Futuristic Narratives for Viksit Bharat: deconstructing the post-colonial legacy in India’s path to development
Keywords:
Colonial legacies, Historical fiction, Cultural Identity, Resistance, Inclusive developmentAbstract
Vision of India for a Viksit Bharat (Developed India) by 2047 calls for an introspective engagement with its colonial legacies and their ongoing impact on society. Literature, especially post-colonial and historical fiction, offers a profound lens to analyze the interplay of history, identity, and development. This paper examines the narratives of R.K. Narayan’s Waiting for the Mahatma, Amitav Ghosh’s The Glass Palace, Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things, and Mamang Dai’s The Black Hill. These texts critique colonial systems while reclaiming indigenous narratives and exploring themes of cultural identity, resistance, and resilience. Using theoretical frameworks from post-colonial scholars such as Edward Said, Gayatri Spivak, and Homi Bhabha, this study identifies how historical fiction can serve as a tool for envisioning an inclusive and sustainable future for India. This paper argues that revisiting colonial and post-colonial narratives is essential for bridging historical consciousness with futuristic aspirations, fostering innovation rooted in India’s cultural and socio-political context.
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