INDIAN WRITING IN ENGLISH

Contemporary Indo English Literature: An Approach                         .                                                                                            - Amritijit Singh

                                                                           

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Indo-English literature received the attention of scholars and critics for the past twenty years. The critical issues regarding Indo-English writing are many. Most of them are centered on the writers choice of English for creative expression. These writers cannot be called as English writers because the writings of Americans and Australians are not considered as English literature. At the same time they cannot be called as Indian literature through English lived in India for more than one fifty years.

Indo English literature can possibly be divided into four distinct categories:

1.      As part of English literature.

2.      As part of common wealth or third world literature.

3.      As part of Indian literature.

4.      As a representative of Indian literature.

1.  As part of English literature:

         The habit of treating Indo-English literature as an extension of English literature has died a natural death. The library of congress Classification Rules has transferred Indo- English literature from ‘English literature – India’ to ‘Indian literature – English’.

2. As part of Common Wealth Literature:

Today, Indo-English is being studied as part of Common Wealth Literature. It covers literatures of nations with different backgrounds and experiences. Though it encourages comparative studies, its thematic implications are quite limited and confused. 

3. As part of Indian Literature:

Most valuable criticism on Indo-English literature looks upon it as part of Indian literature. P.Lal, in the Writers Workshop credo that prefaced his huge anthology, Modern Indian Poetry in English (1969), emphasized that most of the poets (except Sasthi Bratha) included in his anthology, regard themselves as Indians. They see nothing unindian or alien in their use of English for creative expression. As K.D. Katrak says, ‘A poet is not the present of an ethnic stud’.

4.As a representative of Indian Literature.

Indo-English literature has created its own vested interest as the most significant. Indian literature as it is only one which is not tied down to a particular Indian state or region. It is widely accessible to the audiences in India and abroad. This asserts the representativeness of Indo-English literature and highlights its capacity to pull together the various strands of linguistic and cultural tradition in the country.

The banishment of English in India is impossible. Macaulay introduced English in Indian Education in 1835 to establish the ‘Imperishable Empire’ of ideas. Since that time English has transformed the syntax and expression of Indian language. It has multiplies the ‘registers’ available to a literature speaker of any Indian language and expanded the areas of creativity in literature and related linguistic expression.

Therefore, the Indo-English writers choice of English is a natural one in the multilingual Indian situation. In India, English occupies an inevitable place in the preservation of different cultures and traditions. It is the latest addition to our linguistic-culture spectrum. It may not be strictly called an Indian language. At the same time, it cannot be dismissed as an alien language.

English in India is largely responsible for the deep inroads the west has made our awareness. It has come to occupy a permanent place in India. The Indo-English writer therefore turns his situation to a great advantage by drawing more actively from the rich reservoir of Indian Language and literatures. English helps him to razor out the rust around him and sharpens his use of English.

Thus, Indo-English writers have an immense potential that unfortunately remains unexploited in actual practise.