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Abstract
Gurcharan Das’ novel A Fine Family investigates the reality of his own time to create timeless reality by zeroing in on a particular period in history. It is to be noted that a continuous assessment, evaluation and rewriting of the past in the light of the present is the mark of a vibrant and dynamic civilization. A society that forgets its past is deprived of the vast reservoir of civilizational and cultural wisdom that helps in forging a meaningful future which is an integral part of the process of nation-building. He recreates the ethos of his chosen period and thereby captures its prevailing mood. The writer seems to follow the postulation that human beings instinctively turn to their past for both inspiration and self evaluation. In Indian case this seems to be even truer because Indians pay special attention to their past as part of present day reality which moulds our life, objectives, our plans and our ideas as well.