Crossing Borders: Diasporic Themes in Kiran Desai’s The Inheritance of Loss

Abstract

In the world in which we are living today, transnational travels have become very common. All over the world people are trying their fortune in other lands. Despite the affluence and material comforts which the migrants get in foreign lands, they are haunted by feelings of loneliness and identity crisis. They often border on exilic existence. They reconcile and adapt themselves to an entirely new culture. As it is said, ‘while in Rome do as the Romans do’; the migrants imbibe their language, lifestyle, food habits, culture etc. In today’s world, most of the diasporas are voluntary diasporas who migrate from their native countries in hope of green postures in strange lands. The present paper explores the diasporic themes in Kiran Desai’s The Inheritance of Loss (2006). The novel explores the multifaceted vistas of diaspora such as displacement, alienation, loss and nostalgia offering a poignant critique on the struggle of migrants to reconcile with one’s past amidst the uncertain present.

Key Words: Diaspora, Exilic, Transnational