English

Globalization is a raging phenomenon in today’s world and it has hit the traditional oriental
culture(s) of India, very hard. While on one hand, Edward Said’s Orientalism speaks about
the Eurocentric view of the world for the oriental countries, on the other hand, India is slowly
turning into a global power owing to its capability to adapt into the highly technological as
well commercial aspects of the world. The snake charmers, the erotic sensibilities, barbaric
traits are things of past, India has become a global nation. Globalization has led to the rise of
economic stabilities among the general Indian mass. On the other hand, it has led to the death
of native culture(s), sensibilities, identities etc.. Aravind Adiga has explored various notions
about globalization in the Booker prize-winning novel The White Tiger. The present paper
aims to discuss the concepts of globalization in light of Arvind Adiga’s novel The White
Tiger.

The journey of a protagonist has always been an important motif across various
genres of literature. Speculative Fiction, a term coined by famous American author
Robert Heinlein, houses several genres like science fiction, fantasy, horror and
detective. It often deals with plots that are sketched on the background of a place
or world that are non-existent in the real world. It could be an undiscovered planet,
a civilization underwater, a society embedded in deep space, a distant galaxy, or
altogether in a different dimension. C.S. Lewis’ fantasy series The Chronicles of
Narnia is set in the world of Narnia; Tolkien built Middle Earth; and Rowling conjured
an amalgamation of the wizarding world and muggle world. The trilogy of Dune by
Frank Herbert is set on the barren planet Arrakis, while Isaac Asimov’s Foundation
is set against the backdrop of the Galactic Empire. Satyajit Ray, an acclaimed Indian
film director and author, penned several works of speculative fiction in Bangla,
where Professor Shonku, the protagonist, embarks upon thrilling quests across
various places in Asia, Africa, South America, and Europe. Professor Shonku also
visits some places that cannot be traced in the real world. This current paper aims
to trace the final frontiers, i.e., unknown and unchartered territories of Indian
Speculative Fiction in Satyajit Ray’s seven stories about Professor Shonku, where the
central character embarks across space and time, beneath the ocean, to different
planets, and to some of the clandestine locations that do not exist on the
geographical map of the world.