Javni

Raja Rao was the last of the Big-three of Indian writing in English–(the other two being R.K. Narayan and Mulk Raj Anand)—whose tales gave credibility to Indian writing in English at a time when it was a much-debated genre, considered weak and not of the soil. Points to ponder: 1 Javni is the maid servant of the sister of Ramappa. 2 She is about forty. 3 She is the typical Indian peasant woman :long-suffering,exploited. 4 She is a mother figure - Ramappa would like to be adopted by her. 5 Javni accepts her fate. 6 She accepts the conventions that casteism imposes on individuals. 7 Through Javni Raja Rao exposes the hypocrisy of Indians who employ domestic servants, treat them as family when it pleases them and leave them quite as easily without any support whatsoever. 8 There is conversely a certain security in the social fabric of casteism- it provides a place in the social hierarchy, high caste or low caste - it does not matter what the caste is, one 'belongs' and if one follows the rules one is assured of a particular area of work. Ramappa does not quite realise this. He fails to see that the demarcation of the area of what Javni can do and where she can go and where she can eat provides her with a sense of security. Where the woman has been abandoned by her inlaws and her own family Ramappa's sister's home is a haven.