Humour and anticolonial discourse in the early novels of R. K. Narayan

The paper explores the use of humour as a literary device to protest, criticize and reject the ruling class and its culture in the early novels of R. K. Narayan. He, generally labeled as an apolitical writer, maintains the equilibrium between tacit criticism of the colonial system and the projection of Indian values, thereby building a counter narrative against the British hegemony with his subversive humour. His lighthearted humour is overtly charged and politically loaded with strong anticolonial arguments that open new vistas and presents humour as a literary weapon. R. K. Narayan appears naive and is engaged in the apparent projection of Indianness, but behind the veil of simplicity, his writing emerges as a strong medium of criticism.