Postcolonial Identities in Amitav Ghosh’s Sea of Poppies

Abstract

India is a beautiful country that is painted with ethnic, bio-cultural, and linguistic diversity. It has its roots connected with eternal nature. People of different classes, castes, creeds, and colours intermingle all together under a single roof. India is a country which accepts new things with an open mind in favour of humanity. A few decades back, what India is now was a slightly different tone. Sea of Poppies delineates the contemporary class domination, exploitation, caste brassiness, untouchability, male domination and the quest for identity. The book is a historical overview of India. Britishers suck the blood of the Indians by enslaving them. During the colonial period, starvation and violence spread in Bihar and Bengal. In this article, the ancient aspects of India and its connectivity with nature and culture are described briefly, and the dark side of the marginal people is discussed. The writer has not praised but protested the sheer exploitation of humanity; meagre steps taken against evilness destroying the Indian culture and social life and also throws a light of optimism towards the emerging thoughts which can mould the mindset of the younger generations to a more significant extent.