"A Critical Study of Colonial Thought and Bureaucratic Continuity in the Novel Wadi-e-Kohsar"

ناول “وادیِ کہسار” میں نوآبادیاتی فکر اور افسرشاہی کا تسلسل: تنقیدی مطالعہ

Abstract

This article critically examines the colonial mindset and bureaucratic dominance represented in the Urdu novel Wadi-e-Kohsar. The study focuses on the conversations between Mirza Sahib and trainee civil servants, through which the novelist exposes the continuity of British administrative ideology in postcolonial society. Although political colonialism formally ended with independence, the novel demonstrates that colonial attitudes continue to shape administrative institutions, social values, and intellectual behavior. The research highlights major themes such as colonial legacy, mental slavery, western dependence, and the persistence of bureaucratic elitism. It argues that the bureaucratic system portrayed in the novel remains deeply influenced by colonial patterns of authority, hierarchy, and governance, creating a gap between state institutions and the common people. The analysis further reveals how educated individuals internalize western standards of culture, language, and success, resulting in a weakened sense of indigenous identity and self-confidence. By portraying colonialism as a psychological and institutional force rather than merely a political system, Wadi-e-Kohsar offers a significant postcolonial critique of the subcontinent’s administrative and intellectual structures. The article concludes that the novel encourages critical reflection on the enduring impact of colonial ideology and the need for cultural and institutional decolonization.