Postcolonial Rationality in Amitav Ghosh's The Circle of Reason

Abstract

Amitav Ghosh in The Circle of Reason examines the postcolonial rationality. This thesis focuses on adverse effect of postcolonial rationality. Balaram, one of the main characters of the novel has obsession in reason. He searches for practical reason and labors for the practical and transformative project. But these types of projects are destroyed by state's repressive force. Alu, the protagonist of the novel and an innocent orphan from a village is falsely accused as terrorist and is compelled to be a fugitive. To escape from police, he wanders in various places of India, Al-Ghazira and Algeria. Forces of postcolonial rationalities criminalize the innocent people and make them refugee. People's transformative projects to change the face of society are defeated, disturbed and destroyed by the forces of nation. In the name of maintaining peace and order in the nation police force is deployed but they are unable to maintain the order in the society rather they become cause of suffering to innocent people. Ghosh's attempt of showing distinction between bourgeois and subaltern migrants (between Alu, Zindi, boss and ASP Jyoti Das), disturbance in the projects of people which has practical reasoning to transform the society and suffering of people proves the failure of postcolonial rationality. Postcolonial rationality has no sense, no reason, and no principled and pragmatic value. Its cause is the British furthered structure in the post independent India.