The Female Voice: Re-Reading the Select Short Stories of Raja Rao

Raja Rao (1909-2006) is one of the greatest Indian fiction writers of the past century. He has written many short stories that deal with the problems of Indian women. The present paper will focus on the select short stories by Rao and will evaluate the plight of women in Indian society as has been depicted by him. The paper will also showcase how patriarchal norms affect women’s conditions and also the sort of status they have been invariably and generally allotted in the society. The stories that have been included for the study are: “Akkayya”, “The Little Gram Shop”, “Javni” and “Nimka”. The women in all these short stories suffer a lot due to patriarchal social norms. Women are not regarded as equals to men in this society. They are made only to take care of the household chores like cleaning the vessels, and mopping the floor etc. They have no right to education and are thought to be a procreative machine to have children and to nurture them by sacrificing their bodies. From the feminist point of view, all these stories throw ample light on the plight and condition of women in Indian society. Their exploitation, suppression, and suffering can easily be witnessed in all these stories. The female characters in all these stories belong to rural areas. The condition of the Indian women living in rural areas is more miserable and pitiable than that of the women in urban centres because the literacy rate of the women in rural areas is substantially low as compared to the women residing in urban areas. They are deprived of the basic needs in their lives

Revisiting Colonial Historiography: The British Raj in Shashi Tharoor’s An Era of Darkness

Shashi Tharoor’s seminal work, An Era of Darkness: The British Empire in India, offers a critical examination of the British Raj and its profound impact on India. Published in 2016, Tharoor’s narrative challenges the long-standing myths of British benevolence and progress, presenting a comprehensive analysis of colonial exploitation, economic plunder, and cultural suppression. Through meticulous research and impassioned rhetoric, Tharoor explores the complex dynamics of imperial rule, detailing the systematic dismantling of India’s political institutions, economic structures, and socio-cultural fabric. Central to Tharoor’s argument is the debunking of the notion that British colonization was a benevolent force that modernized India. Instead, he exposes the brutal realities of British policies, from economic exploitation through mechanisms like the draining of India’s wealth to cultural denigration through deliberate efforts to undermine Indian identity and education systems. Tharoor draws extensively from historical records, parliamentary debates, and contemporary accounts to illustrate how British rule perpetuated poverty, exacerbated communal tensions, and laid the groundwork for enduring postcolonial challenges. Moreover, Tharoor’s critique extends beyond historical analysis to engage with contemporary implications, highlighting the persistence of colonial legacies in India’s socio-economic disparities and political discourse. By interrogating the ideological underpinnings of imperialism and its enduring impact on Indian national consciousness, Tharoor invites readers to reconsider narratives of colonial history and their implications for global power structures today. This abstract provides a foundational overview of Tharoor’s exploration, emphasizing its scholarly rigor, historical depth, and relevance to ongoing debates on colonialism’s legacy in postcolonial societies

The Power of Representation: How Malayalam Movies Shape Attitudes towards Theft

As we live in a visual world, what we see has a great impact on us. Media, especially the visual media influences today’s world immensely and movies top the list. The influence Indian cinema has on the Indian audience is boundless. The primary assertion, the paper makes is that, visual media especially movies have significant impact on the psycho, social and cultural dimensions of the society. Theft being an oft portrayed element in movies, thievery is displayed as an act of heroism in films rather than a crime, especially in Malayalam movies. Crores are pumped in the Malayalam film industry to showcase or exhibit stealing as an act of intelligence. Movies which are mirrors held up to the society, is not only a source of entertainment, but also a medium of propaganda. The message that movies deliver is indeed powerful due to its reach to the masses and since they succeed in influencing both the intelligentsia and the ignoramuses. No other medium is as powerful as the cinema and the impact it creates in the human psyche is incomprehensible. The present article scans through the Malayalam movies namely Meeshamadhavan directed by Lal Jose where the protagonist who is a thief emerges as the saviour of his village, Kinnam Katta Kallan directed by K.K. Haridas in which thievery is taught and designated as a skill and Kayamkulam Kochunni directed by Rosshan Andrews which depicts the famed highway man Kochunni who is considered as a deity and has a shrine dedicated to him in the district of Pathanamthitta in Kerala even in this 21st century. The paper is a genuine attempt to explore the above cited movies in which stealing is not depicted as an unpardonable crime which affects the victims or as a threat to the society but as an act of heroism and intelligence. The paper would deal with the elements that are found in the selected movies by employing the theoretical tools such as Deconstruction, Power, and Encoding and Decoding as explicated by Jacques Derrida, Michel Foucault and Stuart Hall respectively

Legal Safeguards or Legal Traps? Analysing Section 498A through Vikas Sharma’s 498A: Fears and Dreams

Laws are created to protect individuals from injustice, but their misuse can lead to unintended consequences. Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code was introduced to safeguard married women from cruelty and dowry harassment. While it has helped many women escape abusive marriages, instances of false accusations have also emerged which is causing immense suffering for innocent men and their families. 498A: Fears and Dreams by Vikas Sharma presents a thought-provoking narrative on both the necessity of this law and its potential for misuse. Through the struggles of characters like Jatin, Vipul, and Purohit, the novel highlights the emotional, social, and financial devastation that false cases can bring. It also raises concerns about the impact of legal battles on families, particularly children who suffer the consequences of marital discord. A balanced approach to justice is crucial to protect genuine victims while preventing legal exploitation. This paper examines the themes of legal justice, gender dynamics, and social impact in the novel and offers a deeper understanding of how Section 498A affects individuals and society

‘What Apparition Did He See?’: Imagist Sensibilities in the Poetry of Jibanananda Das

This article aims to study the influence of the tenets of the Imagist movement in Europe on the poetry of the vernacular poet Jibanananda Das. The Imagist movement in English literature, led by Ezra Pound, can be equated with similar sentiments shared around the Bengali literary magazine Kabita with contributors such as Buddhadeva Bose, Jibanananda Das, Amiya Chakraborty, and Sudhindranath Dutt. The guidelines defined by the Imagists regarding brevity and precision of images, the importance of musicality in the creation of rhythm, and the frequent use of foreign texts influenced several significant Bengali poets in the twentieth century. In the same way that Pound and the Imagists in general moved away from the emotional excesses of the Romantics (Shelley) and the Victorians (Tennyson), modern Bengali poets of the period, such as Jibanananda and Buddhadeva Bose, tried to construct a poetic language away from the legacy of Tagore. Beginning with a short introduction to the culture of literary influence, the article will move on to discuss the salient features of Imagism, followed by its reception by the then-Bengali poets. The final part of the article will explore the sensibilities in Jibanananda Das’s poetry and its unique location as regards the Imagist experience

Ephemeral Ink, Eternal Strength: Exploring the Symbolic and Therapeutic Dimensions of Tattoos in the Healing Process of Cancer Survivors

The age-old tradition of tattooing has transcended from its historical implications with deviance and criminality to emerge as a potent form for expressing oneself, cultural identity, and self-empowerment. Tattoos, which were at once restricted to the marginalized groups, have now become democratized and acknowledged across various social strata as symbols injected with the ink of individual autonomy, resilience, resistance, and personal meaning. In contemporary society, tattooing has found its place not only as an aesthetic tool of artistic expression but also as a means of emotional and psychological healing, particularly for those who have experienced traumatic events and illness. This paper aims to explore the various functions of tattoos, with a specific thrust on their therapeutic and transformative roles, particularly among cancer survivors. Tattoos are increasingly considered vehicles of reclamation of the body, offering the survivors a way to reinforce their control over their body after the medical procedures of the cancer treatments, including mastectomies. Tattoos are not just mere fashion tools; indeed, they hold a semantic load capable enough to function both as a healer and an instrument of therapy, thereby helping in resilience and survival. This paper scrupulously analyzes the significant role of tattoos as vehicles for personal healing and empowerment, particularly within the context of cancer survivorship. The primary objectives of this study are to examine and evaluate the evolving cultural and psychological functions of tattoos and their role in the reconstruction of identity during the post-cancer treatment and how symbols of tattoos aid in contributing to the process of emotional and psychological healing. By analyzing the case studies of cancer survivors, the paper will investigate the relationship between the art of tattooing and how the tattoos helped in the reclamation of the body of the cancer survivor. The paper uses qualitative research, including a review of academic literature on tattooing in medical humanities, case studies of individual cancer survivors, and psychological perspectives on body art in the context of therapy. These case studies include the personal narratives of the survivors and demonstrate the role of tattoos in reclaiming both emotional and psychological balance, thereby claiming the ownership and control over the body

Poetic Ethics of K C Sharma and Vishnu S. Rai: Environmental Desiccation and Moral Responsibility

In a world of today, environment is under the shroud of great threat caused by human rationality and scientific advancement. This paper attempts at exploring how human civilization of today has been a main cause of ecological degradation resulting in manifold of serious problems to the present and even to the future generation through the poetry of Sharma and Rai. The materialistic society, by forgetting the essence of humanity and the harmonious relationship between man and nature has become a prey to self-destruction. Ecocriticism has emerged as a catalyst to eliminating the gap between man and nature. Academia literati, through their works try to impart awareness in favor of human civilization to conserve nature in order to make life sustainable and worth living, but economic value system of our society forces one to become deaf and dumb. Many essayists, poets and story writers show their deep concern to environmental crisis. Great tension between natural world and human world which are on collision course and how it is targeting third world generation is, perhaps, the best example of Covid-19. We forget that we are social animal. Sharma and Rai return air-compressed say of people to their true color. Natural calamities are resulted from human deliberate actions which are for the time being appears to be profitable but later on proved to be long lasting danger to which they are quite unaware of. Our ethics is to follow natural etiquette and to protect impending generation. Ethics and moral responsibility of so called ultra-modern people of today’s society is neither wholeheartedly viable to their familial, societal circle nor does honestly fit with physical environment. This paper unveils the reason to why one should create friendly environment in communion with the soul of nature and how environment is being polluted, how nature is educating the human society to remain truthful to each other to become healthy and sustainable

Ethnic Consciousness in the Age of Modernization in Rohinton Mistry’s Fiction

This research article critically examines the emergence and evolution of ethnic consciousness in the fiction of Rohinton Mistry, with a specific focus on the socio-political dynamics of modernization and urbanization in India. It investigates the underlying causes contributing to the intensification of ethnic identity within the context of a rapidly modernizing and globally influenced Indian society. As a prominent literary voice of the Parsi minority, Mistry articulates the collective anxieties, marginalization, and cultural insecurities of his community, particularly in relation to the dominant Hindu majoritarian framework. His narratives serve as a literary ethnography, documenting the distinctive socio-cultural practices, historical legacies, and existential dilemmas faced by the Parsis. The study also interrogates Mistry’s critique of the idea of a unified, secular Indian nation-state, exploring how such a construct often obscures internal diversities and marginal voices. In addition to textual analysis, the paper incorporates theoretical insights from urban sociology and political studies to contextualize the socio-ethnic transformations in Bombay during the 1970s. Ultimately, the paper argues that modernization, while fostering economic and infrastructural growth, simultaneously amplifies both class and ethnic consciousness, particularly in complex metropolitan environments

A Pragmatic Analysis of Patriotism in American Independence Speeches

This paper conducts a pragmatic analysis of patriotic language in American Independence Day speeches to explore how presidents construct and reinforce patriotic sentiment through linguistic strategies. While these speeches have been extensively studied from historical perspectives, research on their pragmatic dimensions remains insufficient. The study investigates how patriotism is expressed through pragmatic features, contributing to constructing national identity and reflecting specific historical contexts. The research adopts a qualitative methodology to analyze two presidential Independence Day speeches delivered by George W. Bush (2001, Republican) and William J. Clinton (1993, Democrat) using Searle’s (1969) Speech Act Theory and Grice’s (1975) Conversational Implicature as analytical frameworks. Findings reveal that presidents employ sophisticated layering of speech acts and strategic manipulation of conversational maxims to evoke patriotic sentiment. Each president adapts these pragmatic strategies to address the unique challenges of their era while maintaining connections to enduring American values, balancing the celebration of national achievements with acknowledgment of ongoing challenges, and constructing a vision of inclusive and distinctive patriotism

Bridging the Language Divide: Challenges and Innovations in Teaching English to Rural Learners in India

This paper seeks to offer a comprehensive exploration of the challenges and innovations associated with teaching English to rural learners in India. By critically examining the socio-cultural, infrastructural, and pedagogical barriers to English education, and analysing real-life case studies and experimental practices, this study aims to contribute to the development of inclusive and sustainable models for English language teaching. Ultimately, the goal is to make English education more relevant, empowering, and accessible to rural students so that they, too, can participate confidently in the academic, professional, and global spheres of the 21st century. This study argues that rural English education must move beyond traditional grammar-translation and rote-learning methods. It advocates for a learner-centred, flexible, and inclusive pedagogy that respects the learner’s linguistic background and personal learning pace. The paper concludes with recommendations for curriculum designers, teacher educators, and policymakers, emphasising the need for regular teacher training, development of bilingual and localised materials, and inclusion of rural-specific needs in national education planning