Representing the subalterns: Strategic Essentialism in Amitav Ghosh's Countdown

Abstract

The present thesis entitled "Representing the Subalterns: Strategic Essentialism in Amitav Ghosh's Countdown" shows that subalterns have political consciousness and consciousness about government's expenditure on the nuclear arms and armaments and subalterns speak through the strategic position of the intellectual. Amitav Ghosh, an intellectual anthropologist, is able to show the growing consciousness and resistance of the subalterns by taking the opinions of the sufferers of nuclear test site Pokhran and nuclear inflicted village named Khetoloi. Similarly, Ghosh has met the people of different strata in India, Pakistan and Nepal. He has met Mr. Ram Vilas Paswan, major, a senior officer, a lawyer, a religious leader Qazi Hussain Ahmed and Kathmandu based journalist Kunda Dixit in order to recover and represent subaltern consciousness. Amitav Ghosh, an "intellectual elite," strategically presents that the amount which the government spends in nuclear tests and armaments can be used for the common people who have no food and are deprived of getting even primary education. Amitav Ghosh by assuming a strategic position is able to speak on behalf of the subalterns. Thus, this thesis unearths the position of the intellectual who raises the agendas of voiceless positively.