“Pilgrims of the Mahatma”: A Nationalist Erasure of the Nation’s People in Kanthapura
Academic Level at Time of Presentation
Junior
Major
Journalism
2nd Student Major
Creative Writing
List all Project Mentors & Advisor(s)
Julie Cyzewski, PhD
Presentation Format
Oral Presentation
Abstract/Description
Raja Rao's Kanthapura (1938) depicted the Gandhian Nationalist Movement's effect on rural Indian communities. The villagers, although fictional, provide a glimpse into the kind of real Indian citizens who lived through the oppression of colonialism and the upheaval of revolution. However, scholarly works about the novel tend to focus on taking a strong stance on nationalism's impact on the story. This presentation, based on a research paper written in fall 2025, reexamines the late chapters of Kanthapura through a character-driven lens to assert that the textual narrative of the villagers is just as integral as the nationalist metanarrative.
Spring Scholars Week 2026
English and Philosophy Panel
“Pilgrims of the Mahatma”: A Nationalist Erasure of the Nation’s People in Kanthapura
Raja Rao's Kanthapura (1938) depicted the Gandhian Nationalist Movement's effect on rural Indian communities. The villagers, although fictional, provide a glimpse into the kind of real Indian citizens who lived through the oppression of colonialism and the upheaval of revolution. However, scholarly works about the novel tend to focus on taking a strong stance on nationalism's impact on the story. This presentation, based on a research paper written in fall 2025, reexamines the late chapters of Kanthapura through a character-driven lens to assert that the textual narrative of the villagers is just as integral as the nationalist metanarrative.