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Chapter I Introduction To-day, the themes of the Indo – Anglian novel are many

Chapter I Introduction To-day, the themes of the Indo – Anglian novel are many and varied. K.B. Vaid, commenting on the themes of the Indian novelist, says that his thematic preoccupations are: ‗portrayal of poverty, hunger and disease; portrayal of widespread social evils and tensions; examination of the survivals of the past exploration of the hybrid culture of the dislocations and conflicts in a tradition – ridden society under the impact of an incipient, half – hearted industrialization‘. Some others themes of the novel in English are inter – racial relations, the Indian national movement and the struggle for freedom partition of India and the death, destruction and suffering caused by it ―Depiction of hunger and poverty of Indians, Indian rural life conflict between tradition and modernity continue to engage the attention of the novelist. The theme of the confrontation of the East and the West has been successfully dealt with by Rajo Rao, Balachandr in Rajan, Kamala Markanadaya and many others. The younger novelists display an increasing inwardness in their themes. The themes of loneliness, of rootlessness, the exploration of the psyche and the inner man have been dealt with by Anita Desai in her two latest novels. Cry the peacock and Voices in the City and by Arun Joshi in his The Foreigner. The Indian novel in English is thus characterised by a variety of themes and techniques. It continues to change and grow, and adapt itself to the changing Indian environment. Social, political technological and industrial changes have brought corresponding changes in its substance. However, in the field of characterization the Indian novelist in English has not been quite so successful. With some exceptions his characters 2 continue to be stereotypes. The problem of creating ‗round‘, three dimensional figures, has not been successfully tackled so far. Even novelists, like Mulk Raj Anand, despite all their psychological insights, are deficient in this all – important aspect of the art of a novelist. As K.B. Vaid points, many Indian novelists have failed to create adequately individualised characters. Further, the novelist even today is sometimes carried away by the lure o creating the image of a romantic and glamorous India, the India of Rajas and Maharajas, and of mystic saints and sadhus who can achieve miracles. Thus Anand in his private life of a Prince and Malgonkar in his The Princes portray the splendours of royal life during its last days, and Kamala Markandaya in her Possession presents weird picture of a mysterious India. Such novels distort reality and the novelist must guard himself against this danger. R.K. Narayan is now regarded as one of the greatest of Indians writing in English. He is the most artistic of the Indian writers, his sole aim being to give aesthetic satisfaction, and not to use his art as a medium propaganda or to serve some social purpose, as in the case with Mulk Raj Anand. As is the custom in the South ‗R‘ in his name stands for the name of the village to which his family belonged – Rasipuram – in the district of Salem. ‗K‘ stands for the name of his father Krishnaswami Iyer. The full form of ‗Narayan‘ is Narayanaswami, though the novelist now never uses this full form. He calls himself simply ‗Narayan‘ and never ‗Narainaswami‘. Though the family belonged originally to Rasipuram, lone before R.K. Narayan‘s birth, the family has shifted to Madras. It was here that Narayan was born in 1906. Soon after his birth the father got a 3 job as a school teacher in Mysore, and the family moved there. While other brothers and sisters went too Mysore with their parents, R.K. Narayan himself was left behind with his grandmother. It was only later that he too shifted to Mysore, which has been her home ever since. The novelist was never a good student. He failed both in the High school and intermediate examinations. He graduated from Maharaja College, Mysore, in 1930. As his father was a humble school teacher and had a large family to support, Narayan was called upon to contributed to the family income soon after his graduation. First, he worked for some time as a clerk in the Mysore Secretariat, and then as a teacher in a village school. But both these professions did not suit him. His ambition, even as early as his school days, had always been to become a writer. So, only after a month or so he gave up his job as a school teacher, and decided to devote all his time to writing. As he tells us he decided not to sell himself but simply to write novels and live off the joint family system. In those days, it was unthinkable that an Indian could become a successful writer in English, his father also did not like the idea, but Narayan went ahead with great confidence, and soon achieved eminent success as a novelist and short – story writer. The most important event of his life took place in 1935, when he met his future Rajam, for the first time. Narayan has himself described the meeting, ―while I was standing at the corner of the equivalent of a big– city – mall there, I saw a girl about eighteen. She was tall and slim and had classical features; her face had the finish and perfection of sculpture. She walked past me as in a dance…It was spring and I was 4 twenty – eight‖ It was a case of love at first sight, Narayan went straight to the girl‘s father. Negeshwara Iyer, and proposed marriage. Their marriage was a very happy one. Though Rajam did not know English, she took keen interest in the work of her husband, and was a constant source of inspiration to him. A number of his women – characters bear close resemblance to her character and personality. One daughter, Hema, was born to them, and she was dearly loved by her parents. As a novelist also, Narayan was fast becoming a success. These of his novels Swami and Friends (1935), The Bechelor of Arts (1937) m and The Dark Room (1938) published in quick succession, enjoyed wide popularity, and brought him money as well as fame. But alas! the novelist‘s happiness was short lived. His beloved wife died of typhoid in 1939, only five years after their marriage. Her death was a shattering as well as a rewarding experience for the novelist. Passing through the dark valley of the shadow of death, he emerged a fuller and a wiser man. He gained that inner illumination, that increased knowledge of life and its mystery, which comes only through intense suffering. This personal loss which he suffered colours many of his works. For six years after his terrible loss, Narayan did not write any novel. It was period of deep anguish and introspection. During this period he edited only a journal, The Indian Thought, and published three volumes of short stories – Malgudi Days, 1941, Dodu and Other Stories, 1943, and Cyclone and Other Stories, 1944. His next novel, The English Teacher, was published in 1945, and since then novels have flowed from his pen in quick succession, at the 5 rate of one book every two years. An Astrologer‟s Day and Other Stories (1947), Mr. Sampath (1949), The Financial Expert (1952), Waiting for the Mahatma (1955), Lawley Road (1956), The Guide (1958), Next Sunday, a collection of sketches and essays (1960), My Dateless Diary (1960), The Man – Eater of Malgudi (1962), Gods, Demons and Other Stories (1965), The Sweet Vendor (1967) and A Horse and Two Goats (1970). A version of the Ramayana based not on Valmiki who wrote in Sanskrit but on Kamban, the Tamil poet, was published in 1973, complete the list of his works published up to date. Narayan enjoyed good health, and there was no decay or decline in his creative powers till he breathed his last. His The Guide received the Sahitya Akademi. Award for the year 1960. The novel has been filmed, though Narayan himself was not very happy with the film. He was awarded Padma Bhushan in 1964, University of Leads conferred on him the Honrary D.Litt in 1967, and Delhi University followed suit in 1973. He has been included in the Writers and Their Works series being published by the British Council; he is the only Indian so far to have achieved this distinction. He visited U.S.A. in 1956, on an invitation from the Rockfeller Foundation. Many of his stories and sketches have been broadcast by the B.B.C., a rare distinction. His works have been published both in England and the U.S.A. and in both these countries he has enjoyed wide popularity. In America he is regarded next only of Faulkner and Graham Greene. His works throw considerable light on his character and personality. Narayan himself tells us that, ―for the past many years his weight has been the same, i.e., 140 lb., whether he starved, overate, 6 vegetated or travelled hectically. uploads/Litterature/ manimekalai-all-chapters.pdf