Ram Sharma

English Literature; Voices of Indian Diaspora

Malti Agarwal [Ed], Atlantic Publishers and Distributers (P) Ltd., New Delhi, 2009, Rs. 495, pp 203 ISBN 978-81-269-1048-9

In the present era when all the barriers and borders are breaking and this world has become a country, present anthology containing twenty two scholarly papers on Voices of Indian diaspora edited by Dr Malti Agarwal becomes more relevant and significant.
The first paper ‘Diasporic Writings in English’ by Prof. A. N. Dwivedi is quite informative  and in nutshell  it describes the chronology of diasporic writings in India. In his seminal  paper  ‘The World of Diasporic Poetry in Canada’, Prof. Shrawan  K. Sharma discusses the distinct features of Diasporic Poetry in Canada. Prof. O. P. Budholia compares the immigrant experiences in his paper ‘Dialectics of Culture /Acculturation in Bharati Mukherjee’s Jasmine and Anita Desai’s Journey to Ithaca’. Dr. Beena  Agarwal explores women experiences in different cultural spaces in her scholarly paper entitled ‘Bharati Mukherjee’s Jasmine: Breaking the Silence and Weaving the Web’.
Dr. Abha Shukla Kaushik deliberates on  Mukherjee’s different experiences of diaspora of being rooted and at the same time of acculturation in Canada and U.S through her novel ‘Desirable Daughters’ in her paper ‘Negotiating Multiculturalism in Bharati Mukherjee’s Desirable Daughters. Dr. Hemlata K. discusses diasporic effects in transformation and craving for traditions in her paper ‘Tradition and Transformation in Bharati Mukherjee’s Desirable Daughters’. Dr. Ram Sharma searches the roots and immigrant psyche in his paper ‘Quest for Self and Imigrant Psyche in Bharati Mukherjee’s The Tiger’s Daughter’. Dr. Archana Trivedi  has tried to analyse Mukherjee’s novel Wife on Freud’s theory of neurosis  in her paper ‘Dimple’s Neurotic Behaviour in Bharati Mukherjee’s Wife’
In his second paper entitled ‘Between Two Worlds: Jhumpa Lahiri’s Interpreter of Maladies’ Prof.  A. N. Dwivedi has shown his deep knowledge and research. In paper  ‘Diasporic Concerns in Jhumpa Lahiri’s Interpreter of Maladies’, Dr. Abha Shukla Kaushik has traced out diasporic connections in Lahiri’s Interpreter of Maladies. This anthology contains one more interesting paper written by Dr. J. P. Savita entitled ‘Tales from Firozsha Baag: Prologue to Rohinton Mistry’s Fiction’.
One of the most innovative and scholarly paper is penned by the editor of this anthology Dr. Malti Agarwal entitled ‘Rohinton Mistry’s  Family Matters: A Diasporic and Ethnic Text’. Dr. K. A. Agarwal has tried to search the theme of social justice in his paper ‘The Theme of Social Justice in Ann Bhalla’s A Passing Shadow’. Dr. Samina Khan has presented a study of the chronology of Canadian Diasporic Writers in her paper   ‘Cultural Discordence: A Study of Diasporic Writers in Canada’.  Dr. Sangeeta Das discusses Sri Lankan born Australian novelist Yasmine Gooneratne in her paper ‘Across Cultures Discussing Yasmine Gooneratne’s Masterpiece’. Dr. Beena is more poignant and scholarly  in her paper ‘Bicultural Sensibility; A Motif in Divakaruni’s The Unknown Errors of Our Lives’. Dr. Shalini Gupta takes up Divakaruni’s Arranged Marriage in her paper ‘Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni`s Arranged Marriage: A perspective’. Dr. Satender and Dr. Manoj trace and detect immigrant experiences in their paper ‘Kiran Desai’s The Inheritence of Loss: An Expression of Hypocrisy’. Dr. T. S. Anand enhances our knowledge in his paper ‘Quest for Identity in Iqbal Ramoowalia’s The Death of a Passport’.
The last three papers of this anthology entitled `Human Bonds and Vikram Seth’ by Dr. Malti Sharma, ‘The Psyche of Crisis: A Creative Impulse in the Poetry of A. K. Ramanujan by Dr. Neeta and ‘Uma Parameswaran’s The Door I Shut Behind Me: A Diasporic Text by Anuradha Verma present varied shades in diasporic writings. This anthology is a seminal presentation of highly original works and this is a must read for all avid readers and scholars.