South Asian literature

Last updated

South Asian literature refers to the literature that is composed by authors in the Indian subcontinent and its diaspora. It has an extensive history with some of the earliest known pieces of literature. South Asia has many different languages that have been spoken due to its size and how long people have been inhabiting it. This has caused the region to be the most linguistically diverse region in the planet, [1] and as well as having four language families (Dravidian, Indo-European, Austro-Asiatic and Tibeto-Burman), hundreds of languages and thousands of dialects. [2] Many modern pieces of South Asian literature are written in English for a global audience. Many of the ancient texts of the subcontinent have been lost due to the inability to preserve verbally transmitted literature. South Asia has many significant authors that shaped the postcolonial period and response to the British establishment in the subcontinent. Modern South Asian literature has a deep focus on independence from Britain, mainly expressed in prose, this literature commonly discusses the partition of India and how different South Asian nations, religions, and cultures interact with each other. Countries to which South Asian literature's writers are linked include India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Works from Bhutan, Myanmar, Tibet, and the Maldives are sometimes also included.

Contents

South Asian literature is written in English as well as the many national and regional languages of the region.

For the literature of South Asian cultures, see:

History

South Asian literature has a long history, having some of the oldest recorded pieces of literature, dating back to the later stages of the Bronze Age in India. Transmitted in Sanskrit, Rig veda is an ancient and sacred collection of Hindu texts originally composed between 1500 BCE and 1200 BCE by Indo-Aryan tribes that were migrating from modern Afghanistan to northern India. [3] When migrating, these Indo-Aryan tribes encountered the aboriginal nations of the subcontinent who had their own languages and literature; some of these languages are thought to be of Dravidian origin and other languages belonged to Munda. [4] Literature was not written down but it was transmitted verbally in these times. The first evidence of written language in the region was in Prakrit in the 3rd century BCE. These were the religious Ashokan edicts that were inscribed on pillars. [5] The Aboriginal tribes had their own forms of literature, though, due to language only being communicated verbally for a long period of time, many ancient pieces of literature were lost.

Punjabi literature developed later than most as the first writings of Punjabi was only written in 1324, written by Amir Khusro through a war ballad of the battle between Tughlaq and Khurso. [6] Though the first identifiable Punjabi was written in the 16th century, known as Janam-Sakhi, it is written by Bhai Bala, and is intended to be a biography of his companion Guru Nanak. [7] From then on, Punjabi literature expanded significantly, though literacy in these times was very uncommon and only the noble born were able to have a significant hold on language. This depended on those individuals' social status and caste. In the 17th century, a writer known as Abdullah Lahori, composed a work called Bāra Anva. This work was a disquisition on Islam, and because of this many Sufi works of literature were composed. [7] Poets such as Bulleh Shah, Baba Farid and Shah Hussain were Sufi poets whereby many of their ideas were a significant stimulus to Punjabi literature during the mediaeval periods.

Bengali literature is divided into three different parts: Ancient, Mediaeval, and Modern. Bengali literature began with the mystic hymns of Charyapada, written between the 8th and 12th century, [8] It is composed of 47 hymns and was written by Buddhist monks. During this ancient period (600 AD - 1200 AD), most of the literature pertained to religious texts, as a result, Bengali texts are only partly able to be deciphered and are called the twilight language. [9] The mediaeval period (1200 AD - 1800 AD) of Bengali literature is split into three phases: Early, High and Late. The early phase fostered the development of the Bengali alphabet. In this period, rhymes, anecdotes and a song began to appear. During the high phase, the Bengali region was under Muslim rule, significantly influencing the literature during this period. Bengali writers commonly would write on their culture, religion and history. [10] Bengali literature also developed in translation literature, Govindamangal is the earliest known translation in Bengali literature and was a translation of sanskrit. [9] The late mediaeval phase was characterised through the diminishing muslim control and the increase in control of British due to their establishment in South Asia. [9]

Modern Literature

Modern South Asian literature has been most heavily impacted by the British colonisation of the subcontinent. The modern era of literature began around 1860, this was prompted after the dissolvement of the East India Company and Queen Victoria rising to Empress of India after the Government of India Act of 1858. [11] The British colonisation was so widespread, affecting almost all areas of the subcontinent. Due to this colonisation and despite the large number of languages, English has been one of the most frequent languages in which modern South Asian literature is written. The main reason for English’s use in modern literature was the insistence of reformists like Rammohan Ray for the English language and education as a vehicle for India to rise as a global nation. [12]

Punjabi literature underwent a transformation after its colonisation, whereby the conventional genres of literature changed adding elements of nationalism and uses techniques like satire for political commentary. [7] After the partition of 1947, Western Punjabi writers (Modern Pakistan) treat this modern period as a rediscovery of language and identity. During this period of revitalisation, the Punjabi language and the Sikh identity were under heavy attacks from the British and Hindus. [13] They suffered persecution and humiliation, whereby acts of publicly shaving the heads and beards of tahtia Sikhs occurred so that Sikhs would assimilate into mainstream culture. [14] Authors like Vir Singh used the Punjabi language to critique and reinvigorate core values of Sikhism.

Bengali literature, like all other South Asian literature, transformed significantly due to British rule in South Asia. Modern Bengali literature developed quickly and went through many phases. Christian missionaries influenced the writers, prose writing developed quickly and was one of the most common forms of writing. [9] Bengali experienced very high levels of growth after Rabindranath Tagore's literature was recognised with a Nobel Prize, effectively putting Bengali literature on a global scale. [15] After 1947, the partition of India and the split between East and West Bengal, literature developed differently on each side of Bengal predominantly due to differing ideologies and religion.

Notable Literary Figures

Vyasa

Painting of the Sage Vyasa Sage Vyasa.jpg
Painting of the Sage Vyasa

Vyasa (also known as Krishna Dvaipayana) was a legendary Indian sage and the writer of the Hindu epic Mahabharata, considered as one of the most significant writings in South Asian literature. Vayasa is usually not believed to be a historical figure, but is still worshipped by some Hindus in the modern day. Vyasa was said to have lived around 1500 BCE, but is considered as one of the seven Chiranjeevis (immortal beings) in Hinduism. [16] Vyasa's role as the sacred compiler makes him incredibly significant within Hinduism. A holiday known as Guru Purnima is celebrated in dedication towards him, where he is honoured in temples on the first moon of July.

Tenali Ramakrishna

Tenali Ramakrishna (known as Tenali Rama) was an Indian-born poet in the late 16th century CE. Tenali was a part of the Telugu people and originated from Tenali. He was a court poet in the Vijayanagar Empire to the emperor, Krishnadevaraya; Tenali was recognised as one of the eight Ashtadiggajas. Known as the ‘Humorous Poet’, Tenali was noted to have high intelligence; Tenali wrote the book Panduranga Mahatyam, which is considered as one of the five great books of Telugu literature. [17] In modern times Tenali is still a part of modern culture whereby many films and books recreate the life of Tenali Rama.

Shashi Tharoor

Photo of Shashi Tharoor at conference Shashi Tharoor 2015.jpg
Photo of Shashi Tharoor at conference

Shashi Tharoor is a significant modern Indian writer who wrote very significant pieces of literature about the continuing Indian Postcolonial movement. Tharoor is most known for being a famous international diplomat and Indian politician. In literature, Tharoor is known for his satirical books such as ‘The Great Indian Novel’ and his books on discussions of India's past and present such as ‘India: From Midnight to the Millennium’ a book quoted by Bill Clinton. Shashi Tharoor has been one of the most influential voices in Indian politics as he was the most followed politician until 2013. [18] Tharoor still writes political commentary in books such as ‘The New World Order and the Indian Imperative’.

Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore was a Bengali polymath which shaped modern South Asian literature by introducing Asian literature and more specifically Indian literature to the world. Tagore was awarded with the Nobel Prize in literature on the basis of his poetic prose ‘Gitanjali’ and his multifaceted talents. [19] Tagore was the first non-European person to receive a Nobel Prize, causing him to become a ‘global phenomenon’, and was the ‘most prominent embodiment of how the west wanted to see the east’. [15] Tagore was recognised as against the British Raj, seen through his renouncement of his knighthood after the Jallianwalabagh massacre of April 1919, [19] writing to Lord Chelmsford he said:

Black and White photo of Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Tagore unknown location.jpg
Black and White photo of Rabindranath Tagore

'The time has come when badges of honour make our shame glaring in the incongruous context of humiliation, and I for my part, wish to stand, shorn, of all special distinctions, by the side of those of my countrymen who, for their so called insignificance, are liable to suffer degradation not fit for human beings.'

Mainly done as a protest toward the British Raj, this piece of writing remains as a significant writing in protest literature. [20] Tagore’s influence still remains to this day through his songs. Bangladesh's national anthem became Amar Shonar Bangla in 1971, written in 1905, it was a melody that protested the first partition of Bengal. Further, his work Jana Gana Mana, composed in 1911, became the national anthem of India in 1950.

R. K Narayan

Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Narayanaswami (also known as R. K Naranyan) is an Indian literary figure who was most famous for his work Malgudi. Malgudi is a fictional place created by Narayan that he wrote many novels set in. It was significant because it had an accurate historical record and its ongoing evolution, whereby Naranyan expressed his support to the Indian independence movement. [21] Naranyan’s style of literature aimed to depict modern Indian daily life, he did this through his characteristic simplistic, graceful and humorous approach. [22] Narayan is also recognised for allowing Indian literature to a global stage, due to his translations of his novels into English, the Western World was given an insight into the life of the average Indian individual. Narayan received many awards during his career, the most significant being the National Prize of the Indian Literary Academy in 1958 and the Padma Vibushan, the second highest honour for civilians in 2000. [23]

Further reading

Post-Independence Voices in South Asian Writings edited by Alamgir Hashmi et al. Islamabad / New Delhi: Alhamra / Doaba, 2001.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bengal</span> Region in the eastern Indian subcontinent

Bengal is a historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Bengal proper is divided between the modern-day sovereign nation of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bengali poetry</span> Bengali-language poetry

Bengali poetry is a rich tradition of poetry in the Bengali language and has many different forms. Originating in Bengal, the history of Bengali poetry underwent three successive stages of development: poetry of the early age, the Medieval period and the age of modern poetry. All ages have seen different forms of poetry and poetical tradition. It reached the pinnacle during the Bengali Renaissance period although it has a rich tradition and has grown independent of the movement. Major Bengali Poets throughout the ages are Chandidas, Alaol, Ramprasad Sen, Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Nabinchandra Sen, Rabindranath Tagore, Dwijendralal Ray, Satyendranath Dutta, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Jibanananda Das, Jasimuddin, Sukanta Battacharya, Al Mahmud.

Indian literature refers to the literature produced on the Indian subcontinent until 1947 and in the Republic of India thereafter. The Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India has 22 officially recognised languages. Sahitya Akademi, India's highest literary body, also has 24 recognised literary languages.

Arts and architecture in India have been shaped by a synthesis of indigenous and foreign influences that have consequently shaped the course of the arts of the rest of Asia, since ancient times. Arts refer to paintings, architecture, literature, music, dance, languages and cinema. In early India, most of the arts were derived Vedic influences. After the birth of contemporary Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism arts flourished under the patronage of kings and emperors. The coming of Islam spawned a whole new era of Indian architecture and art. Finally the British brought their own Gothic and Roman influences and fused it with the Indian style. They have a culture infusion in their art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Debendranath Tagore</span> Indian philosopher (1817–1905)

Debendranath Tagore was an Indian philosopher and religious reformer, active in the Brahmo Samaj. He joined Brahmo samaj in 1842. He was the founder in 1848 of the Brahmo religion, which today is synonymous with Brahmoism. Born in Shilaidaha, his father was the industrialist Dwarakanath Tagore; he himself had 14 children, many of whom, including Nobel-prize winning poet Rabindranath Tagore, made significant artistic or literary contributions to society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Music of Bengal</span>

Bengali music comprises a long tradition of religious and secular song-writing over a period of almost a millennium. Composed with lyrics in the Bengali language, Bengali music spans a wide variety of styles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rabindra Sangeet</span> Songs composed by Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindra Sangeet, also known as Tagore Songs, are songs from the Indian subcontinent written and composed by the Bengali polymath Rabindranath Tagore, winner of the 1913 Nobel Prize in Literature, the first Indian and also the first non-European to receive such recognition. Tagore was a prolific composer with approximately 2,232 songs to his credit. The songs have distinctive characteristics in the music of Bengal, popular in India and Bangladesh.

Gitanjali is a collection of poems by the Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore. Tagore received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913, for its English translation, Song Offerings, making him the first non-European and the first Asian & the only Indian to receive this honour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bengal Renaissance</span> 1800s–1930s socio-cultural and religious reform movement in Bengal, Indian subcontinent

The Bengal Renaissance, also known as the Bengali Renaissance, was a cultural, social, intellectual, and artistic movement that took place in the Bengal region of the British Raj, from the late 18th century to the early 20th century. Historians have traced the beginnings of the movement to the victory of the British East India Company at the 1757 Battle of Plassey, as well as the works of reformer Raja Rammohan Roy, considered the "Father of the Bengal Renaissance," born in 1772. Nitish Sengupta stated that the movement "can be said to have … ended with Rabindranath Tagore," Asia's first Nobel laureate.

Indian English literature (IEL), also referred to as Indian Writing in English (IWE), is the body of work by writers in India who write in the English language but whose native or co-native language could be one of the numerous languages of India. Its early history began with the works of Henry Louis Vivian Derozio and Michael Madhusudan Dutt followed by Rabindranath Tagore and Sri Aurobindo. R. K. Narayan, Mulk Raj Anand and Raja Rao contributed to the growth and popularity of Indian English fiction in the 1930s. It is also associated, in some cases, with the works of members of the Indian diaspora who subsequently compose works in English.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Works of Rabindranath Tagore</span> Notable works of Rabindranath Tagore

The works of Rabindranath Tagore consist of poems, novels, short stories, dramas, paintings, drawings, and music that Bengali poet and Brahmo philosopher Rabindranath Tagore created over his lifetime.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bengali literature</span>

Bengali literature denotes the body of writings in the Bengali language and which covers Old Bengali, Middle Bengali and Modern Bengali with the changes through the passage of time and dynastic patronization or non-patronization. Bengali has developed over the course of roughly 1,400 years. If the emergence of the Bengali literature supposes to date back to roughly 650 AD, the development of Bengali literature claims to be 1600 years old. The earliest extant work in Bengali literature is the Charyapada, a collection of Buddhist mystic songs in Old Bengali dating back to the 10th and 11th centuries. The timeline of Bengali literature is divided into three periods: ancient (650–1200), medieval (1200–1800) and modern. Medieval Bengali literature consists of various poetic genres, including Hindu religious scriptures, Islamic epics, Vaishnava texts, translations of Arabic, Persian and Sanskrit texts, and secular texts by Muslim poets. Novels were introduced in the mid-19th century. Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore is the best known figure of Bengali literature to the world. Kazi Nazrul Islam, notable for his activism and anti-British literature, was described as the Rebel Poet and is now recognised as the National poet of Bangladesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rabindranath Tagore</span> Bengali poet, philosopher, and writer (1861–1941)

Rabindranath Tagore was a Bengali poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer, and painter of the Bengal Renaissance. He reshaped Bengali literature and music as well as Indian art with Contextual Modernism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Author of the "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful" poetry of Gitanjali, in 1913 Tagore became the first non-European and the first lyricist to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. Tagore's poetic songs were viewed as spiritual and mercurial; where his elegant prose and magical poetry were widely popular in the Indian subcontinent. He was a fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society. Referred to as "the Bard of Bengal", Tagore was known by the sobriquets Gurudeb, Kobiguru, and Biswokobi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Languages of South Asia</span>

South Asia is home to several hundred languages, spanning the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. It is home to the fourth most spoken language in the world, Hindi–Urdu; and the sixth most spoken language, Bengali. Languages like Bengali, Tamil and Nepali have official/national status in more than one country of this region. The languages in the region mostly comprise Indo-Iranic and Dravidian languages, and further members of other language families like Austroasiatic, and Tibeto-Burman languages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bengali language</span> Indo-Aryan language in the Bengal region of South Asia


Bengali, also known by its endonym Bangla, is a classical Indo-Aryan language from the Indo-European language family native to the Bengal region of South Asia. With over 237 million native speakers and another 41 million as second language speakers as of 2024, Bengali is the fifth most spoken native language and the seventh most spoken language by the total number of speakers in the world. It is the fifth most spoken Indo-European language.

<i>Prabasi</i> Bengali literary magazine

Prabasi was a monthly Bengali language literary magazine edited by Ramananda Chatterjee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Persian language in the Indian subcontinent</span>

Before British colonisation, the Persian language was the lingua franca of the Indian subcontinent and a widely used official language in North India. The language was brought into South Asia by various Turkics and Afghans and was preserved and patronized by Local Indian dynasties from the 11th century onwards, notable of which were the Ghaznavids, Sayyid Dynasty, Tughlaq dynasty, Khilji dynasty, Mughal Dynasty, Gujarat Sultanate, Bengal sultanate etc. Initially it was used by Muslim dynasties of India but later started being used by Non-Muslim empires too, For example the Sikh empire, Persian held official status in the court and the administration within these empires. It largely replaced Sanskrit as the language of politics, literature, education, and social status in the subcontinent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bangamata</span> Personification of Bengal

Baṅgamātā, Bangla Maa, Mother Bengal or simply বাংলা/ Bangla, is a personification of Bengal created during the Bengali Renaissance and later adopted by the Bengali nationalists. In Bangladeshi Bengali and Indian Bengali poetry, literature, cultural and patriotic song, she has become a symbol of Bangladesh and India's West Bengal & Tripura and considered as a personification of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. The Mother Bengal represents not only biological motherness but its attributed characteristics as well – protection, never ending love, consolation, care, the beginning and the end of life.

An Artist in Life is a biography of Rabindranath Tagore first published in 1967 by the University of Kerala. The book, written by Niharranjan Ray took 15 years to research and publish. The biography also presents a critical study of all Tagore's works.

Ketaki Kushari Dyson is a Bengali-born poet, novelist, playwright, translator and critic, diaspora writer and scholar. Born and educated in Calcutta (Kolkata), India, she has lived most of her adult life near Oxford. She writes in Bengali and English, on topics as wide-ranging as Bengal, England, the various diaspora, feminism and women's issues, cultural assimilation, multiculturalism, gastronomy, social and political topics.

References

  1. ↑ "'South Asia most diverse with 650 languages'". The Hindu. 2018-01-08. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 2022-05-13.
  2. ↑ Nakassis, Constantine & Annamalai, E. (2020). Linguistic Diversity in South Asia, Reconsidered. University of Chicago. pp. 1–21.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ↑ Lowe, John (2015). Participles in Rigvedic Sanskrit: The Syntax and Semantics of Adjectival Verb Forms. University of Oxford.
  4. ↑ "South Asian arts - Literature | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-05-13.
  5. ↑ Danesh 1 Cardona 2, Jain 1 George 2 (2007). The Indo-Aryan Languages. London: TaylorFrancis. ISBN   9780203945315.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ↑ Tariq, Rahman (2007). Punjabi Language during British Rule. p. 27.
  7. 1 2 3 "Punjabi literature | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-05-13.
  8. ↑ Chatterji, Suniti Kumar. The Origin and Development of the Bengali Language. p. 80.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Bangla Literature - Banglapedia". en.banglapedia.org. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  10. ↑ Billah, Abu Musa Mohammad Arif. The Development of Bengali Literature during Muslim Rule. University of Dhaka. pp. 44–54.
  11. ↑ Taylor, Miles (2004). Queen Victoria and India, 1837-61. Indiana University Press. pp. 264–274.
  12. ↑ "South Asian arts - Malayalam | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-05-13.
  13. ↑ "Bhai Vir Singh | Indian writer and theologian | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  14. ↑ "Bhai Vir Singh: An Overview". 2014-04-04. Archived from the original on 4 April 2014. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  15. 1 2 "Rabindranath Tagore was a global phenomenon, so why is he so neglected? | Ian Jack". the Guardian. 2011-05-07. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  16. ↑ "Vyasa – Manavata" . Retrieved 2022-05-13.
  17. ↑ "Tenali Ramakrishna, Biography of Humorous Poet and". India the Destiny. 2016-06-04. Retrieved 2022-05-13.
  18. ↑ "Shashi Tharoor: A man who courts controversy". Gulf News. 14 October 2014. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  19. 1 2 Fraser, Bashabi. Rabindranath Tagore. London: Reaktion Books, 2019.
  20. ↑ Bhattacharya, Purusottam (December 26, 2015). "Rabindranath Tagore and the Freedom of India from British Rule". New Delhi. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  21. ↑ Freeman, Judith (December 11, 1994). "'May You Always Wear Red' : Insights into the nuances of Indian culture". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  22. ↑ "R.K. Narayan | Biography, Books, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  23. ↑ "R K Narayan Biography". VEDANTU. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.