Postcolonialism as Reflected in Amitav Ghosh’s The shadow lines

The term “ Postcolonialism” as applied to the works written by authors from the former colonies of Britain , Portugal, Spain etc. was first came in to existence with Edward said‟s defining work orientation (1978). The postcolonial authors have a tendency of writing about the nostalgia, the feeling of hybride identity and swinging between two cultures by the contemporary generation of post Independence countries. Amitav Ghosh„s Sahitya Akademi Award winning novel The shadow Lines (1998) proved a landmark in the series of postcolonial fiction. Through a non linear plot and migrating character Ghosh attempts to explore the after effects of imperial rule against the backdrop of Independence movement, Second World War and communial riots .The story centres on a Bengali family who is affected by these political events signifying broader national and international concerns. Though the character of the grrandmother, Tridib Ila, Mrs. Price, May, Nick the author allegorizes different aspects of Post independence generation and its concerns. On the other hand, people like Tridib, and Ila are presented to illustrate a misguide young generation who devalue their cultural heritage while imitating the west; on the other hand grandmother and price family exemplify the changed relationship between the colonizer and the colonized. While the grandmother has equal respect for her native culture and the foreign one; Mrs. Price treats the Indian on equal terms. The changing scenario of post independence is also one of the issues discussed in the novel.