MULTINATIONAL CAPITALISM AND PERIPHERAL LITERATURE: A READING OF “PAS HAJAR BOSORIYA NAR-NARI” AND “RA-BAHOR SIKMIKONI”
Dr. Purabi Goswami
Assistant
Professor
Department
of English
Handique
Girls’ College
Guwahati,
India
&
Jintu Thakuria
Assistant
Professor
Department
of Education
Handique
Girls’ College
Guwahati,
India
Abstract:
The experience of global capitalism is not new to the inhabitants of
South Asia as they had encountered British capitalism during the 19th
century itself. During this time the North-East states remained at the
periphery of mainland India with its distinct ethnic identity. However, the
phenomenon of multinational capitalism is wide ranging and thorough;
consequently the north eastern states too come under its fold. Inspite of that
literature from North East states echoes its uniqueness alongside the
discourses of multinational capitalism. The educated class and the townspeople
of this area are affected and regulated by the culture of multinational
capitalism; but the hills people to a great extent still live their own lives
with myths, mysteries and mystical beliefs. Nonetheless the encroachment of
multinational capitalism undoubtedly affects peripheral culture and identity.
Contemporary Assamese literature reflects this issue of identity crisis
considering contemporary developments in global capitalism. The paper will
dwell on these issues referring to two stories written by the Assamese writer
Mousumi Kandali namely “Pas Hejar Bosoriya Nar-Nari” (Man and Woman of Five
Thousand Years) and “Ra-Bahor Sikmikoni” (Gleams of Ra Bamboos).
Keywords: Culture, Identity, Literature,
Multinational Capitalism
South Asia has been a witness to Global
Capitalism since long back. The expansion of British imperialism which can also
be called an expansion of global capitalism started in the 19th
century. As David Washbrook writes in, “South Asia, the World System, and World
Capitalism”:
Rather,
it was the army of British imperialism, formal and informal, which operated
worldwide, opening up markets to the products of the industrial revolution,
subordinating labor forces to the domination of capital and bringing to "benighted"
civilizations the enlightened values of Christianity and Rationality. The
Indian army was the iron fist in the velvet glove of Victorian expansionism
(Robinson and Gallagher 1953: 1- 15). Moreover, because the British Empire was
the principal agency through which the world system functioned in this era, the
Indian army was in a real sense the major coercive force behind the
internationalization of industrial capitalism. Paradoxically (or not!), the
martialization of north Indian society and, in many ways, the
"feudalization" of its agrarian relations, were direct corollaries of
the development of capitalism on a world scale during the nineteenth century.
(481).
He
further asserted that the intellectual nationalists of India grew up in this
global capitalist culture (481). However, this capitalist system did not bother
to reach out to the interior places. Yet South Asia was an indispensible part
of the British capitalist expansion projects. Not only in supplying raw
materials but in terms of work force too South Asia supplied all logistics
assistance in the maintenance and upliftment of British capitalism. As David
Washbrook puts it: “Huge
quantities of cheap and compliant migrant labor came out of South Asia to
maintain or make possible the development of mining and plantation capital in
Africa, the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia in the face of resistance from the
indigenous peasantries” (485). So the role of South Asia in consolidation of
British Capitalism is undeniable.
At this juncture we can mention Mira Wilkins
views on Capitalism as expressed in the essay, “Multinational Enterprises and
the Varieties of Capitalism”. She writes: “Capitalism connotes
not only an economic system, but also political, social, cultural, and
religious conditions and traditions” (641). Hence capitalism cannot remain as a
self-contained entity because the economic system will inevitably have a direct
impact upon the social and cultural life of a particular society. She further
explains the role of multinational companies in the socio-political life of a
society. She comments,
By
definition, as multinational enterprises cross over borders, they disseminate a
package of business attributes, including not only capital but also product,
process, research and development methods and findings, intellectual property
(including patents and trademarks), technical and managerial knowhow,
logistical expertise, entrepreneurial talents, and the like…… Not only do
multinationals transmit from one country to another advanced managerial and
technological accomplishments; they also transfer norms ways of doing business.
(641-642)
This
is how multinational capitalism can have a decisive impact upon the ways of
living of a particular place and community. That is why it is irrefutable that
literature produced in the present times reflects these developments in our
societies.
However, Frederic Jameson’s claims regarding
the literature from the third world countries posit a different picture as he
denies existence of the culture of multinational capitalism in these countries.
He declares:
Having made these initial distinctions, let
me now, by way of a sweeping hypothesis, try to say what all third-world
cultural productions seem to have in common and what distinguishes them
radically from analogous cultural forms in the first world. All third-world
texts are necessarily, I want to argue, allegorical, and in a very specific
way: they are to be read as what I will call national allegories, even when, or
perhaps I should say, particularly when their forms develop out of
predominantly western machineries of representation, such as the novel (69).
Aijaz Ahmad contends
Jameson’s totalization and proves his point by displaying how the third world
countries cannot be excluded from multinational capitalism. Ahmad argues, “So, does India belong in the first world or the
third? Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, South Africa? And .. .? But we know that
countries of the Pacific rim, from South Korea to Singapore, constitute the
fastest growing region within global capitalism. The list could be much longer,
but the point is that the binary opposition which Jameson constructs between a
capitalist first world and a presumably pre- or non-capitalist third world is
empirically ungrounded” (7). He justifies how the categories of first and third
world are actually defunct in the context of multinational capitalism in the
present time. He even elaborates his experience of belonging to Pakistan and
how he witnessed the evidences of onslaught of global capitalism in this
country. He affirms, “The advantage of coming from Pakistan, in my own case, is
that the country is saturated with capitalist commodities, bristles with US
weaponry, borders on China, the Soviet Union and Afghanistan, suffers from a
proliferation of competing nationalisms, and is currently witnessing the first
stage in the consolidation of the communist movement” (10).
Within India the North-East states demand a distinct
consideration because of its socio-political experience. As Rakhee Kalita Moral
writes in her book Once Upon the Hills,
“…life goes on in this eastern Himalayan mountain terrain of North East India,
where several tribes, each with its own distinct language and customs, coexist
like distinct motifs and meanings in a rich tapestry unfolding diverse patterns
and perspectives from the ancient past…” (14). Since the time of pre-independence
North East states have never been a part of mainland India. The arrival of the
British changed the scene and it got adjoined to rest of India for
administrative purposes. “North East India, as we know today, is very different
from what it was centuries ago. The region was not part of India politically
and not even administratively, till the British unified it with the rest of
India in the beginning of the 18th century” (History of North East
India: 4). After that during the time of India’s freedom struggle and in the
wave of India’s Nationalism too the North East states got connected with India
but the difference remained. The various
movements in many parts of North East for autonomy and independence are result
of that difference. This was one of the reasons that during the time of
colonialism British missionaries could convert many of these people to
Christianity; but the impact of British capitalism remained confined mostly
within the intelligentsia of Indian population. However, there were instances
in the Northeast states (then Assam) of the tea estates workers agitations
which were opened via British capital. The first oil refinery of Asia at Digboi
was set up by British capital and the workers there had to resort to agitations
from time to time to protest the exploitative control of the administration.
As Rana P. Behal reports in the essay “Power Structure, Discipline, and Labour
in Assam Tea Plantations under Colonial Rule”:
The years between 1937 and 1940 also witnessed an
upsurge of labour unrest and the emergence of trade unions. The Controller of
Emigrant Labour reported in 1939 that there were "an unusually large
number of strikes, viz. 17 and much unrest". The number of strikes
reported in another official report was much larger at 37 for that year. The
strikes spread from the Swedish-owned Assam Match Company at Dhubri, the Assam
Oil Company (a subsidiary of Burma Oil Company) in Digboi, the British-owned
Assam Railways and Trading Company, to the tea gardens and government establishments.
The intensity of labour unrest alarmed the government. The Government of Assam
expressed its anxiety over the "frequency of strikes and disturbances on
the tea gardens in several parts of the province" (150).
However, the phenomenon of multinational capitalism
is wide ranging and thorough; consequently the north eastern states too come
under its fold more solidly than British capitalism.
Nevertheless, the literature from North East states
maintained its unique identity alongside multinational capitalism. The novels
like The Legends of Pensam by Mamang
Dai and When the River Sleeps by
Easterine Kire manifest the singularity of the lives of these tribal people.
The educated class and the townspeople are affected and swayed by the culture
of multinational capitalism; but the hills people considerably live their own
lives with myths, mysteries and mystical beliefs. Several pieces of literature
produced in Assam do reflect the contemporary developments in global
capitalism. Saurabh Kumar Chaliha represented it many years back. Multinational
Capitalism is reflected in the writings of a number of contemporary writers.
Although Writers like Mousumi Kandali mirror these developments both technically
and thematically. To illustrate these ideas two stories by Mousumi Kandali have
been selected namely “Pas Hajar Bosoriya Nar-Nari” (Man and Woman of Five
Thousand Years1) and “Ra-Bahor Sikmikoni” (Gleams of Ra Bamboos).
In the beginning of the story “Pas Hajar Bosoriya
Nar-Nari” before introducing the central characters the writer refers to
Har-Gauri, Krishna-Rukmini, Usha-Aniruddha and finally settles on the analogy
of Arjun and Draupadi as the bargain between the man and woman in the story
resembles that of Arjun and Draupadi. Thereby it justifies how the modern
couple can be traced back to thousand years in time. To talk about their
wedding the writer uses the language of the corporate life. The narrative goes
like this, “One target is hit— the target of conjugal settlement. But there
remain so many targets to hit— … wastage, wastage— these rituals and customs
are too long. The clock is indicating the flight of time. The man and woman are
fidgeting. Numerous deadlines are beckoning them. Thousands of targets are
winking at them…Will they be able to fulfill the half done targets created by
this gap…” (40-41). One of the chief features of corporate life is to hit the
target, to reach the top level and earn more and more money. The story very
realistically represents the hard working, mechanical life of the corporate
employees. The couple is compelled to plan a honeymoon by their parents and
relatives. They already were in a live in relationship but they decided to
perform the rituals of marriage for their commitments to their families. In
their honeymoon too as the writer informs “There is neither honey in the bottle
nor moon in the sky…” (43). They lacked the emotional and physical excitements
in their honeymoon. Yet they try to bring a novelty in their relation and go to
a restaurant on top floor of their hotel where food, waiters, entertainment and
decoration are prepared with antique themes. They enter in a world where there
are simulations and that becomes the reality. As Baudrillard views: "The simulacrum is never that which
conceals the truth - it is the truth which conceals that there is none. The
simulacrum is true” (1). The theme of the restaurant is vintage; the waiters
and waitresses are serving wearing medieval attire and mughal turban. The
couple is transported to that ancient world and as Baudrillard suggests there
remains no boundary between simulacra and reality. Both of them agree that they
will assume the role of king and queen for the time being to bring some
innovativeness in their honeymoon. The queen is shocked by the masterly
attitude and masterly language used by the king; the king reminds her that they
are just playing a game. However, the postures and inclinations of the king on
bed discomfit the queen. The narrator presents, “A five thousand years old
python… The huge python with its raised hood taking refuge in the consciousness
of the king transformed into the thousand-mouthed ‘kaliyanaag’! He raced out of
his bed jumping and clenched the arms of the queen— the queen remained arrested
as if struck by a thunder bolt” (47). In the darkness of night in that room of
a five star hotel descend the primeval man and woman. All the values and
refinements inculcated by the couple are lost as they give in to the unpolished
instincts and perform the beastly game. In their return journey these two
corporate employees are not able to concentrate in their works of their
corporate jobs. Their eyes are fixed on the screens of their laptops but their
minds are elsewhere. They are crumbled by their experience and are shattered by
the realization that the war is not against the exterior world always; the war
is fought against oneself too— “the war not to let the violent five thousand
years old paralytic to come to life” (51).
The story in a metaphoric language portrays
the life of a couple in a society created by multinational capitalism. It
clearly demonstrates the rat-race they pursue; the targets they need to hit.
Nonetheless giving an intelligent twist to the story the writer shows how
inspite of the apparent enormous difference between the primeval and modern
life; there is actually a flimsy line dividing it. Hence at every little
pretext we can turn back to our primeval façade. The whole analysis makes
Baudrillard’s idea of ‘hyperreality’ true; appearance and reality are
seamlessly connected making the existence of reality impossible.
The other selected story “Ra Bahor Sikmikoni”
unveils how the multinational culture creeps into the interior places. When the
story begins two groups of people in two expensive vehicles are heading towards
the village of a woman called Momoko. One group represents the musician who
steals Momoko’s song and presents it in modern digitalized version; the other
group is that of a private TV channel who wants to cover the story of the
musical theft which will increase their TRP. These people with their selfish
ends move towards the village of a woman (Momoko) who has no clue about this
counterfeit world. In
the story, the unnamed musician brings up a song originally created by a woman
named Momoko in a hilly corner of the nation. Once the virgin song of Momoko
enters the studio, it is transformed into a digital version mixed with some
other vocals. The narrator recounts, ‘…The soul of Momoko’s song gets lost in
the colorful bright dresses. Only its lifeless body is left. Those who have
done the makeover of the song in the studio …do not care about the truth that a
song also has a soul, has a heartbeat, and that heartbeat is brought into life
by a living being who is behind that song. For them, packaging is the ultimate
reality. Packaging which can increase salability in the market step by step is
the ultimate truth for them…’ (p.151).
They can never imagine that a song can also be given birth. The narrator
explains that Momoko gave birth to the song bearing the pain of childbirth. The
song carries the salty taste of tears and blood (145). Momoko’s lullaby here
becomes the symbol of all those cultural elements of tribal lives existing in
the margins of the countries in South Asia. The economic and market based goals
fostered by multinational capitalism have adversely impacted the originality
and identity of these tribes. Momoko’s song encapsulates the memory and
experiences of her or the life of her community. Quoting Gottfried Herder,
Hangping Xu comments in the essay “Beyond National Allegory Mo Yan’s Fiction as
World Literature” “The idea of the folk is essential to the history of world
literature. Johann Gottfried Herder situates the folk space at the heart of
romantic nationalism. In particular, he considers folk poetry as “the archives
of a nationality,” “the imprints of the soul” of a nation, and “the living
voice of the nationalities. The soul of every nation lies in the poetic space
of the folk” (184). Yet in the story the powerful agents of multinational
culture are not able or are not bothered to understand this. The narrator says,
‘Yes, presentation. Now presentation is everything. Last but not the least is
presentation and packaging. Packaging of personality, packaging of commodity.
Packaging of tune – packaging of liquor, Packaging of phrases, Packaging is an
art – Packaging is a game, the motto of which is marketability –
salability. ….. yes, yes, sometimes like
migrant displaced people, a song can become displaced and homeless”
(148).
The story represents the power dynamics
inherent in the upsurge of multinational capitalism. Multinational capitalism
wields significant economic power through investments, jobs creation along with
contributions to GDP in host countries. This economic influence often
translates into political and cultural power. Multinational capitalism controls
significant portions of global media, entertainment and consumer good markets
which shape cultural narratives and consumer behaviour through marketing and
branding. The people living in the peripheries of the host countries get
influenced and impacted by such cultural production and consumption patterns.
This results in proliferation of a global consumer culture that prioritizes
materialism. Chomang, the friend of Momoko’s grandson is familiar with the
business game of capitalist culture. He very cleverly makes separate deals with
the group who stole Momoko’s song and with the media group who came to cover
the story of plagiarism. Hang Miji, the
grandson ends up in a state of confusion. In the wake of multinational
capitalism, the spread of global brands and media leads to cultural
homogenization where diverse local cultures are overshadowed by a dominant
global culture. The reverse opinion is globalization and multinational
capitalism enhances cultural diversity by introducing new ideas and fostering
cultural exchange. But, in the process of implementation of the ideas inherent
in some peripheral culture, are they recognized with their originality? Or do
the people in the periphery remain with this confusion as the narrator
explicates referring Hang:
‘…like a knot he is constantly devastated by the pull of the two
opposing forces. At one pole, a woman named Momoko, waiting among silent
nature, her lullabies, her hills; and at the other pole, the metallic lights
and mechanical chirpings. He always ends up in a dilemma - which way to choose
– left or right? …’ (159).
Hence, both the stories acquaint us with
different resonances of multinational capitalism in two separate contexts. “Pas
Hajar Bosoriya Nar-Nari” reflects upon how the couple confronts their primeval
selves in an antique environment which they never realise in their corporate
environment. Momoko in “Ra Bahor Sikmikoni” is least affected by the advancements of capitalist modes as she lives in
communion with nature; although her village slowly steers course towards
multinational capitalism. Both the stories represent that the culture
constituted around multicultural capitalism is a world of ‘simulacra’ giving
little space and time to think about an alternative world.
1.
Translations of the stories are done by us
for the purpose of the article.
Works
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