RURAL LIFE AND CHANGING SOCIAL VALUES IN BIJAY NAYAK'S SHORT STORIES: A CRITICAL STUDY

Abstract

The Odia short story has played an important role in representing the social, cultural, and psychological realities of Odisha. Contemporary Odia short story writers have explored the changing nature of human relationships, social institutions, and moral values in a rapidly transforming society. Bijay Nayak is one of the significant contemporary Odia short story writers whose works portray the complexities of rural life and the transition of traditional values under the influence of modernity. His short story collections such as AdyaAshadha, Anek Dina Pare, BhariMeghaRati, AraTharaku, NidaNibida, BharaNai, SreshthaGalpa, TumeJeunthiThaa, SubratEbeKeunthi, and SreshthaSathiye present diverse aspects of village life, human emotions, social relationships, and changing cultural patterns. This paper attempts to examine the representation of rural life and the transformation of social values in Bijay Nayak's selected short stories.