Leaving

M. G. Vassanji uses immigration itself as the central image around which the whole narrative of the story unfurls itself. Aloo's craving to go out to the US begins as a 'demonstration effect' thanks to Mr. Datoo. The craving becomes a desperation, however, and a necessary step towards self-improvement. America is the new 'promised land', and Vassanji uses the old colonial image of London as New Jerusalem, merging it in the passage to America. 'Leaving' remains the only truth, as the 'birds' have 'flapped their wings' through ages. The promised land becomes a culture that can include the dreams of many Dar-es-Salaams, the ambitions of many Aloos and their desolate mothers.


Loose Ends

Bharati Mukherjee writes the 'other side' of the problems of migration. The story focuses on Jeb, an American who fought in the Vietnam war. While they were guarding the 'front door', emigrants came in through the 'back entrance', and now the Vet has to depend on Hispanics like Mr. Vee for his earning. Turbaned guys are in a position to throw American women out of their jobs-- Yankees become "coolie labor" in their "own country". South Asian and Latin American diasporic communities take over the culture of America, with their "alien deity with four arms or legs". Americans are made into freaks, by aliens! Miami becomes another Bombay, or Bangkok-- a city of middlemen,-- another Havana or Beirut. America loses its own identity amidst the "fecund rot", and the smell of "turds". The American society remains nothing but the great power-- the python-- drowning in its own excrement. The image brings into mind Orwell's 'Shooting an Elephant'. Colonialism drowns itself in its own wastage. In a land of waste, Goldilocks never arrives. Jeb can only have a personal victory over one Alice, but America has already gone through the rabbit hole.


Squatter

Rohinton Mistry uses humour in 'Squatter' as the narrative medium. The very title suggests the double-playing with the word, as Nariman unfolda the story of Sarosh in Toronto. Washroom and bathroom images play quite an important part in diasporic literature, and Mistry takes it to an altogether different, apparently almost absurd, level. The images generally play quite a serious part, in the works of Selvon or Ramanujan due to the very unabashed aspect of them-- reflecting the physical 'I' in the diasporic individual. Through orality, Nariman imparts his brilliance into the same images. Sarosh has not been able to leave behind his Indian physical existence. His existence ought to be one of 'third space'-- a physical 'third space' for that matter, which is ultimately proven to be impossible. Sarosh never becomes a part of Canada, or even India as he comes back. Maybe only in the aeroplane, the sky-- the 'third space', can he adapt himself enough for a peaceful sleep or an "acceptable catharsis". Adaptation becomes impossible for Sarosh, who remains a 'squatter' for the whole of his life-- whether in Toronto, or in Bombay.


-Dhritiman Ganguly,
PG-I