The novel is divided in three parts along with a prologue and an epilogue. The prologue depicts the urgency of the British administration to increase their dominion over the Indian subcontinent by hook or crook.
The British Government faced defeat and ignominy during the American War of Independence and that pushed them to increase their grip in the East, especially in India. After hearing about the defeat of the British forces in America, Warren Hastings, the then Governor General of India makes a remark:
“If it be really true the British arms and influence have suffered so severe a check in the western world, it is the more incumbent upon those who are charged with the interest of Great Britain in the East to exert themselves for the retrieval of the national honor.”
The novel depicts the emasculation and alienation of royalty from their people through an ingenious British scheme, the subsidiary Alliance, which reduced the princely states to mere “golden honeycombs” while The British had all the authority to snatch the honey whenever they wish.
Characters of The Golden Honeycomb:
Bwajiraj-I is the king of Devapur, a princely state of India. He is struggling against the increasing power of the British forces and as he tries to side with the general public of his state, he is deposed for his seditious activities against the British government. Dewan is a shrewd minister of Bwajiraj-I. Bwajiraj-II is a young man of the ruling class who is picked by the British government as the new king of Devapur. Bwajiraj-II has no real power in his hands but he is allowed to have all possible amenities in return for being a puppet in the hands of the British administration. The British government appoints a British Resident to overlook the administration of Devapur. Manjula is the wife of Bwajiraj-II. Bwajiraj-III is the only son of Manjula and Bwajiraj-II who becomes the King after his father’s untimely death at a very young age. Bwajiraj-III is raised and indoctrinated under British influence and he proves to be a perfect vassal of the British government. Mr. Barrington is the English tutor of Bwajiraj-III. Colonel Arthur is the British Resident of Devapur who keeps a strong hold over Bwajiraj-III. Shantabai is the Queen wife of Bwajiraj-III who gives birth to three daughters. Mohini is an attractive commoner maid of the Queen who grabs the eyes of the King. Bwajiraj-III proposes Mohini to become his second wife but she declines, claiming that Bwajiraj-III is not a king even in his own house, he is just a puppet. Rabindranath or Rabi is the son of Bwajiraj-III and Mohini. Being his only son, Rabi becomes the heir-prince of Devapur. Sophia is the daughter of a British Agent.
Summary of The Golden Honeycomb:
The novel begins with a prologue in which the author explains the premise of the period from 1850 to 1947, during which, the Indian sub-continent was under the oppressive influence of the British government. ‘The Prologue’ depicts clearly the British policy to keep India as its prized colony for its power as well as economic prosperity. The author highlights the commercial mindset of the East India Company and its subtle intriguing ways to hold on to India and conquer its princely states one by one.
One such state is Devapur. The king of Devapur is Maharaj Bwajiraj-I who is a self-indulgent, irresponsible, and vane person lacking a strong individualistic character. However, he doesn’t like the British intervention in the administrative manner of Devpur as it makes him realize how little power he actually holds. Thus, he tries to restrict the interventions of the East India Company. The British Government, which is gradually taking over the role of the ruler of India while replacing the East India Company and the princely states, decides to get rid of Maharaj Bwajiraj-I and he is deposed for his seditious activities. The Dewan of Devpur hobnobs with the British Agent and suggests the name of an eighteen years old young man belonging to the ruling class as the new king. The British Agent accepts the idea because he believes that the new king will be no more than a puppet under the influence of the British administration. The young man is anointed as Bwajiraj-II the king of Devapur. Originally, he was a commoner, the son of a landlord who is just married to Manjula, a girl of thirteen. Now, he is the king of Devpur with all possible amenities available for him. However, he is neither free nor happy. It becomes a duty of his to wear the robes of the king and attend the Durbar as a mere vassal of the British empire as all the major decisions are to be taken by the British Agent. He continues to enjoy the richness of the Durbar and soon, his wife gives birth to his son. Bwajiraj-III. The new prince is raised under British influence and he gets English tutors and indoctrinators. Maharaj Bwajiraj-II wishes his son to thoroughly imbibe the British culture but Maharani Manjula opposes him and says that he must learn about his own country and culture first. The British Agent ensures that the Queen has no say in the prince’s life. The prince knows nothing about Devapura and India but he learns the history and geography of England, He learns about the British constitution, laws, customs, and mannerisms and learns about the British generals and statesmen who rule over a third of the world.
Unfortunately, Bwajirao-II meets an accident while hunting and dies. His son is announced as the new king Bwajiraj-III while the British Agent becomes the caretaker. Bwajiraj-III hardly gets any idea of India as his nation or Devapura as his state. He grows up in the best of the leisure and amenities and then is sent to the Chief’s College for higher education. Chief’s College is a special institution founded by the British government to educate and civilize the sons of Indian princesses and noblemen to inculcate British ways in them. The Chief’s College is designed to function as the Indian Elton. This further alienates Bwajiraj-III from his people anddd he thoroughly becomes a British vassal. Bwajiraj-III becomes the favorite student of his English tutor Mr. Barrington who praises him highly and writes a favorable testimonial describing him as “a fine horseman, an excellent shot, a first-class cricketer, and unrivaled at polo.” The British Agent keeps a close watch on Bwajiraj-III to keep everything under control. Bwajiraj-III praises everything British and he ridicules and hates his own culture and people.
Maharani is completely alienated from her son, so much so, that she is not allowed to select the bride for her son. Dewan again shows his shrewdness and suggests Shantibai as a match for Bwajiraj-III who is liked by Maharani and British Agent both. He gets married to Shanibai, chosen by the British Agent. Shantibai gives birth to three daughters. Bwajiraj-III continues to be the perfect puppet in the hands of the British Agent. He is the ruler of Devapur with no power to rule. Shantibai is a traditional Indian woman whom Bwajiraj-III doesn’t like very much. She gives birth to three daughters. Bwajiraj-III wishes to have a son to be his heir. He falls for a common girl Mohini who becomes his mistress. Bwajiraj-III wishes to marry Mohini but she declines the proposal as she realizes that he is not a free man. Mohini gives birth to a son and demands that he should be recognized as the heir of Bwajiraj-III without her marrying the Maharaj. She insists that though the Maharaj is not a free man within his own palace, her son will lead a life of freedom. She names the prince Rabindranath and calls her Rabi with love. Since Rabi is not the official son of Bwajiraj-III, Mohini succeeds in avoiding the unwanted attention of the British Agent in the life and growth of his son. She appoints a Pundit as an Indian tutor for Rabi as he grows old. Despite Bwajiraj-III’s wish to send Rabi to the Chief’s School and then Chief’s College like a prince, Rabi’s mother, and his grandmother ensures that he gets his education in Indian manners. The Pundit, with the help of Mohini and Maharani Manjula, inculcates Indian values in Rabi who learns the glorious past of India and how the foreign rulers are now devastating his nation. He learns about the heroic deeds of his ancestors and understands the value of Individual freedom and cultural identity. Being the son of Mohini, a commoner, Rabi lacks the vanity and pride of Bwajiraj-III. He plays with Das, the son of a servant, and enjoys his time with Janaki, a sweeper girl. He has no inhibitions of caste and class and he learns to love the people of the ‘empty-belly race.’ When Bwajiraj-III sees Rabi playing with Janaki and Das, he dismisses Das’s father and Janaki from their jobs. Rabi protests against this as he wants the freedom to choose his friends. Life goes on and Rabi continues to understand the situation of his father as a vassal of British Agent. Maharani Shantidevi notices that Rabi is becoming a rebel who doesn’t like his father being a mere servant of British rulers. She further explains how everybody has sold their soul to the Britishers. She says that Bwajiraj-III is proud of his legacy as the king of Devapur but in reality, he is just a slave of the British rulers. Rabi then learns why he was alienated from Janaki and Das. He understands that being the son of a slave, he too is a slave with no freedom to choose his companions. However, he doesn’t yet realize the extent of slavery of his father.
Bwajiraj-III insists Rabi join his Durbar as the prince. Rabi agrees to it half-heartedly and then he learns the true extent of the submissiveness of Bwajiraj against the British Agent. This fills him with hatred toward his own father.
As Rabi grows old, he starts learning about the world outside the walls of the palace. He learns about the hardship of the common people. He decides to take sides with the mill workers protesting against the inhuman conditions in the mills for the workers. Rabi meets Sophia, the daughter of a British Agent and Sophia notices the fire of individual freedom in Rabi’s eyes. She starts appreciating him. Both of them are on the opposite side of the political fulcrum. Both were aware of the troubled alliance that existed between the British and the Indians and of the boundary between them that they were forbidden to cross. But all this changes one night when, during the revelries of a village festival, the two find themselves passionately drawn to each other. Realizing what is at stake, the lovers dare to defy every rule of class and race.
Bwajiraj decides to take Rabi to the grand Delhi Durbar where he has been invited to attend the meeting in honor of the ceremony of the crowning of His Majesty King-Emperor Edward in 1903.
Mohini opposes Rabi from going to Delhi and insists that, unlike his father, Rabi is not a slave of the British Empire. However, Bwajiraj manages to persuade her to allow Rabi to go with him. Bwajiraj is very excited because he loves Durbar and especially the Delhi Durbar. After all, it allows him to feel as being linked with the King Emperor or Britain, his beloved nation. He believes that as the representative of the people of Devapur, he can express the loyalty of all people of Devapur towards the Viceroy and the King-Emperor.
At the Delhi Durbar, Rabi sees his father bowing three times against Lord Curzon, the Viceroy of India. Lord Curzon treats Bwajiraj coldly and this fills Rabi with hatred. He realizes that the Maharaja has no power and respect in the Durbar, he is powerless. He learns that all the power is held by Lord Curzon while Bwajiraj is only his vassal. Rabi makes up his mind and decides to join the non-violent protests against the British empire.
On their return, Rabi actively starts taking part in social services and as he devotes himself to the cause of the Indian Freedom Struggle, he makes distance himself from Sophia.
Once, a group of peasants and laborers decide to stage a protest against increased levies and taxes. They forcefully stop the car of Maharaja to request him to take back the order of increased taxes. Rabi appears as the leader of the mob and asks Bwajiraj to rescind the order of increased levies and treaties that cannot be supported by poor peasants and laborers. Bwajiraj says that he is the prince and heir of Devapur and that his actions will ruin the state. Rabi exclaims that he is against monarchy and wishes India to be a free democratic state. While Bwajiraj is not happy with the freedom struggle, Rabi continues to increase his contribution to the revolution. India achieves Independence and the princes of India were left with two choices. They had to sign the Instrument of Accession and accede either to India or to Pakistan. By participating in the national freedom movement, Rabi wins popularity and helps to bridge the gulf between the ruler and the ruled.
So this is it for today. We will continue to discuss the history of Indian English literature. Please stay connected with the Discourse. Thanks and Regards!
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