"The greatest event of world history in the 20th century has been decolonisation.... At the centre of literary creation, we have now not Europe or America but the nations of Latin America, Africa and Asia. It is from these countries that works which are creatively exciting and stimulating are coming out, and the initiative lies with the writers of these countries.
...The literary theorists of Europe and America have from time to time come up with various theoretical formulations, calling it now "Commonwealth literature", now "New Literatures in English", and now "Post-colonial literature". The recent such formulation is "Third World literature".... Apparently, in order to define themselves, Europe and America still need some entity "other" than themselves. It is implicit in this Western conception that the Third World too must need some "other" in order to define itself, and who could this "other" be. of course, but the West!" Namwar Singh emphatically held that this is the true perspective in which to evaluate Indian literature of the 20th century.
Namwar Singh (1926-2019) was a distinguished literary critic, linguist, academician and theoritician in Hindi Editor of the significant literary journal Aalochana, he authored 40 books and edited 30 books. A recipient of Sahitya Akademi Award, Shalaakaa Samman, Bharat Bharati Samman, Kuvempu Award, Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, he was the founder member and first Chairman of Jawaharlal Nehru University's Centre of Indian Languages and continued as a Professor Emeritus after his retirement in 1992. He was also the Chairman of Raja Rammohun Roy Library Foundation and the Chancellor of Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya, Wardha.
Having published the entire book, the publisher inquires, "What about the Introduction?"
His inquisitive eyes spoke louder than his voice but turning a deaf ear to him I said, "In case I can't write it myself, can we ask someone...? After all it's my first book"... Suggesting a particular name the publisher said, "You will become a literary star if he writes it for you".
I replied, "He is supposedly an ocean by which many books have been engulfed and I don't have any bait by which I would be able to fish out my book".
Irritatingly he said, "Then, you write on your own". I re-joined, "For that I will have to read a lot as nobody wants his book to have a shallow introduction". It reminded me of Gods, men and anthems of life. I said, "What so ever a book lacks, those things must always be present in its introduction and to write such a thing I need at least eight to ten months. I am no less startled by the quick publication of this book than by knowing that a book always needs an introduction".
After a while, thinning his voice like the fragile neck of crane, the publisher said, "It will be in your interest to replace the introduction by the publisher's note. However, you will have to write even the publisher's note and feel free to praise yourself wholeheartedly in it without any reservation. You should not hesitate in doing so as there are many Professors who ask their students to prepare the certificates, the latter require, on their own only to be signed by the former. It is as simple as that".
Tamwar Singh is known as an egalitarian and populist critic in N the world of literature and discourse. But his fame as a public intellectual is no less than a critic, for his vigorous and sharp speeches in the Hindi region as well as in different parts of the country. In spite of being preoccupied with study and teaching and reading, later on, most of his time was spent in carrying out institutional responsibilities and lecturing for the rest of the time. He will duly be remembered for a long time for shaping as well as taking universities and educational institutions to new heights. Due to these preoccupations, he would often regret the lack of time to read and write. Once, in an interview given to the novelist Kashinath Singh, he was asked, "Today you have got everything- rank, prosperity, honor, prestige. You are at the peak of every achievement. What is that you still did not get?" Mentioning the lack he replied, "That state of profound meditation which results in the creation of the desired". This continual self-awareness of lack and anxiety in a great critic, who is regarded peerless for his formidable knowledge, sharp analysis and transparency of language, is a rare paradigm of commitment and dedication.
Later on, with the dilution of concentration required for systematic writing, his habit of writing was replaced by lectures and interviews. He went with full preparation for lectures. This is the reason that after a time the literary world started calling him a critic and pioneer of the oral tradition.
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