Colonialism Culture Religion and Reason in the Select Novels of Amitav Ghosh

Abstract

ABSTRACT newline The present study, Colonialism, Culture, Religion and Reason in the Select Novels of Amitav Ghosh embodies a synthesis of opposing ideas and views of colonialism and post-colonialism which have been dialectically and analytically studied to validate the postcolonial strains that uphold the natives, their culture, religion and reason embedded in their knowledge of science. The discourses of Amitav Ghosh strengthen the claims of the natives and the postcolonial writers and critics. His perceptions cover the whole gamut of colonial and postcolonial thought and provide telling exposures and deep interrogations of colonial phenomenon that affected India deeply. The colonizers all over the world misrepresented and misinterpreted the histories of the colonized nations like India, Burma etc. The postcolonial writers attempt to bring out the validity of the real culture of the then subjugated nations by way of rewriting and redefining their histories to point out the inherent strength of those nations. He interrogates the eurocentric views and ways of seeking and disseminating knowledge. In doing so, he brings in diverse cultures and experiences as counterpoints to the monologist western approach. When Ghosh demystifies the motive of the colonizers, he instinctively attempts to put the culture of the colonized people in order. Hence the researcher attempts to outline the cultural configurations of those countries which embody his oeuvre. Further the writer makes an estimate of religion and reason by way of combining them with the spiritual slant of Satwa, Rajas, and Tamas, the characteristics of a true hindu according to his religion. Further, the writer upholds the traditions, science, and the culture of India in such a manner as to suggest that indigenous approaches to the problems of living need to be practiced and followed as worthy to live a meaningful life. newline newline newline