The Dynamics of Caste, Power and Gender construct: A Reading of U R Ananthamurthy’s Samskara and Bharathipura

Abstract

U. R. Ananthamurthy is one of the most significant representatives of the "Navya" movement ("The new movement") in Kannada literature and is counted among the most eminent Indian authors. Both his books and his social engagement made him known far beyond the Indian language borders and later abroad. Ananthamurthy's central themes belong the examination of the caste system, religious rules and traditions, as well as the ambivalent relationship between the handed down cultural value system and the new values of a changing world. This paper makes an attempt to draw a brief analysis on the Dynamics of Caste, Power and Gender construct in Ananthamurthy’s two significant novels Samskara (1965) and Bharathipura (1973). These novels intend to educate the people about the social evil practice and need to fight against it. Hence the various aspects of the novels interested me and hence inculcated in me the desire to make an attempt to draw a brief analysis of the novels selected for the study