Decolonising and Re-visioning English Literature Syllabi in India

Abstract

The English Literature syllabuses at the UG and PG levels in India have remained colonial and Euro-centric. They reflect the ‘canon’ which was formulated  to instill British culture and values amongst (a) the lower classes in England and (b) Indians who would  assist the British by taking up lower level administrative jobs in India. The texts and background, which students are exposed to, reflect British and American culture, and are out of tune with the ground realities which they live with. Further, the range of students offering English Literature is very wide, - from the elite, foreign universities aspirants, who look for academic and research careers in the West, to the ones who wish to learn ‘correct’ and ‘good’ English, to the ones who are absorbed in teaching jobs ‘from the UG to PG levels’ in our own universities. Our current syllabi do not cater fully, to any of the categories mentioned above.  

The need, therefore, is to restructure the English Literature syllabi and to decolonise them to meet the requirements of post-independence India. Literature, also, is not only a reflection of the culture and its socio-economic-political aspects; it is an active agent in the creation of this culture. English Literature, as it is taught in India today, is of the hothouse variety.  It needs to be located in the natural environment, so that it emerges as something more than a sterile academic exercise.

An attempt is made in this paper to locate Indian Writing in English within the larger concept of “Indian Literature” or rather “Indian Literatures” and to explore the possibilities of formulating full-fledged courses at the UG and PG levels with a focus on Indian Writing in English and Indian Literatures in Translation. The insights of scholars like Sujit Mukherjee, Balchandra Nemade, Kapil Kapoor and Makarand Paranjpe will be considered in this context.