SUBALTERN STRUGGLES IN NEOLIBERAL METROPOLIS: URBAN INFORMALITY AND ACCUMULATION BY DISPOSSESSION IN ADIGA’S MUMBAI

Adiga's novels, Last Man in Tower and Selection Day, provide a comprehensive view of Mumbai's transformation into the neoliberal cosmos. This research article examines the socio-economic and, to an extant political reality of Mumbai, a prominent example of neoliberal mobility, analyzing the fiction of Aravind Adiga. The study draws the theoretical frameworks from the works of Ananya Roy and David Harvey to scrutinize the socio-economic shifts in Mumbai, focusing on the marginalized voices and the deterioration of the social fabric. David Harvey's conceptualization of neoliberalism as a mode of economic governance that prioritizes market freedoms and private property rights exacerbates social inequalities. It engenders urban environments characterized by commodification and dispossession. Ananya Roy's work on urban poverty and neoliberal development further enriches the analysis, highlighting the vivid experiences of those excluded from the benefits of neoliberal development. The study aims to illuminate the subaltern experiences in neoliberal Mumbai, exploring how policies, influenced by neoliberalism have fragmented traditional communities, intensified socio-economic disparities, and marginalized voices resisting or being crushed by the relentless drive for economic progress. Ultimately, the study on Mumbai's socio-economic realities, based on fictional narratives, may not fully capture the experiences of marginalized communities. Its focus on middle-class residents and young aspiring cricketers has the potential to address other marginalized groups too, but its relevance to global cities is questionable.