International Research Journal of Education and Technology

Existentialism had a great influence on literature. Many people consider existentialist literature a devaluation of traditional moral values. Nonetheless, existentialists considered their approach creative and thought that this innovative practice of ethics was a new ray of hope for humanity. In the Indian English fiction, Existentialism in the form of realism is discernible in the works of many novelists like Khushwant Singh, Anita Desai, Kamala Markandeya, Manohar Malgonkar, Bhabani Bhattacharya, R K Narayan, Mulk Raj Anand and a few others who portray Indian life in its economic, socio-cultural, political milieu and who put forth the cause of the underprivileged and the have-nots. Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Narayanswami was an Indian writer known for his works set in the fictional town of Malgudi in South India. The most striking feature of his work is his ability to highlight the social context and everyday life of his characters, and instil a sense of importance in the seemingly mundane, by exploring the nuances of ordinary life with energy and compassion. In Narayan's works, one notices that the ‘individual’ has his own identity and is a public entity. This concept is an innovation that can be called one of its kind. His works provides his western readers the first works in English to be infused with an eastern and Hindu existential perspective. As he explores the psychological implications of human behaviour, we are able to grasp his philosophical stance.

Key words: Political Milieu, Innovation, English Fiction.