Indian Writing in English Translation — DU B. A. (Prog) English Previous Year Question Papers

3. Candidates must answer ALL the questions in Part A and ANY THREE questions in Part B. 4. Questions in Part A carry 10 marks each and questions in Part B carry 20 marks each. (a) Rebati highlights social resistance to girl education in nineteenth century rural Odisha. Comment. (b) Explain with reference to context: "In winter when I put a quilt over myself its shadows on the wall seem to sway like an elephant. That sets my mind racing into the labyrinth of times past." 2. Explain with reference to context: (a) Everywhere it breeds saws, daggers, sickles, breeds carnivorous teeth. That is why, wherever you look, there is dancing, jubilation, death is now giving birth to brand new children. (b) Write a short note on the theme of masculinity in Andha Yug. 3. Identify, contextualize, and critically comment upon the following lines : (a) Blood rained on the earth, it seeped through the graves. The princesses of the valley called Love, now weep in graveyards. All the villains now move about as thieves of love and beauty. (b) Discuss the significance of the title The Stepchild. 4. (a) In "The Shroud", Premchand invites us to reconsider the ideas of 'fruitful' labour and 'universal' work ethics in a caste-ridden society. Comment. (b) Comment on how does theme of tradition vs. modernity intersects with patriarchal worldview that dominates the narrative framework of Rebati. 5. (a) In Andha Yug, through an intense poetic dialogue, Bharati presents the characters as 'embodiments of extreme states of being'. Critically analyze the statement. (b) "Tagore's philosophical and spiritual thoughts transcend all limits of language, culture and nationality". Discuss with reference to the poems from Gitanjali, in your course. 6. (a) How does Amrita Pritam present a counter narrative to the existing predominant historical narrative of Partition in her poem? (b) Explore the portrayal of the relationship between the Vankar community and the dominant Patidars in central Gujarat with the settings of Joseph Macwan's The Stepchild? 7. (a) Examine the theme of feminine autonomy and subjectivity as explored in any two texts from your course. (b) How has the theme of violence due to war been explored in modern Indian writing in translation. Examine this statement using two texts from your course.