The Representation of Tribal Identity in the Works of Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar

Abstract

Tribal literature has been emerging as a significant genre in the Indian English literature of the present scenario due to its ability to provide a platform to the marginalised communities which have been deprived of their voice and perspectives for centuries. Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar is one of the leading tribal writers of India for his realistic and sensitive depiction of the Santhal tribal community. His writings focus on the everyday lives, traditions, struggles, aspirations and cultural identity of tribal people. Shekhar’s portrayal of the tribal communities differs from the prevailing mainstream literature, which romanticizes them as primitive or exotic, and depicts them as complex human beings dealing with poverty, displacement, migration, discrimination and identity crisis in the contemporary India. The purpose of this research paper is to critically analyse the representation of tribal identity in the selected works of Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar, particularly in the works The Mysterious Ailment of Rupi Baskey, The Adivasi Will Not Dance and My Father’s Garden. The paper explores major themes such as marginalization, cultural preservation, gender oppression, economic exploitation, migration, displacement and the conflict between tradition and modernity. The study also highlights Shekhar’s critique of stereotypes found in the literature of the tribal community and his involvement in subaltern discourse in Indian English literature. The research adopts qualitative and analytical methods based on textual analysis and theoretical perspectives related to postcolonialism and subaltern studies. In his stories Shekhar not only preserves the memory and indigenous consciousness of the tribe but also criticizes the social injustice and unequal power relations existing in the Indian society. His contribution to literature is of immense importance since it adds another dimension to Indian English literature and introduces tribal realities into the mainstream literary discourse.