Published Paper Details:

This research paper rigorously traces the continuous evolution of non-human political allegory in South Asian literature--from its inception as a prescriptive niti (manual for royal conduct) in antiquity to its contemporary function as a tool of institutional critique under neoliberalism. Rejecting ecological interpretations, the study focuses exclusively on the allegory's critical use against systems of governance, bureaucracy, and entrenched class hierarchy. Through close readings of The Panchatantra, R.K. Narayan's A Tiger for Malgudi, Ruskin Bond's The Adventures of Toto, and Aravind Adiga's The White Tiger, the analysis applies classical Indian poetics--Dhvani (suggestive meaning) and Rasa (aesthetic experience)--as indigenous theoretical lenses to understand the allegorical evolution of animal figures. This trajectory details the animal subject's shift from instructing rulers to symbolizing psychological subjugation and violent resistance, with institutional and class critique as its constant and central focus.