Living the Postcolonial: Indian Literature in Perspective

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This edited volume of twenty three research papers marks manifold deliberations over contemporary space on the nature of Postcoloniality in the broadest possible context of the Indian state from the purview of literature. As a phenomenon this has involved at the level of praxis, original thoughts on what basically constitutes ideologies of representation of the infinite variety of Indian-ness through its equally diverse literary output. Evidently, this has meant grappling with several complex categories both by way of socio-political- economic matrices as they have evolved through the phases of decolonisation, Postcoloniality and more urgently globalisation on the one hand; and the ever contentious denominations of Indian Literature(s) on the other. The underlying assumption has been that texts of Indian literature, whether in English or in regional languages, are best read as emerging from or mirroring their contexts; hence the thread of representation runs through all of them. The lens for viewing has ranged from curricular frameworks to best-sellers for the present generation, just as debates have ensued on inclusions and exclusions that have both justified and challenged rationales of canon formation. In the true spirit of the seamlessness of Open Learning, this collection brings together ideas from across the country, in the form of thought sharing by eminent academics, enthusiastic teachers and of course young researchers. All said and done, there is no finality to such issues, and this volume shall find its meaningfulness only when readers become avid participants in the continuing discourse of Indian literature against an ever-evolving socio-cultural milieu.

Srideep Mukherjee is Assistant Professor of English at the School of Humanities, Netaji Subhas Open University, Kolkata. He is a researcher on Indian Drama at the Dept. of English and Other Modern European Languages (DEOMEL), Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan. He has been teaching English Literature at Undergraduate and Postgraduate levels for over 15 years now. His areas of interest broadly include Indian Literature(s), Postcolonial studies and Drama.

The other day, as I sat cleaning up my smart phone memory of all the trivia that accumulates thanks to free and up for grabs social media apps, there popped up this hitherto unread Chetan Bhagat post that struck a thinking chord somewhere:

I crossed my street, they asked my caste

Crossed my district, they asked my religion

Crossed my state, they asked my native language

And I became an Indian only after I crossed my country!!!

For most of us in academia, Chetan Bhagat as a name would invite sneers, just as the words quoted above would seem hackneyed. Notwithstanding both, I am in appreciation of the succinctness with which the whole idea of multiple and conflicting identities has been captured here. For one thing, if literature is to find its relevance in an age of multimedia, it must perforce shun ivory towers and accept the reality of a wide variety of tastes and equally heterogeneous readership.