A Postcolonial Critique of Nirad C. Chaudhuri's Writings
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A POSTCOLONIAL CRITIQUE OF NIRAD C. CHAUDHURI'S WRITINGS . THESIS SUBMITTED FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN ENGLISH BY TAMAL GUHA UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF PROF. K. SRIPAD BHAT (HEAD, DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH & DEAN , FACULTY OF LANGUAGES AND LITERATURE) GOA UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH, GOA UNIVERSITY e)1,...V;AriD I cAtt' JULY 2009 ev-oreetivrA -(e 0\ wt, pcka-c-■„ 0 e)cet^^^4i4-ris toe 't,A,‘€.0zs 4(err 1/,,2016 ( c1.4"bt (C)(te -,6,-)0 r>1 71" CERTIFICATE As per the Goa University Ordinance, I certify that this thesis titled 'A Postcolonial Critique of Nirad C. Chaudhuri's Writings' is a record of the research work done by the candidate Sri Tamal Guha during the period of study under my guidance and that it has not previously formed the basis for the award of any degree or diploma in the Goa University or elsewhere. (Dr. K. Sripad Bhat) Research Guide Head, Department of English & Dean, Faculty of Languages and Literature Goa University STATEMENT BY RESEARCH STUDENT As required vide Article 9(ii) of Goa University Ordinance OB-9, it is stated that my thesis titled 'A Postcolonial Critique of Nirad C. Chaudhuri's Writings' is a work based on new relations of facts observed by others and it tends to the general advancement of knowledge. The sources from which my information has been derived have been indicated in the Select Bibliography at the end of the thesis. (Ta al Guha) Res arch Student ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Just as a woman is said to be behind every successful man, there must be many people behind every first-time researcher. The most prominent of those who were behind (in the sense of being at the back of) yours truly are: • Prof. K. Sripad Bhat, my research guide, who sparked off my interest in contemporary literary theories; • Dr. Nina Caldeira and Dr. Rafael Fernandes, the Vice Chancellor's nominees for my Goa University seminars, who fanned the flickering flame of my research with their helpful suggestions; • The staff of Goa University Library (Taleigao), Naval Academy Library (Verem), Calcutta University Library (Kolkata) and Presidency College Library (Kolkata), who fed the fire of research with a fuel of books and journals; and, of course, • The Guhas of Asansol and the Ghoshs of Lucknow, my family members and my in-laws respectively, who guarded that metaphorical fire from wind and water. The least that I can do — by way of reciprocation — is to humbly acknowledge the contribution of the aforementioned minds and hearts. Tamal Guha TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION 1.1 A Biography of the Autobiographer 1 1.2 His Controversial Creations 16 1.3 The Divided Jury 38 1.4 Plan of the Thesis 49 II. THE POST(-)COLONIAL THEORY 2.1 African and Caribbean Contribution 59 2.2 The European Background 67 2.3 Asian Theoreticians 74 2.4 Related Issues 78 III. ANALYSIS OF CHAUDHURI'S PRO-COLONIALISM 3.1 Anti-National Sentiments 88 3.2 Unconventional Histories 99 3.3 Chaudhuri's Early Nationalism 104 3.4 His Disapproval of Violence 112 3.5 Revulsion against Communalism 118 3.6 Hypocrisy, Corruption and Arrogance 128 IV. CONTRAPUNTAL READING OF CHAUDHURI'S WRITINGS 4.1 Chaudhuri's Take on Postcolonial Issues 146 4.2 Colonial Discourses in Chaudhuri 171 4.3 Ambivalence, Hybridity and Mimicry 180 4.4 Other Postcolonial Perspectives 188 4.5 An Atypical Comprador 193 4.6 From Unknown Indian to Known un-Indian 198 V. CONCLUSIONS 232 SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY 248 "Human experience, which is constantly contradicting theory, is the great test of truth." - Samuel Johnson, Boswell: Life Nirad Chandra Chaudhuri (23 November 1897 - 1 August 1999) 1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION "The autobiographer Nirad C. Chaudhuri has been, throughout his long life, an erudite, contrary and mischievous presence." — Salman Rushdie, 'India and world literature' 1.1 A BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTOBIOGRAPHER All writers write out of their lives' experiences. Hence, in order to analyse their writings, it is helpful to know their lives. Such knowledge helps an analyst to gain a comprehension better than that of a lay reader. It is for the purpose of a comprehensive analysis that this section sketches the life of writer Nirad Chandra Chaudhuri (23 November 1897 — 01 August 1999). 1 The sketch highlights those aspects of his life which appear to have influenced his works. Nirad C. Chaudhuri was born in a small town of eastern Bengal, now in 2 Bangladesh. The second son in a family of eight children, he made his father anxious about his worldly prospects. The senior Chaudhuri used to say, "I have no anxiety for my other sons, but Nirad is utterly unfit to go through the world." (Thy Hand, Great Anarch! India: 1921 - 1952 xxi) Most of Nirad's siblings became well placed in society — his elder brother was a High Court advocate, the brother immediately after Nirad was a paediatric doctor, the next brother was a civil engineer and the sisters were wealthy homemakers. In stark contrast to their socially successful lives, Nirad became an accounts clerk, a journal editor, a private secretary and a news writer at different points in time. He was frequently without work or working in part-time jobs. Nirad Chaudhuri and his siblings had received the best education which their parents could afford. Initially, it was the father who taught them English grammar. "The two years," writes Nirad, "were the decisive years in my understanding of the fundamental principles of the English language." (The Autobiography of an Unknown Indian 140) After their linguistic roots had been planted at home, the Chaudhuri siblings were put in schools for further studies. They were also placed under tutors at home. However, boy Nirad grew dissatisfied with the low standard of his English textbooks and read up those of his elder brother. His learning of English is of particular interest to us because he finally became a writer in this language. 2 After completing middle-school in his home town, Nirad Chaudhuri was sent 3 to Calcutta (now Kolkata) for high school. The World War I (1914 — 1918) was raging at the time and he followed the news of the war out of personal curiosity. He was surprised to find, however, that the gravity of the situation was not being conveyed by its official communication. Chaudhuri happened to discover that the communiqués through the media tried to downplay the reverses suffered by the Britain-led Allied Forces. This surprise finding taught him the necessity of forming his own opinions, independent of others. He writes, "So I would not accept an opinion simply because it was a product of the times." (Thy Hand xxvii) It was the genesis of his self-opinionated persona. 3 After completing his schooling, Nirad Chaudhuri studied Arts with History Honours in a Calcutta college. Out of personal interest, he also read literature in Sanskrit, Hindi, Bengali, English, Greek, Latin, French and German. The result of his wide reading was that, in the examination for Bachelor of Arts, he stood first in the First Class. Despite such an excellent result, it turned out to be his last examination ever. As his reading habits kept growing, he could not confine himself to the limited syllabus of an examination any more. Consequently, he dropped out of the course for Master of Arts in History in which he had taken admission. About his lack of a post-graduate degree, Chaudhuri wrote, "It put academic employment out of my reach, because in India no one could become a university teacher without the MA degree." (Thy Hand 4) After dropping out of the MA course, Nirad Chaudhuri managed to get a 4 clerical job. It was in the government's Military Accounts Department and it revived his earlier interest in matters military. He started working well and was recommended for a promotional examination. In the study leave of two months, however, he did not prepare for the test but read up Matthew Arnold's poetry instead. The Scholar Gypsy inspired him to "leave the world, with powers / Fresh, undiverted to the world without, / Firm to their mark, not spent on other things; / Free from the sick fatigue, the languid doubt, / Which much to have tried, in much been baffled, brings". The poem's spirit dissuaded Chaudhuri from pursuing careerist goals rather than scholarly ideals. He decided not to take the promotional examination because it would tempt him towards careerism and away from scholasticism. 4 After declining promotion avenues in the job, Nirad Chaudhuri started to dislike government service itself. Ironically, he disliked anti-government agitations too. While he did not like government service because of its monotony, his dislike for anti-government agitations was because of their coercion. During a strike protesting the visit of the then Prince of Wales, later King Edward VIII, Chaudhuri saw that some of the protestors held whips in hand. They were forcing other Indians to join the strike. Chaudhuri resented such bullying so much that he jumped their barricades and narrowly escaped being roughed up. He writes, "All my life I have resented and defied any attempt at coercing me." (Thy Hand 19) The more he got agitated by such incidents, the more he wanted an escape to a scholastic idyll. He penned an article in literary criticism and published it in The 5 Modern Review, an English magazine with all-India circulation. Soon thereafter, Chaudhuri chucked up his clerical job but continued writing articles. As a budding scholar, Nirad Chaudhuri was painstakingly meticulous. An example of his painstaking nature was the trip he made from Benares to Sarnath in 1926.