Ravan and Eddie- Unity in Diversity

Good Afternoon, The topic that is going to be presented today is the theme of U. I. D. with reference to Ravan and Eddie and ironically relating it to a secular country like India. The book Ravan and Eddie will appear to be one of the funniest novels when one first reads it. However, the greater number of times one reads the book, the better he/she will understood what it is actually trying to convey to the reader, according to which no unity in diversity exists among Indians. Although this story is set right after India got independence, this book seems to be about life in our decade. One cannot help but compare the similarities of people’s behavior at that time and in the present. Although Ravan and Eddie appears to be a childish and playful novel, it actually forces us to deal with imperative questions that each one of us see in our day to day lives, but we ignore them inspite of knowing their significance. Surprisingly, these questions are posed to us by children, much younger than ourselves, yet who seem to have a vast knowledge and perception of society. Despite them not being highly educated, they are extremely intelligent but naïve which forces us to like them. The theme of unity in diversity is brought about through juxtaposition of two very different cultures- Hinduism and Christianity that is represented by the protagonists- Ravan and Eddie. The author uses irony and humorous differences to point this out, not missing out on even the smallest detail. From the title itself the reader is presented with two names- Ravan and Eddie both which can be easily recognized and identified with a particular religion. Hence it should not come as a huge surprise to the reader when the author discusses the society of a chawl that is distinguished into two main groups. This is done through the use of bawdy humour, vague imagery and sarcasm. From the beginning of the novel itself, the reader is able to identify the many cultural differences between these