S/LI/58. FORCE OF MODERNIZATION

Indian Literature has evolved over the years influenced by all the socio-political changes in the society. Colonization and the challenges of a post-colonial world have produced an explosion of new writing in English focusing the Indian point of view. R.K.Narayans novel, 'The Vendor of Sweets' set in the post-colonial times, deals with the tragicomic clash of the generations while dealing with sensitive issues like nationalism and Indian sentimentalism. In this novel, the life of Jagan, ?The Vendor of Sweets?, and the trials and tribulations of his life are wonderfully captured. What is refreshing, however, is the description of the South Indian way of life provided by Narayan. Jagan, a widower is confronted with a dilemma between his love for his wastrel son and his firm commitment to the Gita and his Gandhian principles. When Mali coolly announces that he is abandoning school to go to America to become a writer, Jagan's fatherly feelings are thrown into great confusion. The article describes how Narayan also vividly portrays the confusions and fears that a person from such a conventional milieu would face when thrown into unconventional situations, when his son brings his half-American wife for a visit. Jagan and his son each discover new dimensions to their personalities. But in keeping with Narayan's genial eye, this is never a sharp or painful conflict. The tussle between old and new, between custom and change, is more of a family affair in Narayan's stories, almost a sort of sibling rivalry that is bound to get resolved.