Sankar Character Analysis in Kanthapura

Sankar is the Secretary of the Congress Committee in the city of Karwar, which is not so far from Kanthapura. A Gandhian and a lawyer (or “advocate”), Sankar holds rallies on Moorthy’s behalf after his first arrest, where villagers protest for his release from prison. Sankar refused to remarry after losing his wife, a “god-like woman” named Usha, at age 26. A devout follower of Gandhi, Sankar is known for his honorable reputation, and is referred to by many as the “Acestic Advocate” because of his refusal to drink like the other lawyers or take a case he does not believe in. In fact, he is so principled in his commitment to Gandhist nationalism that he takes Hindi class (Hindi will be India’s national language) and begins speaking to everyone in Hindi—even to those, like his mother, who understand not a word of it. Nonetheless, the Kanthapura villagers often view Sankar with at least some suspicion, simply because he is from the city, which they do not trust.

Sankar Quotes in Kanthapura

The Kanthapura quotes below are all either spoken by Sankar or refer to Sankar. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Oral Tradition, Writing, and Political Power Theme Icon

). Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Oxford University Press edition of Kanthapura published in 1963.

Changing he changes not,

Ash-smeared, he’s Parvati’s sire,

Moon on his head,

And poison in his throat,

Chant, chant, chant the name of Eesh,

Chant the name of Siva Lord!

Related Characters: , ,

Page Number and Citation: 113

Explanation and Analysis:

Sankar Character Timeline in Kanthapura

The timeline below shows where the character Sankar appears in Kanthapura. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Gandhism and the Erosion of Caste Theme Icon

Finally, Sankar, the Secretary of the Congress Committee in the nearby city of Karwar, comes to visit... (full context)

Sankar enlists Advocate Ranganna, Khadi-shop Dasappa, and a number of other volunteers to bring in a... (full context)

Seetharamu brings Rangamma and Nanjamma to Sankar, and they agree that Moorthy is saintly and capable of “holy deeds.” Sankar explains that... (full context)

Land, Geography, and Belonging Theme Icon

Rangamma returns to Karwar, where she stays with Sankar to help manage his Congress papers. Waterfall Venkamma claimed that Rangamma was breaking her religious... (full context)

Labor, Exploitation, and Economic Independence Theme Icon

Sankar’s father helped Dasappa run the khadi shop, where he sold cloth from around India and... (full context)

Sankar once withdrew from a case against a Rahman Khan, who supposedly tried to murder Sankar’s... (full context)

Since the Subba Chetty case, Sankar has become the most popular lawyer in Karwar—people know he never takes a false case,... (full context)

Rather, Sankar takes Hindi classes above the khadi shop, since Hindi will be India’s national language. He... (full context)

According to Rangamma, nobody was happier or healthier than Sankar, and after staying with him she felt the same. She even spoke about Moorthy at... (full context)

...page and line.” Achakka thinks “it must have been all due to her stay with Sankaru” and the villagers ask if Rangamma’s newfound knowledge is truly from the city, but she... (full context)

...decide to restart the bhajans that Moorthy used to perform, although in prison Moorthy warned Sankar not to let them have processions or bhajans, “lest the police fall on them!” The... (full context)

The police and protestors continue to clash in town, and the Gandhians see Sankar come to the door with a number of city boys in tow. He asks if... (full context)