Assignment-2
Nirad C. Chaudhuri: A Master of Prose, A Voice of India
Academic Information:
Name: Insiyafatema Alvani
Batch: 2023-2024 (M.A Sem 3)
Roll no: 11
Enrolment number: 4069206420220001
Paper: 202 - Indian English Literature - Post-Independence
Paper Code: 22407
Submitted to: S. B. Gardi Department of English, Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University
Email id: insiyafatemaalvani@gmail.com
About Nirad Chaudhry:
His mother told him the story of Shakespeare’s King Lear, and he himself became an active participant in Shakespearean procession by learning the stories of The Merchant of Venice and Julius Caesar. Besides, England fascinated him and the English scene was as a real geographical setting for his life. Chaudhuri was much fascinated by the poems of Wordsworth, Coleridge, Shakespeare, Webster, Rupert Brooke and Campbell which gave him inkling into various aspects of England and English life. He was brought up in an anglicized intellectual environment and he grew up to be an inveterate anglophile. At the age of twelve he came under the influence of Indian renaissance. He came into the world in 1921, and he suffered extreme poverty, want and humiliation. He served as a commentator in All India Radio at Delhi, and for a few years he rendered his service as a clerk in the Department of Military Accounts. During this period he came in close contact with the stalwarts of the freedom movement-Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, Maulana Azad, Subhash Chandra Bose and many others. His statements and opinions on some issues are highly controversial. Chaudhuri’s view of the social, cultural, religious and political environment is biased. Indeed, it has been proved through his writings that he is unfair to India; he has thrown only prejudiced or biased comments about India.
The death of Nirad Chaudhuri ought not to catch one by surprise, but somehow it does. That impish cackle, darting energy of body and mind, flowing erudition and flaunted elegance, seemed indestructible. At his 100th birthday lunch in Oxford, attended by the vice-chancellor of the university which had not long before given him an honorary degree, he turned up in full academic scarlet and heard messages read from the president of India and from the Queen. He could not stay for the whole celebration, but before he departed he reminded us that he was almost certainly the oldest active writer not only still alive, but ever. He published his last book, Three Horsemen Of The New Apocalypse, to coincide with his centenary.
Nirad Chaudhary’s Contribution in Literature :
The literary creations of Nirad C. Chaudhuri has often rendered him to be an anti-Indian, pro-British individual and a writer as atavistic as was India during the nineteenth century when literary London often considered the writers from the colonies as ‘exotic outsiders, solitary figures and objects of curiosity’. Chaudhuri's biographies, his studies of Aryanism and Hinduism, and his many essays on culture and fashion, show him to be a writer with an extraordinary tonal range, often apocalyptic and yet sometimes almost frivolous.
Chaudhuri was influenced by Nietzsche's belief in hardness and clarity, as well as by the Bengali politics of his adolescence and by the sense of deprivation common in the province after it lost the central part it had played in Indian affairs through most of British rule. His interpretation of Indian history as a whole at its dottiest in The Continent Of Circe (1965), was based on the notion that, because most Indians were descended from immigrants, they were not really "auto- chthonous". They had always absorbed the incomers' ideas, and should have done so properly with the British, instead of, as usual, "wearing out, outraging, and degrading everything great and good" that came in. In his youth he read William Shakespeare as well as Sanskrit classics, and he admired Western culture as much as he did his own. His debut on the Indian literary scene was fraught with controversy. His 1951 masterpiece, The Autobiography of an Anonymous Indian placed him on the short list of great Indian writers. ‘To the memory of the British Empire in India’, Which conferred subjecthood upon us, But withheld citizenship. In 1955, Chaudhuri received an opportunity from the British Council and the BBC to spend eight weeks in England. During this time, he was tasked with delivering lectures for the BBC, resulting in eight articles on various aspects of British life. These lectures were later revised and edited, culminating in the publication of "Passage to England." Notably, E. M. Forster reviewed this work in The Times Literary Supplement. Chaudhuri's significant contributions were further acknowledged in his honor with the dedication of the 1965 book "The Continent of Circe" to him.
Prose writing:
Prose is a popular and convenient form of writing that is often easier to read than poetry. It is also more difficult to study critically than poetry because it is more straightforward and less subtle. Additionally, prose passages are often too long to be studied in an hour. Poetry, on the other hand, is a more intense and subtle form of writing that uses rhythm, word choice, and word order to create meaning. Prose may be divided and studied into various kinds based on its functions namely:
- Narrative
- Argumentative
- Dramatic
- Informative
- Contemplative
The Narrative form of pros comprises a story in an interesting way which gives immense pleasure to the reader as pride and prejudice. The Argumentative form persuades completely the reader to believe in something with all around, as Locke‟s essay on human understanding. Dramatic prose is found in the drama where few characters play different roles in a dramatic way. It has to resemble ordinary conversation for us to accept it as an imitation and improvement of life, as R. B. Sheridan‟s the School for Scandal. The Informative form of prose communicates information through various sources; it includes text books, scientific books and encyclopedias. The Contemplative prose includes „essays‟ which might be based on religious, social, political or cultural matters etc. In order to do this at all, it is necessary to make a very minute study of the prose style. Style in writing is the method in which the author determines for writing to his readers and it reveals his understanding towards his readers. A style exhibits many trends but especially its emphasis is on the personality and voice of the author.
A prose style is a form of writing that shows the objective of the author whether he wants to inform, persuade or entertain his readers through his writing. A prose-style includes both selection of the words and their arrangement to form a complete and meaningful sentence structure. A good prose style has many dimensions. It should not only exhibit meaning but also an associative set of values and emotional expression of words. With grammatical correctness, eloquence, persuasive power, and other forces should be expressed in the proper arrangement of words that can be practiced through continuous reading. A good prose must have three main features
1) clarity
2) simplicity
3) euphony
'Autobiography of an Unknown Indian':
'Autobiography of an Unknown Indian' was written by Nirad C. chaudhuri. Nirad C. Chaudhuri published his memoir, The Autobiography of an Unknown Indian (1951) with Macmillan while he was working as a commentator of All India Radio in New Delhi. Though critics have critiqued him for several justifiable disturbing elements in his work, there are certain tendencies like his evoking the sense of place, his humor, his independence of judgment in the teeth of opposition and his phenomenal ability to keep working which are commendable. He was of the intention that it may be regarded as a contribution to contemporary history. He paid his deep attention towards its honesty and accuracy, so none of its parts or descriptions is imaginary or artificial. Nirad C. Chadhuri occupies a very dignified position among the Indian writers of non-fictional prose. It is difficult to keep aside his writings whether we agree with his views or not. We find a fine combination of provocative ideas and an abrasive style. His views on Indian history differ from others and deserve admiration. His autobiography includes Indian life and civilization. He himself admits that His autobiography is more of national importance than personal history. He had an intense love of the west and its culture. That is why, he has dedicated his book “To the memory of the British Empire in India which conferred the subjecthood on us but with held citizenship”. Chaudhuri has used deliberate and strategic self-admission in his prose style that gives and raises the issue of complexity in his writing. He was one of the most successful writers of Indian origin, in English. He had been a fellow of the Royal Literary Society of England. He was highly critical of destruction of mosques and was highly distressed with the Bengali social life. He criticized class and caste distinction in West Bengal and was not happy with the orthodox of Bengali people. His prose style was deeply influenced and attracted by Sanskrit and the traditional version of Bengali language. He was a Bengali Babu who wrote like a Bengali Babu. He always tried to avoid the use of Arabic, Persian etc in his Bengali language. He hardly used the people who belonged to lower classes and working class. His autobiography is full of passages that tell about his ethos rather than revealing his personality. Among all the Indo-Anglian prose writers, Chaudhuri is one of the best writers because he has presented clarity of style in his writing. He achieved global reputation and earned admiration by many contemporary prose writers. He himself has explained about his writing style. He says, “After writing a book, I go very carefully over it, examining the diction and vocabulary, and if I find that I have used some fashionable words and jargon, I weed them out, unless there is some special reason to keep them”.
V. S. Naipaul wrote, ''Chaudhuri's 'Autobiography' may be the one great book to have come out of the Indo-English encounter. No better account of the penetration of the Indian mind by the West and by extension, of the penetration of one culture by another will be or now can be written.'’
Nationalism in Chaudhary’s Work:
In The Autobiography of an Unknown Indian, Chaudhuri shows a gradual chronological development of his idea of nationalism. In the very first book, he gives an account of his roots and suburban origin and shows the process of acquiring a steady notion of nationalism. Mr. Chaudhuri's book originated in despair. He was not pleased with the rise of Indian nationalism or the imminent withdrawal of the British from the subcontinent it had ruled since 1757. He realized that both developments would put an end to the time of the Babus, his fellow intellectual Bengalis centered in Calcutta who had reached out to European civilization and who he thought should be the political and cultural rulers of modern India.
The socio-political backdrop of the burgeoning national consciousness exerted a profound influence on Chaudhuri's developing worldview. His adolescent mind was not merely receptive to these ideas; rather, he engaged them with a critical eye, questioning and scrutinizing them. This critical engagement is particularly evident in the chapter "Torch Race of the Indian Renaissance," where Chaudhuri directly articulates his own perspectives, ‘All our ideas were the ideas propagated by the new cultural movement, mainly based on a formula of ‘synthesis’. He concludes the sentence by calling this the "Indian Renaissance". Such a formula of "synthesis" is significant since it is the root premise from which he derives almost all of his religious and political notions. Evidently, it shapes his idea of nationalism as well.
Socio-Cultural Landscape of India:
Chaudhuri decided to write down incidents and events which he had seen with his own eyes or had the first hand experience of those events. Therefore,he started writing his past experiences in the form of an autobiography. In the words of Ian Jack:
“Chaudhuri’s power as a describer speaks for itself in the pages that follow and needs no elaboration; he is a fascinating, ground level witness and expositor of vanished Indian way of life and of what British imperialism, then at its height,meant to its humble and not-so-humble subjects. The word “courage,” however,deserves some context. In this book, Chaudhuri is courageous in two ways: in his literary ambition and in the open declaration of his political and historical beliefs.”
The author addresses a critical issue prevalent in Indian society the escalating problem of population explosion, which has become increasingly perilous over time across the Indian subcontinent. This issue serves as a root cause for various challenges, including inadequate food supply, insufficient healthcare facilities, and a scarcity of employment opportunities, thereby subjecting people to dismal living conditions. The severity of the problem intensifies progressively. The author reflects on this concern while navigating through the enormous crowd at the annual fair in his town. He underscores that overpopulation not only gives rise to challenges like sanitation but also contributes to a myriad of other issues. The observation extends to overcrowded cities in India at large, with specific emphasis on places like Calcutta. Further, the author also discusses the problem of gender-bias in society. He is very conscious of all the problems and difficulties that a woman has to face in Indian society. When The matter of the status of women comes in the context of Indian society, it is considered no better than that of a mere object. They have no right to speak or do anything according to their own choice. They have always been exploited in the name of the pride of family or in the name of tradition. One of the several problems of society that the author deals with in his autobiography is class consciousness. The class consciousness is explicitly revealed by the author when he describes the customs of his family. It is said that the author’s family always avoided having meals with those families who were inferior to them in status. He also talks about the problems of the class system and corruption in India.
The next issue in the author's autobiography is that of Hindu-Muslim strife, which was the most heated issue during the 1950s in contemporary Indian society. The author narrates the incidents, how they had to leave their place in order to save themselves during this Hindu-Muslim Strife. Then he explains that the Britishers were not the sole reason behind this catastrophic conflict, though as rulers of the country, they profited by this conflict. According to the author, the seed of this conflict was hidden in the past which was sown in the history when the Muslims invaded this country and vanquished the Hindu kings, and afterwords ruled for a long time
It can be said that Chaudhuri presents a dark picture of contemporary society but it is not appropriate to criticize him for the same as it is the moral responsibility of literary artist to present the actual image of society which he has observed through his own eyes. Therefore, Basavaraj S. Naicar openly supports the critical tone of Chaudhuri‟s autobiography on the basis that his criticism has emerged from his concern for the people who have to live with all these problems in Indian society. In Naicar's words, "The bitterness and anger are the obverse side of Chaudhuri's love and concern for his countrymen''. Thus, it can be aptly said that Chaudhuri gives an actual portrayal of contemporary society.
Conclusion:
Nirad C.Chaudhuri, in spite of being one of the greatest intellectuals and thinkers, is the most controversial writer in Indian English prose. He is an Indian English writer of eminence, who is closely related with Indian ethos and sensibility and who, in spite of his vehement denial, has imparted native flour to English. He is an erudite intellectual who has the courage to stand apart and be different from the crowd. As a critic of society he makes surgical probes with an almost Swiftian comprehension. Chaudhuri emerges as an unyieldingly honest and incisive critic, fearlessly examining the intricacies of individuals, morality, and societal norms in contemporary India. Indeed, he is more Indian than most Indians and more English than many Englishmen.
Chaudhuri occupies a distinguished position as a meticulous artisan and adept stylist, excelling in the roles of both autobiographer and biographer. His standing is elevated by the robustness of his logical reasoning, the eloquence evident in his expressions, the adaptability and clarity of his writing, unparalleled intellectual brilliance, extensive scholarship, and a remarkable ability for innovative thinking. His immaculate command of the English language secures for him a privileged and esteemed place in the realm of English Literature.
(Words - 2,910, Images - 3)
Refrences:
Chaudhuri, Amit. “Nirad Chaudhuri |.” The Guardian, 2 August 1999, https://www.theguardian.com/news/1999/aug/03/guardianobituaries2. Accessed 27 November 2023.
Mishra,, Dr. Abhijeet Kumar. “IJSRST Paper Word Template in A4 Page Size.” IJSRST Paper Word Template in A4 Page Size, 20 February 2018, https://ijsrst.com/paper/5006.pdf. Accessed 27 November 2023.
Monami. “Nationalism in Nirad C. Chaudhuri's "The Autobiography of an Unknown Indian."” Owlcation, 31 October 2023, https://owlcation.com/humanities/Nationalism-Nirad-Chaudhuri. Accessed 27 November 2023.
Parashar, Isha. “AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF AN UNKNOWN INDIAN: A CRITIQUE OF CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY.” Academia.edu, January 2019, https://www.academia.edu/38315773/AUTOBIOGRAPHY_OF_AN_UNKNOWN_INDIAN_A_CRITIQUE_OF_CONTEMPORARY_SOCIETY. Accessed 27 November 2023.
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