynasty

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Padmanabhapuram