Kanthapura

As Moorthy’s campaign begins in earnest in Chapter 8, the first person he goes to see is Range Gowda, who controls much of the village. Range Gowda explains to him how the growing division in the village is a problem, and Moorthy notices the clear division between Gowda and Bhatta. He tells Gowda about his plan to start a Congress group in Kanthapura, which will then join up with the Congress of All India. He preaches nonviolence to the angry Range Gowda, and explains to him that creating enemies with violence only deepens the conflict. Although Range Gowda is skeptical, he trusts Moorthy and agrees to help him set up the Congress. Moorthy then takes his blessing from Range Gowda and uses it to recruit the weavers’ chief elder, Ramayya. The same goes for the potters’ elder, Siddayya. Finally, Moorthy goes to the Pariah quarter and meets with his old ally Rachanna. Although Moorthy is still a bit startled by the squalor in which the Pariahs live, he is won over by their hospitality and convinces them to join his cause and spin cloth for the Congress. He returns home to Rangamma and prays, then the next morning he heads out to meet with Range Gowda again. Hearing of his success in recruitment, Range Gowda pledges his service to Moorthy, and soon most of the village is at work creating goods for the Congress and plotting the organization’s establishment. Soon, the village begins to see Moorthy as their Gandhi, treating him with honor. The village becomes more and more loyal to him, upping their production to help the cause. When it comes time to elect officers, they choose Moorthy as President, Range Gowda as his second-in-command, and Rangamma as the third member. Finally, they choose Rachanna, a Pariah, as their fourth and Seena as their fifth. They create a list of members and send it to the provisional Congress committee. Word of Moorthy’s activism starts to spread outside the village.

Not everyone in the village is pleased, and as Chapter 9 begins, Bhatta is horrified by the activity in the city. He worries about Moorthy’s growing influence over the village, which has not been slowed even by the Swami’s excommunication of his family. He worries about the economic impact on the village, believing that interest will rise for every Congress member. Although he tries to reassure himself that he still has allies, it is only when he comes to Venkamma that he hatches an idea. Planning to find a bridegroom for her daughter, he knows this will make Venkamma and her ruthless gossip his ally forever. He settles on Advocate Seenappa, a recent widower, who is a prominent man Venkamma would find suitable. The next day, he heads to Venkamma’s house and proposes the marriage to her. Venkamma is enthusiastic, and she immediately spreads the news around the village. As the wedding day draws closer, many wonder if Bhatta oversold the match, marrying young Ranga off to an older, widowed man with a daughter of his own, but Venkamma is satisfied. She throws a massive wedding party, inviting the whole village and hoping to use pomp and circumstance to distract them from Moorthy’s activism, exactly as Bhatta intended.

Chapter 10 begins as the month of Kartik dawns in Kanthapura. This is a month of religious festivals, and the village is filled with lights and celebration in all the quarters, with everyone is praying to the Gods. One night, the village is woken up by the sound of a struggle and eventually come across the source of the chaos. Bade Khan and a police inspector have broken into Rangamma’s house and are arresting Moorthy. The village soon gathers, with Range Gowda and Rachanna yelling at the lawmen to let Moorthy go. The policeman assaults Rachanna, and more policemen arrive as backup. The women of the village raise a scene, and a full brawl soon erupts. However, Moorthy speaks to the police inspector and is allowed to address the crowd. He tells them not to respond with violence, saying he is willing to go to prison just like Mahatma Gandhi has often done. However, the police inspector gets angry at this and hits Moorthy. This inflames the crowd once again, and soon all the leaders are arrested. The wives come out to beg for the release of their husbands, but are kicked, beaten, and groped by the officers. All the while, the crowd continues to chant “Mahatma Gandhi ki jai!”. Even the Brahmins join in, and soon a large chunk of the village is marched into the police station as one unit, free of caste or class. They are eventually all released, except for Moorthy. Moorthy is put on a bus and taken to the prison in Karwar. The village prays for him, and the students form a defense committee. The village raises money for advocates to defend Moorthy. However, Moorthy rejects a fancy defense attorney. He says he wants to let the truth speak for itself, even when he is warned about the corruption of the judges. The only defense he wants is that of truth and God.

A big rally is held in the public square, as Advocate Ranganna and Secretary Sankar address the crowd and speak of what Moorthy has said. The public is moved by Moorthy’s words and his influence grows even as he is locked away in prison. They speak of unity, both between castes and between religions. They urge the public to unite not just against the British occupation, but against their own private divisions. There are testimonials by fellow young people won over by Moorthy, and they rail against the corruption of the Swami, who they say was paid off by the British government to keep public order. Ranganna announces that he has opened his temples to the Pariahs; this is greeted with a massive ovation. Ranganna tells the story of his meeting with the Swami that exposed the man’s corruption, painting a picture of an India where both the police and the religious officials are in the pocket of the British government. The police then come to arrest Ranganna for disrupting public order. The village anxiously follows the news of Moorthy’s trial and the attempts to defend him. Many in the village, led by Rangamma, offer prayers to their patron goddess to secure Moorthy’s freedom. The villagers attempt to visit Moorthy in prison, but they find out that the authorities are charging him with inciting a riot and claiming that he arranged the assault of the Pariahs on the police. The village becomes more and more resistant to government influence, which leads the government to remove the beloved Range Gowda from his role as Patel. In Moorthy’s absence, Rangamma starts to take on a leadership role. As Moorthy’s trial date draws closer, the village speaks of Sankar and his reputation as an advocate. However, when Rangamma returns home from the trial, she reports that the judges gave Moorthy three months imprisonment. The village goes into mourning and everyone who is able fasts. In the aftermath, the village elder, Ramakrishnayya passes away and the village has a massive funeral for one of their most beloved citizens. Although they grieve the death and Moorthy’s absence, their resolve is stronger than ever.

As Chapter 11 begins, the absence of Ramakrishnayya leaves a void in the village; they no longer have a wise man to explain texts and religious literature. The next in line is Temple Raganna, who is loyal to Bhatta and not nearly as learned. Rangamma suggests that the women take the lead. She holds a study group every morning that combines the classic religious texts with Moorthy’s political philosophy. Rangamma rises in public stature and internal strength. She teaches the women of the village meditation techniques, and they then form a group of volunteers to police the village on their own. She shares with her fellow women stories of a brave Indian heroine, Rani Lakshmi Bai, relating her historic struggle to the one they face as rebels against the government. They plan to meet Moorthy with their volunteer corps when he is released from prison. The men in the village are scandalized by the actions of the women, with some resorting to abuse and a number of marriages falling apart. The women shame their husbands for giving up on Moorthy’s teachings while he is gone. Some of the women are skeptical when Rangamma tells them that they must stand firm and not resist when the police attack them, but Rangamma urges the women to have faith. Although the men of the village seem to have forgotten Moorthy’s teachings, with Rangamma’s guidance the women stay strong and the village once again begins holding Bhajans. A sense of life returns to Kanthapura for the first time since Moorthy’s arrest.