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    5 views2 pages

    Screenshot 20231111 031111

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 2
    Aijaz Ahmad's essay “Indian Literature: notes towards the category of indian literature” looks into the complications associated with the category of Indian literature by making references to D.D Kosembi and 5.K Das. He argues on the cultural and literary identity of Indian literature and sees it as a source of multiple languages. Indian literature is not 3 distinct unity but a sum of various specific regional literatures created over a period of time. ‘Ahmad begins the essay by talking about the problems in constructing a category such as Indian literature; he makes a reference to Kosambi “the outstanding characteristic of a backward bourgeoisie, the desire to profit without labor or grasp of technique, is reflected in the superficial research.”Kosambi criticizes superficial research in India, it lacks efficacy which can produce a better understanding of Indian literature, Ahmad calls this statement ironic because the texts published in metropolitan countries display this characteristic of backward bourgeoisie. If Indian researchers are unable to define Incian literature then first world researchers are also unable to define and categorize third world literature. ‘Ahmad then counters Kosambi by listing the reasons for poor classification of Indian literature. The reasons Ahmad lists are that there is no institutional support, the institutions are very limited and the research is. done by individual scholars who dig up archives. The mediating language is English but its not a fitting mediating language. English is unable to do justice to the ambience, totality or experience of the native. European tradition can be traced with the help of unified language, universities and libraries but Indian literature tradition can’t be traced since the texts are looked in isolated ways. Ahmad ends the essay by mentioning Kosambi once again. He praises Kosambl saying that “he was able to produce isa single sweep of narrative of the empirical facts of ancient India and theoretical position, the very organic principle of narrativization from which narrative was to be assembled” Ahmad praises Kosambi's link between political purpose and study, Ahmad says that when we engage in Indian literature then the insufficiencies are empirical and theoretical both and to achieve clarity in literature more writing should be done and rewriting should be minimized. a Kosambi’s analysis and understanding of Sanskrit literature was informed by his commitment to a social and political ideology rooted in Marxism. In his view, literature like science should be understood as a function of the age in which it is produced. He tells us’ the great poet in a class society must not only express the position and aspirations of an Important class, but must also transcend the class barriers, whether implicitly or explicitly and to be sure his most provocative statements on Sanskrit language and literature were about its class character statements he made in the context of the works of both Bhartihari and vidyakara, The use of historical materialism in reading literature and analyaing it from the class perspective is also seen in Kosambi's study of the working class in the Amarakosha. Kosambi links bhakti doctrine enunciated in the Gita with the rise of feudalism and asserts that to hold a feudal society and state together the best religion is one which emphasizes the role of bhaks, personal faith even though the abject of devotion ‘may have clearly visible flaws. Indian literature is not one or many but rather a whole where many sub systems interact and S.K Das has taken a systematic view of Indian literature which involves taking India literature together age by age and then viewing them comparatively. Das adopts a methodologically pragmatic where he works through development of a chronological history of literature. In this there are authors birth dates, translations, text composition, publication and classification in genres. Through Das’ method itis known that Indian literature is neither a unity nor is it a total differential. For Das Indian literature is something which expresses the Indian nation. Arnab chakladar says ‘Das disavows the nationalist vision of one literature through written in many languages but his own formulation remains, finally, within a nationalist framework’ [Pg 4]. Indian literature is complex; it’s related to geographical areas as well as with history, Ahmad does not speak of geographical proximity like Das. Ahmad is more concerned with the prablems in defining the category of Indian literature however Das is concentrating on finding ways to construct such 2 category. Ahmad is conscious of the

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