Mukundaram

The poems of Mukundaram were like a fantastic fairy-land. However it had elements of reality, humanity and modernity. Mukundaram was up to date and topical, objective and concrete and interested in the social and economic side of life. He is a writer of classical tradition. He writes with knowledge, precision of language. He is observant and specific. Mukundaram gives detailed information of village or town. The town of Gujarat that was founded by Kalketu grows vividly as one read the photographic description of the many people, of different faiths, occupations, customs, and manners.

Mukundaram records life as he finds it without distortion. He never misses the opportunity to dive into essentials. His insight into human nature is notable. Bharu Datta, the rogue; Murari Sil, the old pawnbroker who tries to cheat Kalketu; and Durbala, the scheming maid-servant are instances of his treatment of human nature. They are true to type, but are nonetheless individual; they have stepped out of contemporary life, but we can meet them even to-day; they are Bengali first and foremost, yet they have a touch of the universal. His wit often has a Shavian flavour. The king of Kalinga is great and a coward and shivers while he shouts at his soldiers. The doctors of Gujarat cannot cure disease and instead charge their patients for tapping them on the chest. The sight of a flowery meadow inspires the poet to anti-clericalism. The royal priest of Simhal is a comic figure. Dhanapati`s guests are comical as they argue about their social superiority. Mukundaram preserves his characteristic impersonality and aloofness in his comic passages. He does not appear to be poking fun. He writes in a quiet, unobtrusive, casual manner in order to give a different impression

However many bad social customs are accepted by Mukundaram with superstitious faith. He does not maintain an attitude of historical objectivity. He writes about those ordeals with the enthusiasm of a person who believes in them. Many of his serious passages say for example those describing Khullana`s unhappiness in her husband`s absence are besieged with current conventionalities. This is the same case regarding romantic passages as those describing Khullana`s longing for her husband when spring approaches. His men and women characters are neither angels nor monsters or degraded beyond their normal humanity. They are average and ordinary as well as they have a mixture of both good and bad in them. However he does not invest his hero with false heroics.

He is a realistic human a writer leading the readers to expect that he will also be democratic. Mukundaram fulfils this expectation. He has been compared to Lagland and Chaucer. He is objective and realistic as well as has an instinct for comedy. He was a village poet, bounded in idea and outlook. Mukundaram is more like Langland than Chaucer.