Ars Artium, Vol. 11, 2023
Ars Artium, Vol. 11, 2023
Nigeria's playwright Femi Osofisan's dramaturgy challenges the inherent disequilibrium in class s... more Nigeria's playwright Femi Osofisan's dramaturgy challenges the inherent disequilibrium in class stratification. Through a Marxist prism, he seeks to awaken the masses out of lethargy by exposing the prevailing, dilapidating conditions in society. The widespread and continuous interpretations of his plays along Marxist ideological designation have stripped them of literariness especially their aesthetic immediacy. This has posed a problem in classifying his plays. Using the Formalist Theory, this study reveals that Osofisan's drama conveys sublime literary sensibilities in the same breath as the ideological outline which is the concern of many critics. Through a combination of style, content, technique, and other literary strategies, the playwright promotes his art to align with the 'art for art sake' school of thought. The study further demonstrates that the playwright's aesthetic commitment imbues spontaneity to his artistic current, thus, playing more vital roles in the appreciation of his plays. His plays, Morountodun and Once Upon Four Robbers are critically interpreted through the Formalist theoretical framework to convey artistic and theatrical flourishes which emblematize them as literary manuscripts rather than political or ideological tracts. By identifying the aesthetic unity in the texts, the playwright is seen more as an advocate of literary culture than a socio-political, Marxist crusader which diminishes his creative reputation.
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Ars Artium, Vol. 11 , 2023
The question of positive direction for most African countries after independence has continued to... more The question of positive direction for most African countries after independence has continued to elicit volumes of writings from authors based both in and outside the continent. This attention comes against the backdrop of obvious failures of the new leaders to address albeit adequately the myriad of socioeconomic and political problems confronting these countries. This paper examines Festus Iyayi and Ngugi wa Thiong'o's attempt to confront headlong obvious present-day challenges of nationstates, and the inability of its "appointed" managers to rise to them. The concern of the paper is not only to identify these hydra-headed monsters but most importantly through these works proffer an enduring viable option to counteract the glaring and inadequate system that has left a sour taste in the mouths of the peoples of the African continent.
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Ars Artium , Vol. 11, 2023
Racism and its destructive effects on the lives of the black and coloured members of apartheid So... more Racism and its destructive effects on the lives of the black and coloured members of apartheid South Africa lead to a hike in crime and violence in the society. Many South African writers who have taken time to satirize the society by exposing the evil effects of apartheid in their works focus on only the blacks as the victims excluding the whites. Through textual analysis, this study exposes J. M. Coetzee's representation of post-apartheid violence in his Age of Iron (1990) with the aim of exposing how both the white and black South Africans are victims of apartheid and how to provide a lasting solution to their wounds and pains caused by the violence. The study also aims to buttress that going back to the traditional and cultural African values of accepting one another as brothers and harmonious coexistence of Africans, disparity and racism would be eradicated in the society. This will in turn reduce insecurity in the society.
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Ars Artium, Vol. 11 , 2023
Raja Rao is a novelist of philosophical bent. The whole gamut of his writing manifests his unflin... more Raja Rao is a novelist of philosophical bent. The whole gamut of his writing manifests his unflinching quest for Truth, and his novel, The Cat and Shakespeare (1965) is not an exception to it. The present article covers the main issues of a man's quest for self-knowledge or self-transcendence, and it is explored and enacted in the novel as the hero, Ramakrishna Pai, goes through his life. He is a seeker of Truth, and his august mission is to find the absolute. The various stages in his life are clearly marked out and his trials and tribulations, his spiritual doubts and uncertainties are also indicated in the novel. He is trapped in the midst of emotionally confused age, and feels some deep absence in him. Pai tries to come out of the void he has in his life, and for that he is initiated by Govindan Nair, a friend and Guru of him. Nair helps Pai to take the Visistadvaitic (qualified non-dualism) practices of Bhakti (devotion) and Prapatti (self-surrender) to lead him to his ultimate destination. He is involved in different kinds of human relationships. He is seen playing diverse roles as a civil servant, father, friend, husband and lover. But all his physical action gives rise to psychological action which takes place in the theatre of Pai's heart, mind and soul with the guidance of Govindan Nair. He helps Pai to surrender to God, to destroy 'ego' and to achieve the state of mystic illumination. The self-realization of Pai, his rise from the personal to the impersonal is the outcome of Bhakti and Prapatti.
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Ars Artium, Vol. 11, 2023
Daydreaming has been playing a crucial role in our lives. It is interwoven with life and has no w... more Daydreaming has been playing a crucial role in our lives. It is interwoven with life and has no way of omission from daily life. Daydreaming protects us from agony, disappointment and fear which are caused by the outside world. McGuire's Every Heart a Doorway (2016) reveals how daydreaming reflects in our lives. Via daydreaming, her protagonists take shelter from society's demands and brutality. Worth noting each society has to keep its integrity, in this regard it makes individuals sacrifice their true Self for society's integrity. McGuire illustrates how her protagonists hide in their daydreaming to keep their 'Self', however, their daydreaming sounds quite real to them as a result they stop at nothing to reach their worlds back. In this respect, this article seeks to explore and unpack the true identity of the second worlds, the meaning of doors, and the main ground of children's passion for returning to their worlds.
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Ars Artium, Vol. 11, 2023
The death of Queen Elizabeth II elicited diverse reactions from people across the world, especial... more The death of Queen Elizabeth II elicited diverse reactions from people across the world, especially in former British colonies in Africa and Asia where the monarchy, the symbol of British government, actively participated in slave trade and colonialism. Before the passage of the Queen, Dr. Uju Anya, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania, United States, had curiously wished the revered monarch "an excruciating death," probably because of Britain's role in Nigeria's genocidal civil war against Biafra. It is based on these criticisms that this study appraises the effects of colonialism on the Igbo society as portrayed in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Purple Hibiscus. Some of the basic principles of postcolonial theory are deployed to analyze the experiences of characters in the two novels, which adequately represent the two epochs of the colonial experience. The study also draws strength from Paul Gilroy's views on postcolonial discourse, especially his conviviality concept as well as the use of library and internet sources. The study, which will deepen postcolonial discourses, holds that colonialism succeeded due largely to internal contradictions in the Igbo society and the good aspects of colonialism, such as education, freedom and trade, which the Igbo could not resist. It concludes that Britain should find new mutual ways of relating more productively with members of its former colonies in a world of conviviality.
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Ars Artium, Vol. 11, 2023
From the Western Existential point of view, Arjuna's baffled state of mind in the Gita is an almo... more From the Western Existential point of view, Arjuna's baffled state of mind in the Gita is an almost anachronistic precursor of the modern day intellectual trying to cope with the absurdities of the universe. Seen in a somewhat secular light, the opening chapters of the Gita are indeed an elaboration of the moral-philosophical debates regarding the question of choice; in this case, to be made by Arjuna, the 'agent'. He must recover from his death-drive and bring his stasis to an end. Is Krishna an outside agency here, or just a non-participating factor which makes the choice possible? Also the question of predestination further problematizes the whole affair. Arjuna must break the loop of time by playing his sva-dharma, and go beyond facticity. Killing, for Arjuna, seems as absurd as self-annihilation. But finally he does prepare his mind for Nishkam Karma. Thus he proves himself to be an existential hero, an authentic agent par excellence.
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Ars Artium, Vol. 11, 2023
This essay is a comparative study of John Keats and Tanure Ojaide's poetry. It is anchored on Lit... more This essay is a comparative study of John Keats and Tanure Ojaide's poetry. It is anchored on Literary Romanticism as well as critical textual interpretation of the primary texts. A close reading of The Selected Poems and Letters of Keats by Robert Gittings and Ojaide's Blood of Peace and Other Poems and In the House of Words elucidates comparative Romantic significance. In this connection, the essay attempts to demonstrate that both poets assume Romantic similarities and differences in their poems through the world of birds, the world of seasons and the world of artistic objects. Moreover, they deploy simple everyday conversation, coupled with rustic subjects and imagery drawn from rustic situations and environment. Besides, one cannot fail to notice their imaginative brilliance towards these subjects.
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Ars Artium, Vol. 11, 2023
Despite 1000-year Muslim rule, India was never declared a theocratic or Islamic state. Muslim rul... more Despite 1000-year Muslim rule, India was never declared a theocratic or Islamic state. Muslim rulers allowed non-Muslims to lead their daily lives as per their religions and cultures. Communal harmony and Hindu-Muslim amity was the order of the day. This paper explores answers to questions such as: Was the state during Muslim rule declared as theocratic? To what extent the freedom of religion or religious tolerance was practised in medieval India? Were Hindus discriminated and excluded from imperial services by Muslim rulers? Whether Hindus were forcibly converted to Islam? In what way the art, music, architecture, and legal system developed in India because of these socio-cultural interactions? What is the nature of Hindu-Muslim relations in modern India? How and why these relations have been communalized in recent decades? What needs to be done to stem the deteriorating Hindu-Muslim divide and hatred towards each other. How can we invalidate Samuel P. Huntington's thesis that there will be civilizational or cultural war in India and India will be Hinduised? This paper argues that secular traditions of Indian society will get strengthened and revived by political and social forces in crafting future India.
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Ars Artium, Vol. 11, 2023
Despite their mammoth infrastructure none of the modern Indian educational establishments could m... more Despite their mammoth infrastructure none of the modern Indian educational establishments could make a mark among the top 150 institutions of the world. Nor have they been successful in producing any landmark fundamental or applied research. Even the graduates churned out by them are unemployable, unproductive, irresponsible, self-centred and greedy shirkers with a highly colonial attitude and mind-set. The contemporary Indian education unabashedly and unflinchingly disseminates the colonial conviction that the West is wiser, more just, and more humane and has the panacea for every ill. It being Indian only in its location shows scant respect for Indian culture and traditions. While the system was Anglo-centric earlier, it is Anglo-American-centric now, be it the issue of cultural-ethos, curriculum, medium of instruction, teaching materials and methods, testing methods, qualifications of teachers and learners or funding of education. The modern education creates a mind with the hallmark of imitation and mimicry and it successfully generates a feeling of inferiority, erases memory and cultures, introduces an alien conceptual vocabulary, and produces a shadow/shallow mind whose creativity is smothered with dullness. Through new types of funding/fellowships the Indian minds are being neo-colonised. How the National Education Policy 2020 seeks to transform the imitative mind to a thinking mind rooted in Indian culture and ethics is the theme of this paper. Pros and cons of all the above issues are discussed in the paper with proper reference points from ancient Indian educational history.
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Ars Artium, Vol 11, 2023
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Ars Artium, Vol. 11, 2023
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Ars Artium, Vol. 11, 2023
Poetry is something that evokes a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience or a specific ... more Poetry is something that evokes a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience or a specific emotional response through language chosen and arranged for its meaning, sound, and rhythm. It promotes literacy, builds community, and fosters emotional resilience. It can cross boundaries that little else can, and that is why we read and enjoy William Wordsworth, John Keats, W. B. Yeats, T. S. Eliot, etc. whose poetry reached all over the world. Susheel Kumar Sharma's Unwinding Self also has all the characteristics that make him a global poet. This collection has forty four poems and most of them are short in terms of their length but filled with deep thoughts. By reading these poems anyone can feel the vast experiences of so many fields of life of the poet that he has gone through in his life. These poems range from the social problems of the society to the problems that the poet faces in his life.
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Ars Artium, Vol. 11, 2023
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Ars Artium, Vol. 10, 2022
Ars Artium, Vol. 10, 2022
There have been a plethora of federal government programmes, Civil Rights movements, and educatio... more There have been a plethora of federal government programmes, Civil Rights movements, and education programs that have had a positive impact on the dire condition of African-American women, but they still fall victims to the trifold oppressions of race, class, and gender. The Black feminist consciousness vehemently called for Black women's liberation from these subjugations. Black women today enjoy a more rewarding benefit than ever has been, engaging in permanent and established positions. This paper examines the application of the various concepts of Black feminism to the select fictional works of Tayari Jones viz., Silver Sparrow and An American Marriage. First published in 2011 and 2018 respectively, both are coming-of-age narratives that provide various forms and practices in relation to wider socioeconomic developments of African-Americans in America.
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Ars Artium, Vol. 10, 2022
Psychoanalysis is said to be one of the most controversial but fascinating and rewarding approach... more Psychoanalysis is said to be one of the most controversial but fascinating and rewarding approaches in appreciating literature. This approach has become one of the mechanisms to find out the hidden meaning of a literary text. The focus is usually on the unconscious or subconscious rather than on the conscious mind. It is hinged on the foundational perspective that a person's behaviour is determined by experiences from the past that are placed in the unconscious mind as propounded by Freud. This study examines how three selected African texts portray the relationship that exists between parents and their children, which is usually conflictual as a result of their different ideologies to life. The study further looks at forms in which these conflicts occur and the psychological implications it has on both parties. The research will be descriptive and qualitative, exploring, analyzing and explaining certain behavioural traits and outbursts in characters in the purposefully selected literary texts, using the psychoanalytical theory.
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Ars Artium, Vol. 10, 2022
Although Maithili literature has been very rich yet there is huge crisis of English translation i... more Although Maithili literature has been very rich yet there is huge crisis of English translation in this field. English Translation has potential to bring Maithili literature on the map of the world literatures since translation is the conduit of cross cultural communication and dissemination of knowledge. We take the cognizance of the world through translation in this 21 st century and if we want to make our society a 'knowledge society' then we have to accept and embrace translation as a vehicle to achieve our goal. Translation has been emerged as a disseminating and democratizing force in the realm of all disciplines and discourses since the history of human civilization.
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Ars Artium, Vol. 10, 2022
The Bengali people are an ethno-linguistic group dwelling in the Bengal region of South Asia. Spe... more The Bengali people are an ethno-linguistic group dwelling in the Bengal region of South Asia. Speaking Bengali mostly, its native population is divided between the independent country, Bangladesh and the Indian states by name, West Bengal, Tripura, Assam and some pockets of Manipur.
The Indian subcontinent has a chequered history of intolerance of religious character, particularly since 1947 when British India was vivisected into Hindudominated India and Muslim-majority Pakistan. However, religious solidarity could not keep Pakistan intact as it was partitioned in 1971, forming Bangladesh, the erstwhile East Pakistan, based on linguistic lines as the rulers imposed Urdu on East Pakistan, to the consternation of Bengalis. In the ensuing bloody war, India poked its nose into the embroiled warfare as minorities started pouring in and so it sent its troops aiding the people of East Pakistan and ensuring freedom of Bangladesh. Bangladesh has prided itself on its secular credentials since it gained independence from Pakistan in 1971. Though the constitution stipulates Islam as the state religion, it also upholds the principle of secularism. But analysts point out that hard-line Islamist groups have gained prominence over the years who have failed to tackle the rising religious intolerance and fundamentalism. “The government has for political expediency compromised with the fundamentalist forces, particularly in the backdrop of constrained democratic polity” (Nasrin 78). They copy a leaf from the book of their counterparts, Bharatiya Janata Party (of India), though less aggressive, owing to the established Indian democratic polity and solid secular foundations. The paper seeks to explore ethnic cleansing as comprehended in Lajja (1993).
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Ars Artium, Vol. 10, 2022
This paper aims to deal with R. K. Narayan's novel, The Guide, as a modern version of a Panchatan... more This paper aims to deal with R. K. Narayan's novel, The Guide, as a modern version of a Panchatantra tale of a thief transformed into a saint. A unity of vision and tranquillity of temperament commingle in the novel. The language, in which the narration is couched, is generally luminous and lucid, metaphorically temperate and simple in syntax. The smooth conveyance of the novel's easy action to the readers imparts a sharp-eyed and taught feeling of gentleness in the portrayal of Narayan's character. Though this feeling verges on contemplative gentleness, Narayan's attitude is not that simple and encompasses expertness in defining the linked and confused territories of sincerity and self-deception. The complex association of sincerity and self-deception is indeed the organizing theme of the novel.
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Ars Artium, Vol. 10, 2022
Elderly people have been moving to old age homes because of detachment from their family members ... more Elderly people have been moving to old age homes because of detachment from their family members along with loneliness, widowhood, and aspirations of enhancement of spirituality. This has led to increasing trends of movement of elderly people towards old age home. There is a dearth of studies related to the lived experiences of elderly people with regard to living arrangement, especially in the context of Pokhara, Nepal. Therefore, this paper aims to explore perceptions of elderly people at old age home with regards to their living arrangement. This study was carried out for data collection using face to face in-depth interview with 22 people aged 60 years and above during the period May-July 2018. It follows thematic analysis, a meaning making approach, to analyse field data. Major findings of this study are better perceptions of elderly people with regard to living arrangement at old age homes in most of the cases in comparison to their place of origin. This study concludes that most of the elderly people have experienced peace, freedom and individualism at old age homes. It would be invaluable, especially for policy makers and stakeholders in order to attain the elderly people's quality of life.
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The Indian subcontinent has a chequered history of intolerance of religious character, particularly since 1947 when British India was vivisected into Hindudominated India and Muslim-majority Pakistan. However, religious solidarity could not keep Pakistan intact as it was partitioned in 1971, forming Bangladesh, the erstwhile East Pakistan, based on linguistic lines as the rulers imposed Urdu on East Pakistan, to the consternation of Bengalis. In the ensuing bloody war, India poked its nose into the embroiled warfare as minorities started pouring in and so it sent its troops aiding the people of East Pakistan and ensuring freedom of Bangladesh. Bangladesh has prided itself on its secular credentials since it gained independence from Pakistan in 1971. Though the constitution stipulates Islam as the state religion, it also upholds the principle of secularism. But analysts point out that hard-line Islamist groups have gained prominence over the years who have failed to tackle the rising religious intolerance and fundamentalism. “The government has for political expediency compromised with the fundamentalist forces, particularly in the backdrop of constrained democratic polity” (Nasrin 78). They copy a leaf from the book of their counterparts, Bharatiya Janata Party (of India), though less aggressive, owing to the established Indian democratic polity and solid secular foundations. The paper seeks to explore ethnic cleansing as comprehended in Lajja (1993).
The Indian subcontinent has a chequered history of intolerance of religious character, particularly since 1947 when British India was vivisected into Hindudominated India and Muslim-majority Pakistan. However, religious solidarity could not keep Pakistan intact as it was partitioned in 1971, forming Bangladesh, the erstwhile East Pakistan, based on linguistic lines as the rulers imposed Urdu on East Pakistan, to the consternation of Bengalis. In the ensuing bloody war, India poked its nose into the embroiled warfare as minorities started pouring in and so it sent its troops aiding the people of East Pakistan and ensuring freedom of Bangladesh. Bangladesh has prided itself on its secular credentials since it gained independence from Pakistan in 1971. Though the constitution stipulates Islam as the state religion, it also upholds the principle of secularism. But analysts point out that hard-line Islamist groups have gained prominence over the years who have failed to tackle the rising religious intolerance and fundamentalism. “The government has for political expediency compromised with the fundamentalist forces, particularly in the backdrop of constrained democratic polity” (Nasrin 78). They copy a leaf from the book of their counterparts, Bharatiya Janata Party (of India), though less aggressive, owing to the established Indian democratic polity and solid secular foundations. The paper seeks to explore ethnic cleansing as comprehended in Lajja (1993).
In this collection, Ishika tries to introduce her poetic world through two
“Forewords”, “Comments”, “Reviews” and “Preface” by some teachers and editors, and “Author’s Note” written by herself. These writings help the readers to better understand the poems. Some read poems for pleasure and some read them for research. Ishika’s poems can serve both purposes alike.
I am grateful to have been brought to Jindal's work through a collection of short stories May We Borrow Your Country by The Whole Kahani. These writers are new territory for me, I am curious to explore further.
Jindal's voice is direct, her narrative crammed with detail after detail. She does not give the 'feel' of a place she grabs the reader by the hand and points at people's cloths, pushes dishes of fragrant food beneath the reader's nose, she whispers behind her hand about sexual attraction.
his entire life for the empowerment of the coloured people of America through the means of education. His educational model proposes industrial and technical education, agricultural education and training, vocational education, skill based knowledge, moral values, etc.
because ideas which shape up the contour of parenting are consequent upon a
number of socio-cultural and economic variables. The issue of parenting is nowadays
being explored from several theoretical standpoints. For instance, the act of parenting
is contingent upon both how parents negotiate various problems that spring up
occasionally during the time of parenting and how children respond to parental care
and affection. The act of parenting becomes more problematic when both parents and
children have to strive to come to terms with diasporic situations. The problem of
acculturation invariably leaves impact upon parenting, which leads parents to make
necessary alterations in the act of parenting, which is required to conform to diasporic
situations. The act of parenting in diasporic situations is as problematic as it is in the
case of internal diasporic situations. In other words, parents who migrate from one
state to another within a nation-state, have to negotiate acculturation-related problems
due to cultural heterogeneities pervasive across a nation-state. The impact of internal
diasporic situations upon the act of parenting is worth exploring and thus cannot be
left out of consideration. Shilpa Raj emerges as one of the young novelists who has
understood the worth of exploring the act of parenting in internal diasporic situations
and therefore has penned down The Elephant Chaser's Daughter – a brilliant fictional
manifestation of variegated parenting representations in internal diasporic situations.
Shilpa Raj lays bare different dimensions of parenting in the fictional narrative and
unveils how parenting leaves impact on the growth of the protagonist of the novel.
Most interestingly, Raj has brought out the need to put emphasis on internal diaspora
so far parenting is concerned in this novel. Along with it, the issue of border is
entwined with internal diaspora so much so that it cannot be left out of consideration
while examining parenting practices in internal diasporic situations. The notion of border which connotes a line of difference between two contesting spaces has been
exquisitely explored by Raj in connection with the parental representations in internal
diasporic situation. This article is intended to problematize parenting representation by
pitting it against the backdrop of internal diaspora. It aims to argue that the intricacies
germane to internal diaspora are bound to affect parenting and therefore can tenably
be subjected to theoretical deliberations.
Dr. V. Pala Prasada Rao and Mr. G. Nageswara Rao, in their article "Historicity of Creative Literature", analyse the need of historical sacredness of facts and argue that history should not be appropriated by any means as the subversion of the same under some influence can be poisonous and cause hatred in some sections of society. They begin the article with important lines of Miguel de Cervantes, "History is a
sacred kind of writing, because truth is essential to it, and where truth is, there God himself is, so far as truth is concerned", and use Shashi Tharoor's Riot (2001), Bapsi Sidhwa's Cracking India (1988), Bhisham Sahni's Tamas (1974), and also Jawaharlal Nehru's Discovery of India (1946) in their study.
There are three critical articles on Feminism. Dr. Shadi S. Neimneh, Prof.
Marwan M. Obeidat and Dr. Motasim O. Al-Mwajeh in their joint article examine the language of the body in J. M. Coetzee's novel, In the Heart of the Country (1977), in a psychoanalytic feminist approach using the theories of Julia Kristeva, Jacques Lacan, and Sigmund Freud. Dr. Mohan Lal Mahto analyses Ruth Prawer Jhabvala's Get Ready for Battle (1962) from feminist perspective and Mr. Vinay Kumar Dubey examines patriarchy and woman's search for self in the major novels of Shashi
Deshpande.
Prof. Zafar Khan, in his article on Children’s Literature, evaluates the evolution of Children's Literature in Africa since the colonial period to modern times. Dr. Evelyn Nwachukwu Urama examines discrimination against women in African society and the changing roles of the Igbo women as presented in the selected works of Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the African women novelists.
In his article on Indian Fiction in English, Dr. Rabindra Das examines
discrimination and exploitation in the first trilogy of Mulk Raj Anand, namely Untouchable (1935), Coolie (1936) and Two Leaves and a Bud (1937).
There is an article on Film Studies by Dr. Sumati in which she studies the movie Dear Zindagi (2016) on the principles of positive psychology and tries to establish the fact that such a movie could be the best suited medium and a practical guide to appeal one's emotions and identify one's strengths and weaknesses in order to bring harmony and balance in life.
Mr. Abhisek Ghosal's article examines different dimensions of parenting in internal diasporic situations as presented in Shilpa Raj's memoir, The Elephant Chaser's Daughter (2017). He vividly explores acculturation-related problems that affect parenting and necessitate the parents to negotiate with them for the cause of success.
Mr. Aiman Reyaz and Dr. Priyanka Tripathi's study is an exploration of realism and anti-realism in Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis.
There is a critical article on Translation Studies by Ms. Bastabika Das. In her article, she studies the influence of Cold War (after the Second World War) on the translated works of some Nobel Laureates in Odia and their impact on the people of Odisha as this eastern Indian state was undergoing major changes: socially, culturally and politically around the same time.
There is an article on Indian English Poetry by Dr. Pawan Kumar Jha in which he presents the discourse of love and beauty in the selected poems of Sri Aurobindo.
We have an article on ecocriticism by Dr. G. Anish S. Georshia in which she examines Indigenous writings of Australia and Canada and brings to light the symbiosis of nature and culture as portrayed in Indigenous writings along with Indigenous spirituality and ecocritical characteristics.
The article by Prof. Rekha Pande and Ms. Neeharika Joshi is a comprehensive study of representation of women in Garhwal miniature painting, an offshoot of Pahari painting. The authors provide historical accounts of paintings as well as different schools of paintings including Mewar, Bundi, Kotah, Marwar, Jaipur and Kishangarh. They also explore the murals of the caves of Ajanta and Ellora reminding us of Indian
philosophy of the sensuous and the sublime, an important part of Indian aesthetics.
There are three book reviews. Bhaskaranand Jha Bhaskar's collection of poems, Soothing Serenades: Straight from the Heart (2018), has been reviewed by Dr. Tribhuwan Kumar; Binod Mishra's collection of poems, Multiple Waves (2017), has been reviewed by Dr. S. Somasundari Latha; and Zafar Khan's Thirty-one Steps to Fluent Spoken English: Conversational English for the Speakers of Other Languages (2016), has been reviewed by Dr. Shahid Mushtaq.
As poetry is an important part of Ars Artium, there are moving poems by a number of poets from different countries: Prof. Charles Fishman (USA), Prof. Zafar Khan (USA), Prof. Neal Whitman (USA), Dr. Bishakha Sarma (India), Ms. Kaneez Fatima Syeda (Pakistan), Prof. Hadaa Sendoo (Mongolia), and Ms. Nibedita Sen (India).
Volume VI of Ars Artium consists of seventeen research papers on various topics from different areas within the purview of Humanities and Social Sciences, five book reviews and fifteen poems composed by twelve poets from various countries around the different continents.
The present issue of the journal presents the research papers on Postcolonial issues in Shakespeare's Othello, Postmodernist fiction, Subaltern Studies, Translation Studies, Julia Kristeva's concept of intertextuality; the fiction of Graham Greene and D.H. Lawrence; essay of G. K. Chesterton; stories of Rabindranath Tagore; plays of Girish Karnad; fiction of Bhabani Bhattacharya, Rohinton Mistry, Chitra Banerjee
Divakaruni; poetry of Sarojini Naidu, Kamala Das, R. Parthasarathy, Meena Kandasamy, Jaydeep Sarangi and Kulbhushan Kushal, and Iran and Turkmenistan, India-ASEAN Relations, Political Mobilization, and Religious Studies.
The Book Reviews section carries the reviews of the books recently published. They have been reviewed by the leading critics and reviewers. They are: B.R. Ambedkar's Annihilation of Caste (the annotated critical edition) edited by S. Anand, Comparative Literature: Critical Responses edited by Tribhuwan Kumar and Vijay Kumar Roy, White Lotus and Other Poems written by Bishnupada Ray, A Door Somewhere? written by Jaydeep Sarangi, Eternal Quest written by SL Peeran, Manhood,
Grasshood and Birdhood written by Aju Mukhopadhyay, and Ocean of Thoughts: Poems about Social Issues and Human Values written by Sangeeta Mahesh.
The Poetry section of the journal offers the poems of Rob Harle, Jaydeep Sarangi, Vijay Kumar Roy, Ahmad Abidi, Priyaranjan Das and Vinay Kumar Dubey.
A language is the code system that is used for communication and thought. It allows us to organise and associate information obtained as we grow older and increase our experience with the world. The language code is organised in very specific ways. Language serves as a symbolic code that manipulates, organises and associates information and allows for efficient and appropriate recall and retrieval of information for speaking and writing.
Browning is one of the most distinguished love poets of the Victorian Age.
India decades ago. In his several interviews and writings Mistry has openly conceded that for his writing he considerably relies on ‘memory and imagination’. Thus, history becomes quite a significant tool for a creative writer of Mistry’s caliber because, “For him history is the medium through which the writer has to journey in order to retrieve
individual memories, memories that are so overlapping and anguishing as histories themselves.” (Roy, Anjali 18) The Parsis are the lot who are known for their honesty and integrity worldwide and since the day Parsis have found shelter in India, they have tied up their loyalty and integrity with the land and added extra golden rings to the land’s glory with their marvellous achievements in the fields of art, commerce, education
and culture. Though they enjoyed a very close association with the Raj in preindependence era, their role in the Indian National Movement has been outstanding. Names like Bhikaji Cama, Rustamji Jivanji Gorkhodu, K.F.Nariman, Dadabhai Navroji and their contributions in Independent Movement of India need no introduction. So, it is but quite natural from the part of a sensitive writer of Parsi antecedent like Mistry to take up national history and politics in his works. That is why, in all his three novels namely; Such a Long Journey, A Fine Balance and Family Mattes, the focus is on the Parsi community, however the other major problems of India and its people in general and Mumbai and its people in particular finds considerable space. Misty injects history into relative narratives in such a way that it becomes part and parcel of the stories with their further proceedings. Bangladesh war with Pakistan in Such a Long Journey, state of Emergency declared by the then Prime Minister of India, Mrs. Indira Gandhi in A Fine Balance and aftermath of post-Babri Masjid demolition in Family Mattes create foreground in the development of his three books. In this regard Nandini Bhautoo Dewnarain’s observation is quite remarkable, “It is impossible for anyone to read Mistry’s fiction and not be aware of the depth to which it is embedded in the political background of post-Independence India.” (64)
in order to extract the confidence and support of the people for the regime. Good governance refers to a system of governance where the organization of political power allows sound social and economic policies to be designed and implemented in the most efficient and accountable manner. The World Bank coined the term “good governance” in 1992 and embedded in it the ideals of political accountability, freedom of participation, freedom of expression, an established legal framework based on rule of law, and a sound administrative system leading to efficiency and effectiveness (Glover 103).