Thinking activity : The Home and the World

 This activity is a part of my academic writing...

Firstly we will discuss...

 ◼ The growth of individual characters.

The Home and the World is a 1916 novel by Rabindranath Tagore. The book illustrates the battle Tagore had with himself, between the ideas of Western culture and revolution against the Western culture. These two ideas are portrayed in two of the main characters, Nikhilesh, who is rational and opposes violence, and Sandip, who will let nothing stand in his way from reaching his goals. These two opposing ideals are very important in understanding the history of the Bengal region and its contemporary problems.

There is much controversy over whether or not Tagore was attempting to represent Gandhi with Sandip. This is owing to Gyorgy Lukacs's 1922 review of the novel in the Berlin periodical, Die rote Fahne that is typically translated into English as "Tagore's Gandhi Novel"where he makes this mistaken suggestion. The novel could not have been based on Gandhi as it was published in 1916 and written before when Gandhi had just moved to India from South Africa  and was not a known political figure. Gandhi gained political prominence in India in the context of the Khilafat movement of 1919, which was long after the novel's publication, and took over the leadership of the Indian National Congress in 1920.

The novel was translated into English by the author's nephew, Surendranath Tagore, with input from the author, in 1919. The Home and the World was among the contenders in a 2014 list by The Telegraph of the 10 all-time greatest Asian novels.

◼ The growth of individual characters.

Rabindranath Tagore, a worshipper of universal humanism, depicts two different streams of Nationalism in his novel The Home and the World. The first stream may be termed as Moderation that articulates essentially pure patriotism without showing the aggressiveness of the Extremism that is the other stream. Both these streams surely are built on the basis of ideals and the followers are motivated according to their beliefs. In this novel Nikhil is a personification of moderate politics whereas Sandip represents the aggressive nationalism throughout the novel.

1.Nikhilesh

Nikhil is seen and described as an educated and gentle man. He is from kulin aristocratic family of landlords, and his family prides themselves in beautiful women. However, Nikhil is different in that he married not only a poor woman, but also one who was not particularly attractive. He is also unpopular in the town because he has not joined them stating, "I am not running amuck crying Bande Mataram." In light of this, the police also suspect him of harbouring some "hidden protest." In reality, Nikhil considers himself to be more aware of his country's role in a broader sense, and refuses to take part in Swadeshi.

2. Bimala

Bimala is the wife of Nikhil. She is described as not very pretty and from a much more humble background than Nikhil. She loves her husband dearly, and enjoys being completely devoted to him. At the beginning of the novel, she seems to be confined to the traditional female role, and has no thoughts of entering the real world, even with persuasion from her husband. Her feelings make a rapid change with the occurrence of the Swadeshi movement, due to Sandip's radical influence.

3. Sandip

Sandip is the third major character in the novel, completing the love triangle. He is a guest in the home of Nikhil and Bimala and his revolutionary ideas and speeches have a significant impact on Bimala. He is very vocal in his anti-imperialistic views and is a skilled orator. Sandip represents characteristics that are directly opposite to those Nikhil possesses, thus drawing Bimala to Sandip. Bimala gets caught up in the ideas that Sandip presents as well as the man himself. Her seemingly increasing patriotism causes her to spend more and more time with Sandip, thereby solidifying the love triangle conflict. Sandip's first name is translated to "with dipa light fire flame".

4. Bara Rani

Bara Rani is Bimala's sister in law. Her relationship with Bimala is strained at best. She causes a lot of tension in the household. She also uses Nikhil to get the material items that she desires. Bimala constantly complains about her to Nikhil. Bara Rani taunts Bimala for her mingling with Sandip Babu.

5. Amulya

Bimala considers Amulya to be her adoptive son, whom she met from the Swadeshi Movement. When first they meet, Bimala asks him to acquire money for their cause. He lists wild schemes and plans, to which Bimala replies "you must not be childish" . After pondering their situation, Amulya resolves to murder the cashier for the money. Tagore uses him to symbolise the raw emotion and passion, yet lack of sympathy for others often encompassed by group or riot mentality. Amulya struggles, as any youth, between completing the goals of the movement and developing strong relationships on an individual level, such as with Bimala; this is made extremely difficult by Sandip's powerful influence.

◼ Psychological growth of the characters. 

we can clearly see the psychological development of the characters like in the case of Bimala his realisation shows how it offers a good deal of development.

Towards the end of the book Sandip convinces Bimala to steal from her husband, Nikhil. While in the act of stealing 6,000 rupees, she comes to a realisation of the terrible crime she is committing, "I could not think of my house as separate from my country: I had robbed my house, I had robbed my country. For this sin my house had ceased to be mine, my country also was estranged from me". This represents a character turning point for Bimala: While in the act of thieving, she realises that Sandip is not only corrupting and robbing the nation, but encouraging her and others to do the same. Ultimately, she ends up giving the money to Sandip and receives unceasing praise from both Sandip and Amulya for her newly recognised sin.

However, Bimala realises that she has made a mistake by stealing the money from Nikhil and attempts to have Amulya pawn off some of her jewellery to replace the money. Amulya attempts to give the box back, but Sandip steals it and gives it back himself. This event allows both Amulya and Bimala to see that Sandip is concerned only with himself, thus allowing them to break free from part of his web. It is during this time that Bimala realises her power over Sandip by being able to easily make him jealous.

Thank you...

Pre Independence Literature : Dino Daan by Rabindranath Tagore

This activity is a part of my academic writing...

 1) The poem is written before 120 years (approx.). Can you find any resemblance between the poem and the pandemic time?

This poem is exactly the chain situation of covid pandemic today.It related to it when the sage also talked about how God communicated his disbelief at the situation, wondering how the same king  provide shelter to his own homeless subjects.Does he really fancy of giving me a home?"

2) Why do you think the King is angry on the Sage?

The king gets angry on the sage because he reminds the king it was the wrong time to have spent his riches in building a temple in the same year that the people of his land were struck by a calamity, and came begging at his door, only to be turned away by the king.

3) Why do you think the Sage denies to enter in the temple?

The sage, who denies to enter the temple because he tells the king that the temple he has built with "two million gold coins, does not have god inside. The king is enraged, calls the sage an atheist, and asks if such a grand temple could be empty. The sage replies that it isn't empty - it's filled with the king's pride.

4) Can there be any connection between the text of the poem and the verdict of Ayoydhya Ram Mandir?

 Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid down the first bricks of the much contested Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. The ceremony was marked with much fanfare and celebrations. The celebrations were in the middle of a pandemic that has gripped the world. Meanwhile, many on social media found parallels between Tagore's poem and the Ram Mandir ceremony.

Following this, the poem went viral on social media, with many finding similarities between our times of coronavirus. Many lauded Tagore and pointed out that reading the poem at this time will 'send shivers down your spine'.

Thank you...

An Astrologer's Day by R.K Narayan

This activity is a part od my academic writing...

1.) How faithful is the movie to the original short story?

The movie and the story both are having almost relative perspective with in the concern of the main idea.It is that there are many poor and ignorant underprivileged people who have hidden talents which can blossom if their circumstances change. The astrologer in this story was forced to flee to a city from his little village.

2.) After watching the movie, have your perception about the short story, characters or situations changed?

Yes. The drastic changes where the story gets turn is in the character and the situation where is the protagonist was forced to flee from the village where both he and Guru Nayak lived, because the protagonist had stabbed Guru Nayak and left him for dead.

3.) Do you feel ‘aesthetic delight’ while watching the movie? If yes, exactly when did it happen? If no, can you explain with reasons?

I think within the concept of asthetic delight something is more relavent as per my view is "Guilt and Relief" playing a vital role in the story.The astrologer is not truly an astrologer, but merely a man masquerading as one. He has taken on a new, fabricated identity to escape the just consequences of his attempt at murder. The astrologer no longer has any opportunity to practice authenticity; his livelihood, marriage, and very survival are all predicated on lies. Narayan uses the astrologer to contemplate the ways in which fear and guilt can push an individual to live an unauthentic, self-deceiving.

4.) Does screening of movie help you in better understanding of the short story?

Yes .By watching the film screening it stucks into our mind that how all the thing happening in the story works and it also denotes that how each ane every small thing can make huge change.Ee get to know that it arouses curiosity as something might have taken place on a particular day. The title is very interesting and creates curiosity in the mind of the readers. The writer extended the word with a particular purpose as it was used by Churchill.'Everyone has his day'.

5.) Was there any particular scene or moment in the story that you think was perfect?

The scene where The astrologer manages to convince Guru Nayak that his attacker is dead. He was killed by a lorry. The astrologer convinces Guru Nayak that his attacker is indeed dead. With this information, Guru Nayak is satisfied and pays the astrologer for this information.This scene creates a moment where it seems the perfection of relativity.

6.) If you are director, what changes would you like to make in the remaking of the movie based on the short story “An Astrologer’s Day” by R.K.Narayan?

If I redirect the movie based on the story then I will make changes in plot and the climax where , it can be seen that the climax comes not at the end of the story, but approximately halfway through, at the moment when the stranger's face is illuminated by the match that lights his cheroot and in astrology too I feel they create a sense of disgrace which could harm your own thinking.

Thank you...

ThAct :Derrida and Deconstruction

 This activity is a part of my academic writing...

 ⚫What do you understand by deconstruction?

Deconstruction involves the close reading of texts in order to demonstrate that any given text has irreconcilably contradictory meanings, rather than being a unified, logical whole.Deconstruction was both created and has been profoundly influenced by the French philosopher Jacques Derrida.

⚫How to deconstruct a text?

👉Oppose Prevailing Wisdom

The first thing you’ll have to do is question the common meaning or prevailing theories of the text you're deconstructing. When deconstructing, you need to start from a place of critical opposition. The only assumption you can make is that the meaning of the text is unstable and what others have told you about it is based on their own assumptions. In other words, you need to be skeptical from the onset. If you’re deconstructing Shakespeare’s Sonnet No. 18, which famously begins, “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day,” you can’t assume the poet is talking about a woman or that a woman is inherently an apt object for summery figurative language. 

👉Expose Cultural Bias

Practitioners of the deconstructive method refer to cultural biases in texts in a number of lofty ways, calling them "binaries" and "hierarchical oppositions." To understand these interchangeable terms, remember that certain words and the concepts they represent are often privileged, or emphasized more, than their oppposite words and concepts -- rich over poor, male over female, enlightened over ignorant. 

👉Analyze Sentence Structure

One way to investigate underlying meaning of a text is to analyze sentence structure, specifically the arrangement of subject and object. Ask yourself if a person or thing represented as an object in the text makes it subordinate to the subject in some way. For instance, if a novel's male protagonist is always the initiator of action rather than the recipient -- “He took her to the store; he bought her earrings; he found some food she would like” -- the recurrent sentence structure may reinforce the protagonist’s power over the dependent character. Look for these patterns and determine if the points of view of other characters are limited to favor cultural bias.

👉Play With Possible Meanings

After you’ve analyzed the text for biases, see if your discoveries support a new interpretation. While many associate deconstruction with destruction of meaning, the opposite is true. 

⚫What is deconstruction example?

Deconstruction is defined as a way of analyzing literature that assumes that text cannot have a fixed meaning. An example of deconstruction is reading a novel twice, 20 years apart, and seeing how it has a different meaning each time.A philosophical theory of textual criticism; a form of critical analysis.Its examples follows the steps like...

1) on the fact that deconstruction sees all writing as a complex historical, cultural process rooted in the relations of texts to each other and in the institutions and conventions of writing, and

 2) on the sophistication and intensity of its sense that human knowledge is not as controllable or as convincing as Western thought would have it and that language operates in subtle and often contradictory ways, so that certainty will always elude us.

Thank you...

ThAct : Future of postcolonial studies : Globalisation and Environmentalism

This activity is a part of my academic writing.

 1. Summeries of both the articles.

What is meant by postcolonialism?

Postcolonialism, the historical period or state of affairs representing the aftermath of Western colonialism; the term can also be used to describe the concurrent project to reclaim and rethink the history and agency of people subordinated under various forms of imperialism.

⚫Globalisation :

There is a complex relationship between globalization and postcolonialism. It argues that the contemporary processes of globalization are often described in ahistorical terms, whereas much of recent literature on postcolonialism is reduced largely to apolitical analyses of literary texts, disconnected from issues of current and shifting configurations of power. 

"Globalisation is just another name of submission and domination"

The author argues for the need to understand global processes in education historically and suggests that intellectual postcolonial resources of postcolonialism can be most helpful, but only if postcolonialism is viewed as a political intervention.

"Nicanoe Apaza, an unemployed miner said, watching Indian womens carried banners denouncing the Internationsl Monetary Fund and demanding the president's resignation, we have had to live with that here for 500 years and now we want to be our own masters"

Globalization from a postcolonial perspective’ explores the impact of globalization and multi- and transnational companies in the world economy. Few people outside the world of business and economics regard globalization as a particularly positive phenomenon; odium is frequently heaped on the institutions that facilitate it.

Example :

However, at least some of the poverty, or at least suffering, of the people of the non-western world is also the direct result of actions by their own governments. Poverty and starvation are often not the mark of an absolute lack of resources, but arise from a failure to distribute them equitably.

⚫Environmentalism :

Environmental Postcolonialism is an investigation of the environmental repercussions of colonial destruction. This volume addresses the complex interplay between postcolonialism and environmental discourse through literature produced in the ex-colonies. This literature is read from the standpoint of ex-colonies within their human and non-human context. The primary objective of this volume is to scrutinize environmental concerns in the light of postcolonial theory, and so it examines works of art from the twin perspective of eco-criticism and postcolonialism which illuminates and underscores how colonizers destroyed and interfered with both nature and culture. Through discussing the intersecting layers of ecocriticism and postcolonial criticism, the volume gestures to new directions and generates a hopeful vision of a decolonized world.

"Capitalism’s central dynamic, the constant search for markets,resources and labour, thus involves the ongoing need to draw in whatever still remains open of the non-capitalist environment."

Environmental Postcolonialism is a must read for those interested to know more about the intersection and intermeshing of ecocriticism and postcolonial studies. Drawing on a wide range of insights from across the world, the book delves into how colonialism devastated nature and environment as much as it destroyed the human component of former colonies. 

"Climate change, refracted through global capital, will no doubt accentuate the logic of inequality that runs through the rule of capital;some people will no doubt gain temporarily at the expense of others. But the whole crisis cannot be reduced to a story of capitalism. Unlike in the crises of capitalism, there are no lifeboats here for the rich and the privileged (witness the drought in Australia or recent fires in the wealthy neighborhoods of California)."

- Chakrabarty

This is a much-needed critical intervention that investigates the epistemes of colonial legacy that became synonymous with the destruction of the world around us. A thought-provoking collection!

Thank you...

Midnight's children : Film Adaptation

 This blog is a part of my academic writing...

1.) The narrative techniques.

It is remarkable that what many consider as Salman Rushdie’s landmark work in fiction, Midnight’s Children, was first adapted to film only in 2012, 31 years after its publication. It was also the first of his works to be filmed. This is noteworthy given the novel’s cinematic self-awareness and the writer’s overt interest in acting and cinema, which he has reiterated over the years. Cinema, as a subject matter and a distinctive artistic language, resurfaces time and again in the pages of Rushdie’s essays, short stories, novels, and other writings. As many critics have pointed out, the writer’s emotional connection to cinema has translated into cinema itself being put to work as a mediating device in his oeuvre, with his characters often making sense of themselves and the world and coming to terms with their own place in it  through cinema. In this article, we examine the three existing adaptations of Midnight’s Children, with particular emphasis on the 2012 film, in view of their discursively constructed audiences. We consider these adaptations from the point of view of the audience, and how they engage with the spectator/reader. Our analysis is supplemented by Rushdie’s essays on the acts of adaptation and translation from one artistic medium to another. Our purpose is not to measure the failure or success of Rushdie’s and Mehta’s adaptation we argue instead that the film adaptation is a protracted creative project that has taken into consideration, more than previous adaptations of the novel, not only new forms of representation and new ways of reading, but also new ways of engaging its constructed audiences.

2.) Characters.

Perhaps most remarkable are the telepathic powers linking him with India's 1,000 other “midnight's children,” all born in that initial hour and endowed with magical gifts. It is notable for the large number of characters, many are introduced and then reoccur much later in the narrative. Some change their names and some are referred to by nicknames.

The story is expressed through a wide range of fictional characters and is set in context by actual historical events. None of the fictional characters are based on real people, but historical events and real personages are mentioned and occasionally given a voice. This list contains only principal named characters, and may be incomplete.

O. Saleem sinai

O. Padma

O. Shiva

O. Adam Aziz

O. Mumtaz Aziz

O. Ahmed Sanai

O. Jimila sanai

O. Mary peneria

O. Indira Gandhi

• Saleem Sinai is the protagonist and narrator; a telepathwith an enormous and constantly dripping nose, who is born at the exact moment that India becomes independent and who is of complex and confusing parentage. He is referred to variously as The Nose, Snotnose, and Snifferreferring to his nose; Stainface, Mapfaceand Piece of the Moon referring to his birthmarked face; Baldy referring to the bald patch on his head where the hair was pulled out by a violent school teacher; and the buddha during the time he loses his memory. He later develops a hyper-sensitive sense of smell. He is deaf in one ear from a blow received from his father, and has lost the tip of one finger in a bullying incident at school.
• Padma Mangroli is Saleem's lover and, eventually, his fiancée. Padma plays the role of the listener in the storytelling structure of the novel. She is described as plump, muscular and hairy.

3. ) Symbols

There are very interesting symbol is given in entire novel is considered as allegory of India. So some children are born at midnight and than India is also born at midnight. Saleem Senai who is protagonist and who is born at midnight with whom India’s story also described. Ups and down everything happening we see how India is narrated. Allegory of India is connected with some character so. What we see is history narrated in fictional way. History is narrated is fictionalized or Nation is narrated in fictional way  with imagine world. Whatever happened in novel has actually happened in  India but, it is interpreted in a different way. The events are happened, it’s real events happened in India. Salman Rushdie’s Way of looking , it may be not fair and He says that when we read meta narrative of past we also have to believe.

4.) Texture of the film.

Midnight's Children" is a richly textured story about India's post-colonial era as seen through the lives of two characters who compete in a struggle to some kind of normalcy. The mammoth influence of India's colonial past and how the characters deal with it looking to the future is presented through magical realism. This technique is decidedly spiritual and creates a space where the characters can image what can be and what they are to do.

At the press day for the film, Mehta ("Water") explained many aspects of her filmmaking and the role color plays in defining emotions in the story. Red symbolizes blood and emotion; blue is the color of midnight; and green stands for fertility and hope.

"The color palate of the film is important," she said, "because color seeps into all of life, everything."

The thing that attracted Mehta to the film, she explained, is that it is about "the journey of a person trying to find a home and an identity," noting that she made the journey from India to Canada. In today's world, she said, "we are always redefining ourselves, where we are from, who our families are, and this is a universal theme."

Its about the story being again about two male characters representing human experience, and Mehta came back with, "But if you look, this is a film about women more than men. Saleem, in particular, is defined by all the females who surround him."

At the end, 

‘The happy child of the glorious hour’ the news paper is evidence but does it true??? Is central question

 (child = India) what Is Nation?

Nation is not boundary, which kills thousands innocent  life.

Thank you...

Mind mapping : what is literature

🚫 What is literature?

Literature broadly is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include oral literature, much of which has been transcribed. Literature is a method of recording, preserving, and transmitting knowledge and entertainment, and can also have a social, psychological, spiritual, or political role.

🛇 Text i like the most.

Here is a list of  novels that, for various reasons, I have likef the most.

• The Great Gatsby. F.
• One Hundred Years of Solitude. 
• A Passage to India. 
• Invisible Man. 
• Don Quixote. 
• Beloved.

🚫 Three reasons for my likeness.

1. Reading great literature exercises the imagination. We enjoy stories; it is a pleasure to meet characters and to live in their world.

2. To experience their joys and sorrows. In a practical sense.

3. An active imagination helps us perceive truth, make value judgments, and deal with the complexities of life in creative ways.

Thank you...