Post-colonial Perspectives in the Select Novels of Arun Joshi: An Analytical Study


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 :

  1. Joshi, Arun. The Foreigner. New Delhi: Orient Paperbacks, 1972.
  2. The Apprentice. New Delhi: Orient Paperbacks, 1993.
  3. The Strange Case of Billy Biswas Delhi: Orient, 1971.
  4. The last labyrinth. Delhi: Vision, 1981.
  5. The City And The River. New Delhi: Vision Books, 1990
  6. Krishnamurti.J. Talks and Dialogues J.Krishnamurti. New York: Avon Books, 1970.
  7. Parthasarathy.A. The Symbolism of Hindu Gods and Rituals. Bombay: Vedanta Life Institute, 1989.
  8. Stearn, Jess. Matter of Immortality. New York: The New American Library, 1976.
  9. Madhusudhan Prasad, “Arun Joshi”, Indian English novelists. New Delhi: Sterling, 1982.
  10. O.P.Bhatnagar, The Art and Vision of Arun Joshi, Recent Revelations of Indian Fiction in English Bareilly, Prakash Book Depot, 1983.
  11. Prasad, H. M. (1985) Arun Joshi. New Delhi: Arnold Heinemann.
  12. Srinath, C. N. (1976) “The Fiction of Arun Joshi”, The Literary Criterion.
  13. 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.
  14. ShyamAsnani, “A Study of Arun Joshi’s Fiction”, The Literary Half-Yearly, July-1978.
  15. 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

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