272. DSC 152- Growth and Development of Short Story
Pre-Independence Era: During the pre-independence era, the short story in India evolved amidst colonialism, regional literature, and social reform movements. 1. Colonial Influence: British rule introduced Western literary forms to India. Writers like Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay experimented with short narratives alongside their novels, often infusing them with nationalist sentiments. Their works served as a bridge between traditional Indian storytelling and Western literary techniques. 2. Regional Literature: Indian languages such as Bengali, Marathi, Tamil, and Urdu flourished in short story writing. Rabindranath Tagore’s "Galpaguchchha" (1910) exemplified the lyrical and philosophical qualities of Bengali short stories, delving into themes of love, loss, and human nature. Other regional writers like Premchand in Hindi and Bharati in Tamil used their stories to depict the struggles and aspirations of the common people, grounding their narratives in the socio-cultural contex