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CONTRADICTIONS OF MODERNITY: THE RURAL-URBAN DIVIDE IN KIRAN DESAI'S NARRATIVE WORLD
Dr. Tarit Agrawal, Kaushambi,
Abstract:
Kiran Desai's novels, Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard and The Inheritance of Loss, offer poignant and often humorous explorations of India navigating the complexities of modernity. A central contradiction that emerges in her narrative world is the stark and often jarring divide between the rural and the urban. This divide is not merely geographical; it represents contrasting values, aspirations, and the uneven impact of globalization and postcolonial legacies on Indian society. Through her characters and settings, Desai masterfully portrays the tensions, misunderstandings, and the pervasive sense of displacement that arise from this fundamental dichotomy. In Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard, the sleepy town of Shahkot embodies a traditional, rural India. Life moves at a slower pace, governed by the rhythms of nature and entrenched social customs. The aspirations of its inhabitants are largely confined to the local sphere, and their understanding of the wider world is limited. Sampath Chawla's retreat into the guava orchard symbolizes a rejection of the burgeoning modernity that is slowly creeping into Shahkot. His arboreal existence becomes a commentary on the absurdity of modern life and a yearning for a simpler, perhaps idealized, connection with nature. The "hullabaloo" that ensues around him, fueled by urban curiosity and media attention, highlights the clash between the rural idyll and the intrusive forces of modern sensationalism. The urban world, represented by the visiting crowds and the media, views Sampath's detachment as an exotic spectacle, failing to grasp his potential disillusionment with the pressures of modern expectations.