A STUDY ON THE POSTCOLONIAL ASPECTS IN SALMAN RUSHDIE'S MIDNIGHT'S CHILDREN AND SUDHA MURTHY'S DOLLAR BAHU

ICSSR Sponsored One Day National Seminar on Literature, War and Memory: Narratives of Trauma and Healing in 20th and 21st Century English Literature 249 A STUDY ON THE POSTCOLONIAL ASPECTS IN SALMAN RUSHDIE’S MIDNIGHT’S CHILDREN AND SUDHA MURTHY’S DOLLAR BAHU P. Gopigasri Guest Lecturer & Ph.d Scholar in English Government Arts and Science College, Mettur Dr. K. Dharaniswari Assistant Professor and Head Department of English Government Arts and Science College, Mettur https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17283518 Abstract Postcolonial literature refers to the works that are written by the authors of the colonized countries and engage in exploring the aftereffects of colonialism and its major impact on their culture, society and identity. It involves various themes such as migration, suppressed community, slavery, tolerance, gender and race. These are the elements that are present in postcolonial literature and are seen in notable works such as Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, Toni Morrison’s Beloved, Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things, Michael Ondaatje’s The English Patient, Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children, Sudha Murthy’s Dollar Bahu and so on. Midnight’s Children, written by Salman Rushdie, was published in 1981, and this novel brings together the politics, history, and state of the colonized India. Salman Rushdie uses magical realism in his work, where fantastical elements blend with the real-world setting. Sudha Murthy is an extraordinary Indian woman writer who grew up hearing the stories of the great Mahabharata and Ramayana. She depicts the Indian culture and values in her novels. She is famous for her social work. She has built two thousand three hundred houses for flood-affected people. Her contribution to the rural poor students is incredible. She built around seventy thousand libraries in various schools. This paper tries to explore the multifaceted aspects of postcolonial India in Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children and Sudha Murthy’s Dollar Bahu. Midnight’s Children is an extraordinary novel that depicts postcolonial India through various aspects such as cultural hybridity, identity crisis, transition of colonized India to independent India, individual experience and the collective memory, and linguistic complexities. Dollar Bahu was published in 2007 and analyses the themes of middle-class and upper-class family lifestyle, relationships and the clash between traditional and modern values. It further explores how money corrupts the way people look at one another. Keywords: Post colonialism, heterogeneity, hybridity, collective memory, linguistic diversity. Post-colonialism and the post-colonial perspective are all about the political, social, and cultural changes caused by colonization. It focuses on the impact of imperialism. Edward Said is known as the father of post-colonialism. It explores the features of hybridity, racial discrimination, multiculturalism, and identity issues, and claims both cultural and political independence. It also analyses the cultural differences between colonizers and the colonized. It emphasizes the real struggle of those marginalized or silenced by colonialism. This post-colonial theory was nurtured by Edward Said, Homi Bhabha, Frantz Fanon and Gayatri Spivak. Leela Gandhi gives her words like “Post colonial theory recognizes that colonial discourses typically rationalise themselves through rigid opposition such as maturity/immaturity, civilization/ barbarism, developed/ developing, progressive/ primitive” (32). Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children was published in 1981, and it won many prestigious awards, such as the Booker Prize. He was born in 1947, just before India got its independence. His father was a graduate of Cambridge University and was also a successful businessman. Her mom was a teacher, and they were Muslims. Many Muslims were seen migrating to Pakistan after the partition of India, but they decided to stay in Bombay. Later, Salman studied in London, ICSSR Sponsored One Day National Seminar on Literature, War and Memory: Narratives of Trauma and Healing in 20th and 21st Century English Literature 250 and he faced racism at a very young age. After completing his studies at Cambridge University, he moved to Pakistan, but due to certain reasons, he again returned to London. The confusion that prevailed about his identity and his belongingness became the central idea of his book. As a result, he depicted postcolonial India and its heterogeneity through the characters. India has always been known for its diversity. The partition of India divided the country and its people based on religion, with India for Hindus and Pakistan for Muslims. In spite of their sense of attachment to their homeland, India, many were forced to leave for Pakistan against their will. Saleem Sinai is the narrator of the story, through whom the postcolonial India is reflected. He was born on the midnight of 15 August 1947, the day India gained its independence. “I was born in the city of Bombay . . . in doctor Narlikar’s nursing home on August 15th, 1947. . . The time matters too . . . at a precise instant of India’s arrival at independence, I tumbled into the world. (Midnight’s Children. 3) The characters clearly portrayed the lives of the people of that time, the time of the transition from the colonised India to the postcolonial India. “More than a mirror of India, Saleem is the multitude of India”, said Robert P. Marzec in his book, An Ecological and Postcolonial Study of Literature from Daniel Defoe to Salman Rushdie. Identity crisis is one of the major concepts brought in this novel. The characters in the novel struggle a lot for their survival as they suffer from an identity crisis. As a result, they feel that their life is meaningless and they struggle both internally and externally. Here, the author weaves together the two different worlds, British and India and tries to merge the cultures. The protagonist feels isolated, though he lives in a busy world, as he suffers between the culture and the political conditions. Rushdie himself feels that his identity changes from time to time as he struggles between two identities, as an Indian by birth and English by education. As an emigrant, you move to different places and due to that he acquired knowledge and experiences of different worlds. “. . . exile or emigrant or expatriate are haunted by some sense of loss, some argue to reclaim, to look back . . .” (Rushdie 1991). Several characters in the novel face an identity crisis. Saleem faces an identity crisis because, as an Indian, he is not solely responsible for his downfall. He learns that he was switched with another child at birth, and that Sinais are not his biological parents. But his real parents are those who lived nearby. This is the initial stage of his identity crisis because he is now in the stage of facing cultural hybridity with a Hindi mother, a Christian father and a Muslim upbringing. The next stage, where he faces an identity crisis, is that he feels that he is responsible for the struggle that the nation faces, as he was born at the time of India’s independence. Because of this, he suffers a lot between his self and the expectation imposed on him as ‘the mirror of India’. Here comes hybridity and multiculturalism, as Saleem grows up in such an environment. He also faces tension and struggle due to not knowing his belonging as he is stuck between multiple cultures. Due to this, he also feels a sense of displacement. The characters also often tend to switch between the languages. Another aspect of hybridity is that they struggle a lot to integrate Indian culture with their new environment. The blending of the cultural elements and the tension it gives are depicted in the novel. Through this novel, he also explores the transition of the colonised India to the postcolonial India. It includes various aspects such as the partition of India and Pakistan based on religion, the struggle of people to leave the homeland, the journey of the nation after independence and the challenges it faced. Though India got its freedom, people were traumatised for various reasons and found it hard to overcome it. The partition aroused violence, and it resulted in cultural divisions. Identity formation in postcolonial India was challenging as the people were linked with their past, present and future. So, becoming a new individual citizen of independent India became challenging. Along with these, postcolonial India had also faced other problems like societal ICSSR Sponsored One Day National Seminar on Literature, War and Memory: Narratives of Trauma and Healing in 20th and 21st Century English Literature 251 inequalities and problems in new nation-building. Rushdie also explores collective and individual memory with reference to postcolonial India. He explains how the memories of the individual are shaped by the collective memory. Through the character of Saleem, it is seen how collective events such as the partition of India influence the lives of ordinary people by shaping their identities. For example, Saleem, being born during independence, his life is linked with the events happening in the country as a collective memory, which later turns out as an individual experience. This novel also throws light on the complex pattern of linguistic diversity and its effect on social interaction. The characters speak different languages and use various dialects, which highlights the nation’s linguistic diversity. The languages the characters speak through the novel showcase the importance of multilingualism in India, and it is also used to bridge cultural gaps by transcending barriers. The ability of the characters to easily navigate from one language to another reflects cultural identity and their adaptability to different political conditions. Sudha Murthy is a prominent Indian women author and also famous for her philanthropical work. She is the founder-chairperson of Infosys. She is nominated as a member of parliament, Rajya Sabha, for her contributions to social work and education. She has received the highest civilian awards in India, Padma Shri and Padma Bhusan. Sudha Murthy’s writing is a perfect blend of both old Indian and modern Indian culture. She has lots of experience in understanding the lives of ordinary people and is ready to help the poor. She gives a voice to women in her writings. She writes with both a logical and vivid understanding of humankind. Sudha Murthy’s novels are Mahashweta, Dollar Bahu, and Gently Falls the Bakula, Wise and Otherwise and House of Cards. Her novels give a clear view of cultural hybridity. The two female characters in Dollar Bahu represent cultural hybridity. Those two women are Vinuta, who is a traditional Indian woman. Jamuna is the dollar bahu, which means daughter-in-law of the family who earns money in dollars and lives in America. She embodies modernity and wealth. She is portrayed as a symbol of worldly success. The novel highlights the struggles of Indians who try to balance their cultural identity with Western influences. Here, Girish is a middle-class man who becomes attracted to the idea of modern life and wealth. He doesn’t value his own Indian Culture instead he wants change and adopt the values of a foreign country. Another character is Chandru, who gives up his love and moves to the USA to fulfil his American dream. These characters portrayed the identity changes, modernity, money mindedness and the impact of globalisation. In her novel Dollar Bahu, Murthy explores various themes of jealousy, aspiration, quest for identity and societal pressures associated with financial success. It shows the difference between the two daughters-in-law in the Gouramma family. The elder one is Jamuna, wife of Chandru, who is from a rich family and migrated to America, whereas the second daughter-inlaw is Vinuta, who stays with her mother-in-law and takes care of the family. Jamuna leads a modern life in America and earns in dollars, and gradually she learns the culture of foreign people. Once Gouramma gets a chance to visit America, she soon realises the purpose they have her. They treat her as an unpaid maid and caretaker for their child. There is no respect and love. Jamuna offers her saree, but it’s all used ones. Gouramma overheard the conversation between Jamuna and her neighbour. She soon understands the original colour of Jamuna, whose motive is getting money and using Gouramma as a maid in her home. So that she can continue her work. Jamuna loves modern culture and adopts modernity. She feels ashamed to present herself as an Indian woman in the USA. So she hides her identity and culture. She wishes to settle there for the luxurious lifestyle and earn money in dollars. On the other hand, the second daughter-in-law, Vinuta, who values the Indian culture, never fails to do her duties as wife, mother, daughter-in-law and a teacher. She loves to learn ICSSR Sponsored One Day National Seminar on Literature, War and Memory: Narratives of Trauma and Healing in 20th and 21st Century English Literature 252 Hindustani music. When her aunt advises her to sell the ancestral house for Vinuta’s wedding, she refuses to do that. Vinuta says, “Please let us not sell the house. That is the lost reemergence of my parents. I love the garden. My life is in….” (29). Through the character of Vinuta, the author expresses how much one should value the Indian culture and family bonding. It is our culture to protect the house or whatever our parents earn for us. Moreover, our family system and its bonding are very strong compared to those in other countries. Vinuta believes that her children learn the culture in the joint family system. So she is ready to face any struggles in domestic life in a joint family. She adjusts the humiliation of Gouramma by comparing Jamuna’s dollar and Vinuta’s Indian money. Both are working women, but the mother-in-law shows respect to the daughter-in-law who earns money in dollars. “The dollar is the most powerful financial instrument of modern times. Money has a magical quality. One dollar is equal to seventy-three Indian rupees. If you have Dollars in your pocket, you can travel to any corner of the world without worry. It is a universally acceptable currency”. (135) The magic green currency played a vital role in the lives of Gouramma, Jamuna and Vinuta. The greedy mother-in-law forgets her responsibilities in India and is ready to help her dollar daughter-in-law, who proudly works in the USA. Vinuta is not less than Jamuna; she is also a working woman, and she has her own identity as a school teacher in Jayanagar. She earns and gives it to her mother-in-law with respect. She is always ready to follow the family customs and traditions. Whereas Jamuna is opposite to Vinuta. Murthy’s characters face lots of problems and challenges in their day-to-day life. She shows how they handle the struggles and endeavor to overcome them. They are aware of their social roles and act accordingly. Her female protagonists never give up in morality. They are middleclass and struggle to work hard for the betterment of the family. They value the tradition and cultural values of India. They put all their efforts into creating their identity. In Murthy’s novels, the female leads have the determination to achieve their career goal and balance their family. They change their affliction into an admiration. So the author focuses on Identity crisis in most of the novels. Her women are striving for their financial independence, identity, dignity, personal growth and freedom while maintaining the family relationships. Sudha Murthy's novels depict how women characters get the spirit to make them bold and empowered while staying connected to their cultural roots. She shows it’s from a unique perspective. In dollar Bahu, Gouramma's elder son, Chandru, focuses on his professional growth and success. His only aim is to go to a foreign country. He says, Unless I settle down to my satisfaction, there is no question of marriage” (16). Here, the author declares that in a postcolonial world, some get the mindset of earning more money and find it prestigious. They all want to live a wealthy life. Here, Chandru prioritises his career betterment over personal love life and relationships. He complicates his love for Vinuta. Money plays a vital role in the postcolonial world. Thus, the novels explore the struggles faced by the characters in a multicultural environment along with the postcolonial context. Works Cited Asadullah, Faiz Ahmad. “Postcolonial Hybridity and the Narrative Strategies of Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children.”In Postcolonial Hybridity of Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children, pp. 35-56, Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2017. Gandhi, Leela. Postcolonial Theory: A Critical Introduction. Oxford University Press, 2009. ICSSR Sponsored One Day National Seminar on Literature, War and Memory: Narratives of Trauma and Healing in 20th and 21st Century English Literature 253 Gayatri, V., Shoba. C. “Identity crisis in select novels of Salman Rushdie” International Journal of English Language, Literature and Translation Study (IJELR). Vol 4, Issue 3.July-Sep2017. Web.5.11.2018 ISSN 2349-9451/ 2395-2628 <http://www.ijelr.in<4.3.17 Murthy, Sudha. Dollar Bahu. New Delhi, Penguin Books India, 2006. Robert P.Marzcc, An Ecological and Postcolonial Study of Literature from Daniel Defoe to Salman Rushdie ( New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007), p 166. Rushdie, Salman. Midnight’s Children. London: Vintage, 1995. Print.