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The Village by the sea _ Review on Post Colonial sensibilities

nfolding a story based on facts, Anita Desai, one of the Post colonial writers in Indian literary canon, manifests the genuine Indian rural as well as urban realities through her novel, The village by the sea. Thul, in fact is a real fishing village located in the western costal belt in India supporting the ground reality to what just being mentioned. It is a fact that she stayed in Thul during her holidays probably drafting the final copy of the novel itself. Though the protagonist is a small boy, the novel raises issues which reflect the Post colonial sensibilities in Indian soil, and how the fishing community regards the concepts of Neo colonial capitalization and metropolitan groundings. In the foregoing passages I bring forth some of the main issues through which Desai portrays the hidden, subtle issues in Indian reality. In the first place, the novel very effectively discusses the issue of poverty, a notion which would break the families apart. Our protagonist, however, overcomes the difficulties in life along with his family manifesting the challenges of poverty. At the very beginning of the novel we come across the pathetic situation in Hari`s hut, a hut that should have been re-thatched years ago. The family life with an irresponsible father, invalid mother, seems down trodden. It is said that their daily meals very often consists dry bread, dry rice and Chapatis. Desai depicts the poverty of Hari`s life through out the novel constantly. Not only in Hari`s life but also what Desai denotes could be applied to every layer of the social web where she critically analyses many sections of the Indian society. What Desai exemplifies in the lines is how poverty as a tool being utilized and again redefined in the socio economic groundings. The entire fishing village is threatened by the on coming industry, a mark of Neo colonial invasion. Cross lights are thrown on the issue of poverty at different perspectives as we witness Jagu, the owner of the Sri Krishna Eating house, one of the shabbiest and meanest restaurants and his living conditions. At the encounter of Hari with Jagu`s wife we imagine how several pairs of eyes peered at him(Hari) from under the rags denoting the displaced life style of the city people, a set of people who, one can argue, migrated to cities in search of modern luxurious lives, and ended up in misery living in slumps. The novel poignantly evokes the way their belongings of tin and cardboard boxes are perched on the top of bricks, a deliberate condemnation on the lack of space to

live in. These dwellings were not the ones they dreamt of when they thought of industrial living, but what they have gained from so called capitalization is the slumps in which the living conditions are worse, disgusting and pathetic. Though Desai does not dig deep into this dismal picture, she seems to be foreseeing even gloomier depths with the growth of Jagu`s children in the same locality. Additionally, Desai projects the ever increasing Indian population as one of the key themes in the novel: We are too many on earth now Desai, thus, implies the tragedy of the life along the pathetic sensibilities. Certain cities in India, after the colonization, became living hells with beggars, the sick, and even the dead along side living beings. The predominant drive which made the ordinary people persuade city living has been the notion of industrialization where nobody would take notice of anyone anymore, a sign of breaking apart of a closely knit social web. Moreover, the text depicts the issue of change, a theme which parallels with the Post colonial sensibilities. Those who have the ability change and adapt will survive in the competitive society while those who reject will be condemned. It is believed that the novel itself is a foretelling of the capitalization and it`s ill effects. It is to be noted that we are given only the beginning of the industrialization. Biju, at Thul, denotes the image of modernity. In fact he believes the notion of change is inevitable: Things have to changeImprove! Change! The novel foregrounds this change as something positive and worth while though there are yardsticks of corruption are given. Desai foresees the loss of fish, of flora and fauna, and dull soil on the account of urbanization. This comes in the voice of Sayyid Ali at the very end of the novel where Hari strictly believes the need to change. Even if it is not materialized in the course of the novel, we can foresee the depth urbanization at it`s utmost strength. Furthermore, the novel also touches upon the dignity of labour and perseverance. The character of Hari and Lila quite remarkably portrays endurance in order to bring the pieces of their family to weave it once more. However their sense of pride and self dignity are given at several occasions in the novel: Will you let me work in your kitchen

If you can take her thereand i`ll work for you

This notion of survival, even, can be seen among dark characters like Bilu and the beggar Don`t ask for anything ..don`t depend on itI fend myselfbe independent They offer a sort of realization on the competitive Indian society where survival places the major role. Desai`s portrayal includes the cultural issues like religion, superstition and cultural beliefs of Indians covering a wider spectrum of Indian life. The sacred rocks, a kind of temple in the sea and the so called pious act of the medicine man symbolize the last superstitious remnants of Indian rustic life styles. However in Bombay, though we come across religious festivals worshipping Lord Ganesha, the patron God of Bombay and the Thanks giving to the Sea God for the safe ending of Monsoon, the traces of their decadence too can be seen in the course of the novel foreseeing the future downfall. Therefore, we conclude this essay by asserting that The village by the sea is truly a masterpiece by Desai encapsulating the life in Bombay and back in Thul in a newer perspective. The novel starts from the concept of a broken family, then ranges very far addressing wider issues of the byproducts of Colonialism and Post colonialism, metropolitan notions and ends with the united family. In my point of view Hari is the symbol of modernization and change. He, instead of waiting the industry to come towards him, goes towards the city where the industry has already rooted, and there he learns a new way to suit the new environment and to survive in the competitive society manipulating the hand skills, watch mending, of course. Hari comes back to Thul as a prepared man with skills for the unseen future. He seems to be following the words of Mr.Panwallah in order to change and adapt. Thus , he is truly an agent of industrialization,and has become a changed person at the end of the novel, thereby becomes a product of neo colonization ironically.

Chinthaka S. Wickramasinghe