“A CRITICAL STUDY OF ROMEN BASU & HIS

CONCERNS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO HIS

POST- NINETY NOVELS”
Doctor of Philosophy In English

By

Mandeep Kaur
Under the Guidance of

Dr. Suresh Kumar

Bhagwant University, Ajmer

Rajasthan.
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The successful completion of any research work is not possible without
receiving the help and guidance of eminent and inspiring people. The research
work would also not have found its destination had it not been for the
constant help and guidance of certain people towards whom, I take this
opportunity to express a deep sense of gratitude.
I hats off to the learned scholar, my guide DR. S.P. TRIPATHI, Head
Department of Education, PRINCIPAL RAM NARAYAN COLLEGE OF
EDUCATION, KINANA, JIND, HARYANA, My first and foremost thanks is
reserved for my esteemed mentor.
DR. S.P. TRIPATHI, for his valuable guidance, support, inspiring criticism
and generous attitude for making all facilities available in due time during the
pursuit of this research work and preparation of manuscript.
My heartfelt thanks are due to my parents Sh. …………….(My Father),
…………………. (My Mother) …………………. (My Brother) and ………………….(My
Twin Siblings).
I am also wish to extend my thanks to the referees of various international
journals who critically examined my papers. Their suggestion and comments
have really helped in bringing this thesis to the present shape.

Mandeep Kaur
 Abstract
Romen Basu is, perhaps, the most neglected of the contemporary Indian
novelists in English. Although his contribution to Indian English novel is
substantial, with eleven novels of considerable worth produced so far, his
novels have not receivedthe critical attention they deserve. Barring an
article by K.T. Krishna Prasad and quite a few reviews in India and abroad,
there has been no critical response to his novels, let alone a full-length
study of them. Hence the need to assess Romen Basu as a novelist.
A reading of Romen Basu's novels reveals that he is a novelist of great
potentiality. The variety, of his themes with their significant resemblances
to those of the novelists of the thirties and later of the fifties, the sixties
and the seventies and especially with their roots in the realities of
contemporary Indian society compels the criticalattention of any serious
reader of Indian English fiction.
The aim of the present thesis is to make a close study . of the novels of
Romen Basu with a view to showing that he is essentially a fictional artist
committed to a 'cause' in each of his novels, that his novels represent the
Indian ethos and that they stand out for his humanism, affirmation of life
and a high sense of social purpose. The work is divided into twelve
chapters. The first chapter is introductory concerning itself with fixing
Romen Basu in the growth and development of the post-Independence
Indian fiction in English. The following ten chapters are devoted to an in-
depth study of the themes and techniques employed in Romen Basu's ten
novels.
 INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION:
Romen Basu as a living author has published to his post-ninety
novels a study of his concern with special Reference. He also has three short
story collections and four volumes of poems to his credit. He has
concentrated on joint family system in his earlier novels and his later novels
centre on social problems. His style is simple while his statements are sharp
and emphatic. His themes are complex and the social problems which
constitute the themes are caste, religion and class. The theme or 'cause', as
he calls it, calls for attention and study.
Among the living Indian English writers being researched, Romen Basu the
study of whose fiction has been taken for the present study is unique in
more than one sense. The fad that his sensibility is genuinely Indian
combining with an international experience makes him a writer of
sociological novels with a fair sense of objectivity.
Romen Basu hails from an aristocratic Bengali family. His literary heritage
can be traced to his grandfather Jogindra Basu, a poet laureate. He has
served the United Nations Organization for forty years. During his career he
has worked on several projects to establish world peace. His profession has
taken him around the world several times and his experiences have added
to his sphere of knowledge.
His Concern towards the Issues at Large:-
The horizon of Roman Basu’s concerns widens with the widening of his
literary horizon. We see that in his writings, he was concerned at the crises
at family level. In his latter works, the area of concerns got extended from
family level to the level of the society at large. In his recent novels, he
extends it still further, focusing his attention to the problems that have been
causing concern in the international community.
In his “My Own Witness” (1993), he gravely studies the problem of terrorism
that was there in the province of Punjab during the eighties of the last
century. He attempts well to find out the causes behind terrorism. He also
tries to find out how greatly the State that inflicted wounds on the holy
shrine, and what had been the attitude of the rulers towards the problem.
Basu sees just one remedy against the problem of kind. The remedy he
proposes is that the people should follow and adhere to the Gandhian
principal of non-violence, where they can sit together, can discuss the
nature of problem, can understand each other and adopt a liberal attitude
in its solution. He makes Onkar, the hero of the novel, his mouth-piece for
preaching the Gandhian way of non-violence. In his yet another novel “Torn
Apart” (1997), Basu deals with the similar problem in Kashmir. Sayid Ahmed,
the protagonist in the novel is a journalist by profession. He is dragged into
the whirlpool of Kashmiri politics by the high handedness of the police and
the army.
Writing and reception
Hugo makes clear where he himself stands—in favour of the
revolutionaries—in several explicit comments and remarks made by the
omniscient narrator. Nevertheless, the Royalist counter-revolutionaries are
in no way villainous or despicable. Quite the contrary: Republicans and
Royalists alike are depicted as idealistic and high-minded, completely
devoted to their respective antagonistic causes (though, to be sure, ready to
perform sundry cruel and ruthless acts perceived as necessary in the
ongoing titanic struggle). Among the considerable cast of characters, there
is hardly any on either side depicted as opportunistic, mercenary or cynical.
However, while being fair to both Republicans and Monarchists, Hugo has
been criticised for his portrayal of the Bretons, whom he describes as
"savages" and as speaking "a dead language". A sympathetic portrait is
however made of Michelle Fléchard, the young Breton mother, who is
originally loyal to the king, but is "adopted" by a revolutionary battalion. Her
children are later saved by the French royalist leader. Michelle Fléchard is a
classical "civilian caught between parties".
The former priest who is considered by some to be the novel's villain,
Cimourdain, purportedly "made a deep impression on a young Georgian
seminarian named Dzhugashvili, who was confined to his cell for reading
Ninety-Three and later changed his name to Stalin", according to a
biographer of Hugo.
 Objective of Study
 To social crisis is reflective of the moral crisis of the situation.
 To moral solution needs the soul-searching and purification of every
individual because "the sin of one is the sin of all."
 To Self-purification is through constant cultivation of cardinal ethical
virtues like Truth, Ähimsa or love.
 To individuals who could provide leadership should be morally higher
than others.
 To comparatively more pure are used to atone for the less pure.
 Self-suffering was the test of political maturity for freedom. One has to
demonstrate one’s capacity and readiness to suffer if liberation is
desired.
 To sacrifice and suffering should be in terms of larger cause and
unselfish requirements.
 To Non-violence is an indicator of inward freedom to which the outer
freedom would be in exact proportion.
 Review of Literature
Romen Basu is a writer of international reputation. It is strange that
he has not drawn the attention of the Indian critics as much as the other
Indian English writers. This researcher attempts to compensate for that
lacuna to some extent. So far many book reviews have appeared, mostly in
foreign journals. During the researcher's interview, Romen Basu informed the
researcher that a full length study is yet to be published. Among the articles
that have appeared, K.T. Krishna Prasad's "Romen Basu: An Introduction" is
worth mentioning. The credit of introducing Romen Basu to Indian readers
can be attributed to him.
D.S. Rao's elaborate book review on the novel Portrait on the Roof
studies the diverse elements — East-West encounter, characterization, and
joint family system. Ayyappa Panicker praises Basu's short stories. Meera
Bose's review on Outcast published in Literary Criterion expounds the theme
of the novel including the literary merits. To be complimented by another
novelist is noteworthy and Mulk Raj Anand's review of the novel Sands of
Time appreciates Romen Basu for his endeavour. Anand traces the bureau-
cracy and political views of the United Nations. The difficulty of mingling
politics and fiction is also acknowledged. Ravindranathan studies Outcast
and Blackstone from a sociological perspective.
 Romen Basu started writing novels in English towards the close
of the sixties. The ten novels that have been written since 1968 have
earned for him an important place among the Indian novelists in English
of the seventies. Though Romen Basu chronologically belongs to the
third generation of Indian novelists in English — Arun Joshi, Bharati
Mukherjee, M.V. Rama Sarma, Michael Chacko Daniels, Nergis Dalai,
Ruskin Bond, Chaman Nahal, Raji Narasimhan, Shasti Brata and Veena
Fbintal — his novels are mainly in the humanistic tradition of Mulk Raj
Anand, Bhabani Bhattacharya and Kamala Markandaya.
Anand’s novels are marked by a commitment to social realism
and to present India with a down-to-earth attitude. This is reflected in
his choice of themes and characters from the oppressed classes of
society. Anand’s fiction is also tempered with humanism which upholds
the dignity of man, pleads for tenderness and compassion in human
relations, denounces capitalism and imperialism, disapproves of
superstition, obsolete tradition, orthodoxy and religiosity, decries feudal
values, fosters equality of man and woman and promotes international
harmony and world peace. Though not committed writers like Anand,
Bhabani Bhattacharya and Kamala Markandaya imbue their fiction with
the spirit of humanism and social and political realism. Their works
usher in a new social order in India based on social justice, equality, co-
operation and synthesis of the old and the new.
 Romen Basu also makes use of myth as a part of his technique.
A significant use of myth is seen in Candles and Roses where a
resemblance is forged between Pramila and 'goddesses' in Indian
mythology like Sita, Sabitri and Damayanti who endured pain for the life
and welfare of their husbands. On the other hand, myth is made use of
in a lighter vein in The Tamarind Tree where an unemployed vagabond,
Annadasankar, is said to play the role of 'Narad', a puranic divine sage
whose visits to Gods and kings often lead to quarrels.
Basu's use of language in his fiction has notable features. He
says that he has chosen to write novels in English as he feels he cannot
express himself adequately in Bengali. His prose has a transparent ease,
directness and is free from ornamentation and circumlocution. He
shares one important quality of some of his contemporary Indian
novelists in English, namely, the use of Indian terms in English spelling
and the use of swear words and idioms in English translation. At times,
Basu makes his language lyrical and evocative as when he describes
Sheila at the threshold of her motherhood in A House Full of People and
when Samir passionately admires Monique's stunning beauty in
Candles and Roses or when he describes a calm, starry night in Outcast.
He employs certain Indian English expressions as referring to wife as
'Mrs.' In Candles and Roses, he makes use of French words in the
conversation of French characters to give local colour to the novel.
 Second, in his Domestic novels, Basu drives home the need for
harmony and understanding between husband and wife for a successful
conjugal life through temporary separation. In My True Faces, Nahal
delves deeper into the same theme through a permanent break-up
between husband and wife. What is more, in My True faces, the search
for wife turns out to be a SEARCH for the meaning of life acquiring
philosophic overtones. The thematic value of the novel is enhanced by
an effective use of the techniques of interior monologue and stream of
consciousness.

Third, it is interesting to note that Romen Basu excels in

presenting the theme of the disintegration of joint family. White My
True Faces and into Another Dawn deal with joint family or group-living
at a superficial level taking a castigating stance, Basu's novels — A
House Full of People, Your Life to Live and A Gift of Love excel in
presenting an authentic portrayal of the beneficial and harmful aspects
of joint family. What is more, these novels elevate joint family to stand
out as an important theme and reveal the author's consciousness of the
sociological importance of the decadence of joint family.
 Research & Methodology
A House Full of People (1968) is Romen Basil's maiden attempt
at writing fiction in English. The novel deals with the struggles of a
traditional joint family to maintain its integrity in a changing milieu
finally leading to its disintegration. Romen Basu rightly chooses Calcutta
as the setting where the social, economic and cultural life of the people
was profoundly influenced by the various aspects of the British rule.
The story could be seen as the struggle between the forces of unity to
keep the family together and the forces of division and separation. It
also presents the conflict between tradition and the changing trends of
life and thinking. A reviewer says: "Disintegration of the joint family and
the disparity between the older generation and youth are the
conventional themes of Romen Basu's account of a middle-class Bengali
household." Another reviewer points out that "the theme is authentic
and the treatment down-to-earth realistic.“
The title of the novel stands for the late Romesh Roy family which
consists of six brothers, their wives, twelve children and many other
relatives. The family lives in a sprawling house. It "was always curiosity,
how, in this day and age, all the Roys still lived together under one roof."
Romesh had moved to Calcutta from his village. Diamond Harbour in
Southern Bengal, after being appointed prefessor of Bengali literature in
the University.
 "OVERCOMING JEALOUSY" HOURS BEFORE DAWN
Though it was published in 1988, Hours Before Dawn bears
similarities with his second novel, Your Life to Live (1972). In Hours
Before Dawn, the author presents an Indian expatriate couple,
Mrinal Chatterjee and Kabita Mukherjee, and shows how the
differences in their outlook lead to their personal and cultural
dilemmas. Mrinal's jealousy leads to the abandonment of his family.
Their separation is followed by a semblance of reunion as a result of
self-education on the part of Mrinal. The self-education involves
overcoming of jealousy by him. The philosophy of the two novels is
that every wife and husband have to live their lives and strive to
achieve harmony by realizing and transcending their individual
limitations and learning to appreciate each other's point of view.
The story opens with Kabita and Mrinal recollecting the
celebration of their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary at Blangy in
France. In the second chapter the narration dates back to the first
meetingof Mrinal and Kabita in London before their marriage. He is
introduced to her at an annual dance event arranged for the new
graduates who interned at the Middlesex hospital. Mrinal is a
journalist working for Daily Telegraph and Kabita is a doctor. Mrinal is
attracted by her but Kabita is not impressed by him.
 Conflict and irony appear prominently in the technique employed
by the author. Internal conflict in Mrinal and Kabita outweighs the external
conflict betweenthem. Mrinal is troubled by his jealousy towards Kabita and
Subhas. Initially he overcomes it."From tomorrow, he resolved, I shall turn
over a new leaf, be satisfied with my job, read more, share more with my
wife." He affirms to himself that 'women should be from male dominance'
and even writes a story on the theme. But, the suppressed jealousy gets out
of control when ho learns that Subhas has been working in Kabita's hospital
for six months. In Paris, he again gets over his jealousy temporarily. It is this
inability that mars the reunion of the couple.
A similar conflict rages within Kabita too. She can neither convince
Mrinal nor can stop Subhas from meeting and talking to her for fear of
hurting him. Besides, she has an inner desire to continue her friendship with
Subhas. Thus Kabita finds herself in the dilemma of "wanting to keepa
relationship going, and at the same time not wanting to, because it is
offensive to her husband.
A close study of the novel reveals quite a few instances of irony.
First of all, it is ironical that Kabita and Mrinal are both Brahmins as also
from different 'gotras' making it convenient for their marriage. 'Chance was
so benign to them,' Hamdi Bey comments. Second, it is ironical that Mrinal
abandons his wife and child but 'invests this decision with a moral purpose'
of discovering for himself and write about barbarism in Vietnam. While he
sympathizes with Yen who is deserted and disfigured by an American solider,
he does not think of his own desertion of his wife and child.
 Hypothesis
 Roman Basu’s elaborate book review on the novel Post-Ninety
studies the diverse elements.
 Roman Basu is a writer of international reputation. It is strange that
he has not drawn the attention of the Indian critics as the other
Indian English writers.
 Among the living Indian English writers being researched, Romen
Basu the study of whose fiction has been taken for the present study
is unique in more than one sense.
 Roman Basu’s style is simple while his statements are sharp and
emphatic. His themes are complex and the social problem which
constitute the themes are caste, religion and class.
 Sensibility of Roman Basu is genuinely Indian combining with a
international experience makes him a writer of sociological novels
with a fair sense of objectivity.
 Romen Basu is a man of concerns. He writers neither to entertain
the reader nor for his own pastime pleasure. He writes with a cause
 The problems of the ethnic bias and the cast discrimination have
been presented in this novel.
 Romen Basu presents a conducive atmosphere for the lower castes
in the following bibliographical works will form the basis of the study.
 Method Material
The Liqian people in north China are well known because of the
controversial hypothesis of an ancient Roman mercenary origin. To test
this hypothesis, 227 male individuals representing four Chinese
populations were analyzed at 12 short tandem repeat (STR) loci and 12
single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP). At the haplogroup levels, 77%
Liqian Y chromosomes were restricted to East Asia. Principal component
(PC) and multidimensional scaling (MDS) analysis suggests that the Liqians
are closely related to Chinese populations, especially Han Chinese
populations, whereas they greatly deviate from Central Asian and
Western Eurasian populations. Further phylogenetic and admixture
analysis confirmed that the Han Chinese contributed greatly to the Liqian
gene pool. The Liqian and the Yugur people regarded as kindred
populations with common origins, present an underlying genetic
difference in a median-joining network. Overall, a Roman mercenary
origin could not be accepted as true according to paternal genetic
variation, and the current Liqian population is more likely to be a
subgroup of the Chinese majority Han.
When Dr. Hans-Ulrich Nimitz introduces his paper on the “phantom
time hypothesis,” he kindly asks his readers to be patient,
benevolent, and open to radically new ideas, because his claims are
highly unconventional. This is because his paper is suggesting three
difficult-to-believe propositions:

1) Hundreds of years ago, our calendar was polluted with 297

years which never occurred.
2) This is not the year 2005, but rather 1708.
3) The purveyors of this hypothesis are not crackpots.

The Phantom Time Hypothesis suggests that the early Middle Ages
never happened, but were added to the calendar long ago either by
accident, by misinterpretation of documents, or by deliberate
falsification by calendar conspirators. This would mean that all
artifacts ascribed to those three centuries belong to other periods,
and that all events thought to have occurred during that same period
occurred at other times, or are outright fabrications. For instance, a
man named Herbert Elli (pictured), one of the leading proponents of
the theory, believes that Charlemagne was a fictional character. But
what evidence is this outlandish theory based upon?
 Sometimes a hypothesis which challenges convention can be
alluring, particularly when it seems to fit most of the facts… but as Carl
Sagan used to say, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.
It seems to me that all of the evidence provided by Elli and his group is
circumstantial, and their conclusions misguided. The hypothesis does
raise some interesting questions and point out some inconsistencies in
history, but to jump to such an outlandish conclusion indicates an
unscientific approach to the problem.
Not only have that, but their suggestions for the possible
motives behind the calendar-changing conspiracy bordered on
ridiculous. For instance, the first hypothesis they put forward is that
Otto III modified the calendar in order to reign in the year 1000 AD,
because this suited his understanding of Christian millennialism.
I consider myself a rather open-minded chap, and I researched
this hypothesis with unbiased curiosity when I first learned of it.
Granted, most of the materials regarding this theory are written in
German and have not been translated into English, so there may be
more specific arguments for the hypothesis than those available to me.
But from what I can tell, this theory has no basis in fact. I don’t think
anyone would seriously contest the possibility that we may be missing
or adding a few years here or there.
 The idea that there was a conspiracy to add three
centuries to the historical record is absurd. Its primary error is in
mistaking quantity for quality – yes, there is a relative dearth of
historical documentation for the period in question. But there is
not a total dearth, and the dearth is not universal but mainly
focused on Europe. We have a documented chronology, not just of
Western materials but also of documents of Chinese and Muslim
extraction. And then there are astronomical records, which would
seem to be incontrovertible.

So, by utilizing these dates and the tremendous task that

not only has been thoroughly researched by the organization of
Jehovah’s Witnesses but by many, many Bible Scholars, you can
count back to the “date” Adam was created. The Bible has
painstakingly recorded years by either stating the passing of years
OR who was reigning as King or Prefect here and there for so many
years. Moving forward and utilizing Bible prophecy of Times, Time
and the above already stated; in the case of the Messiah 483 years
after 455 BCE brings you to 29 CE. Jesus was baptized at age 30
which marked the Messiah’s arrival.
Now, many can argue that we are blithering idiots, a cult, Bible
Thumpers and the like.
 Now, keep an open mind and the next JW that is at your
door, or one you work with, or there is a family member that is a
JW or you know a friends’ cousins’ in law is one, ask him or her
about the date of 1914. You will make their day and possibly
several one hour a week visits for a few weeks, as I am sure, as it
did all JW’s and those who just wanted to know, it takes a bit of
Biblical and Historical research to understand the counting of
prophetic years and the significance of 1914.
While Just another Name might have a point, he also
says “We have already Proven to ourselves there are no missing
years let alone centuries.” The silly Jehovah’s Witnesses have
apparently become the most intelligent people on earth, I
suppose. Nothing has been proven as of yet. It is quite possible
that centuries were added to the history books and fictional
characters conjured up, and it is just as likely that none of that
really happened.
In the major Japanese mythological texts, the Nihongi
and Shojiki (not sure about the name of the second one), it has
been definitively demonstrated (by cr0ss-referencing with Korean
and Chinese historical texts and records) that historians in Japan
fabricated mythological characters, passing them off as history.
 First of all, not only did the Japanese at the time not have the
technology and means to invade and hold a territory (horses and
bronze/iron swords were introduced into Japan from Korea around that
time – given the fact that these were in Korea and China far longer than
they had been in Japan, it would be impossible for the Japanese to gain
that kind of proficiency in that single century to defeat established
powers), their sailing technology was far inferior to anything the
Chinese or Koreans had at the time (mind you, this is the 300’s and
400’s we’re talking about here, not the Middle Ages – samurai and ninja
would not exist for at least another 700 years, and the Japanese had
quite a primitive civilization composed of locally-governed towns
compared to their neighbours to its east). The point of this little
digression is that after the Korean kingdom allied to the Japanese state
(Yamato-We) at the time (there is significant evidence that the Japanese
state was founded by a Korean regent from this very Korean kingdom of
Paekche), for political regions, scribes and scholars were tasked to re-
write (or write for the first time) the history of Japan while “smearing”
their now-enemies to the east in Korea (the Shilla kingdom) which had
defeated the Korean kingdom from which the Japanese royal court (and
many of the Japanese aristocracy) descended.
 Results and Findings
While studying the art and technique used by Romen Basu, the following
approach will be undertaken. First of all, an attempt will be made to
define the terms “the novel’ and ‘the narrative’ with the categorical
classification. Also it will be seem that what category Basu’s novels/fiction
fits into. It will be examined whether they are in dramatic (dialogue) form
or pure narrative, if narratives, who is the narrator- the another himself or
a charactor. There is subtle sarcasm in the way Jhabvala explains the daily
routines in the Indian families. The scene is made to appear rustic to the
western eyes. Unlike Jhabvala, Romen Basu presents laudable pictures of
the joint families.
Roman Bashu recommends the joint family while being conscious of its
shortcomings. He personally feels that these demerits can be overridden if
there is mutual tolerance. Regarding the flexibility in the family Basu
answers the interviewer: "If there is some willingness of adjustment,
things will work out. One who has more income must be willing to give up
expecting less for himself or his family than the other to keep the
institution going" (Interview). As marriage sows seeds for the family,
utmost care is paid to see that the right persons are chosen as spouses. In
traditional families, the marriage partner must fit into the family pattern
because life pattern differs in every family.
 Conclusion
In this chapter, all the major points dealt with extensively in the
foregoing chapters will be re-examined and reviewed so as to confirm
and consolidate the hypothesis formed; finally, concluding it with the
presentation of the merits of Basu’s writings and Basu himself as a
writer. Upper class in toto. This Machiavellian sense of believing that
'Might is Right' underscores the fact that by now the suppressed
people have become desperate.
The caste system has a vertical order and the differences between
castes are felt at every level. Haripada and Mahanta are both members
of the lower castes. Haripada belongs to a slightly superior caste to
that of Mahanta. When Mahanta's wife suffers labour pains, Haripada
refuses help in the name of the caste. He scoffs at him: "My caste is
superior to yours. We go to the same tea shop, but that's as far as it
goes" (Outcast 10), to which Mahanta replies rudely: "You coiled
animal hides and I work with dead human bodies, yet you place
yourself above me. You are sick" (10-11). What is beyond rational
understanding is that feuds are common amongst lower classes. One
clan holds the next lower one in contempt. Man is not only divided by
power or physical prowess but by caste hierarchy which is decided
even at birth.
 Romen Basu shows another instance in Blackstone which endorses
the fealty of the lower caste to the upper caste. Kalapathor a chandal and
a communist reveres the party leader Kesab. The respect arises out of
caste superiority. Kalapathor who vouchsafes to wipe away the zamindars
still feels the discrimination of caste. He says Samba! appears to voice
Basu's opinion that unity among the lower castes is a condition, requisite
to resist the dominant upper caste people. The suggestion for a positive
change is made and the possibility of a better future is indicated and
visualized.
The Chairman of the party is stubborn in his views that only a
revolution can bring about a change. He decries, "I don't like to remind
any one of you here that if a nation of seven hundred million people is not
willing to sacrifice a few lives, why are we calling it a revolution? No, I will
not accept that" (Blackstone 74). The Chairman is convinced that the
people must join hands to rise against the unfair dealings of the
zamindars. The party members are successful in carrying out the
expectations of the Chairman. They win the public support to the party
demonstrations. This indiscriminate activity, though terroristic, is
motivated by a quest for a harmonious living. The faith in the revolution
for a good cause mirrors Romen Basu's attitude to life. The peasants along
with the students get involved in the party activities. They do not fear the
upper class. Neither do they fear their own class.
 Reference
Novels of Romen Basu:
 A House full of People. Calcutta: Navana, 1968.
 Your Life to Live. Calcutta: Firma K.L. Mukhopadhyay, 1972.
 A Gift of Love. New Delhi: Sterling Publishers, 1976.
 The Tamarind Tree. Calcutta: Writers Workshop, 1975.
 Candles and Roses. New Delhi: Sterling Publishers, 1978i
 Portrait on the Roof. New Delhi: Sterling Publishers, 1980.
 Sands of Time. New Delhi: Sterling Publishers, 1985.
 Outcast. New Delhi: Sterling Publishers, 1986.
 Hours Before. Dawn. New Delhi: Sterling Publishers, 1988.
 Blackstone. New Delhi: Sterling Publishers, 1989.
 Ed. Reflections: Twenty one Indian’s Stories. New York: Facet Books
International, 1989.
 Hours Before Dawn. New Delhi: Sterling Publisher, 1988.
 Blacks tones. New Delhi: Sterling Publisher, 1989.
 The Street Corner Boys. New Delhi: Sterling Publisher, 1992.
 My Own Witness. New York: Facet Books International, 1993.
 Torn Apart. New Delhi: Sterling Publisher, 1997.
 This Land is Ours. New Delhi: Abhinav Publishers, 2000.
SECONDARY SOURCES BOOKS:
I. Abrams, M.H. A Glossary of Literary Terms. New Delhi: Macmillan,
1983.
II. Asnani, Shyam M. Critical Response to Indian English Fiction. Delhi:
Mittal Publications, 1985.
III. Balarama Gupta, G.S. Mulk Raj Anand: A Study of his Fiction in
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