Medieval Features in Modern Literature: Traces of “Dastan” in Hindi Detective Fiction

Early Hindi detective fiction remained studded with features of both Oriental and Occidental literary elements. With “Jasoos”, a literary magazine of detective stories by Gopal Ram Gahmari, being published in 1900, it is argued that the European tradition of detective fiction is placed itself in Hindi detective fiction. Despite Western influences in the genre of Hindi modern detective fiction, features of Dastan narratives cannot be said to be discontinued in these fictions. This paper aims to study the continuity of dastan features in the genre of Hindi modern detective fiction through Gopal Ram Gahmari’s novellas “Bhojpur ki Thagi” (1911) and “Gerua Baba” (1929).