Elements of Syncretism in Nayantara Sahgal’s Mistaken Identity
Article Details
Pub. Date
:
Sep, 2014
Product Name
:
The IUP Journal of English Studies
Product Type
:
Article
Product Code
:
IJES51409
Author Name
:
N Pratheeba and G Baskaran
Availability
:
YES
Subject/Domain
:
English Studies
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:
PDF Format
No. of Pages
:
6
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Abstract
In the novel Mistaken Identity, Nayantara Sahgal rivets her focus on syncretism, a phenomenon that is very delicate, especially in a country having a diversified culture like India. Her concern for a united nation caught within the clutches of a multicultural society is brought to the limelight. The humanistic values interspersed with her plea for the mingling and amalgamation of the divergent features of the various religions prevailing in this subcontinent are given prime importance. The novel Mistaken Identity is set in the twilight years of the British rule in India. Sahgal yearns for a fairytale solution in which the various discordant multicultural elements coalesce to synthesize a unique, harmonious and syncretic mosaic which binds the different groups together. The protagonist, Bhushan, serves as the mouthpiece of the novelist in this regard. He pleads for the acceptance of the fusion of the various cultural aspects which ultimately leads to an interwoven culture in which the various entities are inseparable. This paper attempts to reveal the unique cultural panorama reflecting the unique secular and syncretic mosaic that can prevail in the human landscape of a multicultural society.
Description
In Mistaken Identity, Nayantara Sahgal is very upbeat in terms of visualizing the
syncretic aspects of the multicultural vision that envelops the multicultural society of
India harmoniously.
Syncretism can be defined as the combination of different forms of belief or practice.
Burman (1996) says,
The rise of fundamentalism in recent years has obliterated the deep rooted
syncretism in Indian culture. In India, few have studied the syncretic phenomenon
of local religion though many have studied it in terms of formation of composite
culture.
Sahgal opines that an undivided unity among the followers of different religions will
pave way for a glorious India. Sahgal envisions an India in which her fellow compatriots
are compassionate and compatible in a democratic, secular and diversified cultural setup.
Sahgal is unique in her artistic sensibility of projecting national consciousness; she also
reflects the consciousness of change and the strange and sudden ways in which it has
come to shape the character of individuals and the temper of the collective life as well as
the competing structures of human values and destiny.
Keywords
English Studies Journal, Elements of Syncretism, Nayantara Sahgal, Historical Consciousness, My Continuing Character, Westernization, Mistaken Identity, Mistaken Identity.
