The partition of the Indian subcontinent (India and Pakistan) in 1947 left an everlasting mark on the Indian people’s mentality. It also resulted in the partition of Pakistan in 1971, resulting in the formation of two new countries, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Partition, which was intended to prevent sectarian violence, instead inflamed tensions between Hindus and Muslims by forcing them to divide. During and after the partition, millions of people are forced to move with the hope of a better life in a foreign place. Immediately, one of the world’s largest migrations occurred, with millions of Muslims migrating to West and East Pakistan (later known as Bangladesh), and millions of Hindus and Sikhs migrating in the opposite direction. Hundreds of thousands of people never made it. It is self-evident that incidences resulting from division breed hate among the people of the Indian Subcontinent. It also passes on from generation to generation throughout the course of each decade.
Jhumpa Lahiri’s Interpreter of Maladies is one of those diasporic short story collections that deals with displaced immigrants and second-generation characters. Characters in this collection of short stories face a variety of diasporic issues, including miscommunication, nostalgia, solitude, hatred, fractured cultural identity, psychological issues, and traumatic experiences. In addition, via this collection of short stories, Lahiri beautifully depicts the division and its aftermath. The stories focus on the transfer of memory and the observation of the diaspora’s second generation. The first generation are made up of those who have been victims of traumatic occurrences, while the second generation are made up of those who observe or witness the prior generation’s incidents or suffering. In the story, Mr. Das also reveals that their parents now live in India and that the Das family visits them every few years. The stories’ narrations reveal a later generation of diaspora’s awareness of the history of partition and its tragic experience.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/06/29/the-great-divide-books-dalrymple
https://www.gradesaver.com/interpreter-of-maladies/study-guide/the-partition-of-india-1947
The idea of migration and cultural experiences is thoroughly discussed in the short stories. I am a Hindu and the third generation living in the U.S. My grandparents ended up emigrating from India for educational purposes. These short stories remind me of cultural identity and how every story is uniquely relevant to one’s life. When reading through these stories, I did not expect some of the endings.
I think your inclusion of how this hate extends through generations is extremely accurate and a major issue in society. Even if our knowledge and understanding on issues are distant from us or are not witnessed daily, while it may look different, generational hate and bigotry is applicable in countless regions and cultures. Like mentioned, so many harmful impacts come from mass religious, class, and ethnic biases that influence one’s perception of themselves. As discussed with the Master Slave dialect, how the Master subjugates the Slave to perceive themselves relies on this power to systemically continue, and because of this reliance, it is so difficult to dismantle if not corrected.
Very interesting perspective! Thanks for sharing