Writing the Changing India: Negotiating Identity, Memory and Belonging in Contemporary Indian English Fiction

This study examines the representation of identity, memory, and belonging in selected contemporary Indian English fiction. It focuses on Amitav Ghosh’s The Shadow Lines, Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake, and Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger. The study uses a qualitative and analytical method based on close reading of the selected novels and relevant critical studies. It explores how characters experience changes in family life, culture, migration, social position, and modern society. The study finds that identity is not fixed but develops through personal experiences, relationships, memories, and social conditions. Memory connects individuals with their families, places, and past experiences, while migration often creates questions about home and belonging. The novels also show tensions between traditional values and modern ways of life. Overall, the study argues that contemporary Indian English fiction presents India as a changing and diverse society. Through personal stories, these novels show how people negotiate between their past, present, culture, and changing social realities.