Amit Chaudhuri is a versatile writer of contemporary Indian English Literature. He depicts domestic life, gender roles and social relations. His works reflect the Indian values and Bengali sensibility.
Chaudhuri’sFreedom Song is about the family afflicted by old age. The young people are doing all kinds of things that are perceived as idiosyncratic. It deals with ordinary people’s consciousness. The old couple, Khuku and Shib live in Calcutta. The novel chronicles the lives of Bhola and his sister, Khuku and their respective families. The entire action of Freedom Song deals with the middle-class life in Calcutta. “They woke, slept, and talked. They eked out the days with inconsequential chatter.” (FS 56) Chaudhuri adds that Bengali culture …show more content…
In depicts the decline and eventual destruction of Chaudhuri’s business and the loss of the extended family's houses, moving from a privileged cocoon life in the family's private compound to ordinary apartments in a municipal block. This loss of house and the decline of the family business is a metaphor for the decline of old middle class values in modern India. It shows that Chaudhuri has great concern for Indian values coated in Bengali sensibility. Transition and change have redefined life and transformed its contours at personal, social and economic …show more content…
This house has been a wedding gift from Bhola's father-in-law, part of a dowry. It is a symbolic of the traditions of the old middle class. The basic structure of the house remains the same- the red stone floors, the bottle-green coloured windows and the location of the puja room. The changes to the fabric of the house have been made as the family fortunes have grown. The kitchen is painted and new shelving has been added. The central heating has been installed as the stores of coal and wood are no longer needed. The earthen oven is replaced by a newer electric model. These changes from an extended to nuclear family set-up are visible through the representation of home in the novels.The two sisters, Khuku and Mimi converse in East Bengali dialect. The old middle class culture is changing and having the elements of the new middle-class culture and family life.
There is a strong sense of stability and continuity of domestic life that anchors home against external changes taking place in Calcutta. These changes include communal tensions between Hindus and Muslims, globalisation and economic liberalisation, diasporic scattering of family members living worldwide. Freedom Song represents a more subtle shift in the changing middle class values showing gradual transition and change in the lives and reminiscences of two families, Khuku and her husband
Chaudhuri’sFreedom Song is about the family afflicted by old age. The young people are doing all kinds of things that are perceived as idiosyncratic. It deals with ordinary people’s consciousness. The old couple, Khuku and Shib live in Calcutta. The novel chronicles the lives of Bhola and his sister, Khuku and their respective families. The entire action of Freedom Song deals with the middle-class life in Calcutta. “They woke, slept, and talked. They eked out the days with inconsequential chatter.” (FS 56) Chaudhuri adds that Bengali culture …show more content…
In depicts the decline and eventual destruction of Chaudhuri’s business and the loss of the extended family's houses, moving from a privileged cocoon life in the family's private compound to ordinary apartments in a municipal block. This loss of house and the decline of the family business is a metaphor for the decline of old middle class values in modern India. It shows that Chaudhuri has great concern for Indian values coated in Bengali sensibility. Transition and change have redefined life and transformed its contours at personal, social and economic …show more content…
This house has been a wedding gift from Bhola's father-in-law, part of a dowry. It is a symbolic of the traditions of the old middle class. The basic structure of the house remains the same- the red stone floors, the bottle-green coloured windows and the location of the puja room. The changes to the fabric of the house have been made as the family fortunes have grown. The kitchen is painted and new shelving has been added. The central heating has been installed as the stores of coal and wood are no longer needed. The earthen oven is replaced by a newer electric model. These changes from an extended to nuclear family set-up are visible through the representation of home in the novels.The two sisters, Khuku and Mimi converse in East Bengali dialect. The old middle class culture is changing and having the elements of the new middle-class culture and family life.
There is a strong sense of stability and continuity of domestic life that anchors home against external changes taking place in Calcutta. These changes include communal tensions between Hindus and Muslims, globalisation and economic liberalisation, diasporic scattering of family members living worldwide. Freedom Song represents a more subtle shift in the changing middle class values showing gradual transition and change in the lives and reminiscences of two families, Khuku and her husband