Prose Writers

This blog is a response to the flipped learning task assigned by Yesha Bhatt Ma'am. In this blog, I'd like to offer my thoughts on prose authors, emerging poets, and Indians writing in English.

Write a note on S. Radhakrishnan's perspective on Hinduism.

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (5 September 1888 – 17 April 1975), natively Radhakrishnayya. Born in 1888 at Tiruttani, Radhakrishnan had his education at Tirupati, Vellore and the Madras Christian College. Best known of the three, is a philosopher-states-man with an international reputation, a scholar with a phenomenal memory, a resourceful and eloquent and effective speaker, and a voluminous writer with an uncanny flair for lucidity and epigrammatic strength. As a teacher of philosophy and as a writer, Professor Radhakrishnan held on with tenacity and a sense of dedication to a course chosen sixty years ago.

He has taught at the Madras, Mysore, Calcutta and Oxford Universities; he has been Vice-Chancellor of the Andhra and the Banaras Hindu Universities; he has presided over, the UNESCO General Conference and the All India Writers’ Conference; he has been President of the Sahitya Akademi. He has delivered the Kamala, Bampton, Haskell, Miller, Upton and Hibbert Lectures; he has addressed the World Congress of Faiths and most of the university convocations in India. After Independence, he became Chairman of the Universities Commission, India’s ambassador to Soviet Russia, Vice-President, and finally President of India.

He completed his masters' thesis on ‘The Ethics of the Vedanta and its Metaphysical Presuppositions’ in his twentieth year, and since then his pen in the service of his mind has not been idle. Two of his professors, Rev. William Meston and Dr. Alfred George Hogg, commended Radhakrishnan's dissertation.

According to Radhakrishnan himself, the criticism of Hogg and other Christian teachers of Indian culture "disturbed my faith and shook the traditional props on which I leaned."

Radhakrishnan himself describes how, as a student, The challenge of Christian critics impelled me to make a study of Hinduism and find out what is living and what is dead in it. My pride as a Hindu, roused by the enterprise and eloquence of Swami Vivekananda, was deeply hurt by the treatment accorded to Hinduism in missionary institutions. This criticism led him to study of Indian philosophy and religion. At the same time Radhakrishnan commended Professor Hogg as 'My distinguished teacher,’ and as "one of the greatest Christian thinkers we had in India.'

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, an academic, philosopher, and statesman, was one of the most well-known and prominent Indian philosophers of the twentieth century. Throughout his life and vast literary career, Radhakrishnan worked to define, defend, and spread his religion, which he referred to variably as Hinduism, Vedanta, and the religion of the Spirit. He aimed to show that his Hinduism was intellectually sound as well as ethically feasible. Radhakrishnan's concern for experience, as well as his broad grasp of Western philosophical and literary traditions, have given him the title of "bridge-builder" between India and the West. He appears to be at comfort in both Indian and Western intellectual environments, and he relies on both Western and Indian sources throughout his writing. As a result, Radhakrishnan has been seen as a representation of Hinduism to the West in academic circles. His long literary career and several published books have influenced the West's perception of Hinduism, India, and the East.

Radhakrishnan's perspective on Hinduism is one that is deeply informed by his own personal religious beliefs and experience. He sees Hinduism as a religion that is fundamentally oriented towards the spiritual goal of human liberation. Radhakrishnan believes that Hinduism contains a rich store of spiritual and philosophical truths that can guide individuals on their own path to self-realization. He also emphasizes the importance of tolerance and open-mindedness in understanding and practicing Hinduism.

Radhakrishnan's writings on Hinduism offer a unique and valuable perspective on this complex and ancient religious tradition. His insights into the nature of the religion and its central tenets can be of great assistance to those who are seeking to deepen their understanding of Hinduism. His emphasis on the importance of personal experience and growth in the practice of Hinduism is particularly noteworthy. Radhakrishnan's perspective on Hinduism provides a valuable addition to the existing body of scholarship on this important religious tradition.

2) Write a note on Raghunathan's views of Indian Culture.

Raghunathan is a highly respected anthropologist who has studied Indian culture extensively. He has a deep understanding of the various aspects of Indian culture, and his views are highly regarded by many in the academic community. He has a strong belief in the importance of tradition and cultural continuity, and he feels that Indian culture has a great deal to offer the world. He is also a strong advocate of the need to preserve and protect traditional Indian culture from the forces of modernization.

Raghunathan's views on Indian culture are highly respected by many in the academic community. His deep understanding of the various aspects of Indian culture makes his views highly valuable in the field of anthropology.

He argues that the culture of the people—the complex of swabhava, swadharma, swatantra, and swarajya that is the actual index of this culture—has been the gradual building of the ages and may not now be crudely interfered with save at our entire discomfiture. Indian'spirituality' is not antithetical to life and world affirmation. Spirituality is an awakening to the inner or genuine Reality of our being, and once we put our feet on the Ground of Reality, our daily motions will be solid and purposeful. But how can one make contact with the Earth? Reason is a fantastic analytical tool, but the Base eludes it. resulting from it.He contends that people's culture—the complex of swabhava, swadharma, swatantra, and swarajya that is the genuine indicator of this culture—has been gradually built over the years and may not now be bluntly messed with except to our great discomfiture. Indian "spirituality" is not incompatible with life and world affirmation. Spirituality is an awakening to our inner or actual Reality, and once we plant our feet on the Ground of Reality, our everyday motions will be stable and meaningful. But how can one communicate with the Earth? The Base eludes Reason, which is a superb analytical tool. as a result of it

Write a critical note on the poems by Nissim Ezekiel

Nissim Ezekiel's poetry is noted for its ironic and often sarcastic treatment of Indian middle-class at its worst. In his early poems, such as "The Professor" and "The Patriot", Ezekiel pokes fun at the pretensions and materialism of the Indian middle-class. In his later poems, such as "The Night of the Scorpion" and "The Community", Ezekiel addresses more serious themes, such as death, suffering, and the human condition. While Ezekiel's poetry is not always easy to understand, it is always thought-provoking and well worth the effort.

Ezekiel is a master of irony and satire, and his poems are often witty and biting criticisms of the Indian middle-class. In "The Professor", for example, Ezekiel mocks the intellectual pretensions of a middle-class man who is more concerned with appearances than with substance. In "The Patriot", Ezekiel takesaim at the materialism and self-absorption of the middle-class, satirizing the way in which they use patriotic rhetoric to justify their own selfish interests.

While Ezekiel's early poems are primarily concerned with poking fun at the foibles of the middle-class, his later poems address more serious themes. "The Night of the Scorpion", for instance, is a dark and harrowing poem about a woman who suffers a scorpion bite and is saved by the selfless act of her husband. "The Community" is a poignant poem about the isolation and loneliness of the human condition, in which Ezekiel compares the human race to a "community of ghosts".

Ezekiel's poetry is not always easy to understand, but it is always thought-provoking and well worth the effort. His use of irony and satire is often biting, but it is also effective in highlighting the absurdity of the human condition. Ezekiel is a master of language, and his poems are beautiful and haunting explorations of the human condition.

Write a note on the changing trends in Post Independence Indian Writing in English.

As the years have gone by, the trends in post-independence Indian writing in English have changed quite dramatically. In the early years after independence, the focus was very much on developing a distinctly Indian voice in English literature. This meant that a lot of the writing of this period was quite experimental and sought to break away from the colonial past. Over time, however, Indian writers have become more confident in their use of the English language and have begun to produce fiction that is more accessible to a global audience. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in Indian writing that deal with issues of social injustice and caste discrimination. This has led to a wave of novels and short stories that tackle these important topics head-on.

Looking ahead, it seems likely that the trends in post-independence Indian writing in English will continue to evolve. As more and more writers gain confidence in their craft, we can expect to see even more bold and innovative works that push the boundaries of what is possible in this genre.

One thing is for sure – Indian writing in English is an exciting and ever-changing field, and one that is certainly worth paying attention to in the years to come.

The post-independence Indian English author had to appeal to a varied audience, including people from various ethnic-religious and cultural backgrounds. He picked topics and circumstances that had about the same applicability across the country for this reason. These themes coalesced into recurring patterns and important developments that were more visible in post-independence Indian society than in pre-independence Indian society. As a result, the novel's scope expanded, and it comprehensively addressed the different aspects of Indian civilization, including economic, political, religious, and cultural aspects. Contemporary novels are reflections of the age, but a very specific type of mirror, a mirror that reflects not only the visible qualities of the age, but also its inner face, nervous system, blood coursing, and the unconscious promptings and conflicts that sway it."