Abstract
This paper examines how Indian English novels dramatize the rule of law, constitutional morality, and civic responsibility in the making of the Indian nation. Drawing on Ambedkar’s notion of constitutional morality, Gandhi’s ethic of self-discipline, and Nehru’s vision of scientific temper, it analyses eight novels—Raja Rao’s Kanthapura, Mulk Raj Anand’s Untouchable, Bhabani Bhattacharya’s He Who Rides a Tiger, Khushwant Singh’s Train to Pakistan, Chaman Nahal’s Azadi, Arun Joshi’s The City and the River, Rohinton Mistry’s A Fine Balance, and Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger. Methodologically, the study defines constitutional morality as the convergence of legal duty and civic ethos, operationalized in literature through juridical scenes, testimonial voices, breaches of law, and acts of civic repair. Findings show that these novels expose how caste, communalism, corruption, authoritarianism, and neoliberal opportunism erode legality, yet also imagine civic resilience. The discussion reframes literature as a “shadow constitutional archive” and a pedagogical rehearsal for democracy, aligned with NEP 2020 (§6.5). Original in situating Indian English fiction within global law-and-literature debates, the paper argues that such texts are crucial civic resources for cultivating constitutional literacy and ethical citizenship.
KEYWORDS
Rule of Law, Constitutional Morality, Indian English Novels, Pedagogy, Citizenship, NEP 2020.
Krushna Chandra Mishra
Professor, Department of English, Rajiv Gandhi University, Doimukh- 791112, Arunachal Pradesh, India