Kanthapura Lesson Plan

Read the first two paragraphs of chapter one aloud. Now consider Rao’s comment in the forward of the book:

“The tempo of Indian life must be infused into our English expression, even as the temp of American or Irish life has gone into the making of theirs. We, in India, think quickly, we talk quickly, and when we move we move quickly. There must be something in the sun of India that makes us rush and tumble and run on…This was and still is the ordinary style of our storytelling. I have tried to follow it myself in this story.”

Because of this, readers don’t have to guess Rao’s purpose for writing in the style that he does. However, it is valuable to consider the impact. How does the...