Caught in the crossfire of History: Social Reality of Postcolonial India in Anita Desai's Clear Light of Day

Das, P K and Jena, N (2014) Caught in the crossfire of History: Social Reality of Postcolonial India in Anita Desai's Clear Light of Day. In: Contemporary Women's Writing in India. Lexington Books, London, pp. 59-66. ISBN 9781498502108

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Abstract

The History of India does not represent a monolithic and linear narrative; it rather offers conflicting and contesting perspectives.It is widely known that the history of india is recurrently interrupted by traders and invanders like the Mughals, the Venetiant, the portuguese, the Dutch, the English, and so forth. So the important events which constitute the national history do not remain as mere recorded data in the territory of the text; rather they find a significant space in the consciousness of every individual who, directly or indirectly, experiences the events. The partition of India, which divided the nation into two different countries, India and Muslim India(Islamic Republic of Pakistan), is not only a significant event in history but also a process which had long term effects on the psyche of people. In Anita Desai's Clear Light of Day, the trauma of partition is still fresh and the characters contemplate glimpses of the catastrophe when they reminisce about the past.

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