Rise of the Indian English Novels by Indian English Writers: Study of Social and Historical influences

Abstract

The chronological study of Indian English fiction, old, modern and contemporary with its social and historical influences project the development and rise of the Indian English Novel phenomenon. The novel as the most popular form of English literature inexplicably envisages trends inIndian society, traditions andculture to the English speaking world. Indian fiction written in English was only confined to the Raj or to the government in power. It however became vernacular during the course of time. The reflections of different trends and attitudes in India reflect different changes at different times in making up the content of the English novel.Since the time of British domination, India as a nation and society was under a dark shadow and the destiny of India was challenged only to experience the turmoil of the Hindu-Muslim divide.The influences of the Indian National Congress, the Muslim league, the tensions of the two World Wars led to the rise of Indian English writings. Ancient Indian heritage and philosophy soon began to be taught and written in English. Indian English learning helped the reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Maharishi Devendranath Tagore, Keshab Chandra Sen, Dr AtmaranPandurang, R.G. Bhandarkar, MahadevaGovindaRanade, Henry Vivian Derozio, Swami DayanandSaraswati, Sri Ramakrishna Paramhans, Swami Vivekananda, Mrs Annie Besant, Shiv Dayal Khatri, Guru Shaligram Sahib, SatyanandaAgnihotri, Rabindranath Tagore, AurobindoGhose, Maulvi Chirag Ali, Sayyid Ahmad Khan, Mirza Ghulam Ahamd, Rajnarain Bose, NabaGopal Cahtterjee, etc. The first two decades of the twentieth century led to the rise of the English novel. It was an era of socio-cultural and national consciousness where novelists could vent out their own feelings, ideas and opinions through the writings in the English Novel. Fictional reworking of mythology and history gave a new impetuous to Indian English novelists. Salman Rushdie, Shashi Tharoor and Amitav Ghosh often return to Indian history and mythology in framing the English novel.