Multiculturalism in Indian Tradition and Literature

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Multiculturalism can be defined as a body of thought in political philosophy about the proper way to respond to cultural and religious diversity. It encompasses equal respect to the various cultures in a society, promotion of the maintenance of cultural diversity, and is characterised by preservation of the distinctiveness of multiple cultures that co-exist in the same society.

Culturally, linguistically, religiously and ethnically, India is one of the most diverse countries in the world. Its long history, unique geography and diverse demography have shaped its culture. Its languages, literature, religions, dance, music, art, architecture and customs differ from place to place within the country, but still possess a commonality. India's culture is an amalgamation of many diverse sub-cultures spread all over the subcontinent.

In a multicultural society like India's, imbibing the principles of tolerance, cultural pluralism and democracy is necessary, India had followed these principles as a way of life much before the Western nations declared multiculturalism as their state policy. Democracy as a political system became part of India's cultural ethos after the achievement of Independence. India in fact offers a model of postmodern mosaic of diversity co-existing in its social, political and cultural matrix The book studies multiculturalism in Indian society as evinced in Indian English Literature, taking up the works of well-known writers like Salman Rushdie, Khushwant Singh, Raja Rao, Arundhati Roy, Amitav Ghosh, Mahasweta Devi, and Rohinton Mistry, among others. It also takes up other pertinent topics like Shiva canon in Indian literatures, bhakti as a counter-cultural discourse, socio-cultural significance in nativism, contribution of Persian sufism in Indian literature, and Dalit literature.

The book is based on a UGC-sponsored national seminar, "Multiculturalism in Indian Literatures" at Kakatiya University, Warangal, Telangana in 2012.Some of the articles presented at the seminar and invited papers form the content of the book. It will be useful for the students and teachers of Indian English Literature and Sociology, and researchers in these fields.

M. Rajagopalachary is former Professor, and presently Emeritus Fellow at the Department of English, Kakatiya University, Warangal Recipient of the State Award for Excellence in Teaching he has published books on the fiction of Bernard Malamud and Manohar Malgonkar. He has produced a good deal of teaching material for distance education of different universities in the state. His areas of interest include Literary Criticism and Theory, Classics in Translation, and Fiction-American and Indian. He completed two Research Projects on New Criticism and Modern Schools of Criticism from Indian Perspective. A scholar with a number of articles to his credit and supervision of scores of students for their research degrees, his contribution to English studies is substantial.

K. Damodar Rao is Associate Professor and Head, Department of English, Kakatiya University, Warangal, Telangana. He published a critical work, The Novels of Aye Kwei Armah in 1993, one of the first critical volumes on the Ghanaian novelist. He has jointly edited an anthology of critical essays, Postcolonial Theory and Literature (2003) with two of his senior colleagues. He had been the Associate Editor of Kakatiya Journal of English Studies for nine volumes. He has translated extensively from Telugu into English with nine translated books and a number of published translations of poems and short stories to his credit. Pride of Place: An Anthology of Telugu Poetry 1981-2000, Scent of the Soil, Ode to Frontline Formations: Telangana Movement Poetry 2000-2011, and Flames and the Man are some of his recently translated works. He is also the recipient of a Sahitya Akademi prize for translation.

Any country that aims at moving on a path of social and economic development faces the challenge of grappling with co-existence of contraries. As such, imbibing the principles of tolerance, cultural pluralism and democracy becomes more of a necessity. Much before Western nations declared multiculturalism as their state policy, India had followed, as a way of life, the twin principles of tolerance and pluralism over many centuries without stating it overtly. Democracy as a political tool became part of its ethos in the previous century. The country offers a model of postmodern mosaic of contradictions co-existing in its social- cultural-political matrix, often considered a puzzling marvel. Despite aberrations like occasional incidents of intolerance, its multicultural roots are strong and the fabric of its middle path that shuns extremes is sound, based on millennia-old experience of accommodation, syncretism and plurality as it is reflected in the chapters included in the book.

The Department of English, Kakatiya University, Warangal, organized a UGC-sponsored national seminar, "Multiculturalism in Indian Literatures" during March 19-20, 2012 under SAP- DRS-I. Some of the papers presented at the seminar, and invited articles constitute the content of this anthology. The twenty- three articles in the volume deal with manifestations of Indian multiculturalism as evidenced in its tradition and literature. We thank all the contributors for their valuable observations. We also thank Bhai Harjeet Singh of Atlantic Publishers & Distributors (P) Ltd. and his team for taking care of every aspect in publishing this volume.

The book will be useful for the students and teachers of Indian English Literature and Sociology, and researchers in these fields.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages