Art, Literature and CultureReviews

‘Arey Yayavar Rahega Yaad?’-  Agyeya’s multi-faceted travelogue

Arey Yayavar rahega yaad by Agyeya is worthy of canonisation in Hindi travel literature. It is a treasure of accounts which vastly encompasses the history, geography and politics of Indian subcontinent around the time of independence. It was published in 1953. The travelogue is divided into eight chapters.

This travelogue consists of Agyeya’s experiences gained through his travels as a science student researcher during his graduation in search of cosmic rays and as part of the army towards the end of the second world war and around independence. He also travelled to some places on his own and has documented his experiences from these trips in this book. Agyeya writes in the introduction of the book, “The description of some of the places which have been mentioned in this travel-memoir had become dated when the first edition was published: Some trips were from before the last world-war and were published as a book after the attainment of independence.”

He travelled across the length and breadth of the country visiting various states including Assam, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh etc. He had also visited some cities and regions which are now part of Pakistan.  

Nature and its changing representation

Agyeya in his writings always focused on nature very keenly. His descriptions of natural and geographical features played an important part in his literature through which he often represented emotional and psychological ideas and perspectives. This tendency is also reflected in his travelogue which makes it unique since he adds multiple layers of an interior and exterior world to his observations.

Agyeya while visiting Kashmir as a research scholar was taken by the beautiful scenery as reflected by this pleasant and calm description- “It seemed as if Holi was being celebrated with the yellow, red, pink, blue, sky blue, crimson, white and golden coloured flowers and the stems were swinging along with the gusts of wind. As if the flowers were dancing and saying to the wind “Hunh, why would we bother about you!”

The mood of the times impacted his narratives about the things Agyeya would observe. During the Second World War when he was visiting Assam he could not conjure a very pleasant description of his surroundings. The prevalent political climate deeply impacted him which reflected in his description of the nature as well. He has described nature in many places where we can sense his anxiety instead of his love for nature. He writes in the first chapter on his Assam visit, “The bright giant silk-cotton trees it seemed were becoming thorny with the smoldering anticipation of blossoming of blood red-flowers; and in some places were clusters of butea. In a few days a fire will bloom in them; clinging to the side of hills, blazing, it will spread to the top swallowing the trees one by one”. 

Further in this chapter Agyeya describes a place in Abbottabad, now in Pakistan, full of beautiful narcissuses where he was travelling right before independence when the demand for a separate nation of Pakistan was being raised in the subcontinent. The political climate was very tense and conflict-ridden. Agyeya could not find the beauty in nature as he was distressed by the political conditions of the time. He wrote in his diary as an allegory, “My imagination envisions, thousands of feet are trampling these narcissuses, heartless and merciless feet, -and the sound of the cracking of flower-stalks in the atmosphere drowns among the slogans being raised…. – the narcissuses swinging in the snow, trampling feet, only feet…” 

Social issues

Agyeya did not believe in travelling for the sake of travelling alone but accorded to it a socio-political importance as well. He writes in the introduction to the book, “Touring or travel not should be only for change of scenery or entertainment but should also contribute in the development of the cultural perspective, this is its real success actually.” All the places that he visited, he saw them from a social and political viewpoint as well. In some of the places in the travelogue he has written about the prevalence of caste discrimination.

He has also related the myths and mythology of different places he visited. While doing so he has mentioned about the discriminatory practices furthered by the mythological and religious narratives as in case of lesser importance accorded to deities of certain tribes in Himachal Pradesh.

Agyeya has paid attention to the bureaucratic and governance issues in Assam. He gives an account of the deprivation of food and ration in certain areas of Assam. He also describes the flood situation in the state detailing the difficulties faced by the people as the rainy season brings trouble for them every time. Thus, he highlighted the disaster scenario through his travelogue, an issue which has only become more relevant with time. He has also touched upon the political dynamics between the Christian missionaries and tribals in the border regions of Assam. He observed that there is an intrinsic bond between the political agents of ‘backward’ states and Christian evangelists in this region. All these descriptions provide a political-ethnography of the region during the pre-independence period when the political identity of both the region and the nation were in the process of being formed.

Mortality: Stillness and Motion

Agyeya had faced death closely many times in his life. Because of his experiences with death he often pays special attention to it in his writings, including his literature. In this book he has written about the funerary traditions practiced in the country where his disagreement with the culture of statues, tombs and other symbols of commemoration of historical personalities is reflected, an issue which is still pertinent in today’s times. There are many descriptions in the book such as those of the grave of Aurangzeb, statue of Gandhi, Vivekanand Rock memorial and the statue of Mary, where he adopts a critical outlook on their relevance and aesthetic. He was also against the ritual of submerging the remains after a funeral. He also expressed his critical views about the practice of keeping idols of gods in the temples. He writes, “no sooner does the god step in the temple he becomes a rock, and the first condition for the life-world is motion, motion and only motion!’

Wherever Agyeya went he observed every place thoroughly. He has written in some detail about the military establishments of Britishers such as their cantonments, camps, barracks etc. His descriptions of the mountains with their heights, locations and the tribes of the area, the rivers and the cities around them are all valuable details which help form a picture of both the physical and political geography of the regions. He had also described the historical monuments along with their political stories and narratives.  The culture of different regions of the Indian sub-continent can also be found in the book. However the excess of details such as the names and measurements of geographical features and cities can prove obstructive for the reader in some places.

Thus Arey Yayavar Rahega Yaad paints a holistic picture of India combining Agyeya’s unique picturesque literary descriptions with his psychological insights and socio-political perspectives. It comprises of the important historical, geographical, mythological, cultural and social aspects of India from period of the second world war up to the early independence years. Agyeya’s account of his travels in the Indian subcontinent at the time of second world war is a rare one in Hindi literature, especially in non-fiction genre. In both his accounts that of the second world war and the years before independence he has described the fearful atmosphere of India which he had observed.      

Importance of the travelogue Are Yayavar Rahega Yaad?

Throughout its history India has changed drastically in many ways; geographically, historically, politically and socially. Therefore, this travelogue performs an important function of safekeeping and preserving the country’s history and legacy of the time. Yet this book also shows that a lot of things are still the same and provides important clues from history to understand the present. That’s why Arey Yayavar Rrahga Yaad is an important text.

The period during which Agyeya had travelled was very significant as it was during this time that the idea of India was taking shape both geographically and politically. His observations garnered during the extensive travels throughout the sub-continent when presented through his unique literary style and vision provide an interesting read. At the same time this travelogue also shows that a travel-memoir is not just about scenic beauty and leisure as Agyeya believed but also a social-political and ethnographic document which when translated from Hindi to English can prove very useful and important for a wide range of readers.

Agyeya led a rich life which reflected not only in his fictional but also non-fictional literature. Apart from novels, essays and criticisms he was also documented the experiences of his travels. Arey Yayavar Rahega Yaad is one such interesting account of his travels across the country written in great detail.

All the quoted excerpts from the travelogue have been translated from Hindi to English by the author of this review.

Amita Chaturvedi is an independent writer and maintains a blog by the name of Apna Parichay. You may read this article on her blog as well.

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