QUEST FOR IDENTITY CRISIS IN GITA MEHTA’S A 'RIVER SUTRA' (Pages 176-181) by Mr. R. Murugesan in THE ENGLISH RESEARCH EXPRESS / ISSN:2321-1164 (Online); 2347-2642 (Print)

Culture is quite often identified with works of art, with enlightenment in general. Historically Culture precedes Civilization. It embraces only the sphere of intellectual production, even if we take this sphere to include the whole of science. Gita Mehta’s A River Sutra (1993) is a typical example beautifully showcases the culture of the people living on the banks of river Narmada. In this novel portrays echo the rich Indian tradition and the culture. In India the people who lost that specific culture keep running to search for their lost cultural identity. It is a series of experience, as told to a retired bureaucrat, who is the narrator of this novel, on the banks of the river Narmada by pilgrims and travelers. Sutra means ‘Thread’. The nameless bureaucrat serves as the ‘sutradhar’ and holds together the stories in his quest for redemption. In this quest, some of his doubts are resolved by Tariq Mia, the mullah of the village mosque, just as the readers’ doubts are resolved. The novelist Gita Mehta has chosen the word ‘sutra’ very thoughtfully as sutras were composed at a time when there were no books. The ancient teachers explained these sutras for the spiritual development of their peoples. This paper also focuses on the Indian philosophy, religion, music, asceticism and acquaints the reader with this rich cultural heritage. Another main character Nittin Bose fails to build a rapport with a tribal and around the rest house on the banks of the Narmada. He who has renounced worldly attachment but not know the meaning of true enlightenment. Key Words: narrative techniques, diasporic experience, metaphysics etc.