Stories (the) Grand Mother Told: `Magic Realism' in Contemporary Oriya Fiction

-- Sachidananda Mohanty

Historical legacy of colonial experience and the subsequent efforts at decolonization are the commonalities generally identified between India and the Latin American nations. But it is interesting that there exist common contextual and ideological markers in the reading of the literatures of these nations. Narrative technique and story telling, which, as Gabriel Garcia Marquez says, is the way "my grand mother used to tell the story" lend `magic realism' to the tale, as in the works of Jorges Luis Borges in Argentina, besides Marquez in Columbia. This paper attempts to identify comparable storytelling modes and `magic realism' in the works of Oriya writers like Gopinath Mohanty, Manoj Das, Pratibha Ray and Rabi Patnaik. It is demonstrable that the common techniques and modes in the literature of Orissa, a culturally rich state in India, and Latin American nations reveal the awareness of the real and the surreal and help forge common imaginaries across cultures.

© 2006 IUP . All Rights Reserved.

Elisa and Rangi: Profiles of Frustration and Fulfillment

-- S Padmavathi

The portrayal of women by two writersJohn Steinbeck of America and Palagummi Padmaraju of Andhra Pradeshhas certain cultural analogies, which merit critical evaluation. In a poignant short story, "The Chrysanthemums", Steinbeck evokes the feeling of frustration of Elisa with an indifferent husband and her dream of getting away from sordid domesticity. In the Telugu story, "The Boat Moves On" (Padava Prayanam in Telugu), Padmaraju presents the sense of fulfillment experienced by Rangi in her attachment to her husband, Paddalu, who ill-treats her and even tries to burn up her hut. It is a love which defies all rationalization. Both the writers, although hailing from vastly different cultural ethos and social milieu, present memorable portraits of women.

© 2006 IUP . All Rights Reserved.

Tigers and Elephants: Ringside View of Economic Transformation of India

-- Deepti Gupta

India Unbound and The Elephant Paradigm, the two collections of essays by Gurcharan Das, are analyzed in this study to understand Das' narrative style that makes for such a compelling reading. F C Bartlett's `schema theory' is applied here to determine the efficacy of words in leaving lasting effects on the reader's mind. Das creates memorable images through simple discursive formations offering a complete portrait of the economic transformation of India effortlessly. The paper looks at the `elephant paradigm' about the pace of progress in India, which is steady, while some of the `Asian tigers' gallop and stumble woefully. The Indian economy and the societal structure go through the process of change with dignified steadiness, despite detractors, especially consequent on the liberalization of economy initiated in the 1990s.

© 2006 IUP . All Rights Reserved.

Nonverbal Communication: Influence or Interference? The Effect of Culture

-- Seema Murugan

Today, speaking a common language does not by itself guarantee effective communication. In an increasingly shrinking world with an increasing level of interactions across cultures, the workforce has become multi_cultural. Therefore, apart from effective verbal communication, it is also important to be aware of the different behavioral aspects as well as attitudes/values of communicators from different societies. One cannot rest assured on the assumption that people from other cultures know and use the same types of nonverbal communication that one does. This is because, even if nonverbal communication is a universal phenomenon, its meaning varies from culture to culture. In that sense, nonverbal communication is not universal. On the other hand, according to cultural anthropologist Edward T Hall, "culture is communication and communication is culture." This implies that culture is extremely important in its effects on nonverbal communication, which constitutes 93% of the message value in any act of communication. By interfering with nonverbal communication, cultural influences can hamper the entire communication process itself. On the other hand, sometimes by being congruent with nonverbal behavior, it may facilitate the communication process. This paper elaborates on the three aspects of communication. Firstly, what is `culture' and `nonverbal communication'? Secondly, how does culture help or hamper nonverbal communication? And finally, what, in conclusion, should be done for effective communication in a multicultural workplace, where communicators display the influence of culture as well as an equally strong nonverbal behavior?

© 2006 IUP . All Rights Reserved.

English Curriculum for Quality Enhancement: A Perspective with Special Reference to Arts and Science Colleges

-- J T Masilamani Jeevaraj

Consequent to globalization, MNCs have set up a large number of outfits, which require a large workforce equipped with effective communication/soft skills. The present curriculum in English and the teaching methodologies adopted, as revealed by a survey conducted among the undergraduate students of colleges in Karur District, Tamil Nadu, are both irrelevant and ineffective. To rectify the situation and improve the linguistic proficiency of learners, it is necessary to develop a suitable curriculum and adopt innovative methodologies. The primary requirement is a `paradigm shift' from the existing teacher-centric to the learner-centric approach. The new methodologies include ensuring motivation and monitoring; increasing use of audiovisual aids and multimedia; classroom interaction with students; conducting group discussions and debates; encouraging awareness of current news; and adopting English for Specific Purpose (ESP) materials. For this purpose, universities and formulators of curriculum in English should take a serious step and revamp the present curriculum and the obsolete methodologies prevailing now in educational institutions all over.

© 2006 IUP . All Rights Reserved..

Sinning Towards Sainthood: Arthur Dimmesdale and the Whisky Priest

-- T Bharathi

The essential duty of a priest is "to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers (and) cast out demons." But in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter and Graham Greene's The Power and the Glory, we find "priests," who are a travesty of the noble profession. Both are transgressors of the religious code that have taken an oath to abide by. Hawthorne's Dimmsdale is a much-respected clergyman, but he is also an adulterer, who refuses to admit his lapse right to his end. Greene's whisky priest also deviates from the righteous path, but he admits his lapse, declares his love for his illegitimate daughter and prays to God to save her and punish him only. The paper makes a comparative study of the moral lapses of these two `priests', who are similar and yet different in the degree of the realization of the seriousness of their fall.

© 2006 IUP . All Rights Reserved.

More Sinned Against, than Sinning: The Saga of Sister Carrie

-- V C Sudhir

Among the American novelists of repute, Dreiser is sometimes considered "the Mount Everest of American fiction", with his literary merits comparable to those of Balzac and Dostoevsky. However, he did not receive the recognition he deserved. His major novel, Sister Carrie, kicked up a storm when it was published, as it presented the numerous romantic liaisons of `the heroine' in a condoning tone and even with approbation. Caroline Meeber, affectionately called Sister Carrie, embarks at a young age of 18 on her (mis)adventures in Chicago, where she is at first exploited on account of her poverty and helplessness. In the end, she becomes a successful star and turns the tables even on Hurston, who loves her and deserts his own family, finally becomes a pauper and seeks mercy and financial help from his erstwhile protégé. The novel poignantly evokes the futility of the American Dream as evidenced in the soulless exploitation of a hapless woman, despite the claims of equal opportunity enshrined in the Declaration of American Independence. The novel is an insightful exploration of the dialectics of sin and the paper demonstrates that Sister Carrie is more sinned against, than sinning.

© 2006 IUP . All Rights Reserved.

The Myth of Racial and Cultural Superiority: An Approach to William Dalrymple's

-- White Moghuls M Q Khan

Despite the pervasive attitude of cultural superiority of the colonizers to the subject nations of the East, it is possible to find instances of racial and cultural intermingling between individuals of disparate racial origins and religious persuasions, in the annals of history. One such instance is the celebrated romance between John Kirkpatrick, the British Resident in Hyderabad, and Khair-un-Nissa, the niece of Nawab Salar Jung, the Prime Minister of the Nizam of Hyderabad. His love for her was so intense that he gave up his phoren dress and habits and adopted the Muslim ways of living and even got himself considered the adopted son of the Nizam. Such cultural and religious inter-mingling give the lie to the imperialistic theories of cultural superiority and the clash of civilizations. This paper examines the central theme of William Darlymple's much-acclaimed novel, White Moghuls, which brilliantly narrates the peerless tale of love and the enduring message of oneness of all mankind, irrespective of the fissiparous tendencies which haunt the strife-torn world of today.

© 2006 IUP . All Rights Reserved.

Making a Vineyard of the Curse: W H Auden and the God That Failed

-- Nibir K Ghosh

In his birth centenary tribute to the distinguished poet, W H Auden, the author shows that, like many poets declared by Shelley as "unacknowledged legislators of the world", Auden too sought the Utopia"the Good Place"but at first was attracted by the Communist experiment in Soviet Russia. During the 1930s, he was disillusioned with the economic wasteland in England and sought refuse in the socialistic El Dorado. But like most intellectuals of Europe, he realized that the experiment was a God That Failed. And yet he did not allow his disappointment sap his enormous vitality, although he was convinced that man was more than a number. He was certainly involved in the political consciousness of his time, but eventually he came to realize that the proper function of poetry is "to tell the truth, to disenchant, to disintoxicate." The achievement of Auden relates to his ability to present the political, the psychological and the spiritual converging in a happy harmony.

© 2006 IUP . All Rights Reserved.