Anita and Me
SOUTH ASIAN WRITING
HOME ASSIGNMENT:
Diaspora In South Asian Literature- As seen in Meera Syal’s “Anita and Me”
Submitted by : 08/EL/47 Urmimala Bhattacharjee
The mention of ‘home’ and ‘outside’ is not a specification of India at all, but rather the disappearance of India if defined as the habitation of Indians – Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak
South Asian literature is literature that encompasses a vast and varied field; it talks about the political scenario, cultural and social norms, issues of identity and identity crisis that the people of all the south Asian countries go through. In short all the south Asian countries are tied by common links that make them share their conflicts, differences and nature of suffering. But apart from the problems that are faced within the country there is another very important factor which is a primary feature of South Asian literature. It is the issue of Diaspora which is seen very prominently. Diasporic writing raises several questions of identity and questions one’s position in their own country. It deals with the question of being an ‘outsider’ in your own country, the notion of homeland warped and misconstrued by external factors etc. Thus, diasporic writing has been seen emerging from all the south Asian countries be it India, Pakistan, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka. “Anita and Me” by British Indian Meera Syal is one such text that explores the life of nine year old Meena living with her parents in the mining village of Tollington, near Birmingham. Meena belongs to a Punjabi family and as is the case with most Indians abroad, Meena’s parents are zealously holding on to their Indian identities while living a life in England. Meera Syal’s
HOME ASSIGNMENT:
Diaspora In South Asian Literature- As seen in Meera Syal’s “Anita and Me”
Submitted by : 08/EL/47 Urmimala Bhattacharjee
The mention of ‘home’ and ‘outside’ is not a specification of India at all, but rather the disappearance of India if defined as the habitation of Indians – Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak
South Asian literature is literature that encompasses a vast and varied field; it talks about the political scenario, cultural and social norms, issues of identity and identity crisis that the people of all the south Asian countries go through. In short all the south Asian countries are tied by common links that make them share their conflicts, differences and nature of suffering. But apart from the problems that are faced within the country there is another very important factor which is a primary feature of South Asian literature. It is the issue of Diaspora which is seen very prominently. Diasporic writing raises several questions of identity and questions one’s position in their own country. It deals with the question of being an ‘outsider’ in your own country, the notion of homeland warped and misconstrued by external factors etc. Thus, diasporic writing has been seen emerging from all the south Asian countries be it India, Pakistan, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka. “Anita and Me” by British Indian Meera Syal is one such text that explores the life of nine year old Meena living with her parents in the mining village of Tollington, near Birmingham. Meena belongs to a Punjabi family and as is the case with most Indians abroad, Meena’s parents are zealously holding on to their Indian identities while living a life in England. Meera Syal’s
Bibliography: 1. Syal, Meera. Anita and Me. India: Harper Collins Publishers,1996 2. Hussain, Yasmin. Writing Diaspora: South Asian women, culture and ethnicity. Hampshire,England: Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2005 3. Lal, Malashri, Kumar, Sukrita. Interpreting Homes in South Asian Literature. India: Dorling Kindersly Publishers , 2007