Author: Dr. Minakshi Jain and Vamika Arora
Affiliation: Associate Professor, Department of English, MLSU, Udaipur
Volume/Issue: Vol. 1 (Jan–June 2026)
Pages: 24–29
Abstract
Jahnavi Barua has emerged as a significant voice in contemporary Indian English literature, particularly for her nuanced representation of the socio-cultural realities of Northeast India. Her literary works, including Next Door, Rebirth, and Undertow, explore complex themes such as identity, memory, displacement, gender, belonging, family relationships, and emotional resilience. This study critically reviews the extensive body of Barua’s writings to examine her contribution to regional and national literary discourse. The analysis highlights how Barua intertwines personal narratives with broader social and cultural concerns, offering profound insights into the lived experiences of individuals negotiating tradition, modernity, and changing social structures. Her fiction is characterised by psychological depth, subtle narrative techniques, ecological sensitivity, and a strong focus on women’s experiences. Through her portrayal of ordinary lives, she challenges stereotypical representations of Northeast India and foregrounds voices often marginalised in mainstream literary narratives. The study further evaluates her works from feminist, postcolonial, and cultural perspectives, demonstrating their relevance to contemporary debates on identity and belonging. It concludes that Jahnavi Barua’s literary oeuvre significantly enriches Indian English literature by creating a bridge between regional specificity and universal human concerns, thereby establishing her as an important contemporary literary figure.
Keywords: Jahnavi Barua, Indian English Literature, Northeast India, Feminism, Identity, Memory, Displacement, Postcolonial Literature, Gender Studies, Contemporary Fiction.