Waterfall Venkamma Character Analysis in Kanthapura

A bitter and loquacious brahmin woman in the village, Venkamma is the Gandhian campaign’s most vocal and open critic. She hates Rangamma, her widowed sister-in-law who lives in her brother’s old house, as well as Moorthy, who rejected her daughter’s hand in marriage and “pollutes” the village by supporting the intermixing of castes. She does Bhatta’s bidding after he arranges her daughter to marry Advocate Seenappa, ensuring that the marriage takes place on the same day as Moorthy’s return from prison so that she can test the other villagers’ loyalty.

Waterfall Venkamma Character Timeline in Kanthapura

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

Oral Tradition, Writing, and Political Power Theme Icon

Land, Geography, and Belonging Theme Icon

...at” and Patwari Nanjundia’s, which has a fabulous veranda. So does the Kannayya-House, but Waterfall Venkamma is constantly furious that her widowed sister-in-law Rangamma gets to live there. Venkamma has to... (full context)

Gandhism and the Erosion of Caste Theme Icon

...come to bring the Police Inspector; others think he is just a “passing policeman.” Waterfall Venkamma thinks Khan has come “because of this Moorthy and all this Gandhi affair.” Venkamma hates... (full context)

Waterfall Venkamma, Temple Lakshamma, Timmamamma, and Chinnamma debate whether Moorthy truly wants the mixing of castes. Moorthy’s... (full context)

...Maddur Coffee-Planter Venkatanarayana, working tirelessly to convince the family and plan the unlikely wedding. Waterfall Venkamma visits Narsamma’s house to proclaim that the marriage will never happen, and that she is... (full context)

...who mix with pariahs will be excommunicated. Narsamma is unsure whether to believe her or Venkamma, since each claims to have heard the news from Bhatta earliest, and “burst[s] out sobbing”... (full context)

...meditates through the next day as people come and go in the temple, until Waterfall Venkamma rouses him by laughing and accusing him of polluting the village. “I shall love even... (full context)

...done.” Moorthy explains his program. Fewer brahmins are coming to the bhajans, and some—like Waterfall Venkamma, Temple Rangappa, Patwari Nanjundia, Schoolmaster Devarayya, and especially Bhatta—are staunchly opposed to Moorthy’s ideas. Rangè... (full context)

Labor, Exploitation, and Economic Independence Theme Icon

...a few of the brahmins—Temple Rangappa, Patwari Nanjundia, Schoolmaster Devarayya, Rama and Subba Chetty, and Venkamma—are still on his side, and that Venkamma “will set fire where we want” if he... (full context)

Bhatta decides that Advocate Seenappa is the best candidate to marry Venkamma’s daughter, even though it would be his second marriage, and he is so thrilled that... (full context)

On the wedding day, it turns out that Seenappa is middle-aged and missing teeth, while Venkamma had promised her daughter he was 25. He is, however, wealthy, and the marriage party... (full context)

The villagers debate who has died, and Waterfall Venkamma notices a policeman at the home’s front steps. Seenu goes to investigate, but the policeman... (full context)

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

Venkamma laments this celebration by the “polluted ones” and asks Rangappa to move her daughter’s wedding... (full context)

...massacre took place. Even Bhatta sold his land to the Bombay men, and even Waterfall Venkamma left town. Rangè Gowda prayed for blessings from Mother Kenchamma and Father Siva before leaving... (full context)