Diasporic Identity in Meera Syal’s Novel “Anita and Me” A. Phaniraja Kumar Research Scholar, Dept. of English, ANUCDE, Guntur, A.P, India Abstract: The present paper focusses on the agonizing struggle of growing up in the crushing clash of cultures. It is about the cultural displacement felt by nine year old British-born girl, Meena Kumar, the central in Meera Syal’s “Anita and Me” (1996). Meena’s dilemma is the dilemma
the important concerns of Meera Syal, an important contemporary Asian – British writer. In her novel, the complimentary as well as the clashing relationships between the white Britons and Indian diaspora in postcolonial British society are focussed. Interracial connections are inherent to the background of the novel and crop up in incidents that concern the protagonist, who shares a common Indian ancestry. Meera Syal represents the dialogues of British and Indian cultures and selves in great detail
In the host land, the members of a diaspora community often find themselves in minority positions and are torn between the two cultures. Diaspora works skilfully portray all those facets of diaspora experiences. In fact, diaspora literature often places its characters in a “third place” or between the two cultures and female immigrant writers find them even in a narrower place for a woman in a diaspora community is frequently regarded as a minority within a minority.