THROUGH THE OPTIC OF EDWARD SAID'S ORIENTALISM, UNMASKING IDENTITY; EXAMINING THE IDEAS OF "SELF" AND "OTHER" IN AHMED ALI'S TWILIGHT IN DELHI

Abstract

My heart aches to see you fight for chairs; Only poor masses are crushed with open arms by bears. I saw many deaths in houses and houses in deaths, But thou made me unable to breathe. We are drowning up to the neck in our blood; No one is there to come, see and judge masses smeared with mud Never ever tell the truth to live a life, Dumb, deaf, and blind can live here. (Farman Ullah) Informed by the close reading of the novel Twilight in Delhi (1940) by Ahmed Ali during and under the impact of colonization from the perspectives of sociopolitical aspects of the extraordinary situation that has been faced by common people through ordinary words. The present study aims to examine the novel Twilight in Delhi, how the "“Self”" and the "“Other”" interact within the historical backdrop of British colonialism and the "massacre and destruction in Delhi in 1857" (Yahya: 2013) as it is portrayed in the book Twilight in Delhi. It contends that prejudice, an imbalance of power, and oppression characterize this relationship. The research looks at the negative effects of this uneven dynamic, such as violence, theft, and cultural fusion. The novel's author gives the colonized Indians a voice by denouncing British colonial power and urging resistance to it. The conclusion emphasizes the necessity to confront and end colonial dominance while highlighting the harmful impacts of the "“Self”" and "“Other”" connection.