POST MODERN READING OF NAZIR MANSURI’S "BHUTHAR" (THE WHALE)

Abstract

This paper analyses postmodern elements in Nazir Mansuri's acclaimed short story "Bhuthar" (The Whale). The story portrays the marginalized society of the coastal area near Diu Island and brings it to the forefront for the first time in Gujarati literature. Mansuri's poetics are firmly rooted in the native tradition of the fishing community of Diu, and he explores a previously uncharted territory in Gujarati literature through his vivid descriptions of the setting and portrayal of the lives of fishermen, farmers, and Muslim Pinjaras, among others. The paper also discusses the problematic issue of the very concept of modernism and postmodernism in Indian literature, particularly in Gujarati literature, and how postcolonial literary movements have shifted cultural production from elite and privileged sites to marginalized and oppressed communities.