Towards a decolonized English: South Asian creativity in fiction

Abstract

ABSTRACT: English is increasingly being used in South Asian countries like India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka not only for purposes of higher education and national administration but also for creative purposes. The objective of this paper is to investigate briefly how some South Asian novelists who used English as their chosen instrument of communication are seeking, in the memorable phrase of Salman Rushdie, to ‘decolonize English’ so as to capture the deep structures and lineaments of national cultures and make English a more authentic vehicle of expression of the sensibility and the consciousness of the people. One can identify two categories of writers in South Asia who are using English for creative purposes. First, writers like R. K. Narayan, Kamala Markandaya, Anita Desai and Ahamad Ali who wish to dilate the English language so that it can creatively accommodate South Asian experiences and modes of feeling. Here, the language is extended, expanded, but no structural change is being effected. Second, writers like Raja Rao, G. V. Desani and Salman Rushdie are involved in a process of nativization of English. In them we notice a more conscious linguistic experimentation at several levels. The outcome of this collective effort, it is contended, will lead to a ‘decolonization of English.’ This decolonization of the language goes hand in hand with a desire to make it a more penetrating tool of artistic exploration. It is argued here that in the long run ‘decolonization’ of the language will prove to be its greatest boon.

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