View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Etheses - A Saurashtra University Library Service Saurashtra University Re – Accredited Grade ‘B’ by NAAC (CGPA 2.93) Shaikh, Firoz A., 2006, “The partition and its versions in Indian English Novels: A Critical Study”, thesis PhD, Saurashtra University http://etheses.saurashtrauniversity.edu/id/829 Copyright and moral rights for this thesis are retained by the author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the Author. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the Author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. Saurashtra University Theses Service http://etheses.saurashtrauniversity.edu [email protected] © The Author THE PARTITION AND ITS VERSIONS IN INDIAN ENGLISH NOVELS: A CRITICAL STUDY A DISSERTATION TO BE SUBMITTED TO SAURASHTRA UNIVERSITY, RAJKOT FOR THE AWARD OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN ENGLISH SUPERVISED BY SUBMITTED BY Dr. Jaydipsinh Dodiya Mr. Firoz A. Shaikh Associate Professor, Senior Lecture & Head, Smt. S.H.Gardi Institute of English Department of English, and Comparative Literary Studies, Late Shri N.R.Boricha Saurashtra University, EducationTrust Sanchalit Rajkot-360005 Arts & Commerce College, Mendarda-362 260 2006 I STATEMENT UNDER UNI. O. Ph.D. 7. I hereby declare that the work embodied in my thesis entitled as “THE PARTITION AND ITS VERSIONS IN INDIAN ENGLISH NOVELS: A CRITICAL STUDY”, prepared for Ph.D. Degree has not been submitted for any other degree of this University or any other University on any previous occasion. And to the best of my knowledge, no work has been reported on the above subject. And the work presented in this thesis is original and whenever references have been made to the work of others, they have been clearly indicated as such and the source of information is included in the bibliography. SUPERVISED BY SUBMITTED BY Dr. Jaydipsinh Dodiya Mr. Firoz A. Shaikh Associate Professor, Senior Lecture & Head, Smt. S.H.Gardi Institute of English Department of English, and Comparative Literary Studies, Late Shri N.R.Boricha Saurashtra University, EducationTrust Sanchalit Rajkot-360005 Arts & Commerce College, Mendarda-362 260 2006 II ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I most humbly express my profound sense of gratitude to my esteemed guide and my Guru Dr.Jaydeepsinh Dodiya, Associate Professor, Smt. S.H.Gardi Institute of English and Comparative Literary Studies, Saurashtra University, Rajkot, whose scholarly, able, careful, and constant guidance sustained my spirit and inspired me at every stage of my research study. Even during the period of his Sabbatical Leave, he spared enough time in guiding me. But for his inspiring guidance, this work would not have seen the light of the day. I owe a great deal to my parents for whom no words of gratitude are enough as they have constantly goaded me, blessed me and prayed for the completion of my research work. My wife Jasmina and my dear daughter Anam, my brother Parvezbhai and Kausharbhabhi, Ajaz and Nilofer, dear Humair, sister-in-law Shahin, and brother in-laws Dr.Parvezkhan and Sameerkhan always encouraged me with their congenial co-operation. I am also grateful to my father-in-law, Prof. A.K.Pathan, Head, Departmet of English, Bhavan’s Shri A.K.Doshi Mahila College, Jamnagar and my mother-in-law Rashidabanu for their constant encouragement. I am also thankful to trustees of my college Mrs.Punbaiben P. Boricha, Mr.Bharatbhai P. Boricha and Pratapbhai P.Boricha; Principal Dr.K.H.Karamata, Prof. M.P.Mehta, Dr. Rajkumar and my teaching and non-teaching staff for their constant help during my research work. I would like to thank Dr. A.K.Singh, Dr. K. H. Mehta, Dr. Mukherjee, and Dr. R. B. Zala for their suggestions and timely help. I would like to thank Mr. Atulbhai Mehta for keeping my record intact. III I can not forget to express my thanks to Principal Dr.Hansaben Seth and the Librarian and the entire library staff of Bhavan’s Shri A.K.Doshi Mahila College, Jamnagar, Central Library, Sau. Uni., Rajkot, SCILET, Madurai, British Library and M.J.Library, Ahmedabad. They provided me books, and articles needed for my research work. I am deeply indebted to grand old man of Indian English literary world Mr. Khushwant Singh who not only responded to my letter but also sent me useful suggestions on his novels. I cannot too warmly express my thanks to my friends for their constant and unstinting encouragement during the period of my entire research work. Mendarda Firoz A.Shaikh IV CONTENT Page Certificate II Acknowledgement III-IV CHAPTER-1: Introduction 1-48 CHAPTER-2:Khushwant Singh’s Version of Partition in 49-79 Train to Pakistan CHAPTER-3:Attia Hosain’s Version of Partition in Sunlight on a Broken Column and Manju Kapur’s version of Partition in Difficult Daughters 80-117 CHAPTER-4: Manohar Malgonkar’s Version of Partition in A Beng in the Ganges 118-150 CHAPTER-5:Chaman Nahal’s Version of Partition in Azadi 151-165 CHAPTER-6:Amitav Ghosh’s Version of Partition in 166-216 The Shadow Lines CHAPTER-7: Conclusion 217-227 Bibliography 228-236 V Chapter-1 INTRODUCTION 1 Chapter-1 INTRODUCTION The very title of this research study “The Partition and its Versions in Indian English Novels” needs a detailed discussion and explanation. The term ‘Partition’ is related with the great historical event of vivisection of subcontinent into India and Pakistan. The historical background is discussed in detail in this introduction. The second term of the title ‘version’ means ‘an account of something from one point of view.’ Under the term research covers novel selected for detailed analysis and interpretation. The next phrase, in the title ‘Indian English Novels’; is the most significant part of the title. It means novels written by Indians in English. The literary term ‘novel’ [fiction] refers to a kind of literature that deals, presents and describes imaginary people, places and events in beautiful prose. The politico-historical term ‘partition’ refers to the real historical and political events that led to the vivisection of this great country. The contradictory terms ‘fiction’ and ‘history’ need explanation for better evaluation of this research study. Etymologically, the term ‘history’ has originated from the Greek term ‘ historia’ which means inquiry, interview or interrogation of an eye-witness and also reports of such actions. History denotes the science of the human past. In other words, it is used to designate the sum total of human activities in the past. But it is difficult to arrive at the precise definition of the term ‘history’. The term ‘historical novel’ or ‘political fiction’ or ‘topical novel’ can be applied for the partition novels. It is not easy to trace the origin of ‘historical novel’ in English but with publication of Sir Walter Scott’s novels in the nineteenth century such ‘genre’ came into existence and with the passage of time the world literature was rich with classic historical novels such as A Tale of Two Cities, War and Peace and All Quiet on the Western Front etc. The Indian fiction in English selected for the research study are aptly categorized as ‘historical novels’ or ‘political novels’ and 2 hence it will be profitable for the evaluation of the selected novels to trace the history of Indian fiction with reference to ‘political fiction’. M.C. Lemon believes that history is essentially concerned with the past, it deals with the matters not present to us and which we cannot know ‘immediately’, in order to approach his primary material, the historian is engaged in two different mental activities- inferring and proving the knowledge of past. Since the former uses imagination and the latter requires the use of logic, both fail to meet standards of impartiality and objectivity to which most historians are supposed to be committed.1 It implies that no historian approaches his material arbitrarily as, to use White’s term, ‘the fact do not speak for themselves, but the historian speaks for them.2 According to Hayden White, ‘novelists might be dealing with only imaginary events whereas historians are dealing with real events, but the process of fusing events, whether imaginary or real, into a comprehensible totality capable of serving as the object of representation is a poetic process. 3 Moreover, the historians have always concerned themselves with events, and as it in an asctriptive way. They require explanation and have to be narrated. 4 In this way, historiographic narrative characteristically puts the distinction between history and fiction under apprehension and articulates historiographical issues in narrative form. It questions the capacity of history to reveal absolute truths. Jacques Ehrman, in this regard, reaches to an extreme formulation, “history and literature have no existence in and of themselves. It is we who constitute them as the objects of our understanding. 5 Although White puts it differently; to him, “what distinguishes ‘historical’ from ‘fictional’ stories is first and foremost their contents, rather than their form.”6 The story told in the narrative, he further propounds. ‘is a mimesis’ of the story lived in some region of historical reality, and insofar as it is an accurate imitation it is to be considered a truthful account thereof.”7 Historical fiction, viewed in this light, has greater capacity to reveal truths of its time, which could not be learnt otherwise.