Literary and Cultural Renaissance in the Novels of Nayantara Sahgal

Abstract

In the time frame of six decades of post-independent history of Indian English newlinefiction, a good varied and vast number of novelists has emerged focusing attention on newlinecopious of social, cultural, political, economical, spiritual and religious issues. Indian newlinewriting in English has attained reputation and recognition within the last score of years newlineof the twentieth century. Nayantara Sahgal is one among the novelists who owes her newlinestake in literature through her understanding of politics and cultural history of India newlinefrom 1930 to 1975. A writer with patriotic infight born in Allahabad on May 10, 1927 newlinearised from a renowned political family. A second daughter of the three daughters of newlineRanjit Sitaram Pandit and Vijayalakshmi Pandit, niece of India s former and first newlineprime minister of India Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and cousin of India s first woman newlineprime minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi. Her literary canon consists of nine novels, two newlineautobiographies, fictional works, articles and short stories. Won many awards like newlineSinclair Prize, Sahitya Academy awards and Common Wealth Writer s award. newlineThe research concentrates on the nine novels of Nayantara Sahgal a renowned newlinenovelist in the contemporary Indian writing in English. She is proclaimed as a newlinepowerful voice who attempts to bring a rebirth in the society and country in literature newlineand culture. She creates an alternative language version in order to undermine them newlineand there by construct her own writer-specific version. She uses politics only as a newlinestructure in her fiction. Her core interest is to raise the questions of women and their newlinesearch for identity by challenging the culture and society. The major themes in newlineSahgal s novels are social, cultural and political backtrop of the country, East-West newlineencounter, man-woman relationship, women search for identity, existentialist problems newlineand temperamental incompatibility. Her vision, to bring a cultural revival by her newlinemeticulous observation of India s history in politics and culture through her unique newlineliterary skills. newline