REGIONAL IDENTITY IN INDIAN ENGLISH SHORT STORIES

Abstract

This paper investigates the multifaceted portrayal of regional identity in Indian-English short stories. It defines regional identity within the complex Indian socio-cultural framework, considering elements such as geography, language, culture, religion, and caste. The study examines how the short story form, with its inherent brevity and focus, serves as an effective medium for articulating nuanced regional experiences. Through a historical overview, the paper traces the evolution of regional focus in Indian-English short fiction, from early attempts to authentically represent India to post-independence explorations of local realities and social critiques. Case studies of prominent authors—R.K. Narayan (Malgudi), Ruskin Bond (Himalayan foothills), Khushwant Singh (Punjab), and Jhumpa Lahiri (Bengali and diasporic contexts)—illustrate diverse literary strategies employed to construct regional identities. These strategies include the depiction of setting as character, linguistic innovation, and the negotiation between pan-Indian narratives and regional specificities. The paper further analyzes how regionalism in these short stories intersects with broader postcolonial discourses, serves as a vehicle for social commentary, and navigates the dialectic between local and global/national identities. It concludes that these regional narratives significantly enrich Indian-English literature by offering diverse, ground-up perspectives that challenge monolithic representations of India and function as a living archive of the subcontinent's pluralistic cultural fabric.