“Yes, you will soon have to govern
yourselves,” Leah spoke with such a wide knowledge. “But we have given you
our institutions in government and in law, in economics and in education; all for you to succeed.”
COLOUR
OF PAIN
“Yes, you will soon have to govern
yourselves,” Leah spoke with such a wide knowledge. “But we have given you
our institutions in government and in law, in economics and in education; all for you to succeed.”
Munu’s
head was bowed, and he did not know why he felt so ashamed of himself.
Institutions in government and in law were beyond his simple mind. Leah took his
hand, speaking again: “We have given you the religion of Christ, Munu. We have
taken you out of centuries of primitive darkness. This has been Great
Britain’s greatest gift to you.”
…
Munu could not have known then that established status clearly marked out
individual roles. And that acceptance of a
belief put an end to inquiry.
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In Colour
of Pain, Munu endures the confusions and painful effects of latent
imperialistic propaganda. He is disgusted with himself, his religion, his
culture, his attire, his colour, his being, his Hinduism. These pains encompass
all aspects of his life; and the complexities of his imposed inferiority render
him quite impotent to develop any natural, social relationships.
This is so disastrous that at the moment of self-realization, coinciding with
the loss of his fiancée Lila, he thinks:
…..
David Hume was the father of lies, Ravana. Munu did not spare his
disciples, Froude and Trollope. He even resurrected Gobineau. With their lies
he’d been subjected to confusion; the colour of pain. They had cancelled
his life with their lies…
But
Colour of Pain is much more than about Munu’s crucifixion. The
leitmotif demands that the education system provide for a thorough and complete
examination of the institutions that govern our daily lives, before any change
can take place.
Amongst
the main characters, Thomas looks towards Africa, Munu towards England and
Europe, and Hafaz towards the English Crown and Mecca, Medina. This is the
confusion in determining ‘who am I’. Even Leah, of colonial ilk vacillates
between the virtues of imperialism and the growing tide of awareness sparked by
independence and the Black Power movement.
The
perspective encourages an intellectual understanding of the past and thus, to
create a genuine, harmonious life for all peoples.
If the emphasis is on Munu, the lesson is for all to investigate the process through which he overcame his complexes. How came he to open his eyes so as to see himself. And to be proud of what he saw.