A Multidisciplinary Research Journal - Devanga Arts College

2 ISSN 0976-8130
Jan (2011) – Dec (2011)
DEVANGA ARTS COLLEGE MANAS
A Multidisciplinary Research Journal
[A Publication of Devanga Arts College (Autonomous), Aruppukottai.]
1. ‘Melting Pot’ or ‘Salad Bowl’: A Study of Cyril Dabydeen’s Joggin in Havan (1992)
- Dr. D. Parameswari
7. jdpkdpj gpk;gKk; nrt;tpay; gz;GfSk; - Kidth;.v];. nre;jpy;Fkhh;
14. V.S. Naipaul’s Magic Seeds: An Individual’s Quest for Identity - P.S.S. Avadaiappan
21. Quality of Work Life in Banks: A Study of Private and Public Sector Banks
- K. Babuthiruvaraj
31. Memory as a Process of Restructuring the Past: A Study of Margaret Atwood’s The Blind
Assassin - Dr. C. Bagavathi Sundaram
38. Article on Afro American Literature Racial Discrimination in Lorraine Hansberry’s
A Raisin in the Sun. - S. Dharani
46. R.K. Narayan’s Malgudi: The Myth and Reality – A Search for the Locale.
- C.S. Jeyaraman
50. Doris Lessing and Sivasankari: Dialectics in Cultural Stands and Feminist Contexts -
- M. Karthigai Ganesan
61. Listening Skill: The Neglected yet the Most Needed - Dr. A. M. Kathirkamu
66. Gender Politics in Arundhathi Roy’s The God of Small Things - M. Kiruthika
71. Body as raw material: An analysis of Margaret Atwood’s Bodily Harm
- N. Kowsalya Devi
83. Feminism in Alice Walker - E. Kumara Jothi
90. Existentialism in Anita Desai’s Fire on the Mountain - V. Prema
Contd. At rear side

Patrons
Mr. K.S.S. Soundiah
Secretary, Devanga Arts College
Dr. B. Ravi Kumar
Principal, Devanga Arts College
Prof. C. Sankaravel
Director, Self-Financing Courses,
Devanga Arts College
Associate Editors
Dr. K. Sellathai
Associate Professor of Tamil,
SBK College,
Aruppukottai
Dr. G. Baskaran,
Associate Professor of English,
Research Centre in English,
VHNSN College, Virudhunagar.
Dr. V. Meenakumari
Associate Professor of English,
PAA College for Women, Palani.
Dr. P. Sundarapandian,
Associate Professor of Commerce,
VHNSN College, Virudhunagar.
Dr. M. Dorairajan,
Librarian (SG),
St. Joseph’s College, Tiruchy.
Editorial Advisor
Dr. D. Parameswari,
Co ordinator and Head,
School of English,
Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai.
Editorial Committee
Dr. B. Ravi Babu
Associate Professor of English,
Devanga Arts College
Dr. T. Essaki Durai,
Associate Professor of Chemistry,
Devanga Arts College
Dr. C. Bagavathi Sundaram
Associate Professor of English,
Devanga Arts College
Dr. P. Dhas
Associate Professor of Economics,
Devanga Arts College
Advisory Board
Mr. M. Karthigai Ganesan
Associate Professor of English,
Devanga Arts College
Dr. A.M. Kathirkamu
Associate Professor of English,
Devanga Arts College
Mr. S. Sakthivadivel
Associate Professor of Commerce,
Devanga Arts College
Mr. C.S. Jeyaraman
Assistant Professor of English,
Devanga Arts College
Mr. A. Manoharan
Assistant Professor of Information Technology,
Devanga Arts College
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Devanga Arts College (Autonomous), Aruppukottai- 626 101, Virudhunagar Dt., Tamil Nadu.
Copyright @2011, Devanga Arts College Manas, Devanga Arts College (Autonomous)
The views expressed and the facts stated in this Journal, which is published annually, are those of
the writers and those views do not necessarily reflect the view of Devanga Arts College (Autonomous).
Comments on articles published in the Journal are welcome. The decision of the Editors about the
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Statement about ownership and other particulars about periodical
DEVANGA ARTS COLLEGE MANAS
A Multidisciplinary Research Journal
(Yearly in Multidisciplinary)
1) Place of Publication : Aruppukottai
2) Periodicity of Publication : Yearly
3) Printer’s Name : The Secretary
Devanga Arts College (Autonomous),
Aruppukottai.
4) Publisher’s Name : The Secretary
Devanga Arts College (Autonomous),
Aruppukottai.
5) Editor’s Name : Editorial Committee
6) Name and Address of the owner
of the journal : The Secretary
Devanga Arts College (Autonomous),
Aruppukottai
I, K.S.S. Soundiah, the Secretary of Devanga Arts College, Aruppukottai, hereby declare
that the particulars given above are true to the best of my knowledge and belief.
Sd/
Signature of Publisher
(K.S.S. Soundiah)

Contd. From title page
94. Information Seeking Behaviour among Weavers at Aruppukottai - M. Rajavel
109. Sri Ramana Maharishi and James Allen – East - West Spiritual Journey – An Exposition
- Dr. B. Ravi Babu
115. Borrower’s Satisfaction of Co-operative Banks in Aruppukottai - Dr. P. Ravichandran
122. Socio Economic Conditions of the Women Labourers in Match Industry of Sattur Taluk of
Tamil Nadu. - Dr. R. Renganayki
135. Voice from Voiceless - Mulkaraj Anand and Jayakanthan. – G. Renuka Devi
139. Measurement of Service Quality Dimensions in Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance
- K. Sasitha Begam
147. Analysis of Customers’ Attitude Towards Pandian Grama Bank Services – R. Sivajothi
*****
Devanga Arts College Manas
Devanga Arts College (Autonomous)
(Reaccredited with ‘A’ Grade by NAAC)
(Affiliated to Madurai Kamaraj University)
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Virudhunagar District
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DEVANGA ARTS COLLEGE MANAS
A Multidisciplinary Research Journal
--------------------------------------------------------------------
A National Journal
Volume – 2 Number- 1 Jan 2011 - Dec 2011

From the Editorial Board
Following the suggestions given by the National Education Policy (NEP), Devanga Arts College
(Autonomous), Aruppukottai intends to promote the research culture among young teachers. Further, in
the process of Nation Building, the college has taken efforts to highlight the academic activities of the
college by bringing out a National Multidisciplinary Research Journal.
A Multidisciplinary Research Journal, down south in Tamil Nadu is an essential one. To provide
opportunities for young research scholars the College Management publishes a National Journal in the
name of “Devanga Arts College Mans” (A Multidisciplinary Research Journal). It is published as a
yearly journal and articles are invited from the scholars all over India.
Editors

‘Melting Pot’ or ‘Salad Bowl’? : A Study of
Cyril Dabydeen’s Jogging in Havana (1992)
Dr. D. Parameswari
Senior Professor& Head,
Department of English and Comparative Literature,
Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai – 625 021.
Diasporic writing addresses issues related to amalgamation or disintegration of cultures.
An expatriate writer anchored in two cultures, the one of origin and the other of settlement, either
i) carves a new identity synthesizing the old and the new, and thus blurs the discriminating
margins of the two, often polarized sociocultural mileaus – a phenomenon referred to by critics
as ‘melting pot’ syndrome, or, ii) he reluctantly bids farewell to his native soil. Internalising
nostalgia and suffering a forced amnesia, he endeavours to establish an identity which appears as
a remote possibility since he is immersed in the oddities of the soil wherein he has sought refuge.
Here, margins adamantly obstruct; confluences of the binaries become a distant dream, as the
past intrudes and the present dominates. The picture is that of a ‘salad bowl’ where the
components exist with distinct identities without any scope for merger. In the context of
‘melting pot’, the writer finds a new and comfortable home, whereas in the ‘ salad bowl’ he
suffers bicultural pulls, and hence, a stranger in his new home, unable to relate himself to the
centre and cross over from the old to the new. He is a frustrated writer, settled in a community
foreign to him in terms of race, ethnicity and complexion.
1 ISSN 0976-8130
Cyril Dabydeen, a Guyanese – Canadian writer who immigrated to Canada in the year
1970 has authored several volumes of poetry, short-stories and novels. The present paper
focuses on Jogging in Havana, one of his short-story collections brought out in 1992.
Dabydeen, in his essay “India in Me: Reflections” proclaims that he will “continue to write
(about) India while longing for a real home or place” (2000, 138). Canada, on the other hand,
has fed him, has “nourished and brought to fruition his professional skill as a narrator” (Begum
65). If so, what is Dabydeen’s attitude to India/Guyana and then to Canada? Does he interact

with and adapt himself to the new society or live as a discriminated exile with failing dreams and
pressing disappointments?
For Dabydeen, diaspora is a reiterative, obsessive and oppressive experience; the
movement of his ancestors from India to Guyana, he found reenacted in his own migration from
Guyana to Canada. Movement, then, is one long continuum. His poem ‘Encounter’ in the
collection “Goatsong” envelops the false promise of a new land, leading to ‘Separation’ (the title
of another poem), the inevitable corollary of movement. Throughout “Goatsong”, though the
poetic persona voices itinerancy as an immigrant’s enforced predicament, he declines to accept it
ungrudgingly. That his people are destined to centuries of fugitiveness, he screechingly indicts
as divine (in) justice in the poem ‘History’. “Goatsong” consummates with an implicit prayer for
voice, expression and sensitivity in “Anthem”, “the only poetic weapon the poetic ‘I’ has to
avenge the oppression of his tribe” (Srilata Mukherjee 66).
At a particular stage in his artistic career Dabydeen felt that fiction endows the author
with more space and better avenues than poetry for articulating his strong social consciousness.
Dabydeen’s thematic interest in fiction is particularly with the immigrants who have a distinct
colonial past, observes Peter Nazareth. As a matter of fact, critics like Arun Mukherjee celebrate
the writings of Dabydeen in contrast to those of Ondaatje on the ground that the latter obscures
the political and social realities by taking a Universalist stance, whereas the subversive and
nourishing strength of Dabydeen’s works emanates from their concrete political context. Such
“encounter with history and hence with otherness is a powerful expression of the colonial
situation”, states Arum Mukherjee (65).
The governing concerns of Jogging in Havana are a struggle for recognition and a
predicament to return to the new culture, alongside an impulse to remain rooted in the native
land.
The protagonist of the short story “Jogging in Havana”, landing at his native Cuba for a
short sojourn, realizes that one’s attempt to seek shelter in a place “Where freedom was all,
where all could give full reign to the imagination” pushes him forth to the “new culture, (which
keeps) pulling (him), a pristine place” (Dabydeen 47). To escape the weather of Cuba, both
literal and metaphorical, he earnestly longs for the winter’s cold of Canada, repudiating the

Caribbean, (his) roots, all (his) traditions” (59), since he is taken for an intruder in his native land
where communism is spreading fast, and is oppressed by “thoughts of being in a prison… locked
up in a small cell (62). Similarly, at Ottawa, a Jewish New York born Professor, trained in
Jungian psychology, proclaims that he must lose touch with the “tribe” (the place where I come
from) (48). As these two immigrants belong to the category of settlers who are all eager to reach
out to the new culture, combining, synthesizing and compromising with its oddities and
eccentricities, they construct the ‘melting pot’ where margins wield their clout and power neither
authoritatively, nor menacingly.
On the contrary, in the same short-story “Jogging in Havana” Deidre, the New
Yorker in Canada, often mutters about her childhood ,reverting herself to her past when she
could skate in Madison Square Garden as a child. Further, Dr. Slokan Charles, the Cuba born
intellectual, now an academic at Illinois State University, after his countless visits to his
motherland over the past years, affirms, ”I will go back to Guyana, after Havana; I should be in
touch with my roots”(51). The guide at the dining table of the conference site “who has never
traveled beyond Cuba”, when questioned, snaps “ there are many Cubans coming back to our
island because life in Miami, in America, failed them”; “It was a dog-eating dog society, and the
dope, gambling, unemployment alienation… it was too much for them (56). Here is a man who
declines to suffer the trauma of uprootedness for he is a member of the “Salad Bowl’/’ Mosaic”
group which is animated by “history and heritage” (30), and hence his allegiance to the native
culture.
In the story titled “Places” the parents are eager to send the little Anil to Canada
with his uncle. Anil, not at all tempted by the alleged prospects of the distant green land, exhibits
his defiance: “Do you want to go back with me to Canada? No, he replied”. As the story
concludes, the boy who all the while reluctantly refined his manners and gestures in order to join
his sophisticated uncle at Canada bursts out in laughter and excitement in the crowd of his
friends. In the little boy’s exultation one can sight “a new joy… squashing everyone … the
politicians and their systems….(12). The situation further connotes the way-ward and repentent
son’s home-coming and his fratenity embracing him with renewed warmth and love.
In “The Puja Man “the crippling and vicious influence of the new soil looms large. The
central motif of the story spinning round the expatriate who runs from pillar to post in order to

escape the efficient Immigration Officials due to the expiry of his visa, sets Guyana and Canada
in contrast, one affluent and the other, “virtually did not have anything ; the inhabitants were
virtually starving (35). The Canadian government discouraged the Guyanese from seeking refuge
in Canada on false excuses and mercilessly deported the illegals as soon as they were traced. The
mother in this story is one who “wanted all her children to leave Guyana, to be away from her”
(34), probably at Canada, because she scents corruption “rampant in Guyana every section of the
society… corrupt”(35). The woman’s maternal concern is such that she cannot bear her children
perishing for want of food and sustenance, for their physical and spiritual well-being.. As this
short-story “The Puja Man” closes, the narrator visualizes his expatriate brother “running away,
dragging his wife with him (44), escaping the immigration officials to surreptitiously reenter
Canada, the land of his settlement; At the end of the other story “Jogging in Havana”, the artist
protagonist imagines Dr. Slokan Charles jogging in Havana. In the latter, jogging symbolizes a
fond desire to return to the native country, a fascination for its land and sea; in the former,
running signals a refusal to come back to it. In both the contexts, the cultural phenomenon,
obviously, is one of ‘Salad Bowl’ where margins intrude and the individual swaying between
two poles willfully pauses at one. ‘Relations’, another short-story about the fat Goldie and her
wanderer- communist-husband, embodies the Caribbeans’ views on India and its orient culture.
Goldie’s mother wants her daughter to look and behave “like an Indian movie star,
Vyjayantimala or Nargis”. The West Indians’ admiration for the native land, India, is so deep-
rooted that they “would watch Indian movies at the local cinema…., and for days after everyone
talked about the episode… And the stars became household names”. They spent their time
“fantasizing about places like Bombay and Delhi, so far away from Guyana, yet close”(15) . The
fat body of Goldie, her rotundity and sucked-lips, aspects alluding to her apparent uncouth and
crude external self, signal the total absence of soft and delicate strings of love that entangle the
husband and wife in everlasting knot of love and concern.
In “God Save the Queen”, amidst the lingering anthem of dedication to the British Queen,
figures Harry, the overseer who has come to the Caribbean from England and who is now
deranged mentally, probably because of the tropical sun (24). All efforts to send him back to
England and in futility: “Yes, you Harry, the others called out, ‘Go back to England-where you
came from – you don’t belong’ (24). But Harry has escaped to a forlorn land where speech and
advice are beyond his hearing. In fact, ‘escape’ is the binding motif of this short-story. “All

parents instill into the ears of their children, “your future is not here. You have got to escape”.
The youngsters must engage themselves in learning. They “better learn” (27), for “they must
escape” by all means. The parents pathetically plead to the teachers, “Teach them well so they
become docta or lawya in England one day” (27), for they cannot allow their children suffer their
own “past, slavery and indentured labour, the bones buried not far away. “The cries of pain”
(30). These elders have withstood the agonizing experiences of the twice migrated diaspora;
first, a compelled migration as indentured labourers, and next, a voluntary transfer to a rich land.
They have learned the valuable lesson that voluntary shift is far more preferable than a forced
one. Their ignorant children, on the other hand, are too eager to work in the canefield when me
grow up….. yes; me, too want to work in canefield” (27), as bonded slaves.
In a migratory encounter when the diasporic individual is capable of networking with the
people of the new country his new-found sense of solidarity boozes his morale and guides him to
find a new home. As nothing hinders the onward march of this immigrant who good-
humouredly loses sight of the protruding edges, he is in the cultural construct of ‘Melting pot’.
A few individuals in Dabydeen’s Jogging in Havana subscribe to this style of living, whereas
for many other characters, the past and the present battle with each other, one forcing its identity
on the other. Here is a ‘Salad Bowl’, where the individual units retain their distinct identities
with no scope for amalgamation. Rightly does Jameela Begum assert, “Dabydeen offers no easy
solutions or conclusions. His works reflect an ambiguity, an ambivalence that distinguishes the
immigrant’s experiences and interaction with the adopted society” (Begum 66).
Works Cited
Begum, Jameela, Writers of the Indian Diaspora: Cyril Dabydeen.
New Delhi: Rawat Publications, 2000.
Dabydeen, Cyril. Jogging in Havana. Ontario: Mosaic Press, 1992.
-------------- 2000. “India in Me: Reflections”. Writers of the India Diaspora: Cyril
Dabydeen. Jameela Begum. New Delhi: Rawat Publications, 2000.
Mukherjee, Arun P. “The Poetry of Michael Ondaatje and Cyril Dabydeen: Two
Responses to Otherness.” Journal of Commonwealth Literature 20:1 (1985):
49-67.

Mukherjee, Srilata. “Cyril Dabydeen”. Writers of the Indian Diaspora, ed.
Immanuel Nelson. New York: Greenwood Press, 1997.
Nazareth, Peter. Review of To Monkey Jungle. World Literature Today 63:3
(1989) : 523.
------------, Review of the wizard Swami. World Literature Today 60:4 (1986): 679.

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ISSN 0976-8130

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cyfk; mo Ntz;Lk;||10
goik kPl;rpthjk;

nrt;tpay; ,yf;fpaq;fs; vd;W fUjg;gl;ltw;iwAk; mtw;wpd; rpwg;Gf;fisAk;> mit gutp
,Ue;j fhyfl;lj;ijAk;> kf;fs; tho;f;ifiaAk; cah;thfg; NgRtJ goik thjk; my;yJ goik kPl;rp thjk;
vdg;gLk;. ehk; nrt;tpay; fhyk; vdf; fUJk; rq;f fhyj;ij \xU nghw;fhyk;| vd;W miog;gJ ek;
tof;fj;jpy; cs;sJ. ,e;jpa Rje;jpug; Nghuhl;l tPr;rpd; NghJ vOjg;gl;l Vuhskhd tuyhw;Wg;
Gjpdq;fSf;Fk; ,j;jifanjhU gpd;dzp cz;L. gok; tuyhw;iw kf;fsplk; nfhz;L nry;tjd; %yk;
mth;fSf;F \gok; rpwg;G| czh;j;jg;gl;lJ. mNjNghy jpuhtpl ,af;f murpay; tPr;rpd; NghJ
ntspte;j jpiug;glq;fspy; jkpod;> jpuhtpld; vd;w fUj;jpay;fs; rhh;e;j gok;ngUik epidt+l;lg;gl;lJ.
mg;gb epidt+l;lg;gl;ljd; %yk; Njrpa rpj;jhe;jj;jpw;F vjpuhd gpuhe;jpa rpj;jhe;jk;
Kd;epWj;jg;gl;lJ. me;j tifapy; jpuhtpl ,af;fq;fspd; vOr;rpf;Fk;> vk;.[p.uhkr;re;jpud; vd;w
jdpkdpjhpd; gpk;gj;jpw;Fk; njhlh;G Vw;gLj;jg;gl;lJ.
gz;ilj; jkpo;r; r%fk; nghpJgLj;jpg; Ngrpa tPuk; kPz;Lk; jpiug;ghly; %yk;
typAWj;jg;gl;lJ.
\\mr;rk; vd;gJ klikalh
mQ;rhik jpuhtplh; cilikalh
MwpYk; rhT E}wpYk; rhT
jhafk; fhg;gJ flikalh|| 11
vd tPuj;ijg; Ngrpa ghly;> mt;tPuk; vg;gbg;gl;l goik tha;e;j tPuk; vdf; fPo;f;fhZk;
thpfs; %yk; czh;j;jpaJ.
\\fdftprahpd; Kbj;jiy newpj;J
fy;ypid itj;jhd; Nru kfd;
,katuk;gpdpy; kPd;nfhb Vw;wp
,irgl tho;e;jhd; ghz;baNd|| 12
epiyj;j cz;ikfs;
vy;NyhUf;Fk; nghUe;Jk; cz;ikfs; nghJthf vy;yh tif kf;fspilNaAk; czh;T Vw;gLj;Jk;
epiyapYk; ,Uj;jy; Ntz;Lk;. rpy cz;ikfs; xU rpy kf;fspilNa tho;tdthfTk; tsUtdthfTk;
mth;fspilNa kl;Lk; czh;tpid Vw;gLj;Jk;tdthfTk; ,Uf;fyhk;. rka ,yf;fpaq;fs; ,j;jifadNt. xU rpy
rkaq;fspy; cs;s cz;ikfisf; $WtdthfNt mit mike;J tpLfpd;wd. Mdhy; ve;jtpjkhd NgjKk; ,d;wp
midj;J tifahd kf;fSf;Fk; nghUe;Jk; cz;ikfisf; $wpait rq;f ,yf;fpaq;fs;.
njspe;j ePuhy; R+og;gl;l cyfk; KOtijAk; jkf;Nf chpj;jhf Ml;rp nra;J> ntz; nfhw;wf;
Filahy; epoy; nra;j murh;f;Fk;> ,ilahkj;Jk;> ez;gfYk; JapyhJ. tpiue;j Ntfk; nfhz;l tpyq;Ffis

Ntl;ilahbj; jphpAk; fy;tpapy;yhj xUtDf;Fk; cz;zg;gLk; nghUs; ehopj; jhdpaNk! mNj Nghy
gpw NjitfSk; xd;Nw vdf; $WfpwJ kJiuf; fzf;fhadhh; kfdhh; ef;fPudhh; ghba Gwg;ghly;.
\\njd;fly; tshfk; nghJik ,d;wp
ntz;Fil epow;wpa xUikNahh;f;Fk;
eLehs; ahkj;Jk; gfYk; JQ;rhd;
fL khg; ghh;f;Fk; fy;yh xUtw;Fk;
cz;gJ ehop: cLg;git ,uz;Nl
gpwTk; vy;yhk; Xh; xf;Fk;Nk|| 13
cyfpd; epiyj;j cz;ikfisg; GwehD}W $wpaJNghy; \glNfhl;b| jpiug;glj;jpy; ,lk;ngw;w xU
ghlYk; cyfk; KOikf;Fkhd nghJTilikiar; nrhy;fpwJ.
\\nfhLj;jnjy;yhk; nfhLj;jhd; - mtd;
ahUf;fhff; nfhLj;jhd;
xUj;jUf;fh nfhLj;jhd; - ,y;iy
CUf;fhff; nfhLj;jhd;|| 24
vd ,iwtd; midtUf;Fkhdtd; vd;w nghJik ntspg;gLfpwJ. ,aw;ifapd; mj;jid mk;rq;fSk;
Vio> gzf;fhud; ,UtUf;Fk; nghJthditNa. kz;Fbir thrYf;Fk; njd;wy; tUk;;: khiy epyh Vio
vspath;f;Fk; ntspr;rk; jUk; vd;w cyfk; cz;ikia czh;j;JfpwJ.
\\kz;Fbir thrnyd;why;
njd;wy;tu kWj;jpLkh?
khiyepyh Vionad;why;
ntspr;rk;ju kwe;jpLkh?
cdf;fhf xd;W vdf;fhf xd;W
xUNghJk; nja;tk; nfhLj;jjpy;iy|| 15
jdpkdpj gpk;gk; - nrt;tpay; gz;Gfs;
kNfhd;djkhd epiyapidAk;> vz;zq;fisAk; rpwe;j tho;f;ifr; rpj;jhe;jq;fisAk;> nrk;ikahd
rpe;jid Cw;Wf;fisAk;> rPUk; rpwg;Gk; kpf;f tho;Tf; Fwpf;Nfhs;fisAk; ntspg;gLj;Jgit
nrt;tpaypyf;fpaq;fs;. Nkw;$wpa nrt;tpaypyf;fpag; gz;Gfs; xU r%fj;jplkpd;wp> mr;r%fj;jpd;
cWg;gpduhd jdpkdpjdplk; Ftpe;jhy; mj;jdpkdpjd; topghl;Lf;Fhpatdhf khwptpLfpwhd;. rq;f
fhyj;jpa Gwg;ghly;fs; tPuj;ij - tPuid topgLk; ghly;fs; vdyhk;. fspW vwpe;J ngaUk; fhisf;F
eLfy; topghL %yk; nja;t me;j];J fpilj;jJ. mNj nghd;wnjhU epiyia jpiug;glg;ghly;fs; %yk;
Vw;gLj;jpf; nfhz;lth; vk;.[p.uhkr;re;jpud; vdyhk;. mtiug; gw;wpa tho;tpay; Ma;Tfis

Nkw;nfhz;l r%ftpayhsh;fs; gyUk; Rl;LtJ Nghy> \mtUila urpfh; kd;w cWg;gpdh;fs; ahtUk;
mtiu kdpjf; flTshfNt ghh;j;jdh;| vd;gJ fpl;lj;jl;l tPuAfg; GU~h;fis topgLtJ Nghy; cs;sJ.
kf;fs; jpus; gz;ghl;Lf; Nfhl;ghl;bd; mbg;gilapy; epfo;j;jg;gl;l ,Ugjhk; E}w;whz;bd;
r%ftpay; Ma;TfSk;> jpiug;ghly;fs;> jpiug;glq;fs; %yk; Vw;gLj;jg;gl;l gpk;gj;ij murpay;
tho;Tf;F vk;.[p.uhkr;re;jpud; gad;gLj;jpf; nfhz;l El;gj;ij tpthpf;fpd;wd. Vw;fdNt ,e;jpah
KOtJk; gutyhf ehl;lhh; fiyfspd; thapyhfg; gutp ,Ue;j ,uhkhazf; fijfs; %yk; ,uhkr;re;jpud;
vd;w ngaUk;> mg;ngah; nfhz;lthpd; Gdpjkhd Fzq;fSk; r%fj;jpd; $l;L edtpypapy;
gjpe;jpUe;Jk; vk;.[p.uhkr;re;jpudpd; jdpkdpj gpk;g cUthf;fj;jpy; ghjpg;ig Vw;gLj;jpa
r%fj;jpd; cstpay; fhuzk; vdyhk;. mjdhy; jhd;.
KbTiu
\\tho;te;jth; Nfhb
kiwe;jth; Nfhb
kf;fspd; kdjpy; epw;gth; ahh;?
khngUk; tPuh; khdk; fhg;Nghh;
rhpj;jpuk; jdpNy epw;fpd;whh;|| 16
vd;w ghly; mtUf;fhNt cUthdnjd jkpo;r; r%f kf;fs; vz;zpf; nfhz;lhd;.
nrt;tpay; ,yf;fpaj;jpw;nfd tiuaiw nra;ag;gl;l gz;Gfs; kpfTk; cd;djkhdit MFk;.
mt;Td;djkhd gz;Gfs; ,yf;fpaq;fspy; fhzg;gLk; NghJ mit cah;e;j ,yf;fpaq;fshfpd;wd.
mg;gbg;gl;l nrt;tpaypf;fpaq;fis cila r%fk; cyfpd; cd;djkhd r%fq;fspy; xd;whff; fUjg;gLfpwJ.
,Nj gz;Gfs; mr;r%fj;jpd; Mo; kdjpy; njhlh;e;J tUk;NghJ. mg;gz;Gfs; epiwe;jjhff; fhl;rp
mspf;Fk; jdpkdpjidj; jiytdhf Vw;Wf; nfhz;lhh;fs;. ftpQh; ituKj;J $lj; jd;Dila \,e;jf; Fsj;jpy;
fy;nywpe;jth;fs;| vd;w E}ypy;> \\rq;f ,yf;fpaj;jpd; fhjiyAk; tPuj;ijAk; rkkhfj; jpiug;glq;fspy;
je;jJ jhd; vk;.[p.uhkr;re;jpudpd; ngUk; ntw;wpf;Ff; fhuzk;|| 17 vdg; gjpT nra;tjpy; ,Ue;J
mwpayhk;.
1. GwehD}W 192 (fzpad; g+q;Fd;wdhh;)
Fwpg;Gfs;
2. jpUke;jpuk; - Vohk; je;jpuk; - ,NjhgNjrk; - jpU%yh;
3. gy;yhz;L tho;f (jpiug;glg; ghly;)
4. kzpNkfiy> MGj;jpuNdhL kzpgy;ytkile;j fij (3383 - 3386)
5. tptrhap (jpiug;glg; ghly;)
6. NkyJ.

7. GwehD}W.195 (ehpnt&cj; jiyahhp)
8. NkyJ
9. ehd; Vd; gpwe;Njd; (jpiug;glg; ghly;)
10. NkyJ
11. kd;dhjpkd;dd; (jpiug;glg; ghly;)
12. NkyJ
13. GwehD}W 189 (ef;fPudhh;)
14. glNfhl;o (jpiug;glg; ghly;)
15. NkyJ
16. kd;dhjpkd;dd; (jpiug;glg; ghly;)
17. vk;.[p.Mh; (fl;Liu) ftpQh; ituKj;J - (,e;jf; Fsj;jpy; fy;nywpe;jth;fs;)

V.S.Naipaul’s Magic Seeds: An Individual’s Quest for Identity
P.S.S. Avadaiappan
Assistant Professor of English,
Devanga Arts College (Autonomous), Aruppukottai.
Contemporary world is a complex world providing a formidable stimulus to creative
imagination. Sensitive reaction to crises of different kinds-political, historical, social, religious
and personal living in the midst of migrations and multicultural ethnicities, return to the
reconstructions of history pleading for a basis that project a cross cultural humanism. Post
colonial writing form this angle becomes a heterogeneous act of foregrounding a genuine
cosmopolitan humanism dismantling the essentialist models of identity.
In Indian context, the Post-colonial studies suggest both a mystification of colonial
experience and an over-dramatization of its limits. Associated with this intellectual jinx, there
arise more problems, namely those of language and modernity. Most critics of the post colonial
studies assume that there is privileging of English over other languages in a post colonial
interrogations and therefore is implicated in the continuities of imperialism even after de-
colonization. Writers like Mulk Raj Anand and the exilic V.S.Naipaul thoroughly rejected the
over emphasis on English as a colonial language.
3 ISSN 0976-8130
Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul, born in 1932, a Trinidadian novelist and essayist of
Indian ancestry resides in England. Even though his ancestors have settled in the Carribeans,
V.S.Naipaul has a strong instinct of reflecting Indian heritage and culture. According to him,
“Indians must learn more about themselves. They must learn about the constituents of their
community and of their culture". His versatility in projecting Indianness in his novels is unique.
Naipaul has time and again used his honest and penetrating vision, coupled with an extra
ordinary command of the English language and its traditions to paint portraits of the outcast
roaming through civilizations of the world. "The mixture of satire and humour in his fiction
generally illustrates the conflict between traditional culture and contemporary values". He
consistently knocks down idealised views of the various places he journeys infavour of a more
complex, bitter, sometimes even contradictory truth. He was awarded the Noble Prize for

literature for his novel Half a Life in 2001.
In his works he strenuously endeavors to find out a permanent solution for the
Individual’s who are poignantly caught up in their Question of Identity. Naipaul’s literary
domain has extended far beyond the West Indian island of Trinidad, his first subject, and now
encompasses India, Africa, America from south to north, the Islamic countries of Asia and, not
least, England. Naipaul is Conrad’s heir as the annalist of the destinies of empires in the moral
sense: what they do to human beings.
Naipaul’s authority as a narrator is grounded in his memory of what others have forgotten
the history of the vanquished. Decay and disappearance are one of his fundamental themes in his
writings- but without grief, rather as something that makes existence bearable. He is an author of
a large number of fictional and nonfictional works. Naipaul continues to surprise, excite, provoke
and move readers at every turn of his literary voyage. He has a strong emotional bond with India,
which remains for him an area of pain, “an ache for which one has a great tenderness” yet from
which he wishes to separate.
Half a life is mainly the story of Willie Somerset Chandran. It is set firstly in post
independence India, at the politically protected court of the Maharaja, later in London then in the
pre-independence, Africa in a nameless country modeled on Mozambique and briefly, Berlin.
The story begins as a kind of portrait of artist where Willie is a promising youth at the Indian
mission school, living with his father, a born Brahmin who tells Willie Chandran the story of
how he married a low caste and uneducated woman. Disillusioned with school and his parents,
and uncertain of his future, Willie obtains, with the help one of one of his father’s contacts a
scholarship to a collage of education for mature students in London where he begins to write and
participate a literary social life.
The novel follows Willie Chandran as he tries to find a place or role for himself,
following his heart to Africa, and for want of anywhere else to go to Berlin. Willie, the
protagonist of the novel has many half-lives but he is not able to find his self. Half a life provides
a series of well-drawn characters which are waiting for some-thing to happen which never does.
But the real strength of the novel lies in the narrative structure, and its insistence on pushing out
the stories of these characters; their terror and fear and marginality. “The world is full of slippery
substances”, says Willie to Ana as he comes to in the hospital, when a chance falls changes his
world. Although, he constructs a life, adjusts his historical past, and elaborates his own role-

playing, Willie reaches the half waypoint of his life an idler, just like his father.
Willie’s greatest hardship is over, and he has composed himself half of his life
rearranging his background. Naipaul has certainly developed an Indian character who has learnt
more about the constituents of his community and his culture. From that knowledge, he makes
available a scheme to create a myth of origin to begin a new life. At the end, this character
develops an understanding of his past and the culture of his grand fathers.
“Half a life presents Naipaul’s intelligent inquiry at work,
and once again, he displace his dexterity in managing
narrative and character to make the most of a theme.”
Magic seeds (2004) is the sequel to Half a Life. In the first novel, Willie leaves his family
ashram in India to be a scholarship university student in England following World War II. It is a
tremendous break for him, a door out of what he views as a confining, stifling Indian traditional
life, opening onto a wide intellectual world. He founders, however, unable to grasp English
ways, and although he publishes a book of short stories, he readily abandons his ambitions to
become a writer in order to marry and live the insulated life of a Colonist Africa. When a
revolution ends that life, he abandons his wife and flees to Berlin to live with his sister Sarojini.
As he says,
“I will tell you what it felt like. Some times in a storm
beautiful old trees are uprooted. You don’t know what to do.
The readiest emotion is anger. You start looking for an enemy.
And then you very quickly understand that anger,
comforting as it is, is useless, that there is nothing or no one
to be angry against. You have to find other ways of dealing
with your loss……. “(14).
Magic Seeds opens after Willie has spent six months with his sister Sarojini in a
pleasantly otiose, dreamlike existence. He has exasperated Sarojini with his indolence. She is an
idealist in the sense that evidence of injustice angers her and she makes documentaries for
German television about revolutionaries who want to correct social inequalities. She is impressed
by an Indian thinker who proposes recasting his country without the class warfare that turned
other revolutions into blood path, and she pushes her brother to join the philosopher's rebel army,
which has succeeded in taking over a rural region Willie acquises, thinking such a commitment

to revolution might bring purpose to his life. After much hardship, he is taken to a rebel training
camp. The remainder of the novel is a tale about his new self that Willie wants to tell his sister,
the idealist. Long sessions are in the form of letters to her.
Repelled at first by the brutal life of a guerrilla, Willie finds to his surprise that he is good
at it. When his superiors make him a courier, because of his experience surviving an African
revolution, he has a startling perception: Never having felt at home anywhere, he is yet able to
look at home everywhere. The ability serves him well in evading police scrutiny, and he
becomes trusted. He develops bonds with a series of squall leaders, recognizing that each them
has become a rebel out of some private need to leave society and strike out of some private need
to leave society and strike out against it and not out of idealism; they are ‘action men’ which to
say that they do not hesitate to kill.
The first Bhoj Narayan would appear to be an Indian success story, a man who came
from a low-caste family to join the middle class, but infact shame still dogs him. Hatred of
Indian land lords, remnants of a feudal system, moves him to join the rebel army. He becomes
Willie’s mentor. For a while, Willie is content in his role. A poor recruit Roja, is their downfall.
Although likeable, Roja is unreliable and eventually betrays Willie to the police, however, Bhoj
Narayan is accidentally captured in Willie's place. The episode teaches Willie two things: that an
old veteran rebel can suddenly fail and that Willie himself is capable of killing, for he executes
Roja.
After that, two experienced leaders Ramachandara and Einstein, both violently angry
men, take Willie in to their confidence. The first is killed in ambush because he simply lacks
basic combat skills, and the second after woefully botching a kidnapping, surrenders to police
and persuades Willie to do so, too. Willie realizes that the guerrillas are led by incompetent field
commanders who have little idealism, while the movement in general, the philosophers and
strategists do not understand the practicalities of the guerrilla warfare that they promote, Willie
enters an Indian prison, along with many of his former comrades. Their endless, repetitive and
rapid political discussions soon drive him to the verge of madness. As Willie thought,
“How unfair it is. Most of time in the movement infact
nearly all my time, was spent in idleness. I was horribly
bored most of the time I was going to tell Sarojini in the
semi-comic letter that I didn’t write how little I had done,

how blameless my life as a revolutionary had been, and
how idleness had driven me to surrender.” (155)
Through a bribe he gets himself transferred to the prison hospital, where he sinks into
inanition. He can only admit to himself that returning to India has been a mistake; he can find no
pattern or thread of meaning and views his experiences as no more a product of his will than his
childhood development had been in the family ashram
Luckily, however Willie continues writing to Sarojini and she comes to his rescue. She
enlists the help of Roger, an old friend of Willie in London. On the strength of Willie’s single
book of stories, Roger portrays Willie to prison authorities as a pioneer of Post-Colonial Indian
literature. Willie thereby appears to have intellectual status in England, and because of it he soon
finds himself free and on his way to London under Roger's sponsorship.
It is only an abstraction of England that rescues Willie. Throughout his adult life, he lived
as though his mind was catching up with his body. As a student in England, he was bewildered,
as his Indian childhood had not prepared him for that life; as a planter's husband in Africa, he
was buffered from Africans by his English education. As a rebel, he counted upon the vague
political idealism given him by his sister to sustain him. In each case he fled before the
consequences of his social separateness ruined him. Now in England, as a political refugee
apparently not permitted to leave, he has come to rest in a culture with which he is vaguely
familiar, but his prospects for finding a place for himself in the world look even grimmer.
Willie’s friends Roger and Perdita appear to be a shining example of England’s new
middle class. Roger is a successful lawyer; Perdita is a cultivated, elegant wife. While Willie has
been living precariously in former English Colonies, they have climbed in the world, grown
moderately wealthy and bought a large house in a fashionable district of London. Straight
forward ambition and success, however, are often the ruin of Naipaul’s characters. Their
glamorous life is in the process of undoing them as Willie watches. Perdita has a lover, a former
business colleague of Roger, and soon she takes Willie as a lover, too. For his part, Roger faces
serious legal trouble because of his unwitting part in a shady real estate deal, and to bring some
vitality into his life, he takes a working-class woman, Marian, as his mistress. The affair fails.
Eventually, Marian takes up with another of Roger’s friends.
In the last two chapters of the novel, Roger reveals how his own English attitudes have
duped him. Despite a pretense of disdain for the aristocracy, he has fawned on a wealthy lord,

who becomes the source of his legal trouble. Despite his wariness about the lower classes, he
aligns himself with Marian, who exposes him to her grasping, brassy, violent friends and family.
Moreover, he learns that for Marian, sexuality is a kind of sport and a means of bettering one’s
lot, nothing personal. These setbacks embitter him and his reaction is to blame the very culture
that allowed his earlier success or at least a chauvinistic ideal of that culture. He laments to
Willie that the nicer sides of western civilization, such as the rule of law and compassion, are out
of date in a changing world, that infact they are being used as weapons against that civilization.
Behind his remark is the old elitism embedded in the phrase “White man’s burden”.
In contrast to Roger’s plight is the story of Marcus, which unfolds in the last scene of the
novel. When Willie and Roger were young, Marcus, a young black diplomat from an African
nation, was their friend. During the intervening years he held onto his job through one brutal
dictatorship after another in his home country and became the ambassador to Great Britain.
Finally, Willie has made a discovery about himself. He gets a job as a fact checker for an
architectural Magazine, London, and his work there requires him to attend classes on
architecture. He finds that the subject suits him and, for the first time, gives him as appreciation
of the physical details and cultural continuity of London. Even though he is now past fifty, he
decides to pursue architecture as a career, a calling. He feels that at last, on his own, he has found
something good to tell Sarojini. Poignantly, when he tries, he cannot write a letter about it
because it entails a rejection of her ideal view of the world.
He says,
“ It is wrong to have an ideal view of the world.
That’s where the mischief starts.
That’s where everything starts unraveling.
But I can’t write to Sarojini about that.”
At the end of the novel, Willie is his own man for the first time.
Identity crisis is one of the major issues in the current literary sphere. Magic Seeds is a
moving story of a man searching for his life and fearing he has wasted it, and a testing study of
the conflicts between the rich and the poor, and the struggles with in each. It stunningly captures
the present moment that take us into hearts and minds of those who use terrorism as an ideal and
a way of life and who aspire to the frightening power of wealth.
Magic seeds tells a wrenching tale despite Willie’s rescue, for his story is consonant with

the twenty first century’s Post colonial turmoil and international terrorism. How many Willie
Chandrans are there in the world now, and how many will be suborned by idealists and zealots?
The prospect is chilling. In his character, Naipaul portrays a vulnerable, patwork mentality, such
as multicultural cross currents can produce, and he does it with the graceful economy of style
and spare plotting that gives his fiction unsettling power.
Works Cited
1. Naipaul, V.S.Magic Seeds, Picador, London, 2004.
2. K.Ray, Mohit, Ed.V.S.Naipaul: Critical Essays, Atlantic Publishers & Distributors, New
Delhi. 2005.

Quality of Work Life in Banks: A Study of Private and Public Sector Banks
Introduction
K. Babuthiruvaraj
Department of Commerce,
Devanga Arts College (Autonomous), Aruppukottai.
Banks in any country are supposed to play an important role in achieving the objective of
economic development through financing every sector of that economy. They lubricate the
entire monetary and financial system and ensure its smooth operation. The experience shows
that whenever the banking sector of an economy gets into trouble, the economic development of
that country suffers. It is a well-known fact that the success of any organization depends on its
human resource. Banks are no exception to this. Workforce of any bank is responsible to a large
extent for its productivity and profitability.
Need of Study
A satisfied, happy and hardworking employee is the biggest asset of any organization.
Efficient human resource management and maintaining higher Quality Work Life in banks
determine not only the performance of the bank but also affect the growth and performance of
the entire economy. In this sense, the bank employees are the lifelines of the economic system.
So, for the success of banking, it is very important to manage human resource effectively
and to find whether its employees are satisfied or not. Only if they are satisfied, they will work
with commitment and project a positive image of the organization. Once banking was confined
to public sector only. It was opened to private sector in 1991 on the recommendations of
Narsimaham Committee. The present paper makes an effort to study the Quality Work Life in
Banking level among employees of select private and public sector banks.
Scope of the Study
4 ISSN 0976-8130

There are many banks, which are operating in India and providing various services to its
customers. But this study is limited only to the banks functioning in the South Tamil Nadu.
Bank jobs have always remained the first preference of the youth here. So, in order to find what
they think of this job afterwards, a comparative study was undertaken in the selected banks.
Four banks were selected for the study. They are two private sector banks-ICICI Bank Ltd.
and Tamil Nadu Mercantile Bank, and two Public sector banks –State Bank of India (SBI) and
Indian Bank.
Objectives of the study
The major objective of the present study is to compare the Quality Work Life of the
bank employees working in private sector banks with that of those working in public sector
banks. However, to be precise the main objectives of the study are:
� To study and compare the present Quality Work Life among bank employees; and
� To study whether Quality Work Life is affected by different in job levels within the
Hypotheses
same bank.
On the basis of the mentioned objectives, the following hypotheses were developed to be
tested in the present study:
� There is no significant difference in the mean scores of managers of public sector and
private sector banks; and
� There is no significant difference in the mean scores of officers of public sector and
Methodology
private sector banks.
Primary data were collected by personal visits to the banks under study. Today
intelligence is defined as what is measured by the intelligence test. Likewise, Quality Work Life
is defined as what is measured by the Quality Work Life questionnaire. Therefore, employees
working in different banks at different levels were asked to fill up questionnaires. Secondary
data were collected from various published and unpublished sources such as bank manuals and
documents, magazines, journals and the Internet.
Sample Selection

A sample is the reflection of the whole population and bears all the characteristics of the
population. The current study is mostly based on the primary data, collected by questionnaire
method. First of all, the total number of employees working in South Tamil Nadu was taken into
consideration. An effort was made to select a representative sample. The questionnaire was
distributed among 120-60 managers, and 60 managers and 60 officers.
Analysis and interpretation of data
Satisfaction level among Managers
From the total of 60 managers selected 30were from public sector banks and 30 from
private sector banks. The results relating to Quality Work Life among the managers obtained by
the questionnaire analysis are presented in the Table.
Satisfaction level No. of employees percentage
Highly satisfied 2 3.33
Satisfied 53 88.33
Neither satisfied nor
Dissatisfied
1 1.67
Dissatisfied 4 6.67
Highly Dissatisfied - -
Total 60 100
The study found that 88.33% of total managers were satisfied, 3.33% were highly
satisfied, 1.67% were Neither satisfied nor Dissatisfied, and 6.67% were dissatisfied. Nobody
was found to be highly dissatisfied with his/her job. So, it can be safely concluded here that a
majority of the managers working in South Tamil Nadu are satisfied with their jobs.
Satisfaction Level among Officers
From the total of 60 bank officers selected for the study, 30 were from public sector
banks and 30were from private sector banks. The results relating to Quality Work Life among
the officers obtained by the questionnaire analysis are presented.

The study found that 83.33% officers was satisfied, 6.67% were highly satisfied, 3.33%
were Neither satisfied nor Dissatisfied, and 6.67% were dissatisfied with their jobs. There was
not a single officer who was highly dissatisfied with his jobs. So, a conclusion can be clearly
drawn here also, that majority of officers working in South Tamil Nadu banks are satisfied.
Calculation of Mean Scores of Satisfied Managers
In order to make the above the findings more meaningful, effort was made to find the
mean score, median, standard deviation, variance, and standard error from the data of satisfied
managers. For the sake of comparability, the calculations are done for managers working in
private and public sector banks separately.
Public Sector Bank Managers:
Satisfaction level No. of employees percentage
Highly satisfied 4 6.67
Satisfied 50 83.33
Neither satisfied nor
Dissatisfied
2 3.33
Dissatisfied 4 6.67
Highly Dissatisfied - -
Total 60 100
All the 30 managers from two public sector banks were selected for the study, and the
findings show that all of them are satisfied with their jobs. Below the table presents their scores
on an average out of the total score of 130.
Mean score of private sector bank officers
1 Mean 96.16670
2 Median 97.00000
3 Standard deviation 06.25373
4 Variance 39.10920
5 Standard error 01.41600

Above the table shows that the mean score of satisfied managers of public sector banks is
96.1667 as against the total score of 130, making it of 73.97%.The standard deviation is 6.25373
which is quite tolerable. Median of the series 97, which is, very close to the actual mean
calculated. So, it can be said that this mean score is real representative score of the managers
employed in public sector banks.
Private Sector Bank Managers:
All the 30 managers were selected for the study and the findings shows that 25 out of
them are satisfied with their jobs. Below the table presents their score on an average out of the
total score of 130.
Mean score of private sector bank
managers
Above the table shows that the mean score of satisfied managers of private sector banks
is 89.88 as against the total score of 130, making it 69.138%.The standard deviation is 6.8027.
Median of the series is 89.5, which is again close to the actual men calculated. So, it can be said
that this mean score is the real representative score of the managers employed in private sector
banks selected for the study.
1 Mean 89.88000
2 Median 89.50000
3 Standard deviation 06.80270
4 Variance 46.27670
5 Standard error 01.36054
Combined (Private and Public Sector Bank Managers):
Out of the 60 managers selected for the study, 55 were found to be satisfied with their jobs.
Combined mean, median, variance, standard deviation and standard error were calculated.
Results of findings are presented the table.

Above Mean score Private and Public sector bank managers the table shows
that the mean 1 Mean 93.30000 score of
combined 2 Median 94.00000 managers is
93.30 which is 3 Standard deviation 07.17989 72.30%.This
clearly shows 4 Variance 51.55084 that the mean
score of public
5 Standard error 01.00100
sector bank
managers is the highest. It can
be concluded on the basis of findings of this study that managers employed in public sector
banks are more satisfied than the managers employed in private sector in South Tamil Nadu.
Calculation of Mean Score of Officers
Separate calculation are done to find out whose mean score is the highest and to compare
the mean scores of private and public sector bank officers with the overall mean score.
Public sector Bank Officers:
Among the 30 officers selected for the study from two banks, 15 were from State Bank of
India and 15 from Indian Bank. The study found that 28 of them are satisfied from their jobs.
Effort was made to find their mean scores, standard deviations, median, variance and standard
error. Findings are presented the table.
Mean score private sector bank officers
1 Mean 109.50000
2 Median 108.00000
3 Standard deviation 009.27562
4 Variance 086.03740
5 Standard error 001.75290
Above the table shows that the mean score of satisfied officers of public sector banks is
109.5 as against the total score of 155 making it 70.65%.The standard deviation is 9.27562, and
median of the series is 108, which is less than actual mean calculated. So, it can be said that
there are some managers whose scores are even lesser than the calculated mean score.
Private Sector Bank Officers:

Among the 30 officers selected for the study from two banks. The study found that two
were natural and 26 of them were satisfied with their jobs. Effort was made to find their mean
scores, standard deviation, median, variance and standard error. Findings are presented the table.
Above the table shows that the mean score of satisfied officers of private sector banks is
110.07692 against the total score of 155 making it 71.01%.The standard deviation is 6.92776,
which is less as compared to those of public sector bank managers. Median of the series is 111,
Which is almost equal to the actual mean calculated So, it can be said that the mean score is the
real representative score of the officers employed in private sector banks selected for the study.
Combined Bank Officers (both public and private sectors):
Out of total 60 officers selected for the study, 54 were found to be satisfied. Effort was
made to find their mean score, median, Standard deviation, variance and standard error.
Findings are presented in the table.
1
Mean score private sector bank officers
1 Mean 110.07692
2 Median 111.00000
3 Standard deviation 006.92776
4 Variance 047.99000
5 Standard error 001.38560
Mean score Mean score of combined (public and private sector
bank) officers
109.77700
Mean
2 Median 109.00000
3 Standard deviation 8.15803
4 Variance 66.55300

5 Standard error 1.10990
Above the table shows that the mean score of combined officers is 109.777, which is
70.81%. This clearly shows that the mean score of both sectors are almost same.
Hypothesis Testing
In this study, z-test was applied separately to the mean scores of public and private sector
bank managers and then to the public and private sector bank officers to see whether there is any
significant difference between the obtained mean scores. The null hypothesis was taken, as there
is no significant difference between the mean scores.
Mean Scores of Managers
Public Manages Private Managers
Mean 96.16670 89.8800
SD 6.25373 6.8027
In the case of managers, the value of this 3.54 is resulting in rejection of null hypothesis.
So, it can be concluded that there is a significant difference between the mean scores of
managers of both sector banks.
Mean score of Bank Managers
In the case bank officers, the value of this -0.26 results in acceptance of null hypothesis.
So, here the conclusion is that there is no significant difference between the mean scores of
officers of both sector banks.
Conclusion
The following conclusions were arrived at on the basis of observation of the study and
analysis of the questionnaire:
Public Bank Officer Private Bank Officer
Mean 109.50000 110.07692
SD 9.27562 6.92776
N 28 26

� A majority of the bank managers and officers working in South TamilNadu
banks are found to be satisfied with their respective jobs.
� It was found that the mean score of private and public sector bank officers were
110.076 and 109.5 respectively. There was no significant difference between
the two mean scores (value of t is -0.26) and it can be concluded that both public
and private bank officers are equally satisfied. This may be because both
perform the same nature of work and enjoy the same authority level. It was
found that on the one hand, public sector banks provide good job security to
their employees plus many other benefits-medical, pension, gratuity, etc. On the
other hand, private banks are providing good working atmosphere and attractive
salary package to retain its efficient employees. In short, both the sectors are
doing their best to increase the Quality work life of their employees.
� It was found that there was a significant difference between the mean scores of
public and private bank managers (value of t was 3.54) This may be because the
public sector bank managers enjoy some extra privileges in addition to
retirement benefits.
� Work culture in public and private sector banks was found to be entirely
different. The bank managers and officers working in private banks were found
involving themselves personally in their work, which indicates personal
commitment. The personality structure of the employees working in private
banks was found to be superior than, that of public sector bank employees. They
don’t consider works as compulsion, but they see it is an integral part of their
lives and as a means of obtaining satisfaction through personal achievement.
� Employees working in these banks were mostly satisfied with the salaries,
amenities, nature of work, and other allowances. But they were complaining
against long working hours.
Bibliography
1. Chugh P k (2005), Indian Banking Today : Impact of Reforms, Kanisha Publishers, New
Delhi.
2. “Job Satisfaction is an Overall Attitude” The financial Express (December27} 1998.

3. Mamoria C B and Mamoria S (2008) Personal Management, Tata Mcgraw-Hill Publishing
Co.Ltd.
4. Pathak R D (1977) “A Study of Certain Variables Related to Job Satisfaction among Public
Sector Bank Employees in Simla”.
5. Paul E (1997) jobs satisfaction, Sage Publication.
6. Rao V S P (2009), Bank management, Discovery Publishing House, New Delhi.
7. Society for Human Resource Management’s (2005) “Employee Satisfaction Driven by
Compensation and Work life Balance”.

Memory as a Process of Restructuring the Past: A Study of Margaret
Atwood’s The Blind Assassin
Dr. C. Bagavathi Sundaram
Associate Professor of English
Devanga Arts College (Autonomous), Aruppukottai – 626 101.
Post modernism provides ample space for writers to re-read the history with a new
perspective. As a matter of defense, defense against what is too painful to return to; writers
venture to reconstruct the past. Margaret Atwood, as a postcolonial Canadian Gynocritic traces
Canadian history of the post Second World War years that affected the Griffin family in her
novel The Blind Assassin.
“The Blind Assassin” is written by Iris’s younger sister Laura, a novel that becomes
famous after her suicide. The clues in the novel reveal that it is not Laura but Iris herself who is
the author of the novel and who herself had the affair with Alex Thomas. Iris narrates the family
story with a purpose of revealing the family- truth to her grand-daughter Sabrina. Iris writes the
memoirs that contains approximately hundred years of Canadian history. Though there is faithful
reconstruction of history, the focus is mainly on the familial dissolution suffered by the Chase
family. The family history is tangled with the National history. .
Margaret Atwood in The Blind Assassin demonstrates the historiography-technique in
narrating the century old Canadian family story along with the Canadian history that deals with
the tale of two sisters, one of whom dies mysteriously and the survivor, Iris Chase Griffin
marries at an early stage a lecherous and ambitious industrialist. Iris tells the tale of her loveless
marriage and its consequences.
5 ISSN 0976-8130
Atwood’s Iris, the elder daughter of Chase, at the age of eighty-three narrates her
autobiography, now living in poverty in Ontario. While narrating her story, Iris returns to her
past to bring out the truth. She has the privilege of weaving her story along with the history of
Canada. She becomes the sole voice to reveal the family story that is dissolved and disoriented
by the influence of war, love and industrialization. The writing of a book for Iris comes as an

essential task, to convey her family story to her grand-daughter, Sabrina. By presenting the
historical events along with the destruction and depression of Chase family, Iris unfolds the
century old Canadian society that is dominated by men. Iris narrates the story in focusing
patriarchy and its hypocritical baggage that creates considerable family violence.
Iris writes the memoir that contains approximately hundred years of Canadian history.
Though there is faithful reconstruction of history, the focus is mainly on the familial dissolution
suffered by the Chase family. The family history is tangled with the national history. The
depression laid siege to the global economy and the reverberating effects of the World wars on
the Chase family members are portrayed in the novel.
Iris, by telling the Chase family story, attempts to trace the origin of the family and the
destruction of the same. The Chase family migrated from Pennsylvania to the Canadian town of
Port Ticonderoga in the 1820s. An old photo, hanging in the house of the grandfather, the
founder of button factory, shows the affluence of the family. In that war he lost his two brothers.
The events of the war made a scar in his mind. He turned out to be an alcoholic after World War
I. As a financial settlement, he arranged for the marriage of Iris with Griffin, a politician and an
ambitious industrialist. Iris got trickled into a hollow marriage to Richard Griffin and thereby
Laura (Iris’ sister) became Richard’s victim of blackmail and seduction.
The family dissolution started with Richard’s betrayals, deceptions and transgressions
which were discovered by Iris. The estrangement between Iris and Richard followed by the
estrangement between Iris and her daughter Aimee is the outcome of Iris’ marital life. As a
continuation of the First World War that brought destruction to the Chase family, the Second
World War brought disasters to Richard. As he could not continue his trade with Germans, he
was found dead in sail boat, ‘Water Nixie’. During the war, Alex Thomas, the lover of Laura
dies. His death drives Laura to plunge into death. The impact of war on Chase’s family is
destructive as Iris feels thrilled: “a war is a huge fire; the ashes from it drift far and settle slowly”
(481).
“The Blind Assassin”, alleged to have been written by Laura, is actually authored by Iris.
This novel procures posthumous justice to Laura, causing the downfall of Richard, thwarting his
political ambition at one stroke. The tale of illicit love between a young aristocratic woman and a
leftist, who is always on the move to escape capture, is written for the sake of Sabrina, the
daughter of Aimee who is believed as the daughter of Iris and Richard but, in reality, she is the

daughter of Iris and Alex Thomas. Within the story, there is another story that depicts the story
of a young slave boy, the Blind Assassin who becomes blind for weaving the finest carpets. He is
expected to kill the king and take the place of a young mute girl, a victim in the planet Zycron,
who is kept prepared for the next day’s ritual of sacrifice.
Iris, writing this novel as a confessional memoir, represents herself as a historian. She
does not write with a purpose to detect anything but to reveal the family secret to the grand-
daughter. In this process, she is able to provide clues to keep the reader’s curiosity. “Iris’ life
story has been historically conditioned whereas in that process history is fictionally constructed
and that makes the novel a historiography meta fiction” (Baskaran 49).
While Iris intends to write her family story she feels that she has no audience and no
purpose: “For whom am I writing this? For myself? I think not. I have no picture of myself
reading it over at a later time, later time having become problematical. For some stranger, in the
future, after I’m dead? I have no such ambition, or no such hope” (43). Though she does not
think of writing her story to a particular audience, she has a genuine reason to retell her family
story, to leave a message to the future generation. After collecting the fragments of the past to
make a reconstruction of it, Iris tries to blend the real thing with her story telling techniques. She
does not want to reproduce history. She plans to tell the story to the future generation without
ambiguity. She thinks, “I didn’t want realism any way: I wanted things to be highly coloured,
simple in outline, without ambiguity, which is what most children when it comes to the stories of
their parents” (67).
Having faith in telling the family story, Iris narrates her version of the family story to her
grand-daughter Sabrina. Iris unfolds the family secrets, hopes, and dissolution due to war, love
and industrialization. As she is the sole living person who knows the family- story, she feels that
what she missed to do in her daughter Aimee’s life, she should not do again in her grand
daughter’s life. As an artist, she narrates the story carefully to tell the truth to her grand-daughter
Sabrina. While writing the story she realizes her inability, as she is not a professional writer:
“I’m not as swift as I was. My fingers are stiff and clumsy, the pen wavers and rambles; it takes
me a long time to form the words. And yet I persist, hunched over as if sewing by moonlight”
(43).
As a victim of male-oriented society, Iris thinks that it is her duty to leave a message, a
truth to her grand daughter. She takes up the role of a writer in documenting the past to tell the

family story to Sabrina, her grand-daughter. Iris documents her life story along with the
Canadian national history in the form of a novel, “The Blind Assassin” and publishes it in the
name of her dead sister Laura. By depicting the early nineteenth century Canadian woman’s
predicament, Iris records the status of the Canadian women and the male-dominated social,
economic, and political tortures on them. In the story, Iris presents facts and fiction, and reality
and fantasy. She depicts the world where they live in, and the other world which she really wants
to have.
As the novel is a memorial to her dead sister Laura, Iris believes that “it’s only the book
that makes memorable now” (46). Iris, being the elder daughter of the Chase family is forced to
take care of her sister Laura. Her mother died in child-birth and her father, an industrialist who
turned out to be a drunkard due to the wreckage of his button factory, faces his death painfully.
Her mother wants Iris to take care of Laura: “Be a good girl”, she said, “I hope you’ll be a good
sister to Laura. I know you try to be” (93). And her father also wants Iris to take care of her sister
Laura: “If anything happens”, he said finally, “you must promise to look after Laura” (101).
As an artist, she perfectly drafts the story from her grand-father and the home, ‘Avilion’.
She brings out the details about war and its impacts on the family. After the two World Wars the
economic condition of Canadian women became worse. Women from established families went
for work. Iris’ grandmother, Adelia had her maid Montfort from an established family.
While tracing the history, Iris does not fail to bring the leftist intrusion in Canada.
Introducing Alex Thomas, a young leftist as Laura’s lover, Iris sketches out the fall of the Chase
family, through love. Alex, as he narrates innumerable Arabian tales and science stories to Laura,
lives as a mystic character. He is always on the run and wants to hide his identity. Laura meets
him in the dark and Iris closely watches them. In eavesdropping, Iris comes to know about Alex:
“… who I really am a person who doesn’t need to know who he really is, in the usual sense”
(190).
In the process of her narration of the family story, Iris brings out all the historical details.
She believes that by bringing out the details about Chase family and its dissolution, her grand-
daughter Sabrina would not suspect her; moreover, she will come to know her real grand-father.
At the age of eighty-three, being the lone member of the family, Iris has nobody competent
enough to verify the historical details she provides. She wants to unfold the family secret that

Aimee is the daughter of Alex. In support of her statements she often quotes the book “The Blind
Assassin” and assertions that the book is written by Laura.
Iris’ fictitious narrative is the exaggerated version of real event. In the sub-plot, Iris
creates a new planet Zycron, peopled with young lovers and blind children who make finest
carpets and the real people, Laura and Alex. The world of fantasy is seen in the narration about
planet Zycron. The duality of the novel is found in the actions of real characters like Laura and
Iris who are very enigmatic and intricate. Atwood employs magic realism in this novel. In her
magic realism two spaces are created where alternate realities exist.
The ideal of self inhabiting two or many spaces at one time generates the
inclusion of split subjects living in double spaces which is effectively depicted by
Margaret Atwood in her Booker Prize winner The Blind Assassin. (Vanitha 63)
Atwood depicts spatial duality in this novel. She has created two worlds, the one which conforms
to the conventional western world order and the other to a realm of fantasy. The action shifts
from one epistemology to the other. The fusion of these two epistemologies that are paradoxical
erases the boundaries between the real and the supernatural. Through Iris, Atwood tries to
establish a link between the probable and the improbable, by using magic realism.
Iris becomes a successful writer as she is retelling her family story, blending fact and
fantasy. As an artist she never struggles for her emergence as a writer, except during her old age
illness and physical pain. She uses her body as a writing instrument. She says, “I sit my wooden
table, scratching away with my pen. No, not scratching- pens no longer scratch. The words roll
smoothing and soundlessly enough across the page; it’s getting them to flow down the arm, it’s
squeezing them out through the fingers that is so difficult” (66).
At first, Iris claims that she has no reader or audience in mind. Eventually, it becomes
less possible for her to write for no one, and later she identifies first Myra, her Nanny’s daughter,
and her grand daughter Sabrina as her prospective readers. Iris tells the story of her loveless
marriage and her sister’s erratic journey towards suicide. Iris is not a writer by profession but she
takes up the task of writing a memoir of her dead sister. “The story that she sets out to tell begins
with the suicide of her younger sister, Laura Chase, in 1945, and then circles back to the turn of
the 20 th century to chronicle the lives of their grand-parents and parents, and their own passage
from innocence to experience in the 20s and 30s” (Robert 139).
Taking the role of a writer, Iris intends to do something good for the family. By
documenting her sufferings in a male-oriented society along with love and war, Iris reveals the
truth about her life. At the beginning, she hesitates to write her story: “Now I think: but if

writing, what kind of writing? Diaries, novels, autobiographies? or simply graffiti : Mary Loves
John” (325). Once she starts writing her family story, Iris emerges as a full-fledged writer. By
publishing the novel, “The Blind Assassin” Iris not only brings honor to her sister Laura, but also
reveals the woman’s sufferings in the then society. Suicide, abortion, unwanted marriages – all
these make a woman become an item i.e., as a pawn product, a slave – all these are documented
by Iris for the benefit of the future generation of women. Iris remembers how she became a
victim in the hands of marriage: “I was still a minor, and I was Richard’s wife. The laws were
different then. What was mine was his, to all intents and purposes” (315).
Accusing the Canadian law that makes a woman a mere puppet in the hands of her
husband, Iris registers her agony and thereby she subverts the convention, “If you can’t say
anything nice don’t say anything at all…” (252). Iris recollects the agreement made between her
father and Richard without getting her consent. She says, “I must have assumed I would simply
be handed over to Richard, like a parcel; …” (234). Simultaneously, she narrates her sister
Laura’s love affairs with Alex Thomas. The lover’s desire to take an imaginative flight from the
restrictive and repressive real space to the remote fictitious Zycron peopled by strange,
supernatural beings is representative of the post colonial quest to create a space on the new
traditions away from the past, to cope with their present.
After the publication of the book, “The Blind Assassin”, Iris gains the credit that “She
writes like an angel” (498). She reveals the truth to the world and to her grand daughter about the
book: “As for the book, Laura did not write a word of it” (512). She also accepts the reason for
using Laura’s name for her writing: “Laura was my left hand, and I was hers. We wrote the book
together. It’s a left handed book. That’s why one of us is always out of sight, whichever way you
look at it” (513). She reveals her purpose of writing: “I was writing it for you, dearest Sabrina,
because you’re the one – the only one – who needs it now” (513). Further, she unfolds the family
secret that Alex Thomas is Sabrina’s real grand father.
Iris takes Laura as her collaborator in writing the book. Because she thinks that both are
victims of the same social orders, Iris and Laura have a common reason to write: “What we all
want: to leave a message behind us that has an effect, if only a dire one; a message that cannot
be cancelled out” (420). She weaves fact and fiction, past and present and history and her ‘story’
perfectly, according to her plan in revealing the ‘truth’ to her grand daughter.

Works Cited
Atwood, Margaret. The Blind Assassin. London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.,
2000.
Madhukeshwar. Ruth, Vanitha. Eds. In Search of Answers. New Delhi: Manohar
Publishers, 1996.

ARTICLE ON AFRO AMERICAN LITERATURE
Racial Discrimination in Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun
S. Dharani
Assistant Professor of English,
Devanga Arts College (Autonomous), Aruppukottai.
Racism has been one of the biggest evils faced by mankind. It is believed that inherent
racial differences among people are the reason for superiority of a particular ethnic group or
religion. Racism denotes prejudice, oppression and atrocities against a certain sect or group of
people by other class of people. It exists in many forms throughout the world and is a big blot on
the humanitarian cause, which forms the foundation of a global harmonious society.
Discrimination is a sociological term referring to the treatment taken towards or against a person
of a certain group in consideration based solely on class or category. It involves excluding or
restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to other groups.
“Discriminatory behaviours take many forms but they all involve some form of exclusion
or rejection”. Discriminatory laws such as racial quotas have been used to redress negative
effects of discrimination. The basis of this difference is largely the colour of the skin. It endowed
blacks with an intense and sustained consciousness of their colour. The race consciousness of
blacks was exacerbated by the legalized difference between them and the dominant white
community so that colour became the code word. The black stereotype is entrenched in a colour
which is permanent, inextricable stigmatized and a matter of shame.
On the other hand, the term race consciousness has a deeper sense. It refers not simply to
an individual’s awareness of a cult but a binding concern on the part of the blacks. It has been a
defining concept for the blacks informing their own community of Afro-Americans after their
abolition of slavery. Due to racial discrimination and the consequent debasement black men and
their women were subjected to various persecutions. The ideology that humans are divided into
separate and exclusive biological entities called “races,” that there is a causal link between
inherited physical traits and traits of personality, intellect, morality, and other cultural behavioral
features, and that some “races” are innately superior to others.
6 ISSN 0976-8130

Racism was at the heart of North American slavery and the overseas colonization and
empire-building activities of some western Europeans, especially in the 18th century. The idea of
race was invented to magnify the differences between people of European origin in the U.S. and
those of African descent whose ancestors had been brought against their will to function as
slaves in the American South. By viewing Africans and their descendants as lesser human
beings, the proponents of slavery attempted to justify and maintain this system of exploitation
while at the same time portraying the U.S. as a bastion and champion of human freedom, with
human rights, democratic institutions, unlimited opportunities, and equality. The contradiction
between slavery and the ideology of human equality, accompanying a philosophy of human
freedom and dignity, seemed to demand the dehumanization of those enslaved. By the 19th
century racism had matured and the idea spread around the world.
Racism differs from ethnocentrism in that that it is linked to physical and therefore
immutable differences among people. Ethnic identity is acquired, and ethnic features are learned
forms of behaviour. Race, on the other hand, is a form of identity that is perceived as innate and
unalterable. In the last half of the 20th century several conflicts around the world were
interpreted in racial terms even though their origins were in the ethnic hostilities that have long
characterized many human societies (e.g., Arabs and Jews, English and Irish). Racism reflects an
acceptance of the deepest forms and degrees of divisiveness and carries the implication that
differences among groups are so great that they cannot be transcended.
African Americans who form a significant part of the American population were
subjected to tremendous discrimination. The civil war fought in America was partly a movement
to stand up to this oppressive system. However, racism continued to cast a gloomy shadow over
the development of the American nation. Throughout the American history African American
have been discriminated against and subjected to racist attitudes. This experience inspired some
black writers, at least during the early years of African American Literature to prove that they
were the equals of white authors.
African American cause received great fill up during the American Civil Rights
Movement which culminated with the passage of civil rights of 1964 which banned
discrimination in employment, labour unions and public accommodations. It was at the threshold
of this movement; however, by refuting the claims of the dominant culture African American
writers were not simply proving their worth, they were also attempting to subvert the literary and

power traditions of the United States. The actual content of the psychological experience of
black men and women, their victimization and vulnerability in a world of racial segregation and
prejudice have very often overlooked, minimized or consciously evaded by the writers.
Lorraine Hansberry was only 29 old when Raisin opened on Broadway in 1959.
Hansberry grew up in the Woodlawn neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side, and was the
daughter of the prominent civil rights activists Carl and Nannie Hansberry. Hansberry and her
family moved to a white neighborhood when Hansberry was eight years old, where they were
met with violence and hostility. Mobs surrounded the family’s house. After several attacks, the
Hansberrys were almost evicted from their home by the Illinois courts. Hansberry’s father and
lawyers from the NAACP fought Hansberry versus. Lee until it reached the Supreme Court,
where the eviction was overturned. This experience would surface in Hansberry’s work.
The dominating white race willfully fostered dormant hostilities within black community
that are produced by historically specific conditions. They emphasized class divisions within the
black race whereas society in America is essentially split on racial lines. Within the community
itself polarization very often occurred on the basis of class, colour and gender. The black
community thus very often reflects an ideology that is essentially a distorted or false
consciousness of the world, which camouflages people’s real relationship to each other. The
ideology that is enforced by the dominating white race is thus passively accepted by the black
community.
A Raisin in the Sun is the first play written by Lorraine Hansberry. Many social issues of
the 1950s including feminism gender roles, the black family and the pan-African movement as
well as events within Hansberry’s own life are interweaved in this play. However, a central
theme of A Raisin in the Sun reveals how racism from the housing Industry, Government,
Religious Leaders and average Americans supported the segregated housing environment of
Chicago. In Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun Younger’s family leads a ghetto life in the south
side of Chicago in the 1950s. The main characters struggle to deal with the oppressive
circumstances that rule their lives. They need to fight racial discrimination is prominent in the
play as an issue that they cannot avoid.
The apartment is a small often-dark area in which all the Youngers at one time or another
feel cramped. The Youngers are living in a ghetto. During the New African Movement of the
1960s African Americans embraced their racial history, stopping their attempts to assimilate

even in physical appearance like dress and hairstyle and no professional choice. The governing
body of the Youngers new neighborhood the Clybourn Park Improvement Association sends Mr.
Linder to persuade them not to move into the white clybourn park neighbourhood.
Mr. Linder and the people represented can only see the color of the Youngers to keep
them from moving threatens to tear apart the Youngers family and the values for which it stands
ultimately. Youngers respond to this discrimination with defiance and strength. The play
powerfully demonstrates that the way to deal with discrimination is to stand up it rather than
allow it to pass unchecked.
The question of gender and race have made black women’s path an everyday struggle
against the double jeopardy that they are involved into for being both black and woman. The
women characters of Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun are not absent of this double form
of discrimination. As the three black women characters of the play Mama, Ruth and Beneatha
constitute our object of analysis in this work. In A Raisin in the Sun Beneatha Younger is an
atheist opinionated and at times self -centered. She prides herself on being independent. Asagai
criticizes her for being both too independent by not wanting to marry and too dependent not to
leave America. When she realizes this dependence, she gains a new perspective on her dream
and a new energy to attain it in her own way.
Throughout the play Beneatha’s character proposes that marriage is not necessary for
women and that women can and should have ambitious career goals. She even approaches an
abortion debate allowing the topic of abortion to enter the action in an era when abortion was
illegal. One of her most radical friends Ruth discovers that she is pregnant but fears that that will
put more financial pressure on her family members. Beneatha also scolds for her irresponsibility
of having rejected both marriage and motherhood.
Beneatha of Raisin dates with two different men Joseph Asagai and George Murchison.
She is at her happiest with Asagai, her Nigerian boyfriend who has nicknamed her “Alaiyo”
which means “one of whom Bread-food is not enough” (21). She is at her most depressed and
angry with George pompous affluent African-American boyfriend. She identifies much more
with Asagai’s interest in rediscovering his African roots than with George’s interest in
assimilating into white culture. She is inspired by the attentions of a Nigerian suitor instead of a
processed straightened hairstyle and Nigerian dress.

She has a proud awareness of their African heritage; she has an intense racial pride
mingled with humanistic commitment and rejects Murchison who represents materialism. She
expresses her wish to be “a queen of the Nile” Beneatha has had to rely on the insurance money
got from her father’s death. Her dream of becoming a doctor greatly influences her. When she
realizes this dependence she gains a new perspective on her dream and a new energy to attain it
in her own way.
Beneatha embraces their black heritage and reach out to their people as a liberated black
women yet Beneatha wants to break free of confirming to the white ideal. She stills wants to
assimilate herself to an educated American life. She attends college and is better educated than
the rest of the Younger family. Her desire to become a doctor demonstrates her great ambition
and struggles to determine her identity as well-educated black women. Black men and women
are implicated in a common fate of oppression and racial humiliation, which the exigencies of
their existence do not permit them to subvert or evade. The existence of black women very often
is moulded after the patterns set by their men.
During the course of the play, the Youngers progress from a family whose members clash
over their conflicting aspirations to a cohesive family united in the fight against discrimination
and in pursuit of the American Dream. Mama has long believed that family is the most important
aspect of a person’s life, and she attempts to impart this knowledge to her family as they argue
over what course of action to take with the insurance money. Initially, Mama’s children are more
concerned with their own personal betterment than they are with the good of the family: Walter is
adamant about using the money to start a liquor store business, while Beneatha longs to use all of
it to pay her medical school tuition. Walter and Beneatha give little, if any thought to the notion
of buying a house to improve their family situation. They merely desire a better future for
themselves, losing sight of what they can do to benefit their family.
Beneatha even renounces Walter as her brother when he reveals that the insurance money
has been stolen. Still, despite their differences of opinion, the family unites to refute Mr.
Lindner’s discriminatory offer so that they may move into their new home in Clybourne Park. By
the end of the play, the Youngers have realized that placing family first does not rob them of their
individual identity. In fact, binding together to achieve a common goal actually allows them
more freedom in the long run: by taking a step toward defeating racism, the Younger family

opens doors for each of its members. While pursuing individual goals may bring short term
personal gain, family solidarity results in greater ideological victories.
It would seem that the men and women in A Raisin in the Sun occupy traditional gender
roles, with the male working outside the home to support the family and the females remaining at
home to take care of the household chores. Yet despite these conventional positions, the women
of Hansberry’s play are far from subordinate. In fact, Walter must follow their example of dignity
and pride in order to achieve his desired position of true head of the household. The women of
Raisin each display their fortitude in unique ways. Mama continually extols the virtues of her
heritage, reminding her family of its history of diligence and labor.
Hansberry likely draws the inspiration for Mama from her own mother, who prowled the
family home with a German shotgun to protect her children from the wrath of white neighbors in
their hostile environment. Mama’s commitment to her family demonstrates her strength and
wisdom, as she imparts the virtues of dignity and respect to her children and grandchild, and
rewards them with compassion and love when they merit it. Ruth doggedly supports Walter, even
in his ill received investment plan, and resolves to work even harder in Chicago’s kitchens and
hotel rooms when the money is stolen. Though Ruth’s servility may not seem progressive, it
actually reveals her strength, as she volunteers to carry the family on her back in order to grant
them the upward mobility they crave.
Beneatha adopts a more recognizably feminist role, harboring lofty career ambitions and
broadcasting fierce independence; Mama teaches her that it is possible to be progressive while
remaining committed to the family. Given the Younger women’s profound strength, it becomes
clear that Hansberry writes from a feminist perspective. She assigns Walter the stereotypical
black male’s castigation and resentment of the black female, but does so with the intent that he
will ultimately realize that his bitterness stems from oppression by society, not by the women in
his life. Walter must overcome his latent jealousy of the women’s power so that he no longer
views their strength as a direct cause of his weakness.
Indeed, Hansberry rejects the stereotype of black women emasculating black men by
making clear that discrimination and exploitation are the men’s true enemies, and that both men
and women must fight to overturn such oppression. The abundance of strong women at the moral
center of Hansberry’s play demonstrate a distinctly feminist outlook, as the women teach the

male protagonist the proper way to behave and impart the necessity of uniting both genders in
the fight against racism and the pursuit of the American Dream.
For Hansberry, the key to liberation for blacks in America and around the world is
political power, which could be attained through solidarity. Hansberry uses Africa in the play as
a symbol of black struggle and freedom. Asagai an African revolutionary model for beneath the
attitudes and commitment needed in order that blacks might secure full citizenship in America
and the world. Asagai tells Beneatha that he would like to take her back to their ancestral home,
Nigeria. He tells her that once they are home they would pretend that there were never three
hundred years of separation. She makes it clear that African Americans and their counterparts in
other parts of the world are a family who must unite in order to reconstruct a world that looks
upon people of colour with hostile eyes.
Beneatha Younger in A Raisin in the Sun has been cited as the voice of many young
women in the 1950s and '60s movements toward gender equality. Questions such as beauty
ideals among women, women’s sexuality, and gender equality in the workplace-incited protest
and artistic movements, just like the Civil Rights Movement. When A Raisin in the Sun was
written, women were working to pave the way towards complete equality.
Finally, one could state that the three women of the play are all looking for their “Dream
Deffered”, to use Langston Hughes’ words, a poet from the Harlem renaissance who had a great
influence in Hansberry’s career. His words open up her play when he spouted:
“What happens to a dream deffered?”
Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?....
May be it just sags like a heavy load or does it
explode?”
Lorraine Hansberry’s hit play, A Raisin In the Sun, reflects the racial tensions of the 1950s
and '60s, a time of incredible breakthroughs and setbacks in the fight for civil rights. Her play
explores the lives of black Americans at a time when their standing in society was constantly
changing. Hansberry also delves into ideas of African anticolonialism, new notions of family
values, feminism and the promise of the American dream. The historical background of the
play the growing Civil Rights Movement is impossible to ignore; here are some of the civil
rights breakthroughs and issues of Hansberry’s time.
A Raisin in the Sun has had a powerful impact since its first production in 1959. The
Broadway success of A Raisin in the Sun earned Hansberry the New York Drama Critics’ Circle
Award for best play. It was one of the first theatrical pieces to highlight the many issues and

uncertainties that plagued the African American community in the 1960s and1970s and remain
problematic even today. The play deals with the concepts of the “American Dream”—
specifically what that dreams means for a black family living in South Side Chicago. The play
had a profound cultural impact, as African Americans felt validated by Hansberry’s thorough
exploration of the black experience. Indeed, Hansberry shattered the barrier between African-
American culture and American Theater.
Works Cited
Bernstein, Robin. “Inventing a Fishbowl: White Supremacy and the
Critical Reception of Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun”. Modern Drama, Vol
42, No.1, Spring, 1999. 16-27. Print.
Cheney, Anne. Lorraine Hansberry. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1988.
Print.
Friedman, Sharon. Feminism as Theme in Twentieth-Century American
Women’s Drama. American Studies (1984): 69-89. Print.
Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. New York: The New
American Library, 1961. Print.
Seetha, B.T. “A search for an ethic of existence in the plays of Lorraine
Hansberry and Ed. Bullins.” Critical Responses: British and
American Literature. Ed. Department of English, Osmania University, Hyderabad. New
Delhi: Sterling.1991.print.
Sharadha, Y.S. Black Women’s Writing: Quest for Identity in the Plays
of Lorraine Hansberry and Ntozake Shange. New Delhi: Prestige
Books, 1998. Print.
R.K. Narayan’s Malgudi: The Myth and Reality – A Search for the Locale.
C.S. Jeyaraman
Assistant Professor of English
Devanga Arts College (Autonomous)
Aruppukottai – 626 101.
7 ISSN 0976-8130

A novel deals with the physical features, people, life, customs, habits, manners,
traditions, language, etc., of a particular locality. The novelist emphasizes the unique features of
a particular locality, its uniqueness, the various ways in which it differs from other localities, the
differences are used as a means of revealing similarities; form the particular and the local, the
artist rises to the general and the universal. The selected region becomes a symbol of the world
at large, a microcosm which reflects the great world beyond.
R.K. Narayan is regarded as one of the greatest of Indians Writing in English. His sole
aim is to give aesthetic satisfaction and not to use his art as a medium of propaganda or to serve
some social purpose as in the case with his contemporary Mulk Raj Anand. Indian English
must be used to express Indian sensibility, to convey the feeling of the culture and emotional life
of the people to the readers. There are a number of eminent writers who have overcome the
difficulties caused by the medium of expression and achieved international fame and recognition.
Only in India with a native population whose indigenous religions and cultures were
never crushed by a colonial church militant and whose millennia old literary tradition far pre-
dated the advent of the first European, has a foreign language achieved such a profound and
positive cultural symbiosis. It is probably the greatest linguistic feat.
The Malgudi forms the setting to all the works of Narayan. It is a symbol for India. It is
a typical South Indian town and it has been presented in his works vividly and realistically.
Every reader sees it changing growing and becoming different. All the ten novels and most of
the short stories are set in Malgudi. Various critics have attempted to identify the origin of this
mythical town.
As a creator of Malgudi, Narayan has put his particular region of South India on the
world map. His treatment of it is realistic and vivid so much so that many have taken the
fictitious to be the real and have tried to identify the various geographical features under the
landmarks that constantly recur in his novels. Thus some have thought that Narayan’s Malgudi
is Lalgudi while others identified it with Coimbatore. But like Hardy’s Wessex, it is a pure
country of the mind, a dream country in which the physical feature of various places are
intimately known to the novelist.
Malgudi is Narayan’s greatest invention wherein he could put in real people, real places
in one harmony of day-to-day existence and eccentricity. Every minor and major character of
Narayan’s stories fascinates, even the only villain to figure in all his writings, Vasu, the Man-

Eater of Malgudi. Narayan is that supreme alchemist who discovered that the ordinary is the
most extra-ordinary aspect of civilized living.
The Nava Rasa of human life is not to be seen in cinematic exaggerations or in the blood
and core of modern novels, but in good, clean portrayal of life around.
Hari Prasanna’s The World of Malgudi says:
‘The recurrence of the same landmarks serves to put together the various novels
into an organic whole. They may be rightly called Malgudi novels, just as,
Hardy’s novels are called Wessex novel.’(n.p.)
Narayan creates his fictional world of Malgudi as an essentially Indian society or town.
The Indianness and Indian sensibility pervaded the whole place. Narayan’s Malgudi is also a
microcosm of India. It grows and develops and expands and changes and it is full of humanity,
drawing its substance from the human drama that it enacted in it.
Like Hardy, Arnold Bennett too writes about five towns, also famous as fictional places.
For Bennett the five towns were provincial. His attitude towards them is always expository in
the sense that he explains and exhibits them to outside body, but for Narayan Malgudi is
anything but provincial.
K.R. Srinivas Iyengar an eminent scholar expresses about the universal element in the
novels of Narayan:
‘Like Hardy’s Wessex, Malgudi is the chosen region which forms the background
to the works of Narayan. Malgudi is Narayan’s Caster Bridge, but the inhabitants
of Malgudi, though they may have the recognizable local trappings, are
essentially human and hence have their kinship with all humanity. In this sense
Malgudi is everywhere.’(361)
In Swami and Friends, Malgudi is neither village nor city, but a town of modest size,
with each new novel. We advance in time and Malgudi grows in importance and gain in
definition.
Uma Parameswaran very rightly says:
‘Indeed Malgudi is the only character that grows, changes, reacts to time and
circumstance, has spirit, a soul, other Narayan characters do not grow. They are
essentially what E.M. Forster would call ‘flat characters’.’(50)

As the population increased, the activities and the boundaries of Malgudi also expanded
necessitating the expansion of education and establishment of industrial concerns. It became, in
course of time, an attractive city. Malgudi can be taken as a representative city of the whole of
India since the process of modernization has been the same everywhere. If on one side of the
city remnants of old culture is seen, on the other side are seen posh colonies and metalled roads.
On the life of the people can be seen the impact of Mahatma Gandhi and also of the western
culture.
Iyengar tells us that as early as 1935 when the palace talkie was built:
‘Malgudi had come into line with modern age…. By brushing aside the old
corrugated sheet-roofed variety hall, which from time immemorial had entertained
the citizens of Malgudi with tattered silent films.’(362)
So, if Malgudi is the microcosm of India in its multifarious moods, it is also the real hero
of his novels. All things pass and change, men and women try to live and as they are living in
India.
Malgudi also forms the setting of The Man–Eater of Malgudi. Malgudi even forms a
part of its title, thus indicating the importance of the locality in the novel. The various events
and incidents narrated in its place in Malgudi and the action never moves out of it.
Narayan has created in successive novels the imaginary town of Malgudi, with its
collections of printing shops, schools, temples, hotels and the neighboring Mempi hills. A
Mempi hill is well described in his novel The Man-Eater of Malgudi.
Mempi village, at the foot of the hills, consisted of a single winding street, which
half a mile away disappeared into the ranges of Mempi. … The jungle studded
the sides of the hill. A small shrine stood at the confluence of the mountain road
with the highway, and the goddess presiding was offered coconut and camphor
flames by every driver on the mountain side. (39)
It is predominantly lower middle-class but has the usual beggars, spongers, tricksters,
bogus Sadhus and other never do wells.
Narayan has made use of human relationship, use of Indian myth and religious faith,
education, rural life and depiction of Malgudi as a typical Indian town in his novels and short
stories. These fantastic situations and events are true in the Indian context. Every aspect
emphasizes Indianness in his novels. The social and national way of life is influenced and

conditioned by the hot Indian climate, Indian fauna and flora. Narayan had projected in the
writing the perception and conception of the Indian through Indian eyes in a very natural way.
National environment and national psychology in the works of the Indian English Language
author are as inseparable as being and consciousness. Narayan is not an exception to all this. His
writing in English reflects Indianness in all his novels. Their suffering and their problems are the
suffering and problems of people in every corner of India. Thus, the particular has been
universalized and generalized and the novel becomes a work of universal human interest.
Works Cited
Narayan, R.K. The Man Eater of Malgudi. Madras: Indian Thought Publications, 1962.
Hariprasanna, A .The World of Malgudi. Delhi: Prestige Books, 1994.
Sirinivas Iyengar, K.R. Indian Writing in English. Delhi: Sterling Publishers, 1962.
Uma Prameswaran: A Study Representative Indo-English Novelists. (n.p & n.d)

Doris Lessing and Sivasankari: Dialectics in Cultural Stands and
Feminist Contexts
M. Karthigai Ganesan
Associate professor of English
Devanga Arts College (Autonomous)
Aruppukottai
“Culture” a word with very broad connotations is closely interwoven with social
relationships. It gives direction and momentum to social changes. Social systems are directly or
indirectly the creation of cultural values and any change in the values makes its effect felt upon
social institutions like marriage, family, religion and so on Culture is not something static
because changefulness is inherent in it. Graham Wall defines culture thus.
Culture is an accumulation of thoughts, values and objects. It is
the social heritage acquired by us from preceding generation
through learning as distinguished from the biological heritage
which is passed on to us automatically through the genes. (Bhushan Vidya 760)
Culture enlarges itself by adopting different cultural modes. If an individual does not understand
the new culture, he or she suffers in his or her own life.
This paper attempts to investigate how Mary in Doris Lessing’s The Grass is Singing and
Nirmala in Sivasankari’s Over-dose Inspite of their traditional up-bringing waver in their lives
because of their unadaptability to their new found culture.
8 ISSN 0976-8130
Both Lessing and Sivasankari write novels and create characters in the background of
their own respective culture. Their men and women are almost traditional products and their
psychologically acquired new freedom leads them to an imbalance, resulting in the destruction of
their family lives. The Neo-acculturation does not seem to suit their own environment and
mental dispositions. Instead of creating “New Woman” out of them, the practices make them
feeble and disoriented. In other words, a psychological disposition or the satisfaction of
Hierarchy of needs’ as-Abraham Maslow suggests – is imperative for men and women to reach

the stage of self-actualization. Culture plays a vital role in shaping men and women mentally
and spiritually.
The Grass is Singing is set in southern Rhodesia, where the writer grew up. It tells the
story of a white woman, Mary who leaves the poor family farm on the veld to lead a happy
single life in the town until she feels pushed by her friends into seeking a husband. Disastrously
in a hasty way she marries Dick Turner, a poor stubborn farmer and in the frustration of a life
mirrioring her own mother’s gradually deteriorites into breakdown and in doing so crosses a
taboo. She tries to give up despising and hating natives in the way conventional with in her own
cultural context. She comes to rely physically and emotionally on her black servant, Moses.
When Tony, young man fresh from England, arrives on the farm, she sends Moses away only to
have him return and kill her.
The novel beginning with the newspaper report of the murder of Mary, a white by the
black servant Moses and the whites’ analysis of the murder mystery vividly presents the political
situation in the colonial context. The whites who turn in to poor farmers called the turners are
more sensitive about their superiority over the blacks, since the maintenance of the white
superiority is becoming increasingly difficult in economical and political terms. The
impoverished life style of Mary and Dick and Mary’s death have severely threatened white
solidarity, a quality carefully cherished in the colonial society. That is why the white farmers
who discuss the murder of Mary are content with a stereotypal interpretation of the motives for
Murder. What is every black servant but potential thief in the view of the whites? That Mary was
sexually attracted to Moses was almost unthinkable and culturally unspeakable to the whites. A
society of white settlers in Africa established discourses of power which have ways to subscribe
to any foreigner their priorities superior or inferior. Tony Marston, Dick’s manager, a white fresh
from England thwarts those prejudiced opinions and shocks the whites with his statements that
the motives for the murder of Mary are complicated by Mary’s emotional involvement with his
black servant. Lessing uses Tony to represent her impartial views that are against the colonial
myth of the whites. Through him the novelist both articulates and undermines the authority of the
liberal outsider particularly that of the British. Tony Marston performs an important function in
indicating how the novel is to be read.
But the important thing that really mattered, so it seemed to him
was to understand the background the circumstances, the

characters of Dick and Mary, the patterns of their lives’ (Lessing 27)
In pointing to the need to understand the deep rooted causes of Mary’s murder, Lessing
draws attention to the need to understand the different points of views.
‘The Grass is singing’ gives prominence to the political and economic factors in the
deterministic presentation of both the whites Mary and Dick. Mary’s hostility to men and her
loathing of the African bush can be attributed to her childhood, impoverished by her father’s
drinking and embittered by her mother’s struggle for economic survival. Dick’s failure in
farming can similarly be related to his failure in maintaining the better economical status than
that of a black. Economic factors alone however do not account for the loss of self esteem and
social approval experienced by the turners. In this society, financial success is a guarantee of
racial superiority. Without it, the white man or woman is reduced to the level of the native. The
individual’s failure thus threatens the myth of white superiority according to which black men
are poor because they lack the ability.
Doris Lessing unlike other feminists does not merely point out the problems of women
in terms of relationship between Man and Woman, but analyses and addresses their problems on
socio-cultural, political and psychological perspectives. As lessing feels, women’s problems in
colonial society are more complex, she is not reluctant to present those problems with that much
complexity as she had perceived and observed in the colonial society. As a radical feminist, she
calls for open discussions, reviews of people to probe out the truths, about the women’s
problems, buried under other major factors and terms in a colonial society of southern Rhodesia.
The writer does not want to miss the direction and reality with all her concentration focused upon
the only factor of man-woman relationship.
The novel ‘The Grass is singing’ as a radical, political form fed by social facts and
social urgencies is the pursuit of a true story underlying colonial fictions. As a radical realist,
Lessing makes a thorough study about the political matters and the social problems. He presents
those in new perspectives with her own observations. In the first chapter a white woman has
been murdered by her black servant and the readers are then shown in an extended flashback her
childhood, her courtship and her married life.
In Lessing’s novel The Grass is Singing the heroine, Mary is forced through her marriage
to compromise with certain things. She has had an unhappy childhood, when she had to witness

stinking quarrels between her parents because of her father’s uncontrollable drinking and brutal
behaviour and her mother’s frustration and impotence. At the age of sixteen, as a relief from this
monotonous life of her countryside, she takes a routine job of type-writing in the town. By the
time she is twenty, her mother dies. Hardly does she see her father. The novelist says:
Being lone in he world had no terrors for her at all
And by dropping her father, she seemed in some way to be
avenging her Mother’s sufferings. (Lessing 38)
Her bitter childhood experiences make her an arid feminist which seems to have no meaning at
all in her own life, since she leads a comfortable existence of a single woman in South Africa.
Women are shown active manipulators of other women. Mary’s move from the simple
status in to a disastrous marriage is caused by the malice of overheard women’s talk. Mary
ultimately succumbs to what her mother has nurtured in her mind, to what she has read in the
magazine and to what she has watched in the film. Though she is not alien to the cultural
concept-marriage, she commits a blunder and to have chosen Dick, a poor farmer and a
conservative her life-partner to have left a job and her active way of life in the town to play the
role of a suffering female like her mother. If she had married a person of dynamic nature who
believes in the equalitarian role of woman, she would have actualized her potentialities
It is terrible to destroy a person’s picture of himself in the
interests of truth or some other abstraction. How can one
know he will be able to create another to enable him to go on
living? Mary’s idea of herself was destroyed and she was not
fitted to recreate herself. (Lessing 52)
Though Mary has to make many sacrifices in her in her married life, Dick neither honors
them nor is prepared to provide her with normal domestic comforts. On the other hand every
time when he implements a new scheme on the farm and wastes a lot of money, Mary warns him
of the short-comings of the particular scheme and tries to prevent him from a heavy Loss. Dick
never listens to the ideas of Mary, but ends up as bankrupt and sells their lands. Because of the
authoritarian suppression, Mary longs to lead an active life. She exploits to the full, the sense of
power, given to her in the situation when her husband falls ill. In spite of the fact that her strict
adherence to her rules makes most of the workers leave, she proves herself to be a more efficient

farm manager than Dick. However, this new freedom does not last. When Dick recovers from
his illness, she is not allowed to play the active role.
Being denied the active role and being unable to conform the acceptable role of wife
and mother, Mary lapses once more in to passivity, taking on the voice of the suffering female,
which she had watched her mother enact for many hears.
The Loss of identity and a mundane existence result in psychological imbalance which
can be set right only by good companionship. What she needs is a man stronger than her.
Naturally, she begins hating her goalless husband.
A turning point in Mary’s life comes, when Dick employs a Native Black servant,
Moses at home. Having already been boldly resisted by Moses in the farm once, she is afraid of
asserting her authority over him. To her surprise, Moses is a very obedient servant. When she
begins to like his gentleness and his kind care towards her, she falls in love with him. She is now
torn between her black attraction and her deeprooted contempt for the black natives nurtured in
the whites from their childhood. She now suffers a mental-breakdown.
Society and culture play a vital role in the life style of a man or a woman. Marriage is
imposed upon Mary; against her will and pleasure she marries Dick, since people ridicule her.
They comment on her age, her way of dressing and marriage prospects. An unmarried woman
has to face social-harassment and in order to avoid this; she has to succumb to marriage, a
socially accepted culture but alien to her mental make-up. Within her own society and culture,
Mary is compelled to be an alien as she cannot conform herself to the dictates of the society. She
has to sacrifice her independence.
When Mary has settled down with Dick in the (bush) countryside, she suffers from the
different kinds of conflicts at one and the same situation brought about by her faulty
psychological developments from her past experience in her youth. She suffers from a conflict
between her basic self concept to dislike a life on the countryside (as it is psychologically
associated with her mother’s suppressed life of misery and her grief and poverty-stricken life)
and her new social concept to accept it for the sake of her husband. Though she represses her
basic hatred for a country life for some while, when Dick fails and is reduced to poverty as her
father was, she develops hatred for the country life. As she wishes it is not possible to get away
from her husband once for all, she suffers from a conflict between her ideal self to revolt against
the dependent role of a woman and her basic self to accept the normal role of a Woman with her

husband, Dick. She represses her ideal self to lead an indepent existence of a Single Woman, in
her life with Dick. When Dick totally suppresses her rights and feelings, her ideal self fights
against Dick and she tries to assert herself, by developing friendship with Moses.
As she does not want to be separated from Dick once for all, her conflict between her
ideal self and her basic self aggravates and she is in a stress situation. Simultaneously she suffers
from a conflict between her hatred for the blacks in his irrational mind and his love for Moses, a
black in her rational mind. She represses her irrational self to enjoy the friendship with Moses,
but when a white, Tony Marston revokes her irrational self, she gets away from him once for all.
Even after his permanent dismissal, she regrets the loss of his friendship with Moses and suffers
from a conflict between her rational self and irrational self. As she seriously suffers from her
inner conflict, she is in a stress situation and mentally breaks-down.
Though Moses has never hurt Mary’s boss-attitude, he never thinks that his lower status
has been exploited. He is proud of his friendship with Mary and wants to maintain that a black
can be in equal terms with a white. He does not take the matter of his dismissal as a personal
insult but a racial humiliation and avenges it by murdering her. Thus the hatred of the blacks for
the whites for their suppression is inherent in every black man that is repressed temporarily by
Moses ultimately emerges out in his violent retaliation to murder Mary.
In Sivasankari’s Over-dose, Nirmala’s mother having died in her early young age, her
father brings up her carefully with a great anxiety that the child, who has lost the motherly care
in the young age, should not be unfit and unprepared for the traditional way of life of a normal
woman. Though she is a graduate, she is neither exposed to the external world nor is she discreet
in worldly affairs. When she gets married to Manohar, an engineer at Bangalore, she is
compelled by her husband to give herself to the new social customs and habits of men and
women:- moving freely, drinking together gambling and Merry-making either in the parties or at
the clubs. When she has to face a new society at Bangalore with her husband, she is annoyed but
determined not to accept the sophisticated way of life. But once on being compelled my
Manohar to terminate her first pregnancy she in order to convince her husband to the idea of
having a baby; she against her own will indulges herself in the club activities and into a different
kind of socialization. After the baby is born, she decides to give up her activities at the parties
and the clubs-once for all and wishes to look after the Child with the responsibility of a mother.
Once again Manohar takes her to the parties with a compulsion, leaving their daughter with the

servant-maid. On being constantly pressurized by her husband to cope with her new society and
having been used to the sophisticated life of her new society, in her new found freedom, she
acquires certain bad habits. As she is compelled by her husband to indulge in the social activities
much against her nature and traditional brought-up, she is psychologically affected to lose her
balance and she goes to the extreme of spending all her time in the parties and clubs.
The daughter being a school child begins to feel the long absence and long for the tender
care of her mother who spends all her time in the club and parties. The child becomes
uncontrollable and a problematic one which is not satisfied with the treatment and care of her
servant-maid. Manohar himself, who is responsible for the changes in her, is appaled to see her
terrible present condition. The traditional male in him springs upto question her and his way of
life perhaps by his new acculturation, Acquired habits ofcourse defeat his ego and pretence. He
cannot shut down his cultural and traditional background. In a similar manner, Nirmala’s
acquired culture spoils all her sterling qualities, making her almost a derelict.
A lady who is brought up in a traditional way cannot fit well in an ultra-modern society.
A psychological imbalance caused in Nirmala by a strange social situation leads to irretrievable
damages – to Nirmala and her family.
Having been victimized by the evil of the sophisticated and untraditional way of life,
Manohar resigns his job and takes her daughter to his Native place, Tiruchi, where her mother,
Rukkumani amma lives. Manohar brings up her daughter so carefully that she can play the
traditional role of a woman successfully. Being strict with her daughter and having insisted on
many doe’s and do’s right from her childhood, he thinks, he is getting her daughter, Sudha
prepared for a traditional life of an ordinary woman. She is not allowed to move outside her
house except to her school, to move with her neighbours and to talk to any one of the young
boys. Being confined to her father and grand mother Rukkumani Amma, a typical woman of
orthodox family, she is against playing the role of a traditional woman.
Studies reveal that both children and young adolescents acquire
patterns of behaviour similar to those of family members. Living
with parents who are nervous, anxious and lacking in a sense of
humour makes children highly nervous and subject to frequent
out bursts of temper.(Hurlock 353)

Basically though she is against the traditional way of life of a normal woman, she is
against the slavish passivity imposed upon by her authoritarian father. She changes her self-
concept out side her home to lead an active life and establish her identity. Because of an
uncongenial atmosphere with her father at home, she is not able to integrate the self-concepts
formed by her at home and outside the home. As a result like her mother, she fails to find her
identity.
Nirmala and Sudha suffer under the problems of what they should and who they should
or indeed might be or become. They are forced to find their new identities in the changing
world. But they sadly lack discretion and are in constant dilemma in their cultural stands. They
are not able to creatively design and implement a satisfactory style of life for themselves as they
lack the urge to become to grow, to seek unity and to become self-actualizing.
They do not know who or what they are or where they belong.
As a result, they may drop out of the normal life sequence,
education job, marriage – and seek a negative identity, one
Opposite to that prescribed by society. Such an adolescent may
become a delinquent or withdraw in isolation to a drugged state. (Schultz 170)
Both Nirmala and Sudha suffer constantly from frustrations as there is discrepancy between
their basic and ideal concepts. They sea themselves falling far short of their ideals by resorting
to the wrong means of mal-adjustment and losing their identity.
In the conflict with the men, Nirmala and Sudha are not able, to rationally attend to the
present and plan for the future to fashion their own identity. In their fight against the men to
establish their rights and their equalitarian role they would have ofcourse succeeded if they do
not have conflict between basic self and ideal self. Nirmala’s basic self that is her traditional self
is against Manohar’s acquired ideal self which seeks a sophisticated way of life in the Ultra-
modern Society. When the change has come over both Nirmala and Monohar in the given social
situation, Manohar’s basic self is against Nirmala’s acquired ideal self to play the unfamiliar role
of a woman.
As Nirmala is in conflict with her husband, Sudha has to suffer from her conflict with her
authoritarian father. Sudha’s ideal self which rebels against the slavish passivity of a woman
imposed upon her by her father is against her father’s basic and traditional self.

The women Nirmala and Sudha fail to integrate self-concepts in the hierarchy. As they
are not able to co-ordinate between their ideal self and basic self, they suffer from their conflict
with men and society. The Inner conflicts are more dangerous to the well-being of a person than
the external conflicts. All the conflicts, they suffer from are inner conflicts of approach
avoidance type. In such a conflict an individual is both attracted to and repelled by the same
goal or course of action. Being brought up in a traditional way to play a familiar role of a
woman, Nirmala’s basic self is for a normal role of a woman. As long as her basic self is her
real self, there is no conflict in herself before marriage. After her marriage, when she gets used
to the life of the Ultra-modern society her social self seeks a different, kind of life of a
sophisticated society. Only then there is difference between her basic self which is for tradition
and her ideal self which is against tradition.
Sudha, like her mother when she is a grown-up, she cannot actualize her ideal self to play
an independent role of a woman. As her father and society are against her ideal self and the
Socio-cultural situation does not approve of her ideal self, she suffers from role confusion. She
like her mother is torn between her real self and her ideal self. As she suffers from approach
avoidance conflict, she does not know whether to value her basic self or her ideal self. She
represses her basic self to elope with her boy friend for her temporary relief from her dependence
upon her father. She later on realizes that after marriage, she is dependent upon her husband and
breaks down emotionally.
Like Nirmala and Sudha strive to maintain and actualize themselves on both biological
and psychological levels, they are faced with obstacles internal or external which result in a state
of contradiction between two needs or valued goals and in their both internal or external
conflicts.
Both Nirmala and Sudha suffer constantly from frustrations and humiliations, as there is
discrepancy between their basic and ideal concepts. They see themselves falling far short of
their ideals by resorting to the wrong means of elopement and losing their identity.
It is no doubt the men in both the novel marginalize women by suppressing their feelings
and rights. Nor do Nirmala and Sudha know how to assert their rights and establish their
identities. Without sacrificing their cultural stands, they should have put up a fight against the
injustice. This requires mental strength will power and conviction in one’s cultural back-ground.
To acquire a new culture is a welcome move; but it should be well-adapted to the known cultural

stream. Because of their conflict with Men, Society and their conflicts in themselves what to do
or what not to do out of the given choices or alternatives, they are upset with their role-confusion
and fall victim to abnormalities.
Many times conflicts in the form of what to do or what to do out of the given choices or
alternatives, become sources of frustrations and stresses that ultimately lead to the
development of abnormality and behaviour disorders. The Central idea behind any conflict
thechoices to make-is the inability to determine what is good or bad, desirable or
undesirable. Sometimes the conflicting situations are loaded with extreme anxiety, feeling
of threat, insecurity and indefiniteness. Under such stresses, one is likely to fall victim to
abnormalities or mental disorders. (Mangal 84)
The author Sivasankari points out in the preface to the novel thus:
One’s acquirement of new habits in an unfamiliar society is
Sometimes good but many times disastrous. (Over-dose,1)
Nirmala’s acquiring of now habits leads her to the elopement with Manohar’s friend.
Unlike Mary who wants to be quite active, Nirmala wants to remain passive, willing to pray the
role of a traditional woman. When she is compelled by her husband to indulge in the social
activities much against her nature and traditional brought-up, she is psychologically affected and
loses her balance. Her married life is shattered and ends in a failure. One day when she returns
home late night, being dropped by Anand, Manohar’s friend, Manohar asks Nirmala “ are you
not ashamed of yourself ?” Nirmala replies:
Why should I be ashamed of myself. If at all I am a smoker
and drunkard, it is because of you; All this is because of you; (Over-dose.32)
Nirmala, and Sudha do not know how to assert their rights and establish their identities
without sacrificing their cultural stands. To acquire a new culture is a welcome move but is
should be well-adapted to the known cultural stream.
Culture enlarge itself by adopting different culture modes. If an
individual does not understand the new culture, he suffers in
his own life. (Bhusan Vidya 760)

This paper investigates how young women Inspite of their traditional up-bringing waver
in their lives because of their unadaptability to their new found culture, their failure to integrate
the self-concepts in the hierarchy and their simultaneous suffering from both their internal and
external conflicts. Their failure for self-actualization stresses the importance of one’s having
basic self-concept founded upon certain indispensable values which help one to have one’s
disciplined life.
Works Citied
1. Bhusan Vidya & Dr.Sachdeva. An Introduction to sociology. Alahabad:
Rital Mahal Publishing Company Ltd; 2001.
2. Hurlock Elizabeth.B. Personality Development, New Delhi: Tata McGrow
Hill Publishing Company Ltd; 2001.
3. Lessing Doris. The Grass is Singing. London: Michel Joseph Ltd; 1983.
4. Mangal S.K. Abnormal Psychology. New Delhi: Sterling Publisher Pvt Ltd;
2001.
5. Schultz Duane. Theroies of personality. California: Wordsworth publishing
compny; 1976.
6. Sivasankari. Over-Dose. Chennai: Thirumagal Nilayam Publishers; 1984.

INTRODUCTION:
Listening Skill: The Neglected Yet The Most Needed
Dr. A.M. Kathirkamu
Associate Professor of English
Devanga Arts College, (Autonomous)
Aruppukottai
Listening is usually the first skill which children develop as they begin to acquire the
ability to communicate by means of language, and it remains an important skill throughout life.
Good language learners need to activate non-linguistic knowledge about physical context, topic,
ways in which discourse is organized and so on, in order to understand a spoken message. They
should view listening as an important medium for developing language but also need to be aware
that in order to develop language effectively, they need to practise the language they hear, either
be responding to the spoken message and or by producing some of the language they have heard
in other situations. They also need to develop a range of receptive communication strategies
which will enable them to cope with interactive listening.
Listening, like reading comprehension, is usually defined as a receptive skill comprising
both a physical process and an interpretive, analytical process (Lundsteen, 1979). However, this
definition is often expanded to include critical listening skills (higher-order skills such as
analysis and synthesis) and nonverbal listening (comprehending the meaning of tone of voice,
facial expressions, gestures, and other nonverbal cues.) The expanded definition of listening also
emphasizes the relationship between listening and speaking.
Devine (1986), says, “Listening is best viewed- at least for teaching purposes- as a
composite of separate skills, not as global ability. To help students become more effective
listeners in the classroom (and outside it), they need to be taught discrete skills, such as listening
for main ideas, listening to follow directions, or listening to follow a sequence of events. The
guidelines presented here are suggested for the more-or-less immediate improvement of
classroom listening, but teachers need to start thinking of each separate talk or lecture as one part
of an over-all program for improving study skills in listening”.
9 ISSN 0976-8130
Good language learners are able to use a number of strategies which vary according to
the individuals’ learning styles, the task and the type of listening in which they are engaged.
However, there do seem to be some strategies which are more closely associated with successful
listening than others, particularly prediction, inferring, monitoring and clarifying. To become an

efficient listener one should understand the listening strategies and then apply it at times of
listening.
LISTENING STRATEGIES:
Listening strategies are techniques or activities that contribute directly to the
comprehension and recall of listening input. Listening strategies can be classified according to
how the listener processes the input.
Top-down strategies are listener based; the listener taps into background knowledge of the
topic. This background knowledge activates a set of expectations that help the listener to
interpret what is heard and anticipate what will come next. Top-down strategies include
� listening for the main idea
� predicting
� drawing inferences
� summarizing
Bottom-up strategies are text based; the listener relies on the language in the message, that is, the
combination of sounds, words, and grammar that creates meaning. Bottom-up strategies include
� listening for specific details
� recognizing cognates (equivalents)
� recognizing word-order patterns
THE ESSENTIALS OF LISTENING:
Listen to the talks and lectures.
Be familiar with the meaning of words when spoken.
Understand conversations and passages.
Grasp the main points even when sentence structures are difficult.
Listen to radio and TV programs produced in English.
THE REASONS FOR INEFFECTIVE LISTENING:
One feels embarrassed to receive advice from others.
One feels they should never be blamed.
One feels that one should never be criticized.
One feels that one should never demand of an answer from one.
One feels that one should never discuss of one’s performance before the
classmates.

One feels that one should never compel to give an answer when not knowing or
blinking.
The teacher happens to be the reason for his student’s failure in the listening activity in
the class when he teaches. To avoid this teacher should stop church priest activities. The teacher
should never ridicule, threaten, warn or scold a weak student for his inability.
Vocabulary plays a vital role in the developing of Listening skills. Vocabulary of about
3,000 will enhance the students without any difficulty. I have presented the various yet important
ways through which the students can develop vocabulary.
1. LOGICAL VOCABULARY TEACHING METHOD
In the method of Logical Vocabulary Teaching Method the learner should be aware of
the prefixes and suffixes to his vocabulary and understand the meanings of new words, for
example, the word "television" is made up of the prefix "tele" meaning "far", and the base word
"vision" meaning "image". The learner could think the meaning of the word "television” as
“image from afar"
2. WORDS OF ASSOCIATION
Some English words are linked with each other. "In reality" and "in truth" are connected
with each other in both arrangement and connotation. The words "rice", "dal", and "onion"
remind South Indian food on normal occasions. This associative vocabulary (words with South
Indian recipe) teaching method brings a chance to have high listening efficiency as it has
associative importance
3. METHOD OF COMBINING WORDS:
English words can be grouped and based on the usage of the words. An example is the
teaching of the word "ladies finger". When this word is mentioned, the students may be asked
for the other words associated with this. The students understand that the word ‘ladies finger’
names a vegetable and immediately he could think of all the names of vegetables such as,
"potato", “cabbage”, “banana”, "cucumber", "carrot", "pumpkin", and "tomato" and other names
of the vegetables. The learning efficiency can be developed by rising the curiosity of the
Students which will develop cabulary also.
The two important terms associated with the reasons for inefficient listening.
1. DYSLEXIA: (Dislexu) (impaired ability to learn or to read)

Dyslexia is a learning disorder that manifests itself as a difficulty with listening, reading,
and spelling and in many cases particularly with English. Dyslexia is thought to be the result of a
neurological defect.
2. APHASIA: (Aphasu) (Inability to use or understand language (spoken or written) because of
a brain injury)
Experience of speech acquisition delays, and speech and language problems can be due
to problems processing and decoding auditory input prior to reproducing their own version of
speech, and may be observed as stuttering (hesitating), cluttering (confusing) or hesitant (shy)
speech.
STEPS TO BE TAKEN TO DEVELOP LISTENING:
The teacher may insist on Role-Play activities to practise effective development in
listening between the peer groups while this will tend to be an interesting pastime activity for
students. Listening to group activities is a vital attraction for the other students and here two
purposes are served. In addition to the development of the listening capacity of the students, the
student who presents a talk develops speaking skills and he remains a model for others to imitate
his speaking ways. Role play will help students listen and respond. Following are the steps to be
taken while doing Role play.
Step 1: One student may be asked to speak and the other may be the listener.
For five minutes the speaker may speak on the topic of his interest. The listener uses
efficient listening and makes proper responses back to the speaker.
Step 2: After his speech the speaker has to provide feedback for two minutes to
the listening partner on the effective listener skills used.
Step 3: When the speech and the feedback are over the student so far acted as the
listener may take the role of speaker and the former plays the role of listener.
This role-play activity will certainly be an attraction for the students as the participants
are from their own peer group and so there will be no anxiety and hesitation among the students
and the success is achieved when this activity is conducted regularly both in the class rooms in
the regular stipulated working hours or after the regular hours are over.

CONCLUSION:
Research has demonstrated that adults spend 40-50% of communication time listening,
but the importance of listening in language learning has only been recognized recently. Since the
role of listening comprehension in language learning is taken for granted, it promotes little
research and pedagogical attention. Although listening plays an important role in audio-lingual
methods, students only listen to oral communication and develop a better pronunciation (for
speaking).
Still Students have great difficulty in listening. They try hard to listen, but make little
progress. They get very nervous because they worry about how to avoid making any mistakes in
listening and speaking. They get very nervous. It slows down their normal thinking speed and
distracts their concentration. The more nervous students feel, the less meaning they catch. Some
of the students lose interest in listening and some even give it up. The teacher has to stimulate
the students’ attention, assist them grow self-confident and make sure that they can listen.
Books Cited:
Devine, Thomas G: Teaching Study Skills: A Guide for Teachers, Allyn and Bacon, 1986.
Inc.USA
Lundsteen, Sara W. Listening: Its Impact on Reading and the other Language Arts, Revised
edition, 1979.

GENDER POLITICS IN ARUNDHATHI ROY’S
THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS
M. Kiruthika
Assistant Professor of English,
Devanga Arts College (Autonomous), Aruppukottai.
As a life in creative writing and other art forms too women are reduced to mere objects
and pushed to the margins. Gender discriminations aggravate the “fallen” position of women.
Women in the recent past have begun to write their “self” out as a process of exorcism and at the
same time as empowerment. “Gender blocks”, reduction of women to sex objects, delineation of
women as inferior ones in intellect and physique, the attempt in a surreptitious way to label
women as “the other”, etc – have to be overcome. In this light, women’s works must also be
read in a feminist vein or at least from a woman’s point of view. As Belsey and Moose observe
“for the feminist reader this is no innocent or neutral approach to literature: all interpretation is
political”. (23)
Gender constraints compel women writers to hammer out an alternative way of knowing.
They strive to reach after a new integrity, free of gender myopia and patriarchal hegemony.
Under the burden of gender, women writers are forced to shape a “standpoint” epistemology’ of
their own.
The major assumption has been that men are the perpetrators of violence and domination,
whereas women are the victims and subjects of these atrocities. A recent trend, however, has
been to question this ‘universal sisterhood’ of women. A growing body of women protesting
against the fact of women all over the world being a “coherent group with identical interest and
desires” (92) has been changelled by many feminists, especially from the colonized countries.
These women argue that “sisterhood’ of women.
A growing body of women protesting against the fact of women all over the world being
a “coherent group with identical interest and desires” (83) has been changelled by many
feminists, especially from the colonized countries. These women argue that “sisterhood’ cannot
be assumed on the basis of gender, it must be forged in concrete, historical and political practice
and analysis”.
10 ISSN 0976-8130

One must also consider the fact that the reaction of women to male domination varies
depending on the class and status that women occupy in society. Thus an Indian woman from
the lower class is not restricted by social customs and taboos, and knows the dominance of man
and act accordingly, while an educated middle class woman may know what is happening to her,
but is restricted from acting because of social conventions. There may be other women who are
totally ignorant of what is happening to them, and may accept the power relationship as a matter
of factly. Also the position of women in India is different from that of western women, the
former are economically dependent on me, and are very much circumscribed by cultural values.
Given these pictures of women in India one cannot expect to equate the problems of Western and
Indian Women.
The God of Small Things truly brings about the position of the womenfolk in India. It
presents before us the constant struggle of the woman against their incessant exploitation, torture
and struggle, which they undergo because to the male dominated conservative framework. The
set up of the society is such that it has title or nothing to offer to the unfortunate forsaken women
like Ammu, who are literally forsaken every where they go and the greatest pain of it all comes
when they are inflicted by ones who are so called your ‘own people’, Ammu’s life is depicted by
Roy from her childhood to her youth, till the times she dies. Ammu is seen braving a very
troubled childhood rather tormented nursery years where she had been subjected to all the
cruelties inflicted by her father on her and her mother Mammachi whom her father hit with a
brass vase. Her father in a sheer fit of schizophrenia tore her new pair of shoes. She was
deprived of the decent education because she was a girl. Her father was such a frustrated man
that he was not satisfied after beating up his wife and children, tore he curtains, kicked the
furniture and broke the table lamp, to him marriage was not a pious relationship but a point of
domination of a man over woman.
Woman in turn if observed in their authority are the God’s most beautiful creation. She
is most emotional, sensitive and soft to core, perhaps which is why God chose her to create and
procreate and nurture little kids. She is the one who generates life, she became the centrifugal
force of the family whereby playing the role of mother, daughter and daughter in law, sister in
law, she attracts each member towards herself, and she is the core of the family.
Woman is the one who steers a man, as it is said behind every successful man there is a
woman. She as a better half of a man, gives him the much needed love, strength and support.

She is the one who shapes the destiny of her home and children. A contribution of a woman can
be gauged from well brought up children to continue to become the worthy citizens of the
country. As it is implicit in ‘The God of Small Things’ that negligence of her parents, same fate
befalls her own twins Estha and Rahel who turn to be sorry figures because all their lives they
have hankered for love, affection, are and attention.
Chacko, a hypocritical male, brother of Ammu truly represents this picture. His selfish
side and his false pride to be male are revealed many times in the story. He was sent to the
Balliol College, Oxford to study by the virtue of the fact that he was the male member of the
society. Ammu was not sent however because she was a girl and because of this simple fact she
did not have access to higher studies as it was the popular belief that college studies corrupts a
woman. This chronic conservative problem is still there in India whereby a large number of
people are against the education of woman. This hypocrisy and biased attitude is brought about
poignantly by Anees Jung in her work ‘Unveiling India’.
This sharp contrast between the behaviours meted out to a woman and a man is shown in
the behaviour meted out to Chacko and Ammu. Chacko after his estrangement with his wife is
greeted warmly by the Ipe household and is made in charge of it. He is seen asserting himself
and throwing his weight around and in his sadistic and cynical tone he tells Ammu “(81) what’s
yours is mine what’s mine is also mine”. This is because of the simple reason that Ammu as a
daughter and she has no right on the property. The irony is projected when Ammu estranged
from her husband is not greeted well in her own home, she is ignored and her children too bear
the brunt of the indifferent attitude of the Ipe household. The daughter divorced from her
husband is tortured in her home whereas the son divorced from his wife is gifted the whole house
and becomes the rightful heir of the family’s fortune. His flirtatious advance towards a lowly
woman, he is encouraged by Mammachi by saying it is only “Man’s needs” (268) whereas when
Annu estranged by every body goes in search of love and when she finds some it is termed as
illicit, sinful and untraditional. She is locked and beaten up. All a cause of gender bias purely.
The ironical conditions in the novel bring women put up against women. A woman
herself is against her own fraternity. Though Baby Kochamma has herself undergone a lot of
stress and strain yet she does not show any kind of sympathy towards them. This shows the
perverted mentality of a human being that if his own past is not happy he does not let others be
happy; this is what happens to Baby Kochamma; who does not let Ammu breathe free.

After being subject to all abuse, torment, torture and pain – left in a lurch, with no
support, no sympathy from anywhere, Ammu left the big Ayemenem House and breathed her
last “ in grimy room in the Bharat Lodge in Allepy where she had gone for a job interview as
some one’s secretary, she died alone. “ (.161) She was discovered dead in the morning by a
sweeper who came to clean the room. Her pathetic condition ever after she died can be judged
from these lines when her body was dragged outside.
“A platoon of ants carried a dead cockroach sedately through the door,
demonstrating what should be done with corpses.” (P.162)
Even Ammu’s last rites were not performed properly because this till fated lady was disowned
by the Church who refused to bury her. Such was the pathetic condition of hers that she was
denied even the last rites with proper traditional rituals. Chacko had hired a van to transport the
body to the electric crematorium where “nobody except beggars, derelicts and police custody
dead was cremated there” (201). At this time Chacko held Rahel’s hand tightly. No one from
the family was present there. “The door of the furnace clanged shut. There were no tears.” (163)
Roy in her novel confronts boldly the male chauvinism. She retorts against the notion
that women are a weaker sex and are inferior to men. They are possible there to look after the
needs and satisfy his baser instincts. She mocks at their attitude and registers her poignant
protest that woman is not a mere toy to be manipulated by a man as and when he likes.
Roy has attacked severely this biased attitude of the society, which has set up double
standards for the same set of activities. It has it different interpretations for the same problem. It
fails to realize the importance of man and woman in a society. They both have to go hand in
hand to build up a fruitful society. The neglect and exploitation will bring sheer decadence and
unrest and result in damage beyond compare because both men and women complement each
other; one is not complete without the other.
Works Cited
Bhatt, Indira, Arundhati Roy’s. The God of Small Things, (ed). Creative Books, New Delhi,
1999.
Dhawan.R.K., Arundhati Roy : The Novelist Extra-ordinary, (ed.) Prestige Pub., New Delhi,
1999.
Dodiya, Jaydip Singh, The Critical Studies of Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things ,
Critique and Commentary, Creative Books, New Delhi, 1998.

Sunderan, K.V., The God of Small Things: A Saga of Lost Dreams, Atlantic Publication, New
Delhi 2000.

Body as Raw Material: An Analysis of Margaret Atwood’s Bodily Harm
N. Kowsalya Devi
Assistant Professor of English
Devanga Arts College
Aruppukottai.
Bodily Harm (1981) is a powerful novel in which Atwood depict the horrifying status of
women in the post-feminist era. Atwood in Second Words: Selected Critical Prose, comments
on the state of women’s liberation movements: “ The goals of feminist movement have not been
achieved, and those who claim we’re living in a post-feminist era are either sadly mistaken or
tired of thinking about the same subject” (370). For Atwood, novel is a vehicle for looking at
society and this social function of art is effectively fulfilled in this novel.
The concept of female body being treated as raw material for male consumption is a
dominant theme in Atwood’s writings. In Bodily Harm, Atwood depicts the mutilation and
dismemberment of female body due to patriarchal oppression. Barbara Hill Rigney states that,
“Oppression in all its manifestation, both physical and psychological, is Atwood’s subject in
Bodily Harm and The Handmaid’s Tale and in the poems entitled True Stories (103-04).
Ranata Wilfore, the narrator of Bodily Harm is a Canadian freelance journalist who witnesses
and experiences the various ways in which female body is invaded violated and abused. While
travelling through Caribbean island, she gets an opportunity to see by herself, the way in which
the crusaders for liberty are tortured. She understands that oppression is prevalent everywhere
and as a journalist; she should wield her pen as a weapon to fight against these injustices. The
novel is a protest against the female body being treated as a raw material under the system of
male power and authority.
11 ISSN 0976-8130
In Bodily Harm, Atwood depicts Rennie as existing in a diseased landscape that is her
body is infected with malignant disease, cancer. This illness subjects her to extreme physical and
psychological mutilation. The partial mastectomy which Rennie undergoes affects her psyche so
much that she suspects her efficacy to be a wife and to nurture a child in future. She feels as if
some part of her body has been missing and is reduced to a “damaged, amputated” (BH 198)

piece. When Rennie asks her doctor evades the truth by saying that she is not yet dead and is
much more alive than many others. The markings which the surgeon leaves on her body makes
her feel that she has been physically colonized. This fear is due to her internalization of the
cultural values regarding female body. As Ruberstein says: Some of Rennie’s anxieties about
invasion and violation can be understood through the cultural attitudes toward both the female
flesh and cancer. Rennie is a double victim, of both disease and male exploitation. (262)
Mutilation by disease leaves scars in her body, but she suffers all the more due to sexual
mutilation at the hands of different men. Jake and Daniel Luoma, who invade her body, treat her
just as a raw material. Association with them makes her lose her faith in human relationships.
Once she had thought that there was a right man, now she understands that this belief was only
an illusion.
Rennie meets Jake while writing an article titled: “The young and the Solvent” for
Visor, a male – oriented magazine. Jake works as a designer for a packaging company, he
designs labels, container and visuals for advertising. He is a clever manipulator and “It look her
more time than it should have to realize that she was one of the things Jake was packaging”(BH
104). Jake starts packaging the house with different shades of paint, then he improves on the
furniture and finally attempts to modify Rennie, by repacking her in attractive and glamorous
clothes. When he makes adoring remarks on her body, Rennie asks, “What about my mind?”(BH
104) Jake confesses that he is not interested in a woman’s mind. According to him, mystery of a
woman lies in her body and not in her mind.
Jake views Rennie only as an object of sex and he is predatory in love. As Rubenstein
remarks: “Jake – a man with canine teeth and predatory desires – prefers sex that includes
bondage and sadism” (259) Rennie expects companionship and understanding from Jake, but he
wants her to be “passionately and voraciously desired” (BH 101). He has a debased view of man
– woman relationship and believes that woman has no individuality. He equates women with
animals, accuses them of having ‘voracious female animalistic desires’ and is of the opinion that
‘woman should be locked in cages’. (BH 73) Rennie understands that Jakes’ interest in her is
purely carnal and that is why when she expresses her longings to become a mother, he evades,
saying that he is not interested in life-time goals. After her mastectomy, he discards her, as he
does not wish to share his life with a diseased woman.

Like Jake, Daniel Luoma, the male gynecologist who treats Rennie for breast cancer also
exploits her, thereby violating the professional ethics. Rennie sees Daniel Luoma as both healer
and killer; he has the capacity to save her life, as also to leave her to death. She feels exposed
before him, as he knows something about her, which she herself does not know. She expects
Daniel to console her, but is shocked to see that he seems to be more in need of her. To her, the
surgeon’s knife becomes a symbolic representation of sexual violence and castration, so she
states: “Doctored, they say of drinks that have been tampered with, of cats that have been
castrated” (BH 101). As Sharon Wilson points out, Rennie has been treated as a raw material,
violated and doctored” (“Turning Life”140) by Daniel. She identifies her plight with that of
many other women who are victimized in various male institutions. Though doctors are supposed
to be objective and humane, they indulge in power structures that preside over “violence,
manipulation of opinion and life itself”. (Rubenstein 264)
Rennie suffers a further threat to her security when an intruder attempts a crime in her
apartment. The stranger leaves a rope, “coiled neatly on the quilt” (BH 13) which makes Rennie
fear a possible male assault. Rennie gets hallucinations that someone is pursuing her and is
sharing her bed. These fears continue to inhabit her mind even after a long time, gradually, the
stranger with the rope loses his physical significance and becomes a personification of her own
fear towards the different men she has encountered: “The face keeps changing, eluding her, he
might as well be invisible, she can’t see him, this is what is so terrifying, he isn’t really there, he
is only shadow, anonymous, familiar, with silver eyes that twin and reflect her own” (BH 287).
Rennie longs for a change in atmosphere, so persuades the editor of ‘Visor’ to permit her
do a travel piece in Caribbean island. She wants to flee from herself, from social entanglements,
she believes that being a tourist and she is exempt from everything. She tries to remain neutral to
people and events around, she believes that having contacts is better than having friends. She
feels that luck consists in avoiding obligations: “Rennie is lucky. She is not tied down, which is
an advantage.” (BH 16) As a tourist, she is free: “She’s a tourist; she can keep her opinions open.
She can always go somewhere else.” (BH 227) Rennie becomes an “Expert on surfaces” (BH
26), she feels that she is safe and invisible.
In the Caribbean island, Rennie’s loneliness and her vulnerability draw her closer to Paul,
a tourist guide, but he too turns out to be an unreliable companion. Paul treats her with
compassion, with him; she experiences her sensuality once again and forgets the illness and

death rooted in her. Though Paul accepts her for what she is, he treats her as a “house guest” (BH
231) and warns her not to expect too much of him. Rennie sees Paul sporting with gun and she
gets frightened, seeing the other side of his personality. She realizes that falling in love with Paul
is “The biggest cliché in the book of her life” (BH 222). She begins to see Paul as a “faceless
stranger” (BH 233) and gets estranged from him. She realises that for her, “Being in love was
like running barefoot along a street covered with broken bottles”. (BH 102) and decides never to
have another man in her life.
In Bodily Harm, female bodies are all “passive, distorted, dismembered or coerced”
(Howells 120) and are reduced to non – identities. The life of Lora and that of other women in
the island make Rennie realize that both Canada and Caribbean are menacingly sexist in views.
Bodily Harm is divided into six parts, of which the first five are narrated from the points of view
of Rennie and Lora. Rennie thinks that she has nothing in common with Lora, but both of them
are very much alike. They had a similar unhappy child-hood; both of them had abandoned their
dreams and values in order to achieve what they desired. Both of them want to be loved and have
the longings to mother a child. The difference between them is that when Lora tries to experience
life, Rennie tries to evade it. Lora loves Gary, a serious minded young man, and wishes to have
kids. But when Bob, her step father forces her for a sexual relation, she stabs him, and has to
leave her house. Her mother trusts Lora, but she accuses that Lora herself has invited it by
flaunting herself before Bob. For sometime, she worked as a cook in boats; soon she finds that
when someone rents the boat, her body is also rented along
with it: “They think if they are renting the boat, they are renting everything on it.” May be I’m
for sale […..]”. (BH 213-14) Lora is shocked to see how women are forced for prostitution just
for the sake of their survival.
In the island, Rennie is shocked to see people deriving sadistic pleasure in torturing
women. When Marsdon discovers the infidelity of his wife, he ties her in nude to a tree near an
ant hill and covers her with cow-itch. He then stays inside the house, drinking rum and listening
to her screams and she is left there for five hours, till Paul releases her. Marsdon commits
violence on his wife because, “If he hadn’t beat her up, the other men would have laughed at him
and so would the women” (BH 214). Paul describes the attitude of island men towards battering
their wife as an understandable “crime of passion” and says that “mostly they beat or slice rather

than chop” (BH 225-26). When Rennie hears of chopping women, she thinks of “cook books”
(BH 216) and meat.
Male aggression and female passivity is suggested by Atwood’s epigraph to Bodily
Harm, which is a quotation from John Berger’s Ways of Seeing. The epigraph states that a
man’s presence suggests what he is capable of doing to others, whereas a woman’s presence
suggests what can and cannot be done to her. Thus, in a patriarchal sexist society, man occupies
the subject position and woman the object position. Jocasta, a feminist activist, directs Rennie’s
thoughts towards taking up women’s issues through her writings. Jocasta says: “it would be a
great idea if all the men were changed into women and all the women were changed into men for
a week. Then they would each know to treat the other ones when they got changed back […]”
(BH 156). Rennie takes up writing as a serious occupation. She works for ‘Pandora’, a woman
oriented magazine and ‘Visor’ – a male oriented magazine which helps her to analyse the male
and female points of view. Rennie writes an article entitled “Burned out”, which discusses the
failure of women’s movement.
Bodily Harm can be considered to be an anti- pornography treatise as Atwood exposes
the perverse and debased notions of sex, propagated thorough pornographic representations. In
writing this novel, Atwood seems to have been influenced by some anti-pornography feminist
works like Andrea Dworkin’s Pornography: Men possessing Women (1979), Susan griffin’s
Pornography and Silence: Culture’s revenge against nature (1981) and Laura lederer’s collection
of essays entitled ‘Take back the night: Women on Pornography (1980). Rennie is commissioned
to write about pornography as an art form from a woman’s angle, for Visor. The editor wants to
publish this article, not for raising the social consciousness against it, but to provide “a sort of
fun” (BH 207). This takes Rennie to the studio of a male-porn artist named Frank who justifies
his craft saying that, “Art is for contemplation, what art does is, it takes what society deals out
and makes it visible” (BH 208). She sees life sized mannequin tables and chairs depicting
women in demeaning postures: “One of the chairs was a woman on her knees, her back arched,
her wrists tied to her thighs. The ropes and arms were the arms of the chair, her bum was the
seat”. (BH 209)
Rennies’ assignment takes her to Toronto policemen’s pornography museum where she
visualizes the male fantasies of domination over women. She sees the film clips of a woman
copulating with a dog, a woman with a pig, a woman with a donkey, woman being strangled or

having their body parts chopped off by men dressed up as Nazis. The most horrifying of all is the
picture of a woman’s pelvis; the head of a rat is depicted to be poking out from between the legs.
She gets disgusted, Rennie felt a large gap had appeared in what she had been used to thinking of
as reality” (BH 210). She is unable to stand the sight as she realizes that women are reduced to
raw materials to satisfy the perverted pleasures of men and she herself has not been an exception.
While travelling through Caribbean island, Rennie witnesses that principles like democracy,
freedom and equality are violated everywhere. She begins to identify her plight with that of the
powerless all over the world. As Jaidev says: “Woman becomes a metaphor for all those who are
damaged and abused only because they are powerless.” ( 111)
The twin islands of Caribbean St. Antoine and St. Agatha, are in a state of confusion and
anarchy. She arrives there on the eve of the first election since the island gets freed from Britain.
Minnow, a leftist reformist who has registered as a candidate for the post of President is shot, in
order to ensure the success of Ellis, the right wing candidate. Rennie unintentionally gets
involved in this post- colonial politics by unknowingly transporting a machine gun for the local
communist party. Rennie’s affair with Paul, who is a drug dealer and gun runner, also raises
suspicion against her. A rebellion ferments and Rennie is arrested along with Prince of Peace, a
communist candidate and Lora, his mistress.
Along with Minnow, Rennie visits a poor encampment where the victims of the previous
year’s hurricane huddle together. She finds that majority of these victims are women and
children. The Canadian government, had given some amount for rehabilitation, but practically,
nothing has reached them. She is shocked to see that seventy percent of the Caribbean Indians
are unemployed. She witnesses the pitiful condition in which prisoners live and the tortures
which they suffer. In the prison, she sees a “deaf and dumb man who has a voice but now words”
(BH 290) brutally suppressed by the authorities. She had once seen this homeless islander being
beaten up in the street by police. They, with bayonets, shave off the heads of prisoners who fight
for basic civil liberties. What is ‘more malignant’ is that, the policemen derive sadistic pleasure
in ill- treating the prisoners. Rennie recalls the film clips which she saw in Toronto policemen’s
pornography museum. She realises that the prison guards will not hesitate to practice any
horrible or inhuman deed on the poor victims: [….] nothing is inconceivable here, no rats in the
vagina but only because they haven’t thought of it yet, they are still amateurs. She is afraid of
men and it is simple, it is rational, she is afraid of men because men are frightening. (BH 290)

The inhuman conditions which Rennie experiences during her two week stay in the
prison and the torture which Lora suffers confirm her notion of the status of woman as a raw
material in a tyrannous political system. Lora becomes a symbol of the weak and the oppressed
of the world. Seeing her sufferings, Rennie discards her neutrality and begins to feel empathy
with Lora. By trying to bring life back to Lora, Rennie revives her own humanity.
In the prison, Rennie and Lora are subjected to pitiful conditions. Rennie understands that
the authorities are malicious and they do so because they can (BH 289) do anything. Rennie feels
that her memory is fading away. She tries to remember what she herself used to think about, but
she can’t. There’s the past, the present, the future: none of them will do. The present is both
unpleasant and unreal; thinking about the future only makes her impatient, as if she’s in a plane
circling and circling and circling an airport, circling and not landing […] She’ is tired of this
fear, which goes on and on, no end to it. She wants an end. (BH 282-83)
Lora, not able to withstand the deprivation, sells herself to the guards, for cigarettes,
chewing gum and toilet paper. Lora wants to get information about her lover, Prince of Peace.
The prison guards tell her that prince has been imprisoned and they will permit her to meet him if
she obliges their sexual demands. When Lora comes to know that Prince had been killed and the
guards had been fooling her, she reacts violently. Police retaliate by beating her almost to death:
“Lora twists on the floor of the corridor, surely she can’t feel it any more but she’s still twisting,
like a worm that’s been cut in half, trying to avoid the feet, they have shoes on, there’s nothing
she can avoid (BH 293). Lora has been invaded and mutilated her face” “[…] is not a face
anymore, it is a bruise, blood is still oozing from the cuts, there is one on the forehead and
another across the cheek, the mouth looks like a piece of fruit that has been run over by a car,
pulp”. (BH 298)
So far, Rennie has been proud of her ability to escape involvements, but now she does not
feel like abandoning Lora. There is no cloth or water in the prison cell which is not filthy, so
Rennie licks and cleans Lora’s face with her tongue. As Rennie begins to assess Lora’s tragedy
in a broader perspective of domination and oppression, she does not bother whether it is Lora’s
face or that of a danger. Lora’s face loses its identity and becomes just a bruise. Rennie perceives
the plight of millions of powerless women reflected on it. Rennie touches and licks Lora’s face
just as animals do to their new born off springs. Lora is on the other side of an invisible hole and
while straining to push her back to life, Rennie grits her teeth ‘with the effort’ and she can hear

herself ‘moaning’ (BH 299). Rennie does it with the faith that something will move and live
again, “something will get born” and “this is the hardest thing she has ever done”. (BH 299)
According to Lorna Irvine Bodily Harm illustrates “inscription of the female body, and
by the connecting hospital room and jail cell, dramatically presents the injury to the female body
that results from its confinement (96), The abuse of female body in confinement is depicted in
Atwoods’ later novel, Alias Grace also. Grace, a servant girl and prison inmate witnesses the
sexual mutilation of women prisoners by the prison guards and the authorities.
Rennie is freed when a diplomat sent by the Canadian government talks to the prison
authorities. But before being released, she is made to sign that she has neither witnessed nor
experienced any type of Bodily Harm. Rennie leaves the prison as a totally transformed person.
She stops being submissive and decides to wield the pen to fight against injustice. She
understands that suffering is common to all and nobody is exempt from anything (BH 290).
Hereafter, she cannot ignore the faceless strangers of the world. Lora herself had once suggested
to Rennie: “The story of my life […] you could put it in a book”. (BH 270) Rennie writes a
travelogue titled ‘Bodily Harm’ narrating the various harms done to the female body. As
Howells comments, Rennie’s effort to tell the story is, like her effort to save Lora, “an exercise
of moral imagination’. She reports the incidents in Canada and Trinidad with an edge of moral
engagement” (BH 125). Rennie intends to awaken the society to fight against such injustice and
to prevent it in future.
Rennie uses the pen as a weapon to expose the injuries done to women in different
patriarchal institutions. Like Rennie, the female protagonist in Cat’s eye and Lady Oracle also
attempt to protest against male authority through art. Elaine in Cat’s eye, through her painting
titled, “Falling Women”, depicts the patriarchal traps set for woman, as also her vulnerability. It
depicts three women falling from a bridge onto sharp rocks which represent dangerous men. Joan
Foster in Lady Oracle, a writer of gothic romances, attempts to subvert the patriarchal systems
by exposing gender politics through her writings.
In Bodily Harm, Atwood uses the term cancer in the literal as well as figurative sense.
As Annette kolodny states, it is “a metaphor for a malignant world.” (39). Rennie realizes that
cancer which has infected her body is only a minor accident in her life. The cancer which has to
be feared lies in the mind of man in the capacity to take pleasure in another’s suffering. Rennie
assess human malignancy as more dangerous than cancer. It is significant that the word

‘malignant’ is used many times in the novel. When the police arrest Rennie at her hotel, she finds
on the face of the hotel manager, a malignant enjoyment. The prison guard who hurts the
prisoners with his bayonet enjoys his act and Rennie feels that it is malignant. Thus, “she has
been turned inside out, there’s no longer a here and there” (BH 290). She finds the world more
diseased than her own body. She begins to see life from a new perspective. She forgets about her
illness, “her scar, her disability, her nibbled flesh, and the little teeth mark on her” (BH 284). She
realizes that others are suffering more than her; they are dying faster than her. Rennie realizes
that, though she cannot be saved from her physical illness, she is free from mental malignancy.
She considers herself to be lucky, “she is overflowing with luck” (BH 301) as she is able to feel
and to share the suffering of all women.
In Bodily Harm, animal imagery is used to suggest cancer or cannibalism. Sharon
Wilson points out that the presence of rats in the female body, Lora’s apartment, in the prison,
maggots, fleas, other insects, crabs and snails symbolically suggest cannibalism (Fairy tale 213).
Rennie’s lover Jake, who is malicious and predatory, is described as “grinning like a fox” (BH
103). Rennie feels insecure in his presence; she often feels “cornered and mean” (BH 199).
In Bodily Harm, as in the other novels of Atwood, the female victimization is equated to
the Canadian experience. The land, like the woman, is depicted as vulnerable, consumable, and
oppressed. In Survival, Atwood states that “Canada as a whole is a victim” (35) and the central
symbol for Canada is survival. There are many relations between Rennie and her country. Rennie
finds in Canada, the ever-present feeling of menace’ from “everything surrounding it”. Survival
30) She fears herself to be “a moving target in someone else’s binoculars”. (BH 40) Rennie’s
fear of men and of everything around her is a personalization of the fear of the Canadians
towards American aggression.
In this novel, Atwood uses images of the body to exemplify the reduction of the female
body to raw material. Rennie’s amputated body, the mannequin’s Toronto Policemen’s
Pornography Museum, the picture of rat in vagina and Lora’s bruised face are powerful images
of female brutalization. St. Agatha, a Caribbean island which Rennie visits, is named after a saint
whose breasts had been chopped off. Thus the territory is personified as a woman who has
suffered castration. Images of body parts are also metaphorically used to represent compassion.
Rennie wishes to be a tourist in life and learns to look at things without ‘touching’ them. In
prison, when she feels Lora’s arm against her own for the first time, she feels that “it’s

comforting” (BH 273). It is the disease or malignancy of the human mind which results in one’s
indifferent attitude to the fellows. The inability of Rennie’s grandmother to touch and to perceive
things due to senility becomes symbolically significant in this context. Elva, a native of St.
Antoine has “magic hands” (194) which bring solace and Dr. Daniel luoma who heals Rennie is
said to have ‘his soul’ ( BH 198) in his hand. Rennie’s promise that she will forever remember
the feel of Lora’s arm within her own, points to her decision to fight against bodily harm
through her writings.
The textual voice is recorded through both third person and first person narrators who
occasionally interrupt each other. The memory fragments of Rennie, Lora, Jocasta are in first
person, to emphasize the authenticity of their experiences. Just as the female bodies are
dismembered into face, hands, legs, breast, pelvis, the body of the text is structured through a
fragmented narrative. The conventional linear mode of narration is disrupted by stages of dreams
and awakening which intersperse the text and reflect Rennie’s suspended state of existence
between life and death. Thus, the text is like a puzzle which Rennie imagines: “she switches to a
jig-saw puzzle, in her head, the top border, the ones with the flat edges, it’s always the sky, and
one piece fits into another, interlocking, pure blue” (BH 280). In Bodily Harm, the female body
itself becomes the narrative. It is significant that Rennie imagines herself to be a blank sheet of
paper for Jake “to doodle on”. (BH 105)
In Bodily Harm, Atwood depicts how female body has been treated as raw material for
the purpose of male sexuality. In different patriarchal institutions, both in freedom and in
captivity, the female body is tortured, and abused. Using powerful images of mutilation, Atwood
exposes the desecration of female body through rape and pornography. Rennie’s fear of male
invasion is related to Canada’s fear of foreign aggression. The text becomes the mutilated female
body, articulating the story through fragmented narration which reflects the physical and
psychological state of the female characters. Atwood demands compassion for suffering and
envisions a world free from patriarchal, colonial and exploitative values where human beings are
in harmonious relationship with each other.
Primary Sources:
WORKS CITED
Atwood, Margaret, Bodily Harm Toronto: Mc Clelland and Stewart 1981
Second Words: Selected Criticalprose – Toronto – Anansi 1982

Survival: A Thematic Guide To Vanadian Literature – Toronto – Anansi 1972
Secondary Sources:
Begum, Jameela. A , Canadian Literature : Perspectives , Madras – Macmillan India
Ltd,1994.
Bloom, Harold, Ed. Margaret Atwood: Philadelphia: Chelsea House Pub 2000.
Epstein Grace A. Bodily Harm: Female Containment and Abuse In The Romance
Narrative: Genders. Spring 1993: 80-93
Frye, Marilyn: The Politics Of Reality: Essays In Feminist Theory, Freedom: Crossing
P,1983.
Howells, Coral Ann. Margaret Atwood, London, Macmilan Pvt Ltd, 1996
Irvine Lorna, The Here And Now Of Bodily Harm – Vanspanckeran And Castro Eds. Margaret
Atwood: Vision And Forms – Carbondale: Southern Illinois Up, 1998, 85-100
Jaidev, Woman As Metaphor: A Note On Atwoods’ Feminism- The Indian Journal Of
English Studies – 25, 1995
Kolodny Annette, Margaret Atwood and The Politics Of Narrative – 1990 Bloom 29-48
Rigney, Barbara Hill, Women Writers: Margaret Atwood, London Macmilan Educ.Ltd
1987.
Rubenstein, Roberta- Pandora’s Box and Female Survival: Margaret Atwood’s Bodily
Harm: Critical Essays of Margaret Atwood Ed. Judith McCombs Boston:
G.K.Hall, 1988.
Stouck, Davis – A Critical Introduction to Canadian literature In English- Major
Canadian Authors- Lincoln of Nebraska P, 1940
Wilson, Sharon Rose, Margaret Atwood’s Fairy- Tale Sexual Politics –Jackson Up Of
Mississippi, 1993
Turning Life into Popular Art, Bodily Harm’s Life – Tourist: Studies in Canadian
Literature 10.1-2 (1985): 136-145.

Feminism in Alice Walker
E. Kumara Jothi
Assistant Professor of English,
Devanga Arts College (Autonomous), Aruppukottai.
African American literature is the body of literature produced in the United States by
writers of African descent. The genre traces its origins to the works of such late 18 th century
writers as Philis Wheatley and Olaudan Equiano, reaching early high points with slave narratives
and the Harlem Renaissance and continuing today with authors such as Toni Morrison, Maya
Angelou, Walter Mosley, Lorraine Hansberry and Alice Walker being ranked among the top
writers in the United States. Among the themes and issues explored in African American
Literature are the roles of African Americans within the larger American society. African
American writing has also tended to incorporate within itself oral forms such as spirituals,
sermons, gospel music, blues, and rap.
African Americans’ place in American society has changed over the centuries. Before the
American civil war, African American Literature primarily focused on the issue of slavery, as
indicated by the subgenera of slave narratives. At the turn of the 20 th century, books by authors
such as W.E.B. Dubois and Booker T. Washington debated whether to confront or appease racist
attitudes in the United States. During the American Civil right movements, such as Richard
Wright and Gwendolyn Brooks wrote about issues of racial segregation and Black Nationalism.
Today African American literature has become accepted as an integral part of American
Literature, with books as Roots: The Saga of an American Family by Alex Haley, The Color
Purple by Alice Walker and Beloved by Toni Morrison achieving both best selling and award
winning status. Beginning in the 1970s, African American Literature reached the mainstream as
books by Black writers continually achieved fame. This was also the time when the work of
African American writers began to be accepted by academia as a legitimate genre of American
Literature.
12 ISSN 0976-8130
Alice Walker’s writing has been a key to naming and defining African American
women’s thought for African American women as well as for non - African American feminist

scholars. She coined the term ‘womanism’ in 1983 in her collection of essays entitled In Search
of Our Mother’s Gardens, which would define African American feminism for a large number of
African American women who had been trying to define themselves within and without the
white dominated feminist thought by women of African descent and it is applied to the historical
understanding of black women’s writings, theories and history. Walker’s writings include novels,
stories, essays and poems. They focus on the struggles of African Americans, and particularly
African American women, against societies that are racist, sexist, and often violent. Her writings
tend to emphasize the strength of black women and the importance of African American heritage
and culture. She is widely respected for her outspoken attitude and views, regardless of the
popular public opinions at the time, whether they favour her views or they do not. She is openly
bisexual, and sympathetic of people of all sexualities, ethnicities and race. Walker is not only an
extraordinary writer but also a strong leader in many pre- womanish campaigns. Walker’s unique
and distinguished life style and her boldness on the issues she tackles in her stories have
evaluated her to the status of a legend in American literature. Although most people know her for
her Pulitzer Prize winning novel The Color Purple, Alice walker has a diverse and interesting
history and has contributed to many activist efforts nationwide.
Alice Malsenior Walker was born on February, 9, 1944, in Eatonton, Georgia to
sharecropper parents. She was the eighth and the youngest child of Minne Tallulah Grant Walker
and Willie Lee Walker. She grew up in the midst of violent racism, which combined with her
family’s poverty left a permanent impression on her writing. In the summer of 1952, at the age of
eight, Alice was playing “Cowboys and Indians” with her brothers when she was accidentally
shot in her right eye by a BB gun pellet. This accident left her permanently blinded in that eye.
Afterwards, her confidence began to fade. As a result, she began to observe others and their
relationships and she found that she liked to write. When she was fourteen, one of her brothers
paid to have the ‘cataract’ removed from her eye. While the surgery did not return the vision in
her one eye, it did help restore her confidence. Walker graduated from high school in 1961. She
was valedictorian of her class and was voted prom queen. She decided to attend Spelman College
in Atlanta, Georgia, where she was able to secure a scholarship awarded by the Georgia
Department of Rehabilitation to physically challenged students in combination with an academic
scholarship. After two years at Spelman, Alice received a scholarship to Sarah Lawrence who
gave Walker a chance to receive monitoring from the poet Muriel Ruykeys and writer Jane

Cooper. Together they helped to stimulate her interest and talent in writing, and inspired her to
write poems that eventually appeared in Once (1968). At the end of her freshman year in 1962
Walker was invited to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s home in recognition of her being invited to
attend the youth world peace festival in Helsinki, Finland. In August 1963, she travelled to
Washington, D.C., for the ‘March on Washington for jobs and Freedom’. As Sarah Lawrence,
she graduated in 1965 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. During her junior year, she travelled to
Africa and Europe; which sparked her interest in travelling abroad. However, in the senior year
of college, Walker discovered that she was pregnant. During this time, she considered
committing suicide and wrote volumes of poetry to help herself deal with her feelings and worst
fears. With the help of a friend, she had a safe abortion. Walker’s mentor, Muriel Ruykeyser,
sent a short story of Alice’s titled, To Hell with Dying to a publisher, where it was published
shortly thereafter and Walker received a hand written note of encouragement from Hughes.
Alice Walker has been a strong and outspoken activist on a variety of issues. In the Fall
of 1965, she moved to New York City where she worked in the city’s Welfare Department. The
next year she moved to Jackson, Mississippi when she volunteered for voter registration drives
and Head start programmers. While there she crept and instantly fell in love with a young Jewish
law student name Mei Eventual who was working for the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi.
She then returned to New York and the affair ended in getting married in March of 1967. Soon
after marriage, they received many threats of physical violence because of their inter-racial
marriage. Alice began working as a black history teacher and soon became pregnant. In 1968,
she accepted a teaching position at Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi. In the same
year her first volume of poetry, titled Once, was published. Christian remarked that in once
walker displayed what would become a feature of her future poetry and fiction, “Unwavering
honesty in evoking the forbidden, either in political stances or in love”. Next year she finally
published her first novel, The Third Life of Grange Copeland, which was published in 1970.
That same year, Walker was appointed writer-in-residence at Tougaloo, Mississippi. Walker’s
career took off as she quickly moved from the Radcliff Institute. In 1972, she accepted a teaching
position at Wellesley College where she created one of the first women’s studies courses in the
nation, a Women Literature Course. In 1976, she published her second novel, Meridian, a story
that chronicled a young woman’s struggle during the Civil Rights Movement. Then after having
divorced Eventual she married Robert Allen, the editor of Black Schuler: she published her

second book of short stories, You can’t Keep a Good Woman Down. Her first collection of short
stories is titled as In Love and Trouble: Stories of Black Women. Along with it, she also
published her second volume of poetry, Revolutionary Petunias and other poems.
Walker’s writing began to flourish, and in 1982, she completed The Color Purple for
which she received Pulitzer Prize and the American Book Award. The novel The Color Purple is
an epistolary novel about the life of a poor black woman named Celie. Critics again accused her
of portraying black men too harshly. The same year, her book, In search of our Mother’s Garden
was published, containing essays on her ‘womanist ideology’. The Color Purple was made into a
motion picture, produced by Quincy Jones and directed by Steven Spielberg the director of
“Jurassic Park”. In 1984, Walker published her third volume of Poetry: Horses make a
Landscape Look More Beautiful. In 1988 her second book of essays Living by the Word was
published and in 1989 she published her epic novel The Temple of My Familiar. Her volume of
poetry, Her Blue Body Everything We Know: Earthling Poems, as well as her children’s story
Finding the Green Stone, were published in 1991. Alice fifth novel Possessing the Secret of Joy,
in 1992, recorded the psychic trauma of one woman’s life after forced genital mutilation. Her
interest in this subject led her to produce a documentary about the defacement of woman’s
bodies. She wrote about her experiences with the documentary and her feelings towards this
subject in Warrior Marks. In 1996, she published The Same River Twice: Honoring the Difficult,
which describes through essays and journal entries, the loss of her mother, the break-up for her
thirteen year relationship with Robert Allen, her struggle with cyme disease and depression, the
awakening to bi-sexuality, and notes of remembrance on the making of the movie, The Color
Purple. It also deals with her budding realization that she would become politically achieve in
her writings, particularly in non-fiction. The next year Anything We Done can be Saved: A
Writer’s Activism was released; it contained many essays inspired by her political activism. This
included activities in the civil right movement, the anti-nuclear movement the environment
movement, the women’s movement, and the movement to protect indigenous people.
Walker’s writings portray the struggle of black people throughout history, and are praised
for their insightful and riveting portraits of black life, in particular the experiences of black
women in a sexist and racist society. And also her writings focus on the struggles of African
Americans particularly women, and they witness against societies that are racist, sexist, and
violent. Then it focuses on the role of women of color in culture and history. She is a respected

figure in the liberal political community for her support of unconventional and unpopular views
as a matter of principle. She is opening bisexual, and sympathetic of people of all sexualities,
ethnicities and races. Walker frankly depicted the “Twin afflictions” of racism and sexism.
Walker’s first novel, The Third Life of Grange Copeland, centers on the life of a young
girl, Ruth Copeland, and her grandfather, Grange. As an old man, Grange learns that he is free to
love, but love does not come without painful responsibility. At the climax of the novel, Grange
summons his newly found knowledge to rescue his granddaughter, Ruth, from his brutal son,
Brownfield. The rescue demands that Grange murder his son in order to stop the cycle of
deliberate cruelty. Walker’s message shown through the progression of Grange’s thoughts and
action, is that it is possible for men to lift themselves out of their constrains, to make a change so
drastic that they become seemingly different people.
Walker’s second novel, Meridian focuses on the civil rights movement and its fight
social change. Meridian’s social critique is women-centered. In many ways, the novel’s concern
with women, specifically its commentary of African American motherhood, reflects Walker’s
own conflict during her first pregnancy and abortion. Meridian redefines African American
motherhood and reconstructs it as an inner spark that fuels a genuine sense of love and
responsibility among people; it does not generate from within the womb, but from within the
relationships developed by women that support and build their communities and their world.
This novel takes a complicated look at black-on-black relations. A large section of the novel
deals with a marriage between a white women and a black. Walker seems to support an ethics-
based personal interaction more than on Universal rules.
Walker’s third novel The Color Purple examines not only “black-on-black” oppression
but also incest, bisexual love. This novel exposes the internal turmoil parenting the spiritual
decay of African American who, like the novel’s protagonist, silently endures abusive male-
dominated relationships. In The Color Purple, Celie is raped by a man she believes is her father.
Later, she is battered and mentally abused in a loveless marriage. Although this novel ignited
controversy, it was on the New York Times bestseller list for twenty-five weeks. Walker
achieved the status of a major American writer when the novel won both the Pulitzer Prize for
Fiction and the National Book Award in 1983. Two years later, it was adapted as a major motion
picture directed by Steven Spielberg.

Walker’s concern for spiritual wholeness and cultural connectedness completely
ascended the physical in her fourth novel, The Temple of My Familiar, a story that takes the
reader into a time before the apparition of physical perfection and ownership began to dominate
the mind of humanity. It solidly argues Walker’s belief that the roots of African American
women’s hope for spiritual wholeness lies within the soil of their African origins. But for
Walker, even these origins are not above reproach and evaluation.
In Walker’s fifth novel, Possessing the Secret of Joy, Walker uncovers the mysteries of a
ritualist past that has imposed its presence into a changing world – a world that defines
Clitoridectomy (female circumcision) as sexual blinding, domination and abuse. The novel
brings the life and imagination of Tashi, a character appeared in both The Color Purple and The
Temple of My Familiar, into full view. The chilling reality of oppression and control mandated
by the traditions of female circumcision is further explored by Walker in her documentary film
“Warrior Marks” (1994), directed by the Indian –British filmmaker Pratibha Parmer.
By the Light of My Father’s Smile was published in September of 1998. This novel
describes a family’s move to the remote Sierras of Mexico amid a band of mixed-race blacks and
Indians. It examined the connections between sexuality. The story is a multi-narrated account of
several generations and explores the relationship of father and daughters.
In 2000, The Way Forward is with a Broken Heart, which contains a collection of
autobiographical and fictional stories about the bindings and breakings of relationships with
family, friends, and lovers, was released. Her work, A Long Walk to Freedom was released in the
year 2001. Walker’s daughter, Rebecca Walker has herself written her memoirs in a book called
Black White and Jewish.
Alice Walker has received numerous awards and honours. Her most distinguished award
is the Pulitzer Prize for Literature for The Color Purple. Her other awards include the Litho
Smith Awards, the Rosenthal Award, the O’Henry Award and others. Alice Walker is a
legendary writer and outspoken liberal political activist. She has spoken out for civil rights,
against apartheid movement, against nuclear arms, against the United States’ treatment of Cuba,
and against female genital mutilation. Some of her works have received criticism for the harsh
portrayals of African-American men. She has continued to confront many conflicts facing
African-American lifestyles and has continued to support womanish values.
Works Cited

Butler Evans, Elliot. Race, Gender and Desire: Narrative Strategies in the Fiction
– Tom Cade Bambara, Toni Morrison and Alice Walker. Philadelphia: Temple
University press, 1989. Print.
Christian, Barbara. “Alice Walker.” Black Women Novelists: The Development of
Tradition: 1892-1976. West Port: Greenwood Press. 1980. Print.
Douglas Tallak. Twentieth Century America: The Intellectual and Cultural Context. London:
Longman. 1991. Print
Gates, Jr. Henry Louis. Reading Black, Reading Feminist: A Critical Anthology. New York:
Meridian, 1990. Print.
Gomez, Christene. “Alice Walker’s Meridian as a Feminist Bildungsroman.” Feminism and
Recent Fiction in English. Ed. Sushila. New Delhi: Prestige, 1991. 253-62. Print.
Juneja, Om P. “The Purple Colour of Walker Women: Their Journey from Slavery to
Liberation”. The Literary Criterion, 25.3 (1990): 66-76. Print.
Walker, Alice. Critical Perspectives Past and present. Ed. Henry LouisGates, Jr., and K.A.
Appiah. New York: Amistad Press, 1993. Print.

Existentialism in Anita desai’s Fire on the Mountain
V. Prema
Assistant Professor of English,
Devanga Arts College (Autonomous), Aruppukottai.
Existentialism is the philosophy that places emphasis on individual existence, freedom,
and choice. Existentialism stresses the individuality of existence, and the problems that arise
with said existence. Because there is so much diversity in the philosophy of existentialism, a
concrete definition is hard to put down. Certain themes are common to almost all-existential
writing, which helps mark the writing as such. The term itself suggests one major theme, the
stress on concrete, individual existence, and on subjectivity, individual freedom and choice.
"Existentialism is about being a saint without God; being your own
hero, without all the sanction and support of religion or society." - Anita
Brookner
Indian novelist and short story writer, Anita Desai is specially noted for her insightful depiction
of the inner life of the female characters in her writings. In many of her works Anita Desai has
highlighted the tensions among the family members and estrangement of middle-class women.
Novelist, short-story writer and children's author Anita Desai was born in 1937 in Mussoorie,
India. She was educated at Delhi University.
Her novels include Fire on the Mountain (1977), which won the Winifred Holtby
Memorial Prize, and Clear Light of Day (1980), In Custody (1984) and Fasting, Feasting (1999),
each of which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. In Custody was made into a film by
Merchant Ivory productions. Her children's book The Village by the Sea (1982), won the
Guardian Children's Fiction Award. Her most recent novel is The Zig Zag Way (2004), set in
20th century Mexico. : Fire on the Mountain (1977), set in Kasauli, a hill station, focused on
three women and their oppressed life
13 ISSN 0976-8130
`Fire on the Mountain` by Anita Desai is set at the backdrop of the Simla hills,
wonderfully portraying the Indian life and the stages of old age. The intricacies of relationship,
the palpation of kinship gains an enunciation in the novel "Fire on the Mountain".This novel

deals with the existential angst experienced by the female protagonist Nanda Kaul, an old lady
living in isolation. It also projects the inner turmoil of a small girl, Raka, who is haunted by a
sense of futility. Thirdly, it presents the plight of a helpless woman, Ila Das who is in conflict
with forces that are too powerful to be encountered, resulting in her tragic death. Thus, the
existential themes of solitude, alienation, the futility of human existence and struggle for survival
form the major themes of the novel.
Fire on the Mountain falls into three sections, each further divided into several short
chapters of unequal length. The first section titled “Nand Kaul at Carignano” runs into ten
chapters. This section deals with Nanda Kaul, the main protagonist’s lonely life in Kasauli.
“Raka comes to Carignano” forms the second section and it contains twenty one chapters. It
portrays Nanda Kaul’s change of attitude towards Raka, her great granddaughter. The final
section “Ila Das leaves Carignano” is divided into thirteen chapters. This section presents the
tragic end of Ila Da, Nanda Kaul’s childhood friend.
When the novel begins, Nanda Kaul is living in Carignano, far from the madding crowd.
She is leading a life of isolation and introspection. She shuns all human company. Even the
postman’s arrival to deliver the letter is frowned upon by her. But this seeming quietude does not
last long. Raka arrives at Carignano to convalesce after her typhoid attack. The old woman and
the young girl live in double singleness. But as days pass by, Nanda Kaul finds herself drawn
towards Raka, something she had not expected. But the little girl refuses to be befriended and
escapes into the hills looking for company in solitude.
Ila Das, Nanda Kaul’s childhood friend visits Carignano to meet Raka. A one time lecture
in the Punjab University, Ila Das had lost her job subsequent to Mr.Kaul’s retirement. She has
come to Kasauli now in her new capacity as an officer in the social welfare department. She
fights against child marriage by enlightening the local people about the evils of this practice.
This invites the wrath of many of the villagers of whom Preet Singh is one. His attempts to barter
his little daughter for a tiny piece of land and a few goats have been successfully thwarted by Ila
Das. He is lying in wait to settle his score with her. One evening, when Ila Das returns late from
Carignano to her humble house in the valleys, he waylays her, rapes and murders her. When the
news of Ila Das’s death is conveyed to Nand Kaul over the phone, she is rudely shocked and falls
dead. Raka unaware of her great grandmother’s death, rushes into the house proclaiming wildly
that she has set the forest of fire. Nanda Kaul, Raka and to some extent Ila Das, are embodiments

of the existential predicament experienced by the individual in an un-understanding and even
hostile universe. A detailed examination of the characters of these protagonists brings to light
how Anita Desai has succeeded in giving expression to her existentialist world-view through
these characters and by a subtle use of imagery and symbols.
Thus, the characters of Nanda Kaul, Raka and Ila Das are studies of women in isolation.
Essentially a writer of existential inclinations, Anita Desai examines three important
aspects of this school of thought through her protagonists. The predominant traits of
existentialism are alienation, quest and conflict. These three aspects are epitomised in the lives of
three female protagonists. Nanda Kaul is a study in alienation and existential angst. Raka
symbolises the individual’s quest for meaning in an otherwise futile life. Ila Das stands for the
eternal conflict enacted in the human drama between the individual and the forces of
determinism.
One common ground for these three characters is that they are women who live in
isolation both out if choice and compulsion. Desai has examined the predicament of women in
wilderness by placing these three characters Kasauli, a place surrounded by hills and valleys, for
removed from civilisation. She has consciously done it to examine the predicament and psyche
of women in isolation. By placing her female protagonists with nature herself as the backdrop,
Anita Desai has endowed a symbolic and universal significance to the plight of her protagonists.
In this regard it has been pointed out: Essentially, Desai is a novelist of existentialist
concerns, chiefly considering what F.H.Heinaman described as ‘the enduring human condition.’
In her novels, she has ably dwelt upon such existentialist themes as maladjustment, alienation,
absurdity of human existence, quest for the ultimate meaning in life, decision, detachment,
isolation and time as the fourth dimension, focussing on how women in the contemporary urban
milieu are bravely struggling against or helplessly submitting to the relentless forces of absurd
life.
The picture of life that Anita desai presents in this novel is no doubt, dismal, but it is the
truth of life. Human life has so many facets, and there are different angles from which it can be
viewed and reviewed. But the novelist has been successful in her presentation and has chosen her
own angle of view. She has been able to diagram the absurdity of human existence, utter futility
and meaninglessness.

Self- realization is not the main thrust of fantasy in fire on the mountain; rather it is used in
an entirely different way. It is not used as an escape route, it also doesn’t border on hallucination.
Human existence is never safe, and never at the mercy of chance, and it can not escape the truth
that is death. Therefore, in brief, it is absurd, futile and meaningless.
Works Cited
Abram, M. H. 1985. A Glossary of Literary Terms. Delhi: Macmillan India Ltd.
Desai, Anita. 1977. Fire on the Mountain. London: Penguin Book.
Das, Ras vihar. “Existentialism” History of Philosophy Eastern and Western.Vol. II . Ed. Dr.
Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan. London: George Allen & Co unwin Ltd,1953
Gupta, Balarama G.S. “Fire on the Mountain: A fictional
metaphor of Existentialist Philosophy.”Perspectives on
Anita Desai. Ed. Ramesh K. Srivatsava Ghaziabad:
Vimal Prabhashan, 1984
Indira, S. 1994. Anita Desai as an Artist. New Delhi: Creative Book. Macquarrie, John
Existentialism. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1972

Information Seeking Behaviours Among Weaver At Aruppukottai Town
INTRODUCTION
M.RAJAVEL
Librarian
Devanga Arts College (Autonomous), Aruppukottai – 626101
Handloom is an important traditional craft of India. It is a cottage industry in the real
sense of the term as the weaving is done largely in the cottage by the weaver himself. It is
spread over the entire country. It is very rare to see a village without handloom weaving. The
handloom weavers are self-employed cottage industrial workers. They are poor, illiterate,
disorganized and dispersed in rural areas throughout the country. Co-operation to this class of
workers has been a panacea for all their economic ills. Co-operation attained a great measure of
success in settling the lot of problems of this class of workers in our country during First and
Second Five-year Plan periods by creating chess fund. The next Third five-year Plan, there was
a great set back in the handloom industries because the chess fund allocated by the centre has
been diverted by the states to their own schemes. As a result, handloom industries suffered a
lot. It is important that as the first and second plan, the chess fund should be outside the State
plans to safeguard the handloom industry.
Because it fulfills the most two important issues of Indian economy
(1) Employment and
(2) Production of goods of mass consumption.
While the handloom industry thus plans an important part in the national economy, its
contribution varies from State to State, as handlooms are not distributed evenly throughout the
country. It is mainly concentrated in TamilNadu, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal,
Rajasthan, Orissa, Karnataka, Bihar, Tripura, Kerala and Maharastra.
HANDLOOMS IN SOME STATES
14 ISSN 0976-8130

Sl.
No.
States
Under
Cooperative
Handlooms
Outside
Cooperative
Total %
1. TamilNadu 2,89,021 2,66,779 5,56,000 20.63
2. Andhra Pradesh 3,06,000 2,23,000 5,09,000 19.70
3. Uttar Pradesh 2,17,900 2,91,100 5,09,000 18,96
4. West Bengal 66,300 1,45,700 2,12,000 7.90
5. Rajasthan 813 1,43,187 1,44,000 5.36
6. Orissa 53,824 51,176 1,05,000 3.92
7. Karnataka 73,000 30,000 1,03,000 3,92
8. Bihar 25,000 75,000 1,00,000 3.72
9. Tripura -- 1,00,000 1,00,000 3.72
10. Kerala 21,353 73,647 95,000 3.53
11. Maharashtra 76,105 3,895 80,000 2.98
12. Hariyana 441 40,559 41,000 1.53
13. Jammu &Kashmir 143 36.857 37,000 1.38
14. Madhya Pradesh 26,272 6,728 33,000 1.23
15. Punjab 5,500 15,000 21,000 0.78
16. Gujarat 10,768 9,232 20,000 0,74
TOTAL 11,72,440 15,12,360 26,85,000 100.00
Source: Handbook on Handloom Weavers, Directorate of Handloom & Textiles, Chennai.
From the above table, it can be seen that, Tamil Nadu having nearly 21% of total looms
in India. The handloom industry in the State accounts for production of about 800 million
meters o cloth per annum of the value of RS.150 crores. About 50% of the handloom cloth
produced in the state in consumed locally while the remaining 50% goes to other states in India
and also to other countries. The contribution of the handloom sector is about 22% of the total
contribution of industrial sector towards state income. As regards employment, the number of
persons employed directly and indirectly in the handloom industry constitutes about 6% of the
working population in Tamil Nadu. Thus, the handlooms Industries occupy a very important
place in economy of the state.

1563 primary weaver's co-operative societies functioning in the state at present have a
membership of 3.63 lakhs of weavers. There are two types of weavers' co-operative societies.
One is a system under which weavers cooperative societies provide raw materials to the weaver-
member to take them home convert them into finished products and return them to the societies
form marketing and get wage at prescribed rates. The other type is the industrial weavers' co-
operative societies, which function mostly on a work-shed basis. The weaver-members report
for work at the premises of the society at specified hours and work on the looms set up by the
society. They convent raw-materials into cloth in the societies; premises itself and get wages.
All the Primary Weavers' Co-operative Societies are affiliated to co-optex which is the
apex organization. There are more than 25 cooperative spinning mill in the state producing about
10,000 bales of cotton yarn, which represents roughly the total needs of all the societies. The co-
optex is running nearly 25 yarn depots in different parts of the states, where yarn produced by the
mills are being stocked and supplied to the weavers' co-operative societies in this state produce
mainly handloom goods worth about Rs.150 crores, out of which they themselves market about
50% of the production directly to consumers as well as to merchants and exporters.
The co-operative has set up nearly 750 selling units all over India. It produces about 50%
of the production from the primary weavers' co-operative societies and markets the same through
the selling units. During 2007-2008, it sold goods worth Rs.250.00 crores. It has also set up a
separate export wing, which is undertaking direct export of handloom goods to the extent of
about Rs.30 crores during 2008-2009. The co-optex is also providing service functions like
giving technical assistance to the primary weaver's societies for undertaking production of new
designs and new fabrics through its field technical staff, evolving and supplying new designs
through its design-cum-service at Madurai, Provision of credit facilities for modification of
looms for undertaking production of new varieties etc.
The Tamil Nadu Co-operative Textile processing mills Limited, which is functioning in
the co-operative sector at Erode with facilities for bleaching, dyeing, calendaring and
mercerizing is providing necessary processing facilities to the handloom goods produced in the
co-operative sector. The mill is being expanded to balance the capacities of the Machinery and
also to set up a printing unit.
HANDLOOMS IN THE STATE OF TAMIL NADU - TOP 15 DISTRICTS

S.No Districts
Handlooms
Under Cooperatives Outside Cooperatives Total
1. Salem 1,62,238 55,219 150
2. Virudhunagar 48,822 39,756 181
3. Erode 60,205 3,485 132
4. Madurai 55,522 28,314 137
5. Chenkalput 45,406 26,818 120
6. Trichy 32,185 19,263 91
7. Coimbatore 29,758 18,658 77
8. Vellore 35,419 17,385 93
9. Tirunelveli 35,179 15,772 95
10. Kanyakumari 13,157 11,531 70
11. Cuddalore 18,245 10,849 51
12. Thanjavur 12,110 5,590 32
13. Chennai 4,060 3,050 11
14. Dharmapuri 2,775 2,013 8
15. Pudukkottai 1,229 318 3
Total 5,56,410 2,89,021 1,251
Source: Handbook on Handloom Weavers, Directorate of Handloom & Textiles, Chennai
From the above table it can be seen that Salem district is having more number of looms in
the state of Tamil Nadu, while seeing the number of co-operative societies, virudhunagar district
is having more number of looms in the state of Tamil Nadu. The State average is only 52%
whereas in the virudhunagar district it is 81%. In virudhunagar district, aruppukottai,
virudhunagar, srivilliputur, rajapalayam and sundarapandiam are important handloom centers.
Many weavers' cooperative societies are there in this district.
The products so produced by the weavers' cooperative societies of the district are silk
sarees, art silk sarees, cotton (sungidi) sarees, Rayon sarees, towels, turkey towels, lungies and
export shirting's etc. It is to be noted that Bandage cloth is also product of this area. Lakhs and
lakhs of meters of Bandage cloth are sent to other states from here.

Out of 275 weavers' cooperative societies in the District, Aruppukottai has nearly 75
societies, i.e. nearly 28% of the handloom cooperative sector of the district is served by the
Aruppukottai area. There were handloom varieties called Sungidi sarees, and Chettiar Pattu,
which are special in this area. These were all sent to Sri Lanka even before independence.
METHODOLOGY
The required data for this work have been collected from primary and secondary sources.
The primary data were collected by employing one interview schedule for weavers, and
by making personal enquiries. To collect the data from the weavers, area-sampling method was
adopted.
The related data were also collected from primary and secondary sources. The primary
data were collected from the following government agencies.
1. The Director of Hand Looms and Textiles, Chennai.
2. The Assistant Director of Hand Looms and Textiles, Virudhunagar District.
3. The Presidents and Secretaries of various Co-operative societies in the Aruppukottai
Taluk.
The secondary data were collected from Newspapers, Books and other magazines and
reports of the societies of the study area.
PERIOD OF STUDY
The study covers the period of five years from 2006 - 2010.
Information Seeking Behavior Definition
There are three words in the phrase “Information seeking behavior.” Three different
concepts stand inters linked to denote one process occurring in individuals in the library and
information science context. Information has already been defined.
The same literal meaning of the word ‘seek’ has been retained here. Seeking means of
something. In a library people seek information in a variety sources.
Behavior is the third concept. All to Webster’s third new international dictionary of the
English language, behavior means.
a. The manner in which a person behaves in a reaction to social stimuli.
b. An activity of a defined organism especially observable activity when measurable in
terms of quantifiable effects and environmental whether arising form the external or
internal stimulus.

c. The treatment shown by a person towards another or others especially in its confirming
with or divergence from the norms of good manners or social decorum
“Information seeking is behavior, a human activity such as writing a memo, driving a car
or talking on the phone. Since it is a behavior it is logical to purpose that it stems form sources
common to all behaviors. Psychologists try determining who people do what they do.
PRESENT INFORMATION SEEKING BEHAVIOURS AMONG WEAVERS
This is the information age. Every one should be at the centre of every management
information system. We are seeing Information Technology Revolution. Revolution means
bringing complete change. Some of the IT products are put into use with basic theme of
providing right information to right people at the right time.
Information Age is a name given to a period after the industrial age and before the
Knowledge Economy. Information Age is a term applied to the period where information
rapidly propagated, more narrowly applying to the 1980s onward. Under conventional economic
theory, the Information Age also heralded the era where information was a scarce resource and
its capture and distribution generated competitive advantage when information ceased being
scarce, the Knowledge Economy commenced. The Knowledge Economy started around 1992
and continued to approximately 2002.
The Information Technology can have a transformation role in many enterprises. Small
Scale Industries are relying more on IT to accomplish their working strategies. Elimination of
information gap, reduction of transaction cost, Value Added Services, early realization of new
opportunities et., are some of the major current issues in this field.
Now executives are computer literate but many are not information literates. They know
to get data. But they have to learn to use data. A better-informed person leads the rest.
Similarly a well-informed organization can position itself formidably among competitors. A
separate management information system is established in every organization. So every one
should be at the centre of every management information system.
The Information Technology in India has grown by leaps and bounds. IT is going to
bring a dramatic change in the field of small-scale industry in this fast changing new era.
In this modern, ever-changing world, weavers should be also be informed in all aspects
that are in and around them.

Weavers' in the cockpit like chair is working and working continuously from the drawn
to dusk without knowing what is happening around them. Their only aim is the bread for life.
Due to this trend, they are not informed about any latest changes in the world.
The Researcher observed, many weavers are not at all thinking about the happenings of
the surroundings and considering them as with lest significance. Their aim is to finish the work
and get the wages as early as possible in the evening and get the night meals early to go to bed
early to wake early, to start the work early next day.
Regarding the modern education, the researcher observed, it is a loss of 1 -3 years work
and the wages of the period of study of their sons; because, even after his studies, he is going to
do the same weaving occupation. To have this occupation, a little amount of education is
necessary in their view. So, many of the offspring of the weavers have not finished their
necessary school education.
side.
The following are some the data collected by the researcher regarding the information
Source: Primary Data
NEWSPAPER READING HABIT
HABIT RESPONEDENTS %
Yes 48 24
No 68 34
Occasionally 84 42
Total 200 100%
NEWS PAPERS READING HABIT
Yes 48
No 68
Occasionally 84

It is shown from the above table that 24% of the respondents are having the habit of
reading newspaper. 42% are having the habit of reading it occasionally and 34% are not having
the habit. It is an interesting thing that these people are reading the newspapers in public
libraries and Tea-stalls where all the newspapers are kept for public reading.
Yes 114
LISTENING RADIO
HABIT RESPONEDENTS %
Yes 114 57
No 42 21
Occasionally 44 22
Total 200 100%
Source: Primary Data
The above table depicts that 57% of the respondents are having the habit of listening
Radio. 22% are having the habit of listening it occasionally and 21% are not having that habit.
Listening radio and transistor is somewhat gives them a mental relief and they consider the radio
as their companion, i.e., somebody is talking with them.
LISTENING RADIO
Occasionally 44
No 42
VIEWING TELEVISION
HABIT RESPONEDENTS %

Yes 82 41
No 96 48
Occasionally 22 11
Total 200 100%
Source: Primary Data
It is clear from the above table that 41% of the respondents are having the habit of
viewing Television. 11% are having the habit of listening it occasionally and 48% are not having
the habit. Viewing the Television serials and other programmes gives them a relaxation from the
day-full work and they fell it as one of their family member.
RESPONEDENTS
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
82
VIEWING TELEVISION
96
Yes No Occasionally
USING INTERNET
HABIT RESPONEDENTS %
Yes 12 6
No 136 68
No idea 52 26
Total 200 100%
Source: Primary Data
No 136
USING INTERNET
Yes 12
No idea 52
22

RESPONDENTS
130
120
110
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
PARTCIPATION IN POLITICS
36
Yes No Attend only
meetings
The above table shows that 6% of the respondents are having the habit of using Internet. 26% are
having no idea no idea about the Internet and 68% are not having the habit. Many of them are not
aware of it and not knowing about the features of the Internet.
PARTICIPATION IN POLITICS
HABIT RESPONEDENTS %
Yes 36 18
No 128 64
Attend only meetings 36 18
Total 200 100%
Source: Primary Data
The above table shows that 18% of the respondents are having the Interest in politics and
are participating in politics. 64% are not having Interest and are not participating in politics.
18% of the respondents say that they are attending only the political meetings. Out of these 18%
respondents some are attending the meetings for time passing and leisure.
128
HABIT
VISITING AMUSEMENT PLACES LIKE CINEMA & PARK
HABIT RESPONEDENTS %
Yes 98 49
No 16 8
Occasionally 56 28
Find no time 30 15
Total 200 100%
Source: Primary Data
36
RESPONEDENTS
It is derived that of the respondents are having the habit of visiting amusement places like
RESPONDENTS
VISITING AMUSEMENT PLACES LIKE CINEMA & PARK
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
98
16
Yes No Occasionally Find no time
HABIT
56
30
RESPONEDENTS

parks, cinema etc. 8% are not having interest and not going to any places. 28% of the
respondents say they are going 5to visit such places occasionally. And 15% of the respondents
say that they find no time to go out.
HAVING (OR) USING PHONE - CELLPHONE
HABIT RESPONEDENTS %
Yes 48 24
No 112 56
Only Public Phone 40 20
Total 200 100%
Source: Primary Data
The above table shows that 24% if the respondents are having phone connection either
landline or cell phone. 56% are not having any phone connection as they feel that a phone
connection is an extravagant one even in this modern computer era. 20% of the respondents say
that they have the habit of using phone but through the public phones.
HAVING TWO-WHEELERS
HABIT RESPONEDENTS %
Yes 46 23
No 122 61
Having idea to buy 32 16
Total 200 100%
Source: Primary Data
It is clear that 23% of the respondents are having two wheelers. 61% are not having any
type of two wheelers and 16% of the respondents are having the idea to buy a two - wheeler
soon.
RESPONDENTS
120
110
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
HAVING (OR) USING PHONE - CELLPHONE
48
112
Yes No Only Public Phone
HABIT
40
RESPONEDENTS

RESPONDENTS
130
120
110
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
HABIT Yes No Having idea to
buy
HABIT
KNOWLEDGE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
HABIT RESPONEDENTS %
Yes 24 12
No 156 78
No idea 20 10
Total 200 100%
Source: Primary Data
The above table depicts that 12% of the respondents are having knowledge about
information technology. 78% are not having any knowledge about it and 16% if the respondents
are having no idea about what they are asked by the researcher.
RESPONDENTS
160
150
140
130
120
110
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
24
HAVING TWO - WHEELERS
46
156
122
Yes No No idea
HABIT OF VISITING PUBLIC LIBRARIES
20
32
Column B
Column C
KNOWLEDGE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
HAVING KNOWLEDGE
RESPONEDENTS

HABIT RESPONEDENTS %
Yes 92 46
No 22 11
Occasionally 46 23
Total 200 100%
Source: Primary Data
The above table shows that 46% of the respondents are having habit of visiting public
libraries. 11% are not having the habit of visiting the libraries. They feel it is waste of time and
by that time they can weave some more. 23% of the respondents say that has the habit of visiting
libraries occasionally.
CONCLUSIONS
� The loans given to existing housing colonies may be treated as free of interest from the
beginning and all the interest amounts so far collected may be adjusted towards the
principal due. In future, only installments of principal should be recovered.
� At least 1000 houses divided in to suitable colonies may be built for the weavers every
year.
RESPONDENTS
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
� Weaving as a craft education should be effectively introduced in primary and secondary
school situated in areas where weavers are concentrated.
� All families of professional weavers, whatever the caste they may belong may be treated
as backward class and the concessions now enjoyed by the backward classes made
applicable to them.
0
92
� Annually 1,000 scholarships may be offered to the bright boys and girls belonging to the
families of professional weavers to prosecute collegiate education in degree or
professional courses.
HABIT OF VISITING PUBLIC LIBRARIES
22
Yes No Occasionally
HAVING KNOWLEDGE
46
RESPONEDENTS

� Increase of power looms should be immediately stopped and a careful assessment should
be made of the power looms.
� The excise duty on power looms cloth should be brought on a level with that of mill
cloth.
� The State Government may take steps to nominate a representative of the handloom
industry to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, or to the Rajya Sabha in Parliament.
� Implementing the suggestions is in the hands of Government. If they are adopted the
most important issues of Indian Economy, the employment and production of goods of
mass consumption can be achieved.
� Even in this modern IT era the weavers are not aware of much advancement in their field.
Their only aim in their life is bread earning.
� The education level is much lesser in the weavers' community. No use of studying more
and more is the policy of them. That should be eliminated and eradicated.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
No Author Article / Book / Magazine
1. Departments of Handloom & Textiles, Govt. of Development of Handloom Industry in Tamil
Tamil Nadu.
Nadu, 10th Five year plan.
2. Directorate of Handloom & Textiles, Govt.of
Tamil Nadu.
Handbook of Statistics on Handloom & Textiles.
3. K.K.Dewett & G.C Singh Indian Economy
4. Anjali Raj & Siddhardh Deva ( A report
submitted to the Govt.of India)
Indian Handlooms : An uncertain future.
5. K.S. Lakshmanan Pattuselvam (Tamil)
6. Nalli Kuppusamy Vetriyin Varalaaru (Tamil)
7. Asha Krishnakumar Wearvers in Distress (An article published in the
Magazine Frontline)
8. www.Hinduonnet.com Information Age
9. www.wikipedia.com Information trends
10. www.google.com What is information?

Introduction:
Sri Ramana Maharishi and James Allen – East West Spiritual Journey
– An Exposition
Dr. B. Ravi Babu
Head & Asociate Professor of English,
Devanaga Arts College (Autonomous)
Aruppukottai – 626 101
The world of literature has made significant and sizable contributions to spirituality. The
Bible which is considered to be a religious book has contributed to the growth and development
of English language and literature. The story of God, Satan and Man was the basis of Milton’s
‘Paradise Lost’ and’ Paradise Regained’. John Bunyan’s ‘The Pilgrim’s Progress’ is greatly
influenced by the teachings of the Bible. Similarly the sacred book of the Hindus’ The
Bhagavad Gita’ is a part of the great Indian epic ‘The Mahabharata’. All these books spell out
a philosophy to orient mankind spiritually. Milton, Bunyan and The Mahabharata have
enlightened spiritual moorings. Elite as well as commoners both in the Eastern and Western
parts of the world have the thirst for spiritual and philosophical quest and enlightenment. They
have gained comfort, solace, inspiration and a sense of direction in life guided by visionaries,
missionaries, philosophers and seers. Incidentally, these master, though lived in different parts
of the world bear closer resemblance, have, presented similar thoughts and offered teachings to
mankind. In the East, Sri Ramana Maharishi and in the West, James Allen are two such
personalities. They indicate that the ‘self’ or ‘one’s own thoughts’ are responsible for one’s rise
or fall, happiness or misery. Ramana Maharishi and James Allen are not very popular but their
ideas would help mankind realise, rejoice and rejuvenate.
15 ISSN 0976-8130
Biographical Sketch of Sri Ramana Maharishi: (December 30, 1879 – April 14, 1950)
Venkataraman Iyer, a Hindu Spiritual master (“jnani”) was born in a village Tiruchuli
near Aruppukottai, Madurai in Tamil Nadu. It was the ‘Arudhra Darshanam Day’ – a day in
which Lord Nataraja gave special blessing ‘Dharshan’ to a cow, a day very auspicious to the
Hindus, especially to the devotees of Siva. In the year 1892, Venkataraman’s father, Sundaram
Iyer suddenly fell seriously ill and unexpectedly died at the age of 42. For some hours after his

father’s death he contemplated the matter of death and how his father’s body was still there, but
the ‘I’ was gone from it. Venkataraman who later became Sri Ramana Maharishi realised, “The
body dies but the spirit transcending it cannot be touched by death”. That means I am the
deathless spirit. From that moment onwards, the “I” or Self focused attention on itself by a
powerful fascination. Fear of death vanished in him once and for all. The ego was lost in the
flood of self – awareness.” “ The thought ‘Who am I?” destroying all other thoughts will itself
finally be destroyed”.
Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharishi :
Sri Ramana Maharishi’s focussed his attention on the essential need to discover one’s
true identity. He preached. “The truth about oneself alone is worthy of being scrutinised and
known”. Sri Ramana Maharishi taught of what use it is to know everything about
the world if we remain ignorant about ourselves? It would be worth remembering that the
answers to all questions will be found when one becomes self-aware. Maharishi informs that
human mind is occupied with unwanted and superfluous thoughts. Man does not have the know
– how to deal with the mind. This is because man never cared to study the nature of the mind.
Ramana Maharishi provides mankind with an infallible means to find out about the mind in the
form of attention focusing questions: This makes one alive to the core issue: “What is one’s true
identity?” So far little attention is focussed on these issues. This process is termed as ‘self-
enquiry’. This turns the mind and the intuitive perception of the surging joy within. Diligent
practice of the self-enquiry is bound to bring peace and happiness.
JAMES ALLEN – AN EXPOSITION:
The world of letters has seen many a great author enlightening the mankind with unique
insight, inspiration and revelation that has made life meaningful, successful and useful. Some
enlightened men of letters have tried to offer best solutions to the riddles and mysteries of life.
Though man thinks that he is the crown of creations, he is not able to find a fitting answer too
many of the problems that confront him. Not only he understands his inability to solve many of
his problems, but he is unable to accept and understand why he has to undergo suffering he never
foresaw and he never anticipated that would befall his life. Like Shakespeare’s King Lear many
people complain. “I am more sinned against than sinning”. Similarly God is accused as “a
wanton boy”.

“As flies are to wanton boys, God’s kill us for their sport”. At times this kind of Hadrian
type of pessimism encircles human beings. Very few writers have ventured to confront such
issues and dare to give a convincing answer that would offer some kind of solace and consolation
to humanity. One such writer of little known eminence is James Allen’s writings bear close
kinship with Indian philosophy and the thoughts of Shakespeare, Milton, Bacon and Emerson.
Of course, James Allen had mastered their writings, but the assertive and authoritative manner
with which he presents his ideas is unique, comforting, guiding and gives the much needed
healing touch to the badly bruised mankind.
ABOUT JAMES ALLEN:
1. Enquired at an early age about the philosophy of life with his father.
2. Frail health from birth onwards.
3. Whole hearted interest in work, executed with perfection, right things at the right time.
4. Concentration of mind was unique, systematic performance of reading, playing, eating,
and sleeping with regularity and system.
5. At the age of seventeen began to memorise the dramas of Shakespeare.
6. Loved objects of nature went and established an affectionate relationship with wild
animals in the forest - animals also responded affectionately.
7. At the age of 15, family met with object penury. His father went to New York to eke out
a living. But on reaching New York within two days he died. The only valuable properly
left in the family was a relic-a silver watch.
8. After the demise of his father, Allen had to work for fifteen hours to support his aged and
ailing mother and two brothers.
9. Spent three to four hours in reading books. He considered hectic work schedule and
systematic deep reading of books was similar to learning many languages simultaneously.
Concepts of James Allen: His lofty objective was to search for Truth. To achieve:
1. This he learnt multitude of books. He was of the opinion that the suffering
undergone by men is like living in hell the joys are heavenly experience. Apart
from these, here is no hell or heaven elsewhere.
2. Discipline and exemplary character and conduct, James Allen considered to be
ornaments in life.
3. Though James Allen was by birth an English man, he eschewed non-vegetarian food

like a civilized Indian and consuming liquor and free for all relationship with ladies
other than his wife. His sterling characters was unique and established an
individual identity for himself.
4. James Allen was always positive, constructive, creative and optimistic in his choice
of pleasant and desirable words. He had the great persuasive power of converting evil
minded persons into good. As an illustration, the fellow workers who were
accustomed to use foul and fifty words, mended their words and refined their
expression in the few days of acquaintance of with Allen.
Last day of Allen:
James Allen’s thoughts and words are faithfully recorded and expressed through
his books and journals. He had a transparent life shared his findings frankly for the benefit of
mankind. A monthly spiritual and philosophical journal entitled ‘The Light of Reason’. The best
days of Allen were spent on meditation and in deep divine thoughts. To the last day, he never
shirked any responsibility and did all his works that were dear to his heart with great enthusiasm.
On January 12, 1912 James Allen passed away. January 12 is incidentally the birth day of Swami
Vivekanada who is the spiritual mentor of millions of young Indians.
James Allen’s systematic approach:
James Allen observes that man alone is the master of his own destiny. His inner
thoughts and feelings alone are responsible for his success, failure, health of disease. No
external agency can give him good or remove his sufferings. It is the pure self that decides the
course and events of his life. James Allen informs thus: “All the means for the cultivation of the
will are already at hand in the mind and life of the individual; they reside in the weak side of his
character, by attacking and vanquishing which the necessary strength of will be developed. He
who has succeeded in grasping this simple, preliminary truth, will perceive that the whole
science of will – cultivation is embodied in the following
Seven rules:
1. Break off bad habits
2. Form good habits
3. Give scrupulous attention to the duty of the present moment.
4. Do vigorously, and at once, whatever has to be done.
5. Live by rule

6. Control the tongue
7. Control the mind
The Message of James Allen:
“As with the natural scientist, so with the divine scientist; he must pursue, with the same self-
sacrificing diligence, five progressive steps in the attainment of self – knowledge, self - control.
These five steps are: Introspection, Self-analysis, Adjustment, Righteousness and Pure –
Knowledge.
“Life is a great school for the development of Character, and all, through strife and struggle, vice
and virtue, success and failure, are slowly but surely learning the lessons of wisdom”
“Man is the doer of his own deeds; as such he is the maker of his own character; and as the doer
of his deeds and the maker of his character, he is the moulder and shaper of his destiny”
“What so ever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might”
“Four of these principles are – Justice, Rectitude, Sincerity and Kindness. These four
ethical truths are to the making of a life what the four lines of a square are to the building of a
house”
Summing up: The Sun and the Moon are the two celestial objects that light the world. The Sun
rises in the East and sets in the West. The Moon rises in the West at night and travels to the East
before it sets. Both shed light. The Sun is bright and hot and the Moon is dim and cool light.
Similarly, Sri Ramana Maharishi is the ‘Arunachala’ the Sun from East. His effulgence brought
followers from the West and made his teachings known universally. Similarly, James Allen
from the West is in the Moon. His thoughts made philosophical and spiritual journey and
influenced V.O. Chidhambaram Pillai, an eminent freedom fighter of Tamil Nadu and Dr.M.S.
Udayamoorthy, a great exponent of ‘Thought Process Studies’ of Chennai. East and West to
transform mind and mankind.
Works Cited
1) Natarajan, A.R. Bangalore: Sayings of Ramana Maharishi. Ramana Maharishi Centre for
Learning, 1996. 3. Print.
2) Ilayaraja. Sri Arunachala Aksharamnamalai: Gnana Radham. Rajapalayam: Sri
Ramanalayam, 2004.
3) Appadurai, K. James Allen’s Enniya Vanname. Cennai: tirunelveli South Indian
Siddhantha Book Publications Ltd, 1999. 2. Print.
4) Chidambaranar, V.O. Manampola Valu. Chennai: Kazgham, 2001.

5) Chidambaranar, V.O. Valimaikku Margam. Chennai: Kazgham, 1985.10.P
6) Chidambaranar, V.O. Santhikku Margam Chennai: Kazgham, 1981.6.P.
7) Chidambaranar, V.O. Meyyarivu. Chennai: Kazgham, 1986. 6. P.
8) James Allen, Google Book Search. Vikipeida, 10August 2011.
9) Sri Bagavan Ramanar, Google Book Search, Vikipedia, 10 August 2011.

Borrower’s Satisfaction Of Co-Operative Banks In Aruppukottai
INTRODUCTION
Dr. P.Ravichandran
Associate professor in commerce,
S.B.K.College, Aruppukottai.
Customer satisfaction is the extent to which customers are happy with the products and
services provided by a business. Gaining high level of customer satisfaction is very important to
a business because satisfied customers are most likely to the loyal and to make repeat orders and
to use a wide range of services offered by a business. Customers are most likely to appreciate
the goods and services and that they are made to feel special.
The present study deals with borrower’s satisfaction with respect to the rate of interest,
loan processing, sanctioning, and disbursement and also satisfaction towards non-banking
services.
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
� To assess the borrower’s satisfaction about the rural credit processing and functioning of
primary co-operative bank.
� To offer suggestion for improving services of primary co-operative banks with reference
to rural credit.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
In view of considerable data from survey as well as secondary data collected and
presented in this research report descriptive research is considered the most appropriate for the
present study. Hence the study has been descriptive and analytical.
COLLECTION OF DATA
The study uses both primary and secondary data relating to the subject under study. The
study is an empirical one based on survey method. The secondary data was further collected
from annual report and records of the primary co-operative bank.
OPINION ABOUT RATE OF INTEREST
16 ISSN 0976-8130

The study examined the opinion about the rate of interest charged by the primary co-
operative banks. The collected data showed that out of 100 respondents, 21 respondents (21%)
stated that it was high, 32 respondents (32%) stated that it was very high, 40 respondents (40%)
stated it was reasonable, 4 respondents (4%) stated that it was low and remaining 3 respondents
stated it was very low.
OPINION ABOUT RATE OF INTEREST
OPINION NUMBER OF
RESPONDENTS
PERCENTAGE OF
TOTAL
High 21 21
Very high 32 32
Reasonable 40 40
Low 04 04
Very low 03 03
TOTAL 100 100.00
The table shows that majority of the respondents (40%) stated that the rate of interest
charged by the primary co-operative banks is reasonable.
DIFFICULTIES IN PROCESSING LOAN APPLICATION
Getting the loan from a bank is not an easy one. It is a long process. The study attempts
to know what the difficulties in processing the loan application are. The analysis of the data
revealed the out of 100 respondents, 54 respondents (54%) stated there was an undue delay, 31
respondents (31%) stated that requirements of unnecessary documents was the difficulty and 15
respondents (15%) stated the unnecessary formalities was their difficulty.
NATURE OF
DIFFICULTIES
DIFFICULTIES IN PROCESSING LOAN APPLICATION
NUMBER OF
RESPONDENTS
PERCENTAGE OF
TOTAL
Undue delay 54 54
Unnecessary documents 31 31
Unnecessary formalities 15 15
TOTAL 100 100.00
It is clear from the above table that undue delay is the difficulty faced by the majority of
the (54%) borrowers of primary co-operative banks.

PROBLEMS IN SANCTIONING AND DISBURSEMENT
The study enquired about the difficulties faced by the borrowers at the time of
sanctioning and disbursement of loan amount by the primary co-operative banks. The study
reveals that out of 100 respondents, 57 respondents (57%) stated that the undue delay was the
difficulty, 43 respondents (43%) stated that more formalities were their difficulty.
NATURE OF
PROBLEMS
PROBLEMS IN SANCTIONING AND DISBURSEMENT
NUMBER OF
RESPONDENTS
PERCENTAGE OF
TOTAL
Undue delay 57 57
More formalities 43 43
TOTAL 100 100.00
From the table it is clear that undue delay is an important difficulty faced by the majority
(57%) of the borrowers.
REASONS FOR DISSATISFACTION
The study attempts to know the reasons for dissatisfaction. The analysis of the data
showed that out of 100 respondents’ majority of 57 respondents (57%) stated the reason of delay
in processing and sanctioning, 31 respondents (31%) stated the reason of personal bias, 22
respondents (22%) stated the reason of guarantee request as the case of for their dissatisfaction.
REASONS FOR DISSATISFACTION
NATURE OF REASONS NUMBER OF
RESPONDENTS
PERCENTAGE OF
TOTAL
Delay in processing and
sanctioning
57 57
Guarantee requirement 22 22
Personal bias 31 312
TOTAL 100 100.00
From the above table it is clear that 57% if the customers of the primary co-operative
banks stated the reason of delay in processing and sanctioning as the cause of their
dissatisfaction.
AVAILING NON-BANKING FUNCTION
Primary co-operative banks are involved in the non-banking services for their customers.
These activities differ from one bank to another. The study attempts to know the non-banking

functions availed by the borrowers. The analysis of data revealed that out of the 100
respondents, a majority of (52%) of the respondents availed the non-banking services from the
co-operative banks and the remaining 48% of the respondents were not received the non-banking
services from the co-operative banks.
AVAILING NON -
BANKING SERVICES
AVAILING NON-BANKING FUNCTION
NUMBER OF
RESPONDENTS
PERCENTAGE OF
TOTAL
Yes 52 52
No 48 48
TOTAL 100 100.00
It is clear from the table that majority of (52%) the respondents availed non-banking
services from the co-operative banks.
OTHER SERVICES
The researcher enquired about the other services provided by the primary co-operative
banks. The other service generally includes, providing seed, providing fertilizers, providing
pesticides, marketing assistance, consultation and training. The analysis of collected data
showed that out 100 respondents, 47 respondents (47%) used marketing assistance, 32
respondents (32%) used pesticide, 9 respondents (9%) purchased seeds, 7 respondents (7%) used
providing fertilizers and remaining 5 respondents (5%) used consultation and training.
OTHER SERVICES
OPINION NUMBER OF
RESPONDENTS
PERCENTAGE OF
TOTAL
Providing seeds 9 9
Providing fertilizers 7 7
Providing pesticides 32 32

Marketing assistance 47 47
Consultation and training 5 5
TOTAL 100 100.00
The above table shows the majority of the customers of the primary co-operative banks
(47%) used the services marketing assistance.
DISSATISFACTION REGARDING OTHER SERVICES
The study enquired about the reason for dissatisfaction of other services provided by the
primary co-operative banks. The analysis of data showed that out of 100 respondents, 12
respondents (12%) dissatisfied with poor quality, 51 respondents (51%) dissatisfied with delay in
supply, 22 respondents (22%) dissatisfied with inconvenient package and the remaining portion
of 15 respondents (15%) stated other reasons like more formalities, partiality etc.
DISSATISFACTION REGARDING OTHER SERVICES
OPINION NUMBER OF
RESPONDENTS
PERCENTAGE OF
TOTAL
Poor qualities 12 12
Delay in supply 51 51
Not in convenient package 22 22
Other 15 15
TOTAL 100 100.00
The above table clearly shows that most of the customers of primary co-operative banks
are dissatisfied with the delay in supply (51%) and inconvenient package (22%).
SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVING SERVICES
The study solicited the suggestions from the borrower for improving services by primary
co-operative banks. The analysis of collected data showed that out of 100 respondents in respect
of 28 respondents (28%) suggested the introduction of new loan schemes, 24 respondents (24%)
suggested the increase in the working hours, 18 respondents (18%) suggested the introduction of
new branches and 20 respondents (20%) suggested to reduce the rate of interest and 10
respondents opined to simplify the formalities for sanctioning the loan.
SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVING SERVICES

NATURE OF SUGGESTION NUMBER OF
Working hours of the bank are
to be increased
New loan schemes are to be
introduced
RESPONDENTS
PERCENTAGE OF
TOTAL
24 24
28 28
Branches are to be introduced 18 18
Rate of interest to be reduced 20 20
Formalities for sanctioning loan
are to be simplified
10 10
TOTAL 100 100.00
From the above table it is clear the most of the customers of primary co-operative banks
28 respondents suggested the introduction of new loan schemes and 24 respondents suggested to
increase in working hours.
CONCLUSIONS
The Rural credit is an important aspect of priority sector lending. Primary co-operative
banks play a vital role in rural credit. The disbursement of rural credit and functioning of the
primary co-operative banks are very significant for the agricultural based rural economy.
Regarding the satisfaction most of the borrowers are satisfied with the functioning of primary co-
operative banks. The major reason for the dissatisfaction of customers is undue delay in
processing and sanctioning of loan. If the banks take the necessary disbursement it is certain to
have 100% satisfied customer with the successful rural credit.
References
� Hajela TN.Co-Operation, KJonark publishers PVT Ltd, New Delhi, 2000, P-286.
� Nakkiran.s and John winstred.A, Co-operative banking in India, Rainbow publication,
Coimbatore, 1998, P- 176.
� Mohar lal sujhadia,” Credit management”, The Tamil Nadu journal of co-operative,
December 1976.

� U.M.Jain,Deposit mobilization Why and how? Indian Banking Today and Tomorrow,
1983.

Socio Economic Conditions of the Women Labourers in Match Industry of
Sattur Taluk of Tamil Nadu
Introduction
Dr. R. Renganayaki,
Assistant Professor,
Department of PG Commerce with (C.A)
Devanga Arts College (Autonomous),
Aruppukottai.
The status and role of women in economic development, certain change indicators which
are dynamic have to be considered. The impact of modernization on changes in the status control
of the women could be visualized through social change, economic change, occupational
structure, cultural change, changes in education, health, and nutrition and sanitation political
awareness. The concept “status” would mean the relative socio-economic position describe
through specific roles performed by individuals which would be expressed by changes in
resource employment, attitudes and ideologies.
The classification of status on dependency and organization has its own limitation for
women projecting a leading role time and again, participation of women in socio-economic
development has not received its due recognition.
In developing countries like India, women’s participation in the organized sector its only
about 15.0 percent through in some of the developed countries a ratio as high as 72 to 80 percent
is reported.
However, their participation in unorganized and informal sectors is quite considerable in
these countries.
Now the modern women like their sisters in the ancient societies are not subjected to
various socio-economic sufferings. In the new era, more and more women are unwilling to
accept the subordinate, passive and restricted role. They not only want to liberate themselves
from this man – dominated world in which they have been discriminated and so incompatible
with human dignity. With the help welfare of the family and of society they want to create a
better world for all to live in.
17 ISSN 0976-8130

Poverty is a major obstacle to the achievement of sustainable development, is the
condition in which many women throughout the developing world live. The number of poor
women continues to grow both in absolute terms and in relation to poor men. According to one
estimate, poverty has increased by 47 percent among rural women over the past 30 years,
compared with 30 percent among rural men. This trend reflects the fact that rural women often
lack access to resources and is a reminder that much of their work is unpaid labour directed
towards the support of survival of families. Working as much as 16 hours a day, rural women
can kill the time and energy to pursue cash earning jobs or to develop new skills.
Prabha Rai made a study on the unorganized labour force in India to evaluate the living
conditions of these employed in various industries, trades and services both in rural and urban
areas. It shows that now industries and crafts like embroidery industry, beedi industry
manufacturing units and the match industry units developed without having been brought with in
the purview of the laws. Now the time has come to take steps at the level of individuals, states
and international level to protect the human rights of women labourers of unorganized sector in
India.
Methodology
In Virudhunagar District, Sattur Taluk has been chosen as a study area because there are
about1693 match industry located in Sattur Taluk and highest concentration of match industries
in Tamil Nadu. In Sattur Taluk there are three blocks namely Sattur, Virudhunagar and
Vembakottai. Sattur and Vembakottai blocks have been selected for study purpose.
In both blocks, there are 1659 match industries were located and these industries form
universe of the study. From the universe 6 percent of the match industry have been selected from
each block as a sample of this study.
The 100 sample match industries have been selected for conducting research by using
simple random sampling technique. For each unit, 5 women labourers have been randomly taken
as a sample. The total number samples were 500.
The present study is based on both Primary and Secondary data. The primary data were
collected from the women labourers of the match industry in both blocks of Sattur Taluk by
using the Structured Interview Schedule method and also Observation techniques.
Industry.
The secondary data were obtained from various reports connected with the Match

Objective of the study
The specific objective of the present study is
� To analyze the socio economic background of the selected sample women labourers in
Sattur Taluk of Virudhunagar District of Tamil Nadu.
Data analysis and Discussions
This place is devoted to analyze and discuss the Primary data collected from the various
women respondents in the study chosen for the Present Study. Today, economic independence is
considered to be the Prime basis for improving the status of women in India. It is generally
agreed that availability of credit to women would result in reducing their dependency, enhancing
their social and economic activities as well as empowering them to assert more in the household
decisions.
In India women cannot be viewed as a homogenous group as the society is stratified on
the basis of class, caste and religion.
It has been observed that the position of women and their demand for bank credit remain
tied to class, caste and religions affiliations. In order to grasp the nature of these causal
relationships, it is imperative to understand the socio-economic characteristics of women
labourer’s in Match Industries. This work attempts to analyze the major socio-economic
variables of the women labourers. For this, the analysis of the present section has been classified
under the heads namely;
i) Socio-economic characteristics of the women labourers.
ii) Family characteristics of the respondents
iii) Relationship between family characteristics and income of the respondents
Socio-Economic Characteristics of Women Labourers
This section attempts to describe the socio-economic characteristics of the women
labourers. Table 1.1 presents the distribution of the sample women labourers according to their
age.

Sl.
No.
TABLE 1.1
AGE-WISE CLASSIFICATION OF THE WOMEN LABOURERS
Age
Number of Respondents Percentage
(in years)
1. Below 25 176 35.20
2. 25 – 30 162 32.40
3. 30 - 35 85 17.00
3. 35 – 40 64 12.80
4. 40 and above 13 2.60
Total 500 100.00
Source: Computed from primary data.
It is found from Table 1.1 that of the 500 women labourers,
176 (35.20 per cent) women labourers fall under the age group of below 25 years, followed by
162 (32.40 per cent) between 25-30 years, 85 (17.00 per cent) between 30-35 years, 64 (12.80
per cent) of 35-40 years and remaining 13 (2.60 per cent) fall under the age group of 40 years
and above respectively. It is concluded from the analysis that more than 65 per cent of the
women labourers belong to the age group of below 30 years in the study area. Table 1.2 shows
the educational status of the women labourers.
TABLE 1.2
EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION OF THE WOMEN LABOURERS
Sl.No. Qualification Number of Respondents Percentage
1. Illiterate 23 4.60
2. Upto Primary level 364 72.80
3. Secondary 64 12.80
4. Higher Secondary 49 9.80
Total 500 100.00
Source: Computed from primary data.
The Table 1.2 shows the educational qualification of the sample women labourers in
match industry. Of the 500 sample respondents, 364 (72.80 per cent) of women labourers have
upto Primary level of education followed by 64 (12.80 per cent) and 49 (9.80 per cent) of them

are secondary and higher secondary level. Only 23 (4.60) per cent of the women workers are
illiterate. The analysis revealed that more than 95 per cent of the respondent are educated in the
study area.
The respondents are classified on the basis of their marital status in Table 1.3.
TABLE 1.3
CLASSIFICATION OF THE WOMEN LABOURERS ON THE BASIS OF MARITAL
STATUS
Sl.No. Marital Status Number of Respondents Percentage
1. Married 451 90.20
2. Unmarried 31 6.20
3. Widow/Divorce 18 3.60
Total 500 100.00
Source: Computed from primary data.
The Table 1.3 observed that out of 500 sample respondents, 451 (90.20 per cent) had
been married, 31 (6.20 per cent) were unmarried and 18 (3.60 per cent) of them were
widow/divorces. It could be concluded that more than 90 per cent of women labourers are
married. The distribution of the sample respondents based on the reasons for taking up
employment is given in Table 1.4.
TABLE 1.4
REASONS FOR THE EMPLOYMENT OF THE WOMEN LABOURERS
Sl.No. Reasons
Number of
Respondents
Percentage
1. To increase the family income 253 50.60
2. Self satisfaction 46 9.20
3. To make use of education 146 29.20
4. To have a status 31 6.20
5. Personal security 14 2.80
6. Others 10 2.00
Total 500 100.00
Source: Computed from primary data.

It is seen from Table 1.4 that of the 500 sample respondents, the need to increase the
family income accounted for 253 (50.60 per cent), followed by the desire to make use of
education which accounted for about 146 (29.20 per cent). Self-satisfaction, social status,
personal security and others accounted for about 46 (9.20 per cent), 31 (6.20 per cent), 14 (2.80
per cent) and 10 (2.00 per cent) respectively. The monthly income of the respondents has been
classified into three groups and it has been given in Table 1.5.
Sl.No.
TABLE 1.5
CLASSIFICATION OF MONTHLY INCOME OF THE WOMEN LABOURERS
Monthly Income
(In Rs.)
Number of
Respondents
Percentage
1. Below 750 356 71.20
2. 750 – 1000 89 17.80
3. 1000 and above 55 11.00
Total 500 100.00
Source: Computed from primary data.
It has been found from Table 1.5 that of the total sample respondents, 356 (71.20 per
cent) of the women labourers were earning the average monthly income of below Rs.750,
89 (17.80 per cent) earned the monthly income between Rs.750-1000 and 55 (11.00 per cent)
were getting the monthly income of Rs.1000 and above respectively.
Family Characteristics of the Respondents
Family is a social institution, formed by marriage and it serves a number of purposes. It
is an organized system of relationships and norms. It provides security, love, affection and all
kinds of emotional and social support like needs fulfillment. Hence, family background forms
the base for women’s work participation and in this section; an attempt has been made to discuss
the family characteristics like religion, caste, and family size, type of family, spouses’ income
and family income.
1.6.
The distribution of women respondents in match industries by religion is given in Table
TABLE 1.6
RELIGION WISE CLASSIFICATION OF THE WOMEN LABOURERS
Sl.No. Religion
Number of
Respondents
Percentage
1. Hindu 412 82.40
2. Muslim 69 13.80

3. Christian 19 3.80
Total 500 100.00
Source: Computed from primary data.
Table 1.6 clearly revealed that of the 500 sample women labourers in match industries,
412 (82.40 per cent) respondents belong to Hinduism, 69 (13.80 per cent) belong to Christianity
and 19 (3.80 per cent) of them belong to Muslim religion. It could be concluded that majority of
the respondents are Hindus in the study area.
Caste wise classification of the sample respondents is furnished in Table 1.7.
TABLE 1.7
CASTE WISE CLASSIFICATION OF THE WOMEN LABOURERS
Sl.No. Caste
Number of
Respondents
Percentage
1. FC 41 8.20
2. BC/MBC 404 80.80
3. SC/ST 55 11.00
Total 500 100.00
Source: Computed from primary data.
Table 1.7, analysed the caste-wise classification of the women labourers in match
industries. Out of 500 sample respondents, 404 (80.80 per cent) sample respondents belong to
backward and most backward classes (BC/MBC) and 55 (11.00 per cent) of them belong to the
scheduled caste or scheduled tribes (SC/ST) in the study area. Only 8.20 per cent of women
workers belong to Forward Community.
The distribution of women labourers according to their family size is presented in Table
1.8. TABLE 1.8
Sl.No. Family Size
FAMILY SIZE OF THE WOMEN LABOURERS
Number of
Respondents
Percentage
1. Below 3 168 33.60
2. 3 – 5 305 61.00
3. 5 and above 27 5.40
Total 500 100.00
Source: Computed from primary data.

Table 1.8 clearly indicates that out of 500 women labourers in the match industries, 168
(33.60 per cent) respondents have members below 3 in the family, 305 (61.00 per cent) sample
women labourers have between 3 to 5 members in the family and 27 (5.40 per cent) of them have
5 members and above in the family.
Classification of the respondents according to the type of family is given in Table 1.9.
TABLE 1.9
CLASSIFICATION OF THE WOMEN LABOURERS ACCORDING TO THE TYPE OF
FAMILY
Sl.No. Type of Family
Number of
Respondents
Percentage
1. Joint Family 301 60.20
2. Nuclear Family 199 39.80
Total 500 100.00
Source: Computed from primary data.
It has been revealed from Table 1.9 that out of 500 women labourers in match industries,
301 (60.20 per cent) sample respondents have the joint family system and 199 (39.80 per cent) of
them have nuclear family.
Distribution of the respondents according to their spouses monthly income is given in
Table 1.10. (Here 451 married women labourers were taken.)
TABLE 1.10
DISTRIBUTION OF THE WOMEN LABOURERS ACCORDING TO THEIR SPOUSE’S
MONTHNLY INCOME
Sl.No.
Income
(In Rs.)
Number of
Respondents
N=451
Percentage
1. Below 1000 194 43.02
2. 1000 – 2000 146 32.37
3. 2000 and above 111 24.61
Total 451 100.00
Source: Computed from primary data.
Table 1.10 deduced that out of 451 respondents in the study area, majority of (43.02 per
cent) of them have spouses who belong to the category of income below Rs.1000, followed by
146 (32.37 per cent) of their spouse belong to the income group of Rs.1000-2000 and 111 (24.61
per cent), of them are in the income group of Rs.2000 and above respectively.

It is concluded that more than 50 per cent of the respondents have spouses who belong to
the category of income of Rs. 1000 and above.
Table 1.11 exhibits clearly the distribution of the respondents according to their family
monthly income.
Sl.No.
1. Below 2000
2. 2000 –2500
3. 2500 – 3000
4. 3000 and above
Total
TABLE 1.11
DISTRIBUTION OF THE WOMEN LABOURERS BY THEIR
Family Income
(In Rs.)
Source: Computed from primary data.
FAMILY MONTHLY INCOME
Number of
Respondents
Percentage
176 35.20
272 54.40
26 5.20
26 5.20
500 100.00
Table 1.11 reveals that 272 respondents (54.40 per cent) are having family income of
Rs.2000-2500 per month and followed by the category of below Rs.2500 of 176 (35.20 per cent)
respondents. 26 (5.20 per cent) of them had the family monthly income of Rs.2500-3000 and
Rs.3000 and above respectively.
It is noted from the analysis that majority of the respondents
(54.40 per cent) belong to the category of family monthly income of Rs.2000-2500.
Relationship between Income of the Women Labourers and their Family Characteristics
In this section, an attempt has been made to examine the relationship between the income
of the respondents and their family characteristics namely family size, family income and
spouse’s income.
In order to examine the relationship, Chi-Square test was used. It is calculated by
adopting the following formula;
(O – E) 2
Chi–Square = � -----------------
With (r-1) (e-1) degrees of freedom
Where
O - Observed frequency
E

E - Expected frequency
Row total X column total
E = ------------------------------------
Grand Total
C = Number of column in a on ligancy fall
r = Number of rows contingency
Women as daughters, wives, mothers and grandmothers have their own family
responsibilities. If there are more number of members in the family, women take up an
occupation either to enhance the family income or to satisfy their own personal ambition. A
two-way table is prepared to test the relationship between the income of the respondents and
their family size. Table 1.12 exhibits the income of the respondents and their family size.
Sl.
No.
TABLE 1.12
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FAMILY SIZE AND MONTHLY INCOME OF THE
WOMEN LABOURERS
Family Size
1. Below 3
2. 3-5
3. 5 and above
Below Rs.750 Rs.750- 1000
136
(38.20)
203
(57.02)
17
(4.78)
Number of Respondents
22
(24.72)
61
(68.54)
6
(6.74)
Rs.1000 and
above
10
(18.18)
41
(74.55)
4
(7.27)
Total
168
(33.60)
305
(61.00)
27
(5.40)

Total
356
(100.00)
Source: Computed from primary data.
Figures in brackets denote percentages to total.
89
(100.00)
55
(100.00)
500
(100.00)
Table 1.12 observed that 356 women labourers in match industries had the monthly
income of below Rs.750 and 136 (38.20 per cent) of them fall under the family size below 3. The
remaining 203 (57.02 per cent) of them fall the category between 3-5 and 17 (4.78 per cent) of
them fall under the family size 5 and above. Out of 89 respondents whose monthly income is
between Rs.750-1000, 22 (24.72 per cent) of them come under family size below
3; 61 (68.54 per cent) of them have the family size between 3 to 5 and 6 (6.74 per cent) of them
fall under the family size 5 and above. In the case of the respondents whose monthly income is
above Rs.1000, out of 55 respondents, 10 (18.18 per cent) of them fall under family size below 3,
41 (74.55 per cent) of them have family size between 3 to 5 and 4 (7.27 per cent) of them fall
under family size 5 and above.
In order to find out whether there is any correlation between the family size and income
of respondents, Chi-Square test has been applied. The results of the Chi-Square test are
presented below.
Calculated value of Chi-Square = 11.8176
Table value at 5 per cent level = 9.488
Degrees of freedom = 4
As the calculated value of Chi-Square is greater than the table value at 5 per cent level of
significance, there is a relationship between income of the respondents and their family size in
the study area.
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
The main findings of the study of the study are summarized below:
� Majority of the respondents (35.20 per cent) belong to the age group of below 25 years
followed by 25-30 years (32.40 per cent).
� Regarding the educational status, majority of the respondents (72.80 per cent) is educated
upto primary level.
� Nearly Five per cent of the selected respondents (4.60 per cent) were illiterate.
� Majority of the respondents (90.20 per cent) are married.
� Most of the respondents (50.60 per cent) have taken up the job in order to increase their
family income.
� Majority of the respondents (90 per cent) were married.
� Most of the respondents (71.20 per cent) were earning the average monthly income of
below Rs.750.

� Regarding the religion, most of the respondents (82. 40 per cent) were from to Hindu
religion and (80.80 per cent) were from Backward/Most Backward Communities.
� The (61 per cent) of the respondents are having 3-5 members family members and (60.20
per cent) of the respondents were living in a joint family system.
� The (43.02 per cent) parents/spouses average monthly incomes were below Rs.1000 and
the (54.40 per cent) family were having average monthly incomes are between Rs.2000-
2500.
� The Chi-square results revealed that the family size, family income and spouses’ income
have influenced the income of the respondents.
CONCLUSION:
The match industry is considered a vital one in many respects. It provides major
employment opportunities to women in Virdhunagar District of Sattur Taluk. The present
study is an attempt to study the life style of women labourers in the match industry. The
findings of the present study will be highly useful to the labourers, chambers of match
association, employer of the match industry in particular to improve the quality of the life of
women lobourers in the match industry.

Voice From Voiceless - Mulkaraj Anand And Jayakanthan
G. Renukadevi
Assistant Professor of English,
Devanga Arts College (Autonomous), Aruppukottai.
Literature is indeed the most explicit record of human sprit. The relationship between
literature and society is reciprocal; both serve as cause and effect to each other. A literary
creation does not come into existence by itself; emergency is determined by social situations.
Literary works are human documents that reveal significant human relationship.
Though Anand and Jayakanthan belong to different linguistic background, they bear
essentially the same social consciousness. These two novelists are primarily social realists who
revolt against all man-made, anti human establishments. Both of them evince keen interest in the
eradication of social evils and their novels are nothing but artistic attempts to arouse the
slumbering conscience of the people to activise them.
To remove the evils, the study of Anand and Jayakanthan from a comparative angel
essentially analogical is a rewarding experience. Their novels throw light on many complex
aspects of modern life and their outlook is almost identical as humanists. The life of the poor
people is the subject matter of most of their novels. Their understanding of society has Marxian
overtones and the value of it lies in a plea for human justice and equality they are also apostles of
the crud of modernity with their basic faith in improving the quality of social life. Their art is an
instrument for social transformation.
There are some problems, which engage the minds of the two novelists in their diagnosis
of Munoo in Coolie and Citti in Unnaippol Oruvan. What merits attention in these two
characters is the painful predicament in which they are found? For these two characters, society
is the greatest enemy. Their happiness is marred by the wretched conditions of the society.
Munoo is a Coolie while Citti is an ice-cream seller. These two heroes do the job of a menial
servant. Such a kind of work carries no dignity in the eye of the society.
Munoo’s major problem is concerned with the question of human dignity. Wherever he
goes, he is ill-treated. Munoo’s life is in a kind of direct conflict with the expectations of the
society.
18 ISSN 0976-8130

Humanism has several layers of meaning. It may be reasonable balance of life that the
early humanists discovered in the Greeks; it may be merely the study of the humanities; it may
be the freedom from religiosity.
It may be the responsiveness to all human passions or it could be a philosophy of which
man is the centre and action. It is in this last sense that humanism has had its greatest impact
since the sixteenth century.
This brief survey would reveal that what Anand and Jayakanthan believe cannot be
totally identified with any one of the well-known tenets of humanism.
They are one with the Renaissance humanists in their celebration of the dignity of man
and the importance of the present life, as against medieval thinkers to whom the present life is
only a gateway to a new life after death. Like the New Humanists, they also believe in the
essential goodness of man, but do not subscribe to their distrust of science. Through their works.
Anand and Jayakanthan sing of simple common people about the common experiences of man.
While doing so, their hearts cry on witnessing the pain of the poor and the downtrodden. Giving
allegiance to the underprivileged and disadvantageous sections of the society, who are despised
and abandoned, they take up cudgels against this cruel society, in defence of the weaklings.
Anand’s main concern in his writings is humanism as he considers “literature and art as
the instruments of humanism”.
The identification with the humanity, this love for the entire man kind cutting across all
the possible man-made boundaries of caste, creed, economic and social status and nations is the
base of Anand’s philosophy. By expressing thus for the mankind, Anand strives to find out
solutions to the problems of misery, poverty and inequality. he desires to find a new society free
from exploitation and social marginalisation.
To Anand a writer is essentially” a crusader in the cause of humanity”.
Mulkraj Anand and Jayakanthan’s novels celebrate the dignity of man.
While doing so, he never loses sight of man’s lapses and weaknesses in the process he
expresses his deep concern for the suffering mankind. While showing his boundless love for
man, he wages a war against inhumanity in his novels. G.S.Balarama Gupta rightly points out
that “Tenderness or Karuna is the very essence of Anand’s humanism”.

Like Anand, Jayakanthan had lived in his early days as one among the meek and the
poor. Among his close friends were row dies, rickshaw pullers, prostitutes and pickpockets and
scavengers. He happily recollects his cherished experiences with them:
As a champion of the poor and the downtrodden, most of the heroes and heroines of
Anand and Jayakanthan are born to suffer and die. The hero Munoo in Coolie is a patient
Sufferer. Anand here raises a low class boy to the position of a hero and insists on his belief in
the dignity of man, irrespective of his place in the society. True to Anand’s intention to write
about the poor, Munoo is a representative of millions of unfortunate souls like himself. He
depicts in Coolie the evils of class structure an awful consequence of social revolution, which is
a product of the twin forces of industralization and the flow of wealth arising from it.
The lower classes of society and the evils enveloping them are highlighted by Anand in
Coolie. Munoo is treated as an individual in the first three chapters, loses his identity among the
masses of other coolies in the fifth chapter. Munoo is a typical example of the homeless and
moneyless coolies in factories.
The sympathy for the poor and the downtrodden retains its hold on Jayakanthan’s social
novels. His early novel, Unnaippol Oruvan is a class novel and it celebrates the loftiness of
Citti, Thankam, Annamma and Manickam. Like Anand, Jayakanthan raises here a low class
poor boy to the level of hero and insists on his conviction in the dignity of man, no matter what
his position in society is. Citti is a burning symbol of millions of unfortunate souls like himself
lost and bereft, abused downtrodden. He is a creation through whom the misery of the whole
India speaks.
Coolie depicts with compassion the pathetic downward journey of a poor orphan who
suffers for his poverty. Munoo, the protagonist, is presented as living in three classes of society
the low class, the middle class and the upper class. He travels from village to town to find his
livelihood. His journey is that of a pilgrim’s progress only in reverse. His life-journey is a
downward journey into damnation.
In Unnaippol Oruvan the poor people are pictured neglecting the ill-treatment that they
undergo in different classes. Annamma, Thankam, Manickam, Mannaru and Duraikannu are the
admirable characters. For Thankam, Annamma is the sole companion. As in Coolie, we find
that silent and lovable companionship exists only among the low class people. Thankam wants
to marry Manickam for she has developed an emotional relationship with him. She gives him

shelter, in spite of the lack of enthusiasm about it from his son Citti. He is timid and loving to
Citti, though the later hates him.
He considers him as his own son. Citti who has been selling ice-lollies during daytime
and supporting his mother has once again fallen on evil days by renewing the intimacy with
Kanniappan, Elumalai and Kabali. He takes recourse to this extreme step as he sees for himself
his mother’s affairs with Manickam. He rebels against her and his love for her suddenly
becomes an emotion of the past. He stays away from home and leads an uncontrolled life, as he
cannot with-stand the ight of Manickam at his home. Only after his fleeing away from his home
Citti returns home, and this too, when his mother is at the death-bed. Thankam dies at the end
leaving the new-born baby to the care and concern of Citti. Citti now becomes a father as well as
a brother to Sornam, the newborn baby.
Like Anand, Jayakanthan showers his affection on children. He sympathizes with the
children of the poor because they do not have security and future in life.
Citti in Unnaippol Oruvan is not a position to attend school because he sells ice creams
during daytime and adds a bit more money to the meager wages of his mother “See here! I have
brought money. Here is the money I’ve earned for you. Don’t worry mother”. (17) He also tells
his mother not to go to work as a helper to masons later when he would earn more.
Anand and Jayakanthan tend to treat the evil of untouchability as a complicated problem.
But they work under different premises when they trace the origin and history of this evil. Both
Anand & Jayakanthan then plead for woman’s equality with man.
Works Cited
� Margaret Berry, MulkRaj Anand’s : The Man and the Novelist oriental Press, 1971
� Saros Cowasjee, So Many Freedom: A Study of the Major Fiction of MulkRaj Anand
(ed) Oxford University Press, 1977.
� Rajinder Kumar Dhawan, The Novels of MulkRaj Anand : A critical Survey of Response
of the Novel and
� Short stories of MulkRaj Anand, (ed). Prestige Books, 1992.
� G.S.Balarama Gupta, MulkRaj Anand: A Study of His fiction in Humanist Perspective,
Prakash Book Dept, 1974.
19 ISSN 0976-8130

Measurement of Service Quality Dimensions in Bajaj Allianz Life Insurence
INTRODUCTION
K. Sasithabegam
Department of B.Com (C.A.,)
Devanga Arts College (Autonomous), Aruppukottai.
Bajaj Allianz is the fastest growing general insurance company in India. Bajaj Allianz
General Insurance Company Limited is a joint venture between Bajaj Auto Limited and Allianz
AG of Germany. Both enjoy a reputation of expertise, stability and strength.
Bajaj Allianz General Insurance received the Insurance Regulatory and Development
Authority (IRDA) certificate of Registration (R3) on May 2 nd , 2001 to conduct General
Insurance business (including Health Insurance business) in India. The company has an
authorized and paid up capital of Rs 110 crores. Bajaj Auto holds 74% and the remaining 26% is
held by Allianz, AG, and Germany.
OBJECTIVES
� To determine the perception and exception level of Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance
customers in Aruppukottai Taluk.
� To determine the gap between service quality dimensions of Bajaj Allianz Life
Insurance co Ltd in Aruppukottai Taluk.
� To suggest the way to improve service quality of the Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance
co Ltd.
METHODOLOGY
The present study is mainly based on primary data and secondary data. Secondary data
are also collected from various journals, magazines, and standard text book. The primary data are
collected through structured questionnaire, because the researcher try to find out whether the
respondents are satisfied with the Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance and level of perception and
exception towards the service quality offered by the Bajaj Allianz. Statistical tools and
techniques are used for analysis like Chi-square test, factor analysis. The result obtained is
plotted as tables.

PROFILE OF BAJAJ ALLIANZ LIFE INSURANCE
Bajaj Allianz life Insurance Co. Ltd is a joint venture between two leading
conglomerates- Allianz AG, one of the world’s largest insurance companies, and Bajaj Auto, one
of the biggest 2 and 3 wheeler manufactures in the world. No.1 Private Life Insurance Company
in India Founded in 1890 in Berlin, Allianz is now present in over 70 countries with almost
1,74,000 employees. At the top of the international group is the holding company, Allianz AG,
with its head office in Munich.
PERCENTAGE ANALYSIS
This report deals with measuring the service quality dimensions in Bajaj Allianz Life
insurance Co Ltd in Aruppukottai Taluk. The samples of 50 were interviewed to collect the
Primary data.
TABLE 1-GENDER WISE CLASSIFICATION
Gender Frequency Percentage Valid Percent Cumulative
Percent
Male 24 48.0 48.0 48.0
Female 26 52.0 52.0 100.0
Total 50 100.0 100.0
Source: Primary data
It shows in table- 1 that 52% of the total respondents are female. Remaining 48%of the
total respondents are male. It is revealed that females are more interested to invest their money in
Bajaj Allianz.
AGE OF THE RESPONDS
Age is an important factor influencing the behavior of an individual.The researcher
interviewed the different users, under different age groups.This is presented in table 2
TABLE 2-AGE WISE CLASSIFICATION
Age Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative
Percent
Below 30 7 14.0 14.0 14.0
31 to 40 25 50.0 50.0 64.0
41 to 50 13 26.0 26.0 90.0
Above 50 5 10.0 10.0 100.0
Total 50 100.0 100.0
Source: Primary data
It stated in table 2, that 7 respondents are less than 30 years age category. Among 25 respondents
are above 31 to 40 years of age. 41to 50 age group of the respondents are 13.

Above 50 years age, 5 respondents. Totally 50% of the respondents are age in the group
31 to 40.
TABLE 3-MARITAL STATUS OF THE RESPONDENTS
Matrial status of the policeholders to understand whether they are married or
Unmarried.
Marital Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative
Percent
Married 45 90.0 90.0 90.0
Unmarried 5 10.0 10.0 100.0
Total 50 100.0 100.0
Source: Primary data
It shown in table 3, reveals that 90% of the total respondents are married and remaining
10% of the respondents are unmarried.
EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION OF THE RESPONDENS
The bajajz alliance insurance provides not only security but also encourage saving habits
among the people.The financial decision may be influenced by the educational level of the
policeholders.Hence, educational qualification has been analyzed. The details are exhibited in
table 4
TABLE -4 EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
Education Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative
Percent
Below
Secondary
15 30.0 30.0 30.0
Secondary
School
23 46.0 46.0 76.0
Under
Graduate
8 16.0 16.0 92.0
Post Graduate 4 8.0 8.0 100.0
Total 50 100.0 100.0
Source: Primary data
It show the table 3, the details regarding educational qualification of the customers
15 respondents are below secondary, and 23 respondents are studied secondary school,
8 respondents are under graduate and 4 respondents are post graduate. The above table
reveal that 46% of the total respondents are studied up to higher secondary school.
OCCUPATION OF THE RESPONDENTS
Occupation of the respondents can having an influence on the choice of the polices

Offered by BAJAJ ALLIANZ.The respondents are classified on the basis of their occupation
such as businessmen, government employee, private employee and housewife.
TABLE 5-OCCUPATION OF THE RESPONDENTS
Occupation Frequency Percent Valid percent Cumulative
percent
Businessmen 15 30.0 30.0 30.0
Govt.employee 23 46.0 46.0 76.0
Private
8 16.0 16.0 92.0
employee
Housewife 4 8.0 8.0 100.0
Total 50 100.0 100.0
Source: Primary data
This table reveals that out of 50 respondents, 23 are government employee and
4 respondents are housewife.
ANNUAL INCOME OF THE RESPONDENTS
After undertaking the occupation of the respondents,it is imperative need to analyse the
income level of the respondents. The annual income is a main factor that influences a person to
take a insurance policy.Hence the income level of the respondents has been collected and
presented in table 6.
TABLE 6- ANNUAL INCOM OF THE RESPONDENTS
Annual income Frequency Percent Valid percent Cumulative
percent
Below-500000 4 8.0 8.0 8.0
500000-
1000000
35 70.0 70.0 78.0
Above- 11 22.0 22.0 100.0
1000000
Total 50 100.0 100.0
Source: Primary data
The above table depicts that out of 50 respondents,70 percent of the respondents are
found to earn between 500000-1000000 and only 11 percent of them earn above 1000000.
PERIOD FOR TAKING BAJAJ ALLIANZ POLICES
The duration or time period of taking B.A policy varies from one person to another
TABLE 7-PERIOD OF TAKING BAJAJ ALLIANZ POLICY
Period Frequency Percent Valid percent Cumulative

Less than
5years
35 70.0 70.0
perent
70.0
5-10 years 11 22.0 22.0 92.0
More than 10
years
4 8.0 8.0 100.0
Total
Source: Primary data
50 100.0 100.0
It is inferred from the table that out of 50 respondents,70 percent of the respondents are
taking the bajaj allianz policy for less than 5 years.Only 4 perent of the respondents taking the
insurance policy for more than10 years.
MOTIVES FOR TAKING THE POLICE
For choosing any product/service, there must be some motivating factor.Similarrly for
choosing the bajaj allianz insurance police; there must be some motivating factors
Such as security, high returns, savings, attractive bonus.The factors that motivated the
respondents are given below.
TABLE 8-MATIVATING FACTORS
Matives Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative
Percent
Savings 9 18.0 18.0 18.0
High return 34 68.0 68.0 86.0
Attractive 1 2.0 2.0 88.0
Bonus
Security 6 12.0 12.0 100.0
Total 50 100.0 100.0
Source: Primary data
It clear from the table 5, 18% of the respondents are investing their money for saving
purpose only. 68% of the respondents are investing their money for high return.2% of the
respondents are attractive bonus in Bajaj Allianz and 6% of the respondents are investing their
money for security.
TABLE 9- CUSTOMER INVESTING THEIR FINANCE OTHER INSURANCE
COMPANY
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative
Percent

Yes 45 90.0 90.0 90.0
No 5 10.0 10.0 100.0
Total 50 100.0 100.0
Table 6, stated that 90% of the customer invests their finance in other insurance company
like HDFC, ICICI, SBI Life Insurance Company etc. 10% of the customers are not investing in
any other insurance company.
TABLE 10-PLAN FOR INVESTING OUR MONEY
Plan Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative
Percent
Term plan 4 8.0 8.0 8.0
Unit linked
plans
35 70.0 70.0 78.0
Traditional
plan
11 22.0 22.0 100.0
Total 50 100.0 100.0
It indicated in table 7, 8% of the customers invest their investment in Term plan.70% of
the customers invest in Unit linked plans.22% of the customers invest in Traditional plan.
Customers are highly investing their investment in Unit Linked plans.
TABLE 11- LEVEL OF SATISFACTION WITH BAJAJ ALLIANZ LIFE
INSURANCE
SI. NO Response Level No of Weight Weighted
respondents
Score
1 Highly Satisfied 13 5 65
2 Satisfied 23 4 92
3 Neither satisfied nor
21
dissatisfied
7
3
4 Dissatisfied 0 2 0
5 Highly Dissatisfied 0 1 0
Total 43
178
Source: Primary data / processed data
Weighted mean = Weighted score / No of respondents
= 178 / 43
= 4.13 = 4

satisfied.
FINDINGS
From the above table indicates 13 respondents are highly satisfied, 23 respondents are
The empirical findings of the present study have been summarized as follows:
SUGGESTIONS
� The study finding that, 52% of the total respondents are female (Table-1).
� The study finding that, a majority of 50% customers are in the age group
between 31- 40 (Table-2).
� It is clear that 90% of the total respondents are married(Table-3)
� It is clear that 46% of total respondents are studied up to higher secondary
school (table -4).
� 23% of the respondents goverment employee and 4% are housewife.(Table-5)
� It found that 70% of the respondents are taking a policy for less than 5
years.(Table-6)
� A majority of 68% of total respondents are investing their money for high return
(Table -7).
� The study finds that, 90% of the total respondents are investing their investment
in any other insurance company in the future, HDF, ICICI, SBI (Table -8).
� 70% of the total respondents are investing their investment in Unit linked plans
(Table -9).
� The study finds that 13 respondents are highly satisfied, 23 respondents are
satisfied. (Table-10).
� 80% of respondents are recommended other to invest Bajaj Allianz Life
Insurance.Remaining 20% of the respondents for non recommendation due to
competitors,high charge,service offered is less compare to Life Insurance
Corporation.
Customers are expecting the following items such as prompt service by setting up
appointment quickly, Employees in the insurance company will always willingness to customer,
Physical representation of the service(such as plastic credit cards. These factors are having the
high impact on service quality.

Hence they has to maintain their office with modern looking equipment, and they have to
concentrate on visual appearance of physical facilities in the company, and have to concentrate
on the physical representation of the service (such as plastic credit cards), and they have to
concentrate on the material associated with the service.
CONCLUSION
Policy holder must become a customer only by quality service and since the market has
opened for more players, the monopoly of the public sector is wider area. Among the total
respondents Life insurance Corporation of India was got first place and Bajaj Allianz Life
Insurance was got the second position. Every insurance company must strive hard to retain the
customers and giving prompt service to the customers. Employees in the insurance company will
always willingness to the customer.
REFERENCES
1 .S. Suresh,”Customer Retention Marketing of Insurance Industry”, The Insurance Time
Vol.XXVIII, NO, 7, June 2008.
2. Records of BAJAJ ALLIANCE INSURANCE LTD, Auppukottai.

Analysis of Custormers’ Attitude towards Pandian Grama Bank Services
INTRODUCTION
R.Sivajothi
Assistant professor of Commerce,
Devanga Arts College (Autonomous)
Aruppukottai
In this title an attempt has been made to study the attitude of customers towards banking
services provided by Pandian Grama Bank. For the purpose of analysis of customer’s attitude
towards the banking services a survey was conducted around 150 customers of Pandian Grama
Bank.
TYPES OF ACCOUNTS
A bank has different types of accounts in bank such as Savings account, current account,
Recurring deposit accounts, fixed deposit and the like, It is interesting to know the type of bank
accounts are operated by the customers of Pandian Grama Bank.
TYPES OF ACCOUNTS KEPT BY THE ACCOUNTS
S.NO. TYPES OF ACCOUNTS
NUMBER OF
RESPONDENTS
20 ISSN 0976-8130
PERCENTAGE
TO TOTAL
Savings Accounts 129 86.00
2. Recurring deposits 17 11.00
3. Current Deposit 4 3.00
TOTAL 150 100.00
The above Table has revealed that 129 Customers have Savings accounts with Pandian
Grama Bank. Those who are having recurring deposit and current account amounted to 11 per

cent and 3 per cent respectively. More than four – fifth of the Customers have Savings bank
account.
BORROWING
The Regional Rural Bank was started with a view to provide multi agency grants for
agricultural lending in addition to cooperatives and commercial banks. The Regional Rural
Banks are aiming at providing agricultural and non-agricultural loans to people living in rural
areas. It is interesting to know how the sample respondents have availed themselves of the loan
facilities provided by the bank.
CLASSIFICATION THE BASIS OF LOAN BORROWED
S.NO. LOAN
NUMBER OF
RESPONDENTS
PERCENTAGE
TO TOTAL
1. Borrowed 120 80
2. Not Borrowed 30 20
TOTAL 150 100
The above table revealed that among the sample respondents, 120 have borrowed from
Pandian Grama Bank and 30 per cent have not borrowed from the bank, Four – fifth of the
customers have borrowed loans from the Bank. This confirms that the bank is fulfilling its
objective of lending to rural areas.
TYPES OF LOAN BORROWED
The Pandian Grama bank provides short medium and long term loans for agricultural and
allied activities to farmers, artisans, self-help groups, small entrepreneurs and the like. The
following table reveals the classification of respondents on the basis of the type of loan
borrowed.
CLASSIFICATION ON THE BASIS OF TYPES OF LOAN BORROWED
S.NO. TYPES OF LOAN
NUMBER OF
RESPONDENTS
PERCENTAGE
TO TOTAL
1. Short Term Loan 99 82.5

2. Medium Term Loan 21 17.5
TOTAL 120 100
It is clear that among the 120 sample respondents who have borrowed loans from the
bank, 82.5 per cent of the respondents have borrowed short term loans and 17.5 per cent has
borrowed medium term loan More than four – fifth of the borrowings from Regional Rural
Bank are short term loans.
OPINION ON PROCEDURE FOR BORROWINGS
Borrowings from a bank involves following certain procedure. The intending borrower
has to fill in an application form giving the particulars such as his name, address, amount of loan
needed, type of security offered, period of the loan and the like complying the formalities for
sanctioning the loans.
OPINION OF PROCEDURE FOR BORROWING
S.NO. OPINION
NUMBER OF
RESPONDENTS
PERCENTAGE
TO TOTAL
1. Simple 141 94
2. Not-Simple 9 6
Total 150 100
It is clear that to 141 respondents stated that the procedure for borrowings from the bank
is simple and for 9 respondents stated it is not simple.
OPINION ON RATE OF INTEREST FOR LOANS
The rate of interest changed by different banks such as commercial banks, co-operative
banks and Regional Rural Banks are varied. It is interesting to know the opinion of the
respondents about the rate of interest charged for the loans borrowed from the bank.

OPINION ON RATE OF INTEREST ON LOANS
S.NO. OPINION
NUMBER OF
RESPONDENTS
PERCENTAGE
TO TOTAL
1. Reasonable 144 96
2. No opinion 6 4
Total 150 100
From the above table it is crystal clear that out of 150 respondents 144 respondents stated
the rate of interest charged by the Pandian Grama Bank is reasonable. This might be due to the
fact that the rate of interest changed by the bank is less compared to commercial banks and
money lenders.
ATTITUDE OF CUSTOMERS TOWARD BANK
The attitude of Customers toward the services provided by the bank changed according to
their experience with the bank. In order to measure the attitude of customers towards the
banking services a five point scale has been used.
OPINION SCALE
In order to study the opinion of customers towards the services provided by the Pandian
Grama Bank the following 14 components are identified.
i. Banking operations at Pandian Grama Bank are simple and easy.
ii. The procedure for opening account is simple.
iii. The bank pays reasonable interest for customer’s deposits.
iv. Deposits and withdrawal of money in the bank are easy.
v. For agriculture and allied activities it is the best source for finance.
vi. Interest on loans changed in reasonable.
vii. Customers can get all types of banking service from PGB.
viii. Bank employees are helping the customers in banking operations.

ix. Non availability of modern services.
x. Pandian Grama Bank sanctions the full amount of loan applied for
xi. Working hours of the bank are convenient to the customers.
xii. Customers are well treated in the bank.
xiii. Banking higher interest rates for fixed deposits.
SCORE
A five point scale was used to measure the opinion of customer about the services
provided by the Pandian Grama Bank. The scores were given to each statement as statement as
stated below OPINION
OPINION
Scores for
Statements
STRONGLY
AGREE
AGREE
NO
OPINION
DIS-
AGREE
STRONGLY
DIS AGREE
5 4 3 2 1
The minimum score will be 14 and the maximum score will be 70.
CLASSIFICATION INTO DIFFERENT GROUPS ON THE BASIS OF OPINION
SCORES
The customers of the Bank were classified into three categories namely those having
high-level opinion, Medium level opinion and low level opinion, on the basis of these opinion
scores.
Arithmetic mean (X) and standard deviation (�) of the total opinion scores of 150
respondents were computed, Scores above X + � were considered to be of high level opinion.
Scores below X - � were treated as low – level opinion. Scores in between X - � and X + � were
considered to be of medium – level opinion. Arithmetic mean score was 56, Standard deviation
Score was 2. Calculation of arithmetic mean and Standard deviation regarding the level of
opinions of Customers are shown in Appendix F.

Respondents whose opinion scores were above 58 were considered as having
high – level opinion scores were below 54 were considered as having low-level opinion and the
respondents whose opinion scores were in between 54 and 58 were classified as having
medium-level opinion.
CLASSIFICATION OF CUSTOMERS ON THE BASIS OF OPINION SCORES
S.NO. LEVEL OF OPINION
NUMBER OF
RESPONDENTS
PERCENTAGE
TO TOTAL
1. High Level attitude 33 22
2. Medium Level attitude 96 64
3. Low Level attitude 21 14
CHI – SQUARE TEST
Total 150 100
Chi-Square Test has been applied to measure the opinion level of bank customers about
the services provided by Pandian Grama Bank.
The following formula has been used.
Chi-Square Test =
� (O-E) 2
E = Row total X Column Total
Grand Total
E
O = Observed frequency; E = Expected Frequency
df = Degree of Freedom = (r-1) (c-1); r = row; c = column
The following hypotheses were framed for analyzing the opinion of the customers
about the banking towards services provided by the Pandian Grama Bank.

1. There is no significance difference in the opinion levels of customers according to
literacy level.
2. There is no significance difference in the opinion level of customer regarding the
banking services according to the type of occupation.
EDUCATION OF THE RESPONDENTS
The education of respondents will have not influence the attitude of customers towards
on customer services.
In order to find out the relationship between qualification level and level of attitude of
respondents. The following table has been prepared.
EDUCATION AND LEVEL OF ATTITUDE OF CUSTOMERS
S.NO. EDUCATION HIGH MEDIUM LOW TOTAL
1. Illiterate 2 13 2 17
2. Up to HSS 19 60 15 94
3. Graduate 7 17 3 27
4. P. Graduate 5 6 1 12
Total 33 96 21 150
From the above table, it shows that out of 150 respondents more than 50 percent
have medium level of attitude whereas more than 50 percent have education in higher secondary
level.
Degree freedom = 6
Table value at 5% level = 5.9
Calculated value = 4.7845

Since the calculated value is less than the table value, the hypothesis that education level
of respondents not influences the level of attitude of customers is accepted.
Therefore, there is no significant relationship between the qualification level and level of
attitude of customers.
OCCUPATION OF THE SAMPLE CUSTOMERS
The occupation of sample customers could influence their level of attitude.
In order to ascertain whether there is any significant relationship between occupation and
level of attitude of customers the following table has been prepared.
OCCUPATION AND LEVEL OF CUSTOMERS ATTITUDE
S.NO. OCCUPATION HIGH MEDIUM LOW TOTAL
1. Farmer 11 28 3 42
2. Salaried Employee 9 23 4 36
3. Self Employed 7 21 5 33
4. Entrepreneur 1 2 2 5
5. Self help group 3 21 7 31
6. Artisan 2 1 0 3
Total 33 96 21 150
From the table it can be seen that out of 150 respondents more than 50 percent have
medium level of attitude. Whereas one-fifths of the respondents have high level of attitude the
rest falling under ‘Low category’.
Degree of freedom = 10
Calculated value = 12.4883
Table value at 5% level = 12.6

Since the calculated value is less than the table value, the hypothesis that occupation of
customers, has influences the attitude of customer is accepted. There is no significant
relationship between occupation and attitude of towards customer services.
CONCLUSION
Customer’s service is very important to retain its existing customers as well as to attract
new customers. In this respect, the growth and profitability of a bank to a large extend depends
on the customer service rendered by them.
References:
1. E. Gordon and K. Natarajan; “Banking theory, Law and Practice”, Mumbai,
Himalaya Publishing house, 2000.
2. Parameswaran, S. Natarajan, S. Chand and Company Ltd, “Indian Banking” 2001.
3. R. Parameswaran, S. Natarajan, “Indian Banking”, S. Chand and company Ltd., 2001.
4. “Restructuring of Regional Rural Bank’s, National Bank News Review, Jan – March
1996.
5. A. Subramanian, Indian Banking, March 1994.
6. A. Subramanian, Indian Banking, March 1994.
7. Dr. Himendu, P. Mathur, “Indian Management” Banaras Hindu University May 1999.