History in the Novels of Salman Rushdie

Oeuvres of Rushdie have been remarkable for its congenial assimilation and exploitation of historical facts. Template of history has imparted major thrust to his writing right from Midnights children to Shalimar the clown. The present book is a humble initiative by the author to explore and bring to the fore lurking historical scaffolds in fictional world of Salman Rushdie.

The author Pratyush Kaushik, M.A., Ph.D. from Patna University has been actively engaged with plethora of teaching assignments as an Ad-hoc lecturer in Deptt. of English B. N. College, Patna University Patna. His inclination towards, literary values and genres betrays his sound Literary Sensibility.

The corpus of literature about Rushdie has now reached mountainous proportions. Legions of book have been written on various aspects of Rushdie save one that explores treatment of History in his fictional world. Its chief aim is to present a compact and reasonably comprehensive picture of his fictional world in historical context. For this end almost all of his books have been thoroughly examined. In contrast to some recent tomes that have been writ ten to acknowledge Rushdie's inventive artistic skill, this book regards Rushdie as a writer firmly and centrally in the tradition of historians whose concern is with the fundamental portrayl of human history with all its triumphs and travails amidst topsy-turvied contours of India and Pakistan. It is because of the depth and inescapable relevance of his concerns that he is successful in stifling the voice of his chorus of de tractors for his alleged preoccupation with hybrid and cosmopolitan culture, meant for the spawning of universal peace and fraternity.

History Down the Memory Lane:

Nirad C. Choudhari while shedding light on historical studies averred Who would think of judging the world by standards either Indian or European? It (historical though) must take its stand on broader grounds. When all is changing no one attitude would serve as a measure of progress. In this infinitely complex and infinitely vast mass of ever changing things nothing supplies us with a safe a charge save the objective method. Such a conception of history cannot think of being partial or impartial. It shows a development and lays bare its causes.

This pregnant statement is a pointer towards different often contradictory existent and non-existent 'standards methods' and 'grounds' prevalent in the historical studies.

Thus 'scientific', 'romantic', 'human' and 'divine', 'Indian' or, 'oriental' and 'European' or 'occidental', 'Imperialist' and 'Marxist', Objective' and 'subjective', are but only a few of many such terms which a student of history frequently meets while trying to analyse and evaluate the works of a particular historian. It will not be out of place, if we harp on the changing contours in the exploration of history and different modes embraced by historians from the very outset, particularly in Europe and India, before embarking on the discussion of the compelling issue.

As a matter of fact, in every milieu, when old relations and ideologies begin to stem the march of society and the possibilities of future stride, nourished in the social ethos calls for the kindling of new life goals and new human endeavours, then men start plunging into historical perspectives a new in order to get the hang of it and to thrash out a solution to the nagging problems spawned by contradictions of circumstances in totality and to imbibe deep new insights and inspiration However, the perspectives with which this date with history is pursued are not always identical.

Now, let us turn our gaze towards the occurrences in Europe. Which have swayed the historical perspectives the globe over and continues to do so to the present times. From its inception as a different discipline in the fifth century to the present time history has traversed a long way and has been a witness to legion different stances on the part of the chroniclers towards the events of the past. At the outset of this odyssey history evinced a close proximity to a natural science.

The work of the Greek historians entailed lots of insightful researches. Conducted with the detachment of pathologist who unveils his details on the dissecting table.

For many succeeding centuries there was no momentous change in this stance towards history. It was only in the late Eighteenth and early nineteenth century that the Romantic Movement ushered a revolutionary change in all kinds of literary genres including the historical writings. Con sequent upon this, therefore, history has veered away from the spheres of science and entered the province of art. While the scientific historians looked upon the past for its own sake the Romantics viewed it as source of the present. At the same time, we encounter other historians, in the nineteenth century itself who by generalising from the historical facts and figures, endeavoured to couple the past with the present and the future. Thus, the 'scientific', 'romantic' and the 'philosophic' turned the monography of historical writings though with a wafer thin line of demarcation.

**Contents and Sample Pages**