Choma's Drum - Kota Shivaram Karanth

One of the classics from the Kannada literature, Chomana Dudi ( or

Choma's Drum as translated to English) is one of the major works of
Kota Shivarama Karanth. Written in the 50s, this again covers the
often discussed and dealt the  subject of  caste system.

Choma belongs to the Mari caste , a lower class, untouchable, limited

to the job of a bonded-labourer of the Village chief. Widowed, with
five children to feed, he typical to people of his type, work hard at the
fields of his boss, spent half of what he earns at  the 'toddy shop' and
spent the remaining to his family, which is now put together by the
smart hands of the young Belli, 10 year old daughter, who grows to
the responsibility of maintaining the house affairs. Choma harbors a
dream of owning or renting his own farm where he wants to cultivate
paddy and other crops, for a potential escape from the hand to mouth
existence. Two bullocks, which he found abandoned in the forest
years ago are now grown and strong, adds to the hopes and dreams of
being a farmer himself. There are other suitors for his bullocks, with
attractive offers, and threats, but Choma is not wiling to let go of
them. The orthodox social system prevents Choma from getting his
land for he being in the low class. The Christian missionaries offer
him support, but he is reluctant to join the pastor's community.

To pay off his debt, Choma had to send his elderly sons to the Coffee
Estates in the distant hills. They did not manage to pay off the debt,
but one succumbs to cholera and the other desert the community and
join Christianity to marry his lover, leaving his family and the estate.
Now the girl had to go to the estate and work her way out to pay the
debt, which she manages by allowing to be abused by the estate
manager and the owner himself. She returns back clearing off the
debt, but loosing herself.  Choma also looses his young son, drowned
in the river, in front of a watching crowd who refuses to save him for
being an untouchable. Lost and defeated time and again, Choma find
his daughter in a compromising position with the estate manager. He
kicks her out of the house, set the bullocks free in the forest, shut
himself inside vigorously beats his drums until his life escapes him.

Choma is destined to fail from the beginning. The life beats him time
and again. One after the other his family members are lost. His girl,
the one he loved the most and only person he respected or feared is
also managed defeat him.There are others like the estate manager who
loot them with increasing the debt and interest. To the society he is a
low class, his dreams and hopes have no standing in their life. Even
the sympathetic land lord had to adhere to the social norms ( his aged
mother make sarcastic comments about the low-class), there are
promises of freedom from this by accepting the ways of the Christ,
but Choma is not ok to leave his 'GODs' and the other deities. Choma
continue to cherish his dream of owning  a piece of land. There are
government offer for a piece of land, but he does not know the way of
getting it done. He realises that his status being a low class, will come
in between him and his dream. He even contemplates joining the
Christianity just to fulfill his dream.

Drum, plays the role of symbolic oracle. For him, the only way to
express his inner most feelings, anguish, anger, joy or sadness is
through his drum. The drum represent his vocal output, which is
curbed by his social stature being an untouchable. The novel starts
with the drum beats, listened by those returning back to their homes
from the village festival. One of them remarks, "It's Choma again, and
it looks like he had a drink too much today". The echoes of his self
expression, is ridiculed as the naughtiness of a drunkard. The drum is
omnipresent, as much as the part of his physical extension. It
remained so, until the beats stopped, for the drum and Choma.

Karanth writes in simple language, befitting the protagonist of his

tale. The narration is straight forwards which become profound as it
progresses. There are some touching moments and brilliant passages
towards the end. He doesn't take the propagandist stand, but does it
through his characters. Probably a bit dated for today's generation, but
interesting and absorbing read.