Diversification of Indian English Literature
It is found that those Indians trying to accomplish creative self
expression through English as the medium have given rise to ‘Indo-Anglian
Literature’. It is said that J.H.Cousins coined the term
‘Indo Anglian Literature’ in 1883 and later it was given currency by Srinivasa
Iyengar, the pioneer in this field in 1943.
The advantage with ‘Indo-Anglian’ is that it can be used both as an
adjective and as substantive, but Indo-Englishman would be beyond our
imagination. It will not sound suitable and Anglo–Indian
has an obvious ethnic connotation in Indian life and cannot therefore be used
in another context like literature. Thus ‘Indo-Anglian’ is reasonably
handy and descriptive and serves our purpose well enough owing to its
acceptability. C.R. Reddy points out that Indo-Anglian literature is as Indian
as other languages of India.
Among its writers Raja Rao, Mulk Raj Anand, R.K. Narayan, Bhabani
Bhattacharya, K.A. Abbas, Khushwant Singh, Anita Desai and Jhabvala have
ceaselessly captured the spirit of an independent India struggling to break
away from the British and traditional Indian cultures and establish a distinct
identity. It is analysed that, Sri Aurobindo has achieved
everlasting name and fame through his inspiring and invaluable workmanship in
the field of prose, poetry and drama. While his ‘Savitri’ is a
cosmic epic and a monumental edifice in the Indian lore, his ‘Renaissance
in India’ is a masterpiece in prose, awakening the dormant minds
into the channels of spirituality and religion.
The influence of Indian Nationalist movement and Gandhiji on Raja
Rao one of the prolific writers of his time is evident in his
works. Based on the experiences of the West, his novels and short stories are
also about the interplay between Indian and Western culture. ‘Kanthapura’ is a brilliant
attempt to probe the depths to which the nationalistic urge penetrated, showing
how, even in the remote villages, the new upsurge fused completely with
traditional religious faith, thus, rediscovering the Indian soul. He returned to the theme of Gandhism in the
short story collection “The Cow of the Barricades”. In his foreward to ‘Kanthapura’ we come to
know about his views of Indians writing in English. He wrote,
“ We cannot write like the English, we should
not. We cannot write only as
Indian. We have grown to look at the
large world as part of us. Our method of
expression therefore has to be a dialect which will someday prove to be a
distinctive and colourful as the Irish or the American. Time alone will justify it”.
Mulk Raj Anand a powerful fiction and story writer has ushered in the
field of literature a unique technique and style. The philosophic thrust in his
novels is as significant as the later evolution and maturing of his short
stories. It was Anand’s success in
reconciling his humanistic ideas with artistic integrity, but, not until the
appearance of the novels ‘Untouchable’ and ‘Coolie’
that he gained a wide recognition. There is no denying the fact that Anand’s versatility lies in
the humanistic orientation of the poor and the downtrodden. The story ‘The Lost Child’
is a parable in which the traumatic experience of a child separated from his
parents in a country fair symbolises a universal human plight.
R.K. Narayan was a conscious story-writer. When compared with his contemporaries Mulk
Raj Anand, Raja Rao and K.A. Abbas, he is regarded as a pure artist because his
work is ‘art for art’s sake’, whereas that of his
contemporaries is ‘art for society’s sake’. Narayan did not write to propagate his ideas
on social or political issues but is concerned mainly with the middle class
Indians. He does not venture to go beyond his own province ‘Malgudi’. There is
no denying the fact that he is very amiable, commanding an easy and graceful
style, sharpened by a quiet and unobtrusive ironical sense of humour. His outstanding
works include ‘Swami and Friends’, ‘Mr. Sampath’,
and ‘The Guide’ along with ‘Barber’s Trade Union’
and ‘Malgudi Days’.
The writer in the genre who took the world with a storm is Arundhati
Roy, whose “The God of Small Things” won the 1997 Booker prize
and became an international bestseller overnight. Salman Rushdie’s “Midnight’s
Children” made him the first writer of the Indian Diaspora to enter the
sphere of elite international writers and leave an indelible mark on the global
literary scene. Therefore the panache of Indo-Anglian writers is long and much
augmented.
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