Self-RealizationintheNovelsofManoharMalgonkarandNamitaGokhale

Self-realization is the highest level of human existence. It involves the supreme development anduse of all the qualities and capacities of the protagonist, and the realizing of all the potentialitiesoftheprotagonist.Itisconcernedwiththe‘self'’andtheindividualsubjectiveexperiences.Itdealswiththeindividual'sperceptionofoneself,immediateexperiences,andone’spersonalviewoftheworld. Man's positive nature, his push towards growth, and self-actualization is emphasized. Manohar Malgonkar as a modern writer often focuses on the colonial period and the experiencesof different communities during that time. Namita Gokhale, on the other hand, as a contemporaryIndian author, explores various aspects of Indian culture and society. Both the writers delineateself-realization primarily in their novels. The concept of self-realization is a broad and universalthemeinliterature,anditcanbeinterpretedandportrayedindiverseways bydifferentauthors.
Theethics of self-realization can be seen in most of the novels of Manohar Malgonkar and NamitaGokhale.Theprotagonistsorheroesinteractwithelementalforces,indifferentsituations,andgainnew experiences with each new encounter and conflict. They grow psychologically, and finallyreach a crucial stage, where the final encounter and its final conflict results in a resolution whichleads them to self-realization or self actualization. Growth of the self can only occur throughinteraction and experience. Prof. James Y. Dayananda states: ‘We follow the hero through hisexperiences, his attempts to prove himself. This notion of maturing growth that can only occurthroughencounter withexperienceisoneof ManoharMalgonkar's and Namita Gokhal’sprimary themes’.