Decolonial Consciousness and Indigenous Epistemologies in Sunil Gangopadhyay’s “Those Days”

Sunil Gangopadhyay's “Those Days”, translated by Aruna Chakravarty, offers a glimpse into 19th-century Bengal, probing the impact of colonial modernity on the populace's psyche. The novel foregrounds indigenous ways of knowing, which push back against colonial frameworks, drawing on decolonial theory and posthumanist viewpoints. It highlights collective action, the fluidity of identity, and histories that resist straightforward narratives, ultimately questioning Enlightenment ideals. “Those Days” brings back knowledge, spirituality, and material realities that come from communities through intellectual debates, social change, and cultural clashes. The novel is a decolonial response to colonial power, foreshadowing posthuman critiques of the 'rational' individual.