The Unheard Voices: Female Subalternity and Agency in Select Indian Novels “Samskara” By U.R. Anantha Murthy

Abstract

U.R. Ananthamurthy (1932–2014) was a key figure in modern Indian writing. He significantly shaped Kannada and Indian writing with his important novel Samskara. As a leader of the Navya (modernist) movement in India, Ananthamurthy used fiction not only for storytelling but also to explore India's complex ties with tradition, modernity, and morality. The current study explores the expressive dimensions of Indian culture as manifested in his book Samskara, highlighting how the Kannada language—rich with cultural idioms, philosophical concepts, and oral tradition—is used to dramatize ethical dilemmas rooted in caste, ritual, and personal identity. Praneshacharya's spiritual crisis in Samskara prompts critical reflection on complex concepts through real-life experiences. The book possesses a local rhythm, reflecting colloquial speech patterns while employing modern narrative techniques. U.R. Ananthamurthy's broader intellectual and political life—including his role as a critic of religious orthodoxy and nationalist ideologies, and his active engagement in academia and cultural institutions—further contextualizes Samskara as a work of resistance and reform. This study expands the commentary on the central philosophical and moral tensions within U.R. Ananthamurthy’s Samskara, a novel that interrogates the foundational aspects of Indian religious and social life.