Acknowledgement

It is my privilege to express my sincere gratitude to those who guided and supported me in doing my work pertaining to the dissertation for Ph.D. I am immensely grateful to all those who helped me, supported and encouraged me mentally and physically, visibly and invisibly and this acknowledgement is just a token of my utmost thankfulness.

To begin with, I express my gratitude to Prof. Jaydeepsinh Dodiya (Head, Department of English and Comparative Literary Studies) for allowing me to carry out the course of this study. I feel fortunate to be his student and it is a great privilege and pleasure. I express my gratitude to the honoured teachers of the Department Prof. Sanjay Mukherjee, Prof. Ravisinh Zala, and Ms. Dhwani Vachchrajani for their constant encouragement and critical insight during the course of this study. Along with this I should thank Atulbhai, Rajubhai, Prakashbhai and my friends of the Department for their utmost help in various fields. I also extend my gratitude to the Central Library of Saurashtra University and Seminar Library of English Department.

I am highly obliged to Prof. Kamal Mehta, my teacher and respected guide, for showing keen interest and giving valuable guidance in the course of this study. With his extensive knowledge, wide experience and meticulous approach, he has been a torch bearer in the pursuit of knowledge. He enriched and widened my understanding not only in the subject but also in perceiving human nature. He has been a constant source of inspiration and encouragement in nurturing and caring this dissertation to make it a complete work.

I am profoundly thankful and indebted to Prof. Laxmi Narayan Gupta (Retired Professor of The University of Burdwan, W.B.), Prof. Narayan Prasad Bhattachariya (Retired Professor of Suri Vidyasagar College, Birbhum. W.B.) and Dr. Susanta Kumar Bardhan (Associate Professor of Suri Vidyasagar College, Birbhum.W.B.) who have been a source of inspiration for me and who looked after my thesis in the most unique cordial manner.

I am thankful to my better half Miss Arundhati Ray for bearing the load of the task. I also thank my dear brother Biswanath da, Nenu and Manju Nair Madam for their kind help. I must record my thanks to my seniors, juniors and friends for keeping my spirit up with their love.

Finally, I humbly bow to my parents just before I do same to the Goddess of learning Maa Saraswati. My father, Late Sadhan Kumar Mukherjee is the pole star of my life. He had always been with me even in the beginning of my research career. Now my research is complete but a total incompleteness reigns because I fail to research him, a star. Hence, the end of a hectic journey not at all breathes a sense deep joy as my name suggests rather denotes the irony of such naming. My mother, Sucheta Mukherjee still carries her charm in every aspect of my life endearingly or sometimes daringly and never allows me to be weak and slackened after my father’s demise. I love you Maa.

Joydeep Mukherjee
(Research Student)