ABSTRACT
Arun Joshi novels reflect the rise of postcolonial neo-colonial problems and the lionization of diasporic writing with its radical restructuring of social relations that distinguishes the modern epoch from everything that comes before. Arun Joshi, as a postcolonial as well a postmodern writer, recognizes a reality beyond the mere phenomenal world. He captures it by giving a consistent form to the shapeless facts of human existence. The postcolonial-independence period in India has been a period of significant yield of Indo-English writings, wherein the socio-economic and political issues were interpreted .The novels of Arun Joshi has succeeded in revealing a realistic picture of the epoch, events and populace of contemporary India. With the advent of colonization, European languages and culture made its way to the non-European countries. More pliant than any other form of art, it was easy to perforate and adapt to the varied cultures and modes of expression in different European settlements. The resultant literary phenomenon was a radically unique form of a novel encapsulating indigenous experience in European languages and techniques.
KEYWORDS:
Postcolonial Perspectives, Reality, Human existence, Socio-economic and Political issues.
INTRODUCTION:
Before we define
and discuss the features of postmodernism, it is better methodologically to
clarify the distinction between postmodernism and post modernity. Burgass in “Postmodern
value”, in postmodern Literacy theory: An Anthology edited by Lucy, talks about
‘Post modernity’ or the ‘Postmodern’ referring to the historical era , and
‘postmodernism’ as the stylistic category” even though both the terms are
conflated. Put another way, postmodernism is an umbrella term which embraces
disciplines as varied as architecture,music, paintings, literature, philosophy
and theology, and post modernity is a much narrower term which focuses on the
philosophical dimension of postmodernism.
Joshi’s
brilliant style in its lucidity vivacity and epigrammatic vitality give a
wonderful charm to his theme, which is otherwise a dull search for old hope in
the ultimate discovery of one universal truth. His novels are fantastic essays
on life that is depicted in all its facets, embodied in a versatile literary
form emitting his flashing wit, his penetrating paradoxes, and his gay
audacity. To read Joshi is always stimulating, illuminating and entertaining
besides being informative and illustrating on his socio cultural upbringing.
His polished jewelled style of narration is something unparalleled among all
the Indo-English authors of postmodern period. He employs no empty verbal
gymnastics but crystallizing invariably into memorable phrases depicting some
subtle truth and realistic expression. As usual the realistic mode of writings
in postmodern works that speak of current practical , political, ethical or
existential problems that the author experiences in his social vicinities and
cultural contexts has to be moderate in the exploitation of imaginative skill
to give a realistic look. But Joshi transcends such risk that is unavoidable in
realist expositions and escapes being stamped as a rapid falcon descending down
to do the errand of a bat. The magnanimous Joshi must have felt the elevation
that we feel when “something within us, some vital essence, manages to break
out and lose itself in objects that are bigger and beyond us “(Apprentice 21)
Conclusively Joshi’s “The Last Labyrinth” protagonist Som, represents the
rootlessness and rejection of permanence in the postmodern condition. Veith
observes “for all of its talk about the death of the self, postmodernism
actually isolates the self. Postmodernism encourages selfishness without
individuality, subjectivity without identity; license without freedom” (Veith
86). Joshi’s, Som also thus into one such mould. “The Apprentice” Ratan also
portrayed ,upward in rank , he becomes increasingly fraudulent and
unscrupulous, a hypocrite and a liar, a ‘whore’ as his colleagues put it , in
pursuit of his career accepting bribe even he was not actually in need of it.
Postmodernism in Arun Joshi’s novels is centered on socio-cultural ethos of
Indian nativity where in the author has synthesized western narrative mode with
the unadulterated indigenous content of Indian existentialism. This is no easy
deal. One has to express a unique spirit that is Indian through a medium that
is alien to it. The dilemma that has been experienced by all the postmodern
thinkers is no less crippling not alone for Indian writers but also for all the
writers of commonwealth countries of post-colonial era.
Joshi also
revels in furnishing his art with ample sprinkling of the methodology of our
ancient puranas and epics by inculcating The Naked King fable in The City and
the River, folklore of Kalapahar in The Strange Case of Billy Biswas, so many
motifs and archetypal symbols in The Last Labyrinth, Hindu mode of prayer
details of ancients in Temples in almost all the novels, especially in The Apprentice.
No other
religion in the whole of human history has developed the symbolic
representation of spiritual dogmas as Hinduism, except the Old Testament and
Jesus’ parables. We can boldly assert
that Joshi has impressionably handled all the esoteric nuances in his
masterpieces bordering on real happenings. Joshi’s great anxiety is to revive
the Hindu symbols and idols of the supreme spiritual significance among the
youngsters by removing from their ignorant minds the wrong notion of
superstition imposed upon the artistic mode of revelation of Vedic Truth.
Precisely
speaking, Joshi’s maiden novel The Foreigner relates the psycho aberration of
SurrinderOberoi, called Sindi throughout the novel till the misled selfish
protagonist turns into Surrender Oberoi after undergoing intolerable loss out
of his false brutal detachment and egoistic stand. Being orphaned at an early
childhood and eventual death of his uncle, his escapade in love-affairs in his
adolescence, Babu’s death, June’s demise with her child in the womb have driven Sindi mad beyond retreat. Though, at last, in his ancestor’s land,
Muthu a simpleton drives firmly, the true Karamayogicspiritual principle
bequeathed in The Bagwad Gita by Lord Krishna to Arjuna as well as to the whole
human race in the past, present and future too.
A man owes much
to the society into which he is born for having accommodated him. Evasiveness
and escapism, as of Sindi never suits an honest person. One should render services in all possible
and practicable ways in order to repay the dues to the world. Abandonment of
all desire prompted action is true renunciation. Muthu says to Sindi persuading the latter to
take up the dwindling business of Khemka saying that “sometimes detachment lies
in actually getting involved” (225).
The Juke box
song, “Who knows where the road will lead? Only a fool can say?”(Foreigner 193)
simply reminds us of Vedanta which reminds one of the unpredictable happenings
in the realm of the Eternal, over the world.
The Hindu
scriptures acknowledge experience of sorrow and turmoil one undergoes as the
greatest teacher. Sindi feels sad and
unhappy about his brilliant academic career that teaches him not an iota of the
realities of life. Only his failure has
initiated true understanding of life to Sindi. “Where Kathy and Anna had taught
me to be detached from others, June’s death finally broke my attachment to
myself” (78).
Ancient rishis stress that this planet is like
a school, a learning place and here we suffer and grow which is also mentioned
by the famous psycho-analyst Jesse Stearn in his Matter of Immortality. Sindi gets himself smugly accommodated with
the fact that one does not choose one’s involvement and that the event of life
that are uncontrollable by human endeavor are of therapeutic effect. The
typical confused state of a postmodern youth, who is always amidst crowds but
always alone, is depicted. When June Blyth sees him for the first time in a
party with all the dancing and drinking around, wherein, Sindi is the ex-officio
host she asks “Why do you look so sad?” (22).
The turbulent
inner world of the protagonist is delineated. He is painfully aware of
“twenty-five years largely wasted in search of peace, and what did I have to
show for achievement: a ten-stone body that had to be fed four times a day,
twenty-five times a week. This was a sum of a lifetime of striving”( 92).
The
contemplative Sindi, in spite of becoming complacent is not resigned to ignore
the effect of one’s desire-bound involvement that adds up to his karma. He is sure that none can escape karma, which
has to be answered by every mortal. He
confesses to Khemka that in the past “I have sinned, and god knows, I have paid
heavily for them … But you can’t get rid of your sins by just turning me
out. They will stalk you from every
street corner … We think we leave our actions behind, but the past is never
dead” (229) and “it had only been a change of theatre … the show had remained
unchanged” (174).
J. Krishnamurthi states to people like Sindi
that, “you are frightened to lose and you are frightened of something much
greater which is to come…you think about it and by thinking about it you are
creating that interval between living and that which you call death”(98).
The Foreigner
reveals the author’s keen awareness of a deeper social reality of our times.
Freedom in the sense of being unfettered, freedom from the craving for holding
on to things and one’s ego, is the condition for love and for productive being.
He later laments “Detachment at that time meant inaction. Now I had begun to
see the fallacy in it. Detachments consisted of right action and not escape
from it. The Gods had set a heavy price to teach me just that” (188-189).Sindi
strives to walk out of his illusions.
In Joshi's other
novel The Strange case of Billy Biswasthe novelist explores the mystical urge,
an ardent impulsive compulsion of the protagonist Billy Biswas, as against his
brilliant academic career and belonging to a creamy upper crust of Indian elite
society. Joshi utilizes Billy’s strong
primitive urge, a force urkraft to probe into the inner decay and sterility of
modernism, materialism and non-abeyance with Nature, the great teacher.
Arun Joshi gives the impression of a rebel who fights against the greed, violence, shams, and hypocrisy of the people and in the process alienates himself and his art from his fellow creatures. Joshi also gives the impression that his art is not social minded as he does not give any suggestions for the individual’s integration with society. To counter this change one can say that the very fact that Joshi portrays such a society is an example of his concern with the evils of society and hence an unmistakable evidence of his social consciousness. The inner conflict of an individual is really his inner relations to the outward conflicts. An artist is not at all a preacher and it is not his task, like a physician to prescribe remedies. The image of alienation is used by Arun Joshi, as a myth and the protagonists act as alien either to the civilization or to themselves. The central characters are alien because they are exposed by their either sensitivity or lack of identification with the world.
REFERENCES :
- Joshi, Arun. The Foreigner. New Delhi: Orient Paperbacks, 1972.
- The Apprentice. New Delhi: Orient Paperbacks, 1993.
- The Strange Case of Billy Biswas Delhi: Orient, 1971.
- The last labyrinth. Delhi: Vision, 1981.
- The City And The River. New Delhi: Vision Books, 1990
- Krishnamurti.J. Talks and Dialogues J.Krishnamurti. New York: Avon Books, 1970.
- Parthasarathy.A. The Symbolism of Hindu Gods and Rituals. Bombay: Vedanta Life Institute, 1989.
- Stearn, Jess. Matter of Immortality. New York: The New American Library, 1976.
- Madhusudhan Prasad, “Arun Joshi”, Indian English novelists. New Delhi: Sterling, 1982.
- O.P.Bhatnagar, The Art and Vision of Arun Joshi, Recent Revelations of Indian Fiction in English Bareilly, Prakash Book Depot, 1983.
- Prasad, H. M. (1985) Arun Joshi. New Delhi: Arnold Heinemann.
- Srinath, C. N. (1976) “The Fiction of Arun Joshi”, The Literary Criterion.
- PurabiBannerji, “A Winners Secrets” Interview, The Sunday Statesman..Thakur Guruprasad, “The Lost Lonely Questers of Arun Joshi’s Fiction,” The Fictional World of ArunJoshi, edited by R. K. Dhawan. New Delhi: Classical Publishing Company, 1986.
- ShyamAsnani, “A Study of Arun Joshi’s Fiction”, The Literary Half-Yearly, July-1978.
- William Barret, Irrational Man: A Study in Existential Philosophy, Garden City: 1958.
AUTHOR:
Arif Rashid Shah, Ph.D Research Scholar,
Jiwaji University, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh
CITE THIS:
Shah, A. R. (2018).
Postcolonial Perspectives in the Select Novels of Arun Joshi: An Analytical
Study. Praxis International Journal of Social Science and Literature, 1(1).
https://www.pijssl.com