power dynamics and post independent disillusionment in Vikram Seth’s A Suitable Boy

Abstract

This study explores political practices, hostility between religions, communal violence, sexual exploitation and class conflict in post independent India and explores biopolitics in the characters activities over political events of 1950’s post independent India. Seth’s narrative is examined through biopolitics theory of Michael Foucault. Discourse of biopolitics of Foucault that carries ideologies of politics and social norms circulate biopower and create a sort of power relation that has been practiced from one group to another group in post-colonial Indian society. Power politics is dynamic that changes from colonial period to post-colonial period continuously. Power changes from one hierarchy to another. Power Politics, racial hatred, caste exploitation and communalism play main role to keep power relation between Hindu and Muslims, upper caste and lower caste, majority and minority groups. This study also exposes discourses of biopower exercises in newly post independent 1950’s India. Land reform, partition violence and Hindu Muslim hatred are the problems in post-colonial India which will be examined in the study. Mahesh Kapoor, Nehru, Raja of Marh, Dr kishen Chand Seth, Sandeep Lahari, and L.N Agarwal are some characters whose biopolitics over landlord, minority peoples, Hindus, prostitute, lower caste Jatav, rural common people and Muslims is observed in the study. There is disillusionment in post-colonial India due to exploitation, class conflict and racial hatred. Foucault’s biopolitics is the main theoretical analyzing tool and power and discourse of Foucault on the context of post colonialism are secondary tools of analyzing the narration of Seth. This study has some key terms such as power, discourse, postcolonialism, biopolitics, post independent, power dynamics and disillusionment.