Diasporas: A Literary Analysis

Diaspora is the displacement of a community or culture into another geographical or cultural region. When such communities settle down, they develop their own distinctive customs and traditions. Later, when members of such community move away they take with them the baggage of these customs and belief systems (Nayar: 2008). Similarly, Aslam in both of his novels has portrayed his characters with their distinctive customs, traditions, language and belief system. In the recent years, Edward Said, Homi Bhabha, Gayatri Spivak, Stuart Hall, Paul Gilroy and James Clifford have vitalized postcolonial and Diaspora studies through theoretical innovations developing new ways of thinking beyond the confines of the nation state and challenging the ways

The majority of the events are set in 1997. The novel discloses with the character of Shamas welcoming the first snow of season and it also ends in winter. The circular structure combined with the repeated love stories and unhappy ending caused by so –called social, religious and conventional bindings. The novel paints a gloomy picture of the South Asian society throughout the narrative and implies that the belief in change is the source of hope, but ultimately an illusion. Colonialism displaced millions of people either by choice or force making the promise of better life, under indenture- ship which in many cases was not far removed from slavery. This ‘body snatching’ as Sharrad (1993) has suggested that has continuous impact on the world by raising the question that how do the children of many Diasporas see themselves and their place in

This name is suggested by the inhabitants of the town. All immigrants living in this town with ‘the various nationalities’ from the subcontinent somehow share similar experiences of loneliness while living in Britain, therefore have agreed to accept the name ‘Dasht-e- Tanhai’ for their home town. The original name of the town is not mentioned in the narrative. The act of renaming the streets roads and parks is the result of immigration and their diasporic identity as well. There are numerous roads, streets and parks have been given Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi names. Further Shamas paints his house in England exactly like the room in his parents’ house in Pakistan which is an ultimate result of his diasporic identity. The name of the town Dasht-e- Tanhaii, shows negative connotation shared by all the inhabitants of the town. It suggests depression of the inhabitants- a nostalgic journey into their past which reminds them every day of their life in their past home. For example, when Kaukab is waiting for Shamas at the bus terminal listened to the sermon delivered by the cleric on Friday supposes herself to be in Pakistan. The other women respond to her that they also feel the same as she does. It is because they are far from their homes therefore feeling alienation in England where there is no place for them. They are