LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 20:11 November 2020
ISSN 1930-2940

Editors:
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         T. Deivasigamani, Ph.D.
         Pammi Pavan Kumar, Ph.D.
         Soibam Rebika Devi, M.Sc., Ph.D.

Managing Editor & Publisher: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.

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Recurring Motif of Toru Dutt’s Poetry:
The Quest for Identity and the Sense of Loss

Dr. Sheeba Azhar, M.A., PhD (English) and Dr. Syed Abid Ali

ToruDutt
Toru Dutt (1855-1877)
Courtesy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toru_Dutt

Abstract

The history of Indian poetry in English reveals a reasonable reticence over racism but it has constantly shown an accented allegiance to the indigenous culture. Most poets are homing birds, singing native tunes on an alien flute and in the process of nativizing it. The Indian who uses the English language feels to some extent, alienated. His or her development as a poet is sporadic. Therefore, it is not surprising, that Indian writers in English are conscious of their Indianness because, at the bottom of it all, one suspects a crisis of identity. The crisis of identity creates a feeling of isolation and alienation in the mind of a poet. Toru Dutt is such an outstanding figure in the history of Indian English Poetry. She had to live in her earlier years as a spiritual exile in India and later as a real one abroad, due to her conversion of faith from Hinduism to Christianity It is noticeable that Toru Dutt is the first interpreter of Indian culture to the west. The problem of alienation is intimately related to the loss of and quest for one’s identity. Toru never wants to live alone or aloof from society but external factors, forced her to live isolated and alone. Toru fought bravely with her isolation, with literary creativity. Therefore, alienation has become the dominant trait of several poems created by Toru Dutt. Present paper is about this particular aspect of the poetry of Toru Dutt.

Keywords: Poetry of Toru Dutt, Alienation, isolation, loss of identity, Indianness, sense of longing

Indian poets in English, like their counterparts in fiction and commonwealth writers, perceive a plurality of identity emerging from the duality of cultures-a co presence of the twain –the inherited and the acquired traditions, form an essential part of the experience of indo-Anglican poets .The acceptance of English as a language for creative configuration is an involvement in depth and it exposes the writers to the cultural burdens behind it. The experience of biculturalism has filtered into the lives of all those who have been colonized directly or by a remote control.

Since the duality of cultures is a common factor, the crisis of identity is fundamental to all of them, but the difference creeps both in kind and degree of response as the cultural perspectives vary in each country. Derek Walcott, the West Indian poet, reveals the truth in his anxiety.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Dr. Sheeba Azhar, M.A., PhD (English)
Assistant Professor
Department of English Language & Literature
Taibah University Medina Munawwarah, KSA
atif254@gmail.com

Dr. Syed Abid Ali
M.A., PhD (English), M.A., PhD (Urdu)
Former Assistant Professor
Department of English
University of Hafr Al Batin, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
abidurduenglish@gmail.com
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