A Delineation: Diaspora to Multiculturalism in Jhumpa Lahiri’s ‘The Namesake’

Abstract

Abstract: In the global world of today everyone is a migrant, dislocating from the place of origin due to market forces, political conflicts, disasters and so on. The dispersal of people from their homeland to various parts of the world resulted in enhancing the cultural diversity. Multiculturalism and Diaspora have given a significant contribution in increasing the proximity among the peoples in the world. It is due to the effect of Diaspora and multiculturalism that new concepts like transnationalism, cosmopolitanism and globalization have emerged. The differences and distances embedded with various myths about varied cultural diversities came to end which provided a space for cultural relativism, cultural tolerance, hybridity and assimilation. The term multiculturalism is often compared with ‘salad bowl’ due to the coexistence of culturally varied groups of people in terms of social structure, religions, languages, race, foods, customs and rituals. In the present scenario US can be considered as a best paragon of cultural diversity where people from all parts of the world have accumulated with their cultural bag-gages. India and China which are the most populous countries in the world have set their imprints in America. The phrases like ‘Little India’ and ‘Chinatown’ can be easily heard on American streets. Asians have consolidated their feet on American soil in every possible zone – food, clothing, health, literature, entertainment, film and drama. In the midst of this diversity Asian writers emerged with a plethora of colorful Asian culture. In ‘The Namesake’ Jhumapa Lahiri has portrayed South Asian cultural diversity in customary behaviors’, cultural assumptions and values, patterns of thinking, and communicative styles in contact with west.