Sutar as a Hegemonized Character in Govinda Raj Bhattarai's Muglan

Abstract

This thesis is a study of the working conditions of Nepali immigrants as reflected in Govinda Raj Bhattarai's, Muglan. There in Bhutan, their dehumanization, exploitation and misery knew no bound. Their working conditions and thwarted passions are doubtless heart-rending. When the base of the national economy of Nepal was still feudalistic, thousands of Nepali immigrants went to different regions of Bhutan and India for different purposes. Poverty, Superstition, threat of feudal lords and the hope of getting recruited in British Army pushed a large number of Nepali immigrants to different territories of Bhutan and West Bengal. Despite their repeated efforts and struggle to actualize their dream, they are doomed to suffer. They are so cheated and manipulated by the organized network of middlemen, agents and brokers that they had to beg money for survival. They are taken to Bhutan and forced to do a back breaking work. Some immigrants die of consumption whereas others managed to return to their homeland. Key Words: Immigrants, Subordination, Hegemony, Exploitation, Settlement, Brokers, Homeland, Recruitment, Dehumanization