Githa Hariharan's In Times Of Siege Through The Lense Of Existentialism: Identity, Truth, And The Suppression Of Intellectual Freedom

Abstract

Githa Hariharan’s In Times of Siege (2003) offers a critical examination of contemporary India’s political and cultural climate, focusing on the rise of fundamentalism and its debilitating effects on intellectual freedom and personal identity. The novel centers on Professor Shiva Murthy, a historian whose academic work is targeted by extremist groups for allegedly distorting historical facts. This paper explores the existential crisis of the protagonist, highlighting the tension between individual freedom and the forces of hegemonic control that suppress intellectual and artistic expression. Drawing on theories of existentialism, power dynamics, and cultural hegemony, this analysis demonstrates how Hariharan critiques the political and social pressures shaping identity, truth, and freedom of expression in post-colonial India.