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Shyam Benegal in Postcolonial Perspective: A Cinematic Chronicle of Representation and Resistance
Get PDFThis paper examines the films of Shyam Benegal through a postcolonial lens, highlighting his role as a prominent filmmaker in Indian cinema who amplifies marginalized voices and critiques socio-political structures. As a key figure in the Indian New Wave, Benegal’s work addresses themes of identity, class struggle, gender oppression, and the complexities of post-independence India, reflecting the legacies of colonialism. The analysis focuses on his early films, such as Ankur, Nishant, and Manthan, which engage with subaltern studies and portray the struggles against feudal oppression, as well as later works like Bhumika and Mandi, which interrogate gendered nationalism and the role of women in shaping cultural narratives. Additionally, the paper explores Benegal’s satirical critiques of the postcolonial state in films like Welcome to Sajjanpur and Well Done Abba, alongside his biographical narratives that challenge dominant historical discourses in The Making of Mahatma and The Forgotten Hero. Ultimately, this study underscores Benegal’s contributions to Indian cinema as a site of critical engagement, offering a nuanced representation of India’s pluralistic identity and advocating for the voices of the oppressed within the broader context of postcolonial discourse
Decolonizing the Mind: A Study of Contemporary Indian English Novels
Get PDFThis research paper explores how contemporary Indian English novels contribute to the process of decolonizing the Indian psyche by dismantling colonial narratives and reclaiming indigenous epistemologies. Drawing upon the critical frameworks of postcolonial and decolonial theory, it engages with the works of authors such as Amitav Ghosh, Arundhati Roy, Aravind Adiga, Kiran Desai and Jeet Thayil. The paper investigates how these writers utilize narrative strategies—including linguistic hybridity, historical reconstruction, and formal innovation—to resist Eurocentric cultural dominance and to revive and revalidate local cultural, historical, and linguistic traditions. By analyzing the intersection of literature, memory, and power, this study argues that contemporary Indian English fiction acts as a significant site of epistemic resistance and cultural reclamation in the postcolonial context
The Power of Representation: How Malayalam Movies Shape Attitudes towards Theft
Get PDFAs we live in a visual world, what we see has a great impact on us. Media, especially the visual media influences today’s world immensely and movies top the list. The influence Indian cinema has on the Indian audience is boundless. The primary assertion, the paper makes is that, visual media especially movies have significant impact on the psycho, social and cultural dimensions of the society. Theft being an oft portrayed element in movies, thievery is displayed as an act of heroism in films rather than a crime, especially in Malayalam movies. Crores are pumped in the Malayalam film industry to showcase or exhibit stealing as an act of intelligence. Movies which are mirrors held up to the society, is not only a source of entertainment, but also a medium of propaganda. The message that movies deliver is indeed powerful due to its reach to the masses and since they succeed in influencing both the intelligentsia and the ignoramuses. No other medium is as powerful as the cinema and the impact it creates in the human psyche is incomprehensible. The present article scans through the Malayalam movies namely Meeshamadhavan directed by Lal Jose where the protagonist who is a thief emerges as the saviour of his village, Kinnam Katta Kallan directed by K.K. Haridas in which thievery is taught and designated as a skill and Kayamkulam Kochunni directed by Rosshan Andrews which depicts the famed highway man Kochunni who is considered as a deity and has a shrine dedicated to him in the district of Pathanamthitta in Kerala even in this 21st century. The paper is a genuine attempt to explore the above cited movies in which stealing is not depicted as an unpardonable crime which affects the victims or as a threat to the society but as an act of heroism and intelligence. The paper would deal with the elements that are found in the selected movies by employing the theoretical tools such as Deconstruction, Power, and Encoding and Decoding as explicated by Jacques Derrida, Michel Foucault and Stuart Hall respectively
Compliance and Control: A Surveillance Reading of Harrison Bergeron
Get PDFThis paper examines the mechanisms and implications of surveillance as depicted in the well renowned American author Kurt Vonnegut’s short story Harrison Bergeron through the lens of Surveillance Theory, which predicts a dystopian future where institutions, under the guise of transparency, systematically erode individual privacy. It also argues that in this world, control is most effective when it no longer requires an enforcer, when the subject internalizes restraint so completely that rebellion becomes inconceivable. Harrison Bergeron portrays a state-enforced equality maintained through oppressive monitoring and physical/mental handicaps, revealing how surveillance can weaponize mediocrity to stifle human potential. Drawing on theoretical frameworks such as Michel Foucault’s panopticon and contemporary discourses on digital surveillance, this analysis highlights how surveillance operates as a tool of power to normalize compliance and eliminate resistance. Vonnegut’s allegory of enforced sameness, underscores the enduring relevance of Surveillance Theory in understanding modern anxieties about privacy, autonomy, and resistance. Ultimately, Harrison Bergeron compresses its critique into a stark and an almost absurdist vision of state-enforced equality, where constant surveillance ensures enforced mediocrity
The Politics of Adaptation: Decoding Bhansali’s Cinematic “Gaze”
Get PDFThe transformation of a literary text into a cinematic piece carries numerous connotations. At first glance, one could perceive it as a form of art, collaboration between two unique media linked to the narrative tradition. But the act of adaptation is never innocent; it raises the questions about what is included and what is excluded and the myriad reasons behind it. In Bollywood (the Hindi film industry), the subject of a film is often driven by the commercial possibilities of a project. Working in this industry, director Sanjay Leela Bhansali has a critically acclaimed and commercially successful body of work behind him. Out of his ten directorial ventures, at least seven are films adapted from various fictional and non-fictional literary sources. His inclination towards sex worker narratives is evident by analysing films like Devdas (2002), Saawariya (2007), Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022) and his recent Netflix mini-series Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar (2024). This paper aims to investigate the unique position of sex worker narratives in Hindi cinema and in Bhansali’s filmography, focusing on the disparity between these narratives and their adaptations while also providing a comparison with unconventional independent films. Further, the study examines the concept of “gaze” by evaluating the selected films and offering an alternate viewpoint through the works of female filmmakers such as Leena Yadav and Mira Nair.  
Sacred Landscape and Pilgrimage: Indigenous Geographies in Native American and Indian Traditions
Get PDFThe study examines the spiritual geography of Indigenous traditions that is contained in the transformative nature of landscape and their ritual practices. It explores sacred sites and the significance of traditional paths in pilgrimage as profoundly important to not only the communities being investigated but also as informative of a spiritual sensibility characteristic of many Indigenous cultures. Eliciting the nature of this understanding entails evaluating the physicality of place in the context of a vibrant, living entity imbued with ancestral memory and a cosmology that lends symbolic coherence to both the landscape and the rituals performed by its more-than-human inhabitants. Instances featured include sites integral to Lakota spirituality in the Black Hills, sacred mountains of the Navajo, and earthy tirthas of India, as well as various tribal pilgrimage routes. Ritual movement and storytelling are significant in promoting ecological ethics and cultural identity. The disruption of sacred geographies by colonization is addressed. These ongoing efforts to reclaim lands are emphasized. Connections are made between Indigenous spatial awareness on different continents. This enhances understanding of how land is absolutely sacred and central to Indigenous resistance and recovery
The Poetic Splendor of Andal: Devotion and Mysticism in Tamil Bhakti Literature
No full textThis research article explores the rich poetic legacy of Andal, a revered figure in Tamil Śaivite and Vaiṣṇavite Bhakti traditions. Andal, known for her profound spiritual compositions such as Tiruppavai and Nācciyār Tirumoḻi, occupies a central position in early Tamil Bhakti literature. Her poetry resonates with themes of intense devotion and mystical union with the divine, encapsulating the essence of Bhakti philosophy. Through a comprehensive analysis of Andal’s verses, this study explores the intricate interplay of devotion, femininity, and mysticism within her literary corpus. Thematically, Andal’s poetry reflects a deep spiritual longing and an intimate relationship with the divine, characterized by fervent expressions of love and surrender. Linguistically, her compositions exhibit a remarkable command of Tamil poetics, employing vivid imagery and rhythmic structures to evoke emotive and sensory experiences. Culturally, Andal’s works have not only shaped religious practices but also contributed significantly to the construction of Tamil cultural identity. By examining the thematic, linguistic, and cultural dimensions of Andal’s poetry, this article illuminates how her poetic oeuvre continues to inspire spiritual seekers and scholars alike. It underscores Andal’s enduring influence on Tamil literature and religious discourse, emphasizing her role as a pioneering Bhakti poet-saint whose verses transcend time and resonate deeply with the human experience of divine love and devotion
Socio-Cultural Interaction(s) and Its Channel towards ‘Race Memory’ through Disruption of Ethics and Society Or Horkheimer, Foucault and Habermas in Saving/s?: A Critical Acumen through Select American Young Adult Fiction
No full textAfrican-American History is a history of continuous struggle and strife as its witnessing of more negative incidents rather than positive ones beginning with the Atlantic Slave Trade and gradually towards Jim Crow Laws, lynching and racial violence, Plessy v. Ferguson, unnecessary murders of the African-Americans; to name a few. These negative incidents have made generations of the African-Americans as victims of a traumatized ‘Race Memory’ which haunt them all the while which can be explained through Avery Gordon’s ‘Haunting and Memory’ theory. However, in this case counter narrative strategic mood and mode along with Max Horkheimer’s ‘Critical Theory’ and ‘Instrumental Reasoning’ and Foucauldian Power-Knowledge-Discourse and Counter-Discourse analyses will be ideal platforms for African-Americans’ identity (re)framing. Finally, there will be Jurgen Habermas’ ‘Communicative Action Theory’ (‘Communicative Rationality’) as a possible solution meted out for socio-cultural and ethical interaction(s) between the African Americans and the authoritative main stream White society on American soil through The Hate U Give, Ghost Boys, Dear Martin and All American Boys
Legal Safeguards or Legal Traps? Analysing Section 498A through Vikas Sharma’s 498A: Fears and Dreams
Get PDFLaws are created to protect individuals from injustice, but their misuse can lead to unintended consequences. Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code was introduced to safeguard married women from cruelty and dowry harassment. While it has helped many women escape abusive marriages, instances of false accusations have also emerged which is causing immense suffering for innocent men and their families. 498A: Fears and Dreams by Vikas Sharma presents a thought-provoking narrative on both the necessity of this law and its potential for misuse. Through the struggles of characters like Jatin, Vipul, and Purohit, the novel highlights the emotional, social, and financial devastation that false cases can bring. It also raises concerns about the impact of legal battles on families, particularly children who suffer the consequences of marital discord. A balanced approach to justice is crucial to protect genuine victims while preventing legal exploitation. This paper examines the themes of legal justice, gender dynamics, and social impact in the novel and offers a deeper understanding of how Section 498A affects individuals and society
Affective Ecologies of Illness: Medical Humanities, Environment, and Resistance in Boyer’s The Undying and Khakpour’s Sick
Get PDFThis paper examines the convergence of medical humanities, affect theory and ecocriticism in Anne Boyer’s The Undying (2019) and Porochista Khakpour’s Sick (2018). Both memoirs disrupt dominant biomedical and neoliberal health narratives by foregrounding the lived experience of illness within broader contexts of environmental toxicity, gendered care work, and structural inequality. Through the lens of affect theory, the study highlights how pain, fatigue, and vulnerability function as politically charged affective states that resist clinical objectification. An ecocritical perspective further reveals how each author portrays the body as a site inscribed by ecological and institutional violence. Boyer’s lyrical critique of breast cancer treatment and Khakpour’s intimate depiction of chronic Lyme disease underscore how illness emerges from entanglements with capitalist, patriarchal, and toxic systems. Situated within the medical humanities, these memoirs utilize experimental narrative forms and emotionally resonant language to reclaim agency, redefine care, and assert the ethical urgency of storytelling amid environmental and bodily precarity.