Sudhin N. Ghose (1899-1965), Indo-Anglian writer, who made England his home for many years, received very little critical attention despite being acclaimed by The Times (London) as the 'foremost Indian novelist in India'. His works include a series of four novels and three delightful collections of folk-tales and legends of India and Tibet, besides some scholarly works. His novels, which form a tetralogy, have as their central figure the protagonist-narrator. Dealing with problems and situations which are so contemporary, it is hard to believe that these novels were written forty years ago. His command of language enables him to capture vividly the colours, sounds and smells of India. The charming line drawings by him help further evoke the atmosphere of the land he loves.
Ghose employs the ancient Indian device of fiction writing, a tale within a tale, drawing from such sources as the Puranas, the folklore and even history. He is the first Indo-Anglian writer to use the technique of mixing prose and poetry in the narrative, reminiscent of the ancient 'champu kavya'. His collections of folk tales do not just confine themselves to tales from the Pan- chatantra or Hitopadesha, but also include stories from the oral tradition and those disseminated by the Hindu colonists and Buddhist missionaries. He adds details to make the stories more realistic and vivid.
Shyamala A. Narayan (b. 1947), author of this monograph, is a teacher, writer and critic. Her critical articles and reviews have appeared in scholarly journals in India and abroad. Currently, she is teaching at Ranchi Women's College.
India is a land of many languages, and Indian literature has found expression in all these languages. Historically, English is the most recent language in which Indians have produced literature. Indian literature in English is the product of India's encounter with the West. For decades, English has been the medium of instruction in colleges; Indians, have been using it for higher studies, commerce, administration and postal communications here. It is but natural that creative writing too has been attempted in this language. Sudhin N. Ghose belongs to this stream of Indian literature, comprising works originally written in English by Indians, which has been termed Indian English or Indo-Anglian literature by literary critics.
The British initially came to India as traders, but the East India Company soon acquired political power. When they started ruling over Bengal after the Battle of Plassey in 1757, they did not have any official education policy. At first they thought in terms of encouraging Persian and Sanskrit, and set up the Calcutta Madrasah in 1781 and the Sanskrit College in Benares in 1792. But the British soon felt the need for English-knowing Indians to work for them. The Indians themselves were keen to learn English, and Lord Macaulay's famous Minute on Education dated February 2, 1835, clinched the issue. He noted that it was "both necessary and possible to make natives of this country good English scholars." The study of English in India made quick progress after the Governor General, William Bentinck, resolved that "all funds appropriated for the purpose of education would be employed on English education alone." Many Indians soon became good English scholars. At first they used English for utilitarian purposes such as social reform, as illustrated in the writing of Raja Ram Mohan Roy. But soon they started writing poetry, drama and fiction.
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