Authors: Mohammad Shah Alam Chowdhury, Mili Rahman, Mohd Rafi, Md. Sakibur Rahman Malik
Abstract: This study rigorously analyzes the literary perspective of Navtej Sarna by evaluating his historical fiction, literary essays, translations, and cultural narratives. Sarna holds a unique position in modern Indian English literature because to his capacity to interweave diplomacy, memory, nationalism, and personal identity within broader historical contexts. His essays explore significant events in Indian and Sikh history while also examining colonial memory, exile, identity, and contemporary Indian consciousness. Sarna reconstructs the interplay between history and identity in postcolonial India in works such as The Exile, Crimson Spring, The Book of Nanak, Winter Evenings, and A Flag to Live and Die For. This study posits that Sarna’s creative imagination serves as both a cultural repository and a critical analysis of the changing national identity of modern India. The research employs qualitative textual analysis alongside postcolonial and historical literary frameworks to assess Sarna’s narrative techniques, depiction of memory, and ideological interaction with nationhood. The research additionally examines how Sarna rehumanizes historical tragedy via fiction and how his diplomatic history shapes his global creative viewpoint. The study establishes Sarna as a prominent literary figure whose works substantially influence contemporary discourse on history, nationalism, memory, and Indian modernity.
