Page 32 - DENG503_INDIAN_WRITINGS_IN_LITERATURE

Indian Writings in Literature

Notes orthodoxed views in the context of the modern day scenario. The author is not very keen to buy
her theory of nationalism and tradition. Ila represents to a great extent the modern cosmopolitan
world, and is a free high flying girl, a girl without barriers, hurdles and stops. The borders have
long seized to exist for her. But quite painfully she suffers the brunt of not belonging to any one
territory, one culture and one identity. Where then lies the scope for universal civilization needs
more explanation and no doubt it, too, may suffer from limitations. The Shadow Lines is therefore
not a solution to modern diaspora but is certainly an attempt to make an appeal to the think tanks
of the world; leaders and intellectuals to spare a thought on the philosophy of the novel; to do
some hard thinking and put some sense and sanity into he minds of the people.
The Shadow Lines besides dealing with some serious themes is also a picturesque ovel. It deals
with crowded, shaby and traffic-torn Calcutta with road side vendors and petty shopkeepers to
picturesque and clean London; from traditional matriarchs to liberal and friendly Prices; giving
snippets of was torn Germany and England. It captures the swining moods, whims and fancies of
the people of scenic Kashmir and its inhabitants-innocent and pure.
It is the people at the lower level who get carried away by the emotions and indulge in what
should not be done. Political bosses would still be all smiles and interact with warmth and courtesy
with their counterparts while their respective side would be burning with hatred and vengeance.
The aftermath affects these people the most. They become the playthings of the one in power, of
religious zealots. It has been the sad experience of humanity that the religious passions are fanned
more strongly than any other things. In these aspects The shadow lines is the novel of realism. It
has message it wanted. The rest is for the receipients to decide and act.
So far as removing the boundaries and meaning of nationalism is concerned I personally don’t
quite agree with the opinion expressed in the novel. To take the universal civilization, world
government etc. is far fetched or at least is very distant dream.
Customs and traditions by which man lives and proclaims his identity are rooted in culture.
Culture is identifiable with territory and is evolved over the years. Culture demarcates one person
from the other and territory one country from the other. Their norms, practices, beliefs are different
from the ret and are likely to continue or persist. The Dutta Rai Choudarys in Dhaka divided and
got separated after one generation. The property was divided and a line passed through bisecting
the nameplate and an old commode. They were lawyers and wanted the division and handing
over the property in lawyer like precision. This has a touch of India’s real past. All Government
property including tables, chairs, other office furniture and fans were counted and property
accounted for the clear division.
I believe nationalism in itself is not to blame, if anybody is to blame then it is people for their
material dream and their desire for power and rule. Any way, it has been a tremendous and
commendable on part of Ghosh to make an attempt to bring the world in harmony and cordial
relationship.
The novel highlights the two polarities of human nature. While there can be people on whom sense
prevails and they mould palpably volatile situation to their control, there just may be another section
which would make a mess of it and the human blood so spilled would shine in the flickering flames
of the torched houses. Mu-I-Mubarak is just the kind of incident, which establishes the above fact.
This incident establishes ghat the riots, insurgence, unrest or mutual hatred is all the result of how
you take up the situation and interpret it. If people take the brotherly stand and work in a secular
way there is no reason to vie for each other’s blood. Man gets carried away by his emotions if he
does not exercise his reason and follow a little restraint. Mu-I-Mubarak incident clearly establishes
this. On one hand it shows how the people of a particular area remained free of any communal
brutality and butchery, which humanity usually has to undergo during such moments and how
on the other hand the places which had nothing to do with it got involved and brought about the
tragedy in so many lives.
On 27th December 1963, the relic disappeared from the mosque. There was an eerie calm as the
news spread and then huge black flag demonstrations, marches of thousands of men women and
children took place. The property was torched and destroyed but there was one special thing

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