Imaginary Homelands-Salman Rushdie
Introduction
Salman Rushdie's Imaginary Homelands consistes of the below mentioned essays. Where the things which is seen through the writer, is already his own visited past that he had spent in India. Where he claims that he himself is neither a staunch follower of Islamism nor he gives more importance to Hinduism. How the scenario is when you remain at your land and how it gets changed when you're suddenly happened to arrive there. And when tried to inscribe, it will give you experience of fragmentation, which will turn into tiny pieces and give a symbolical effect.
Imaginary Homelands
In this essay, Salman Rushdie is recalling his past through the frame, belonging to the life of 1946. A frame is described with apt description. Moreover he says that now at present, the present seems to me as foreign, 'while my past as lost home in lost city, in the mist of lost time'.
Going to the other country, isn't entirely a grave loss, it is the reward of your pains, struggles and troubles that you took to acquire something unique and this is what is confining beyond to the Ghetto mentality. But when by being there one is writing for his/her country it would be in fragmentation. As the writer has said: "He isn't only writing for Bombay, but also for Agra and Delhi along with it's people, clothes etc". It seems at first ad fragmentation but gradually by developing into tiny pieces, it is becoming a specific symbol. Which will have various interpretation.
For Example: T. S. Eliot's: The Wasteland, where first the concept of spiritual degradation is described but then it is followed by sexual perversion, which keeps on changing. It is ultimately concluded by philosophy of India, where three considerable words are emphasized: Da, Datta and Dayadhvam.
Furthermore he also discusses about his experince with Indian learned men, who perceives themselves as such and expects that Sanskrit language would be decipherable to those, who are learned. Which implores one to doubt oneself, if they are educated and learned or not?
It seems as the language which is used by the pioneers of Sanskrit language gives the westernized idea of domination through language. It also illuminates the idea that how the complex language is becoming something, which can be powered up.
Description in itself is seen as a part of politics. How poeple belonging to Africa and how people belonging to America, would describe America, is incompatible, concerning perspectives of these people.
For example: How India is seen through immigrants eyes, who had migrated earlier to different countries, how it is seen through the Indians and how it can be seen collectively. All perspectives would differ in their very nature.
All is directed through imagination and interpretations.
Attenborough's Gandhi
How Attenborough's Gandhi is represented in this essay, which is at some extent based on actuality and reality rather than mythology or implied imagination.
First and foremost, there are differences between Gandhi as well as in Jawaharlal Nehru's views. The latter is smartier, craftier and practical and serves an ideology of one nation. While the former believes in non-violence(in political area) and serves the ideology of worldly peace, rather than sticking to any particular parameter. It isn't the case that Nehru was disciple of Mahatma Gandhi, but were equal in persona.
Mahatma Gandhiji is vehemently criticized that how he was with a naked woman for one night, albeit abstaining from, which seems to be ideal state of mind as noone can refrain as such.
How when Gandhiji was shot dead by Nathuram Godse, who was claim to be the member of fanatic RSS group and many interpretations surrounded with this that: Nathuram Godse was actually representing the crowd(as those were willing to do so), by shooting him dead. By crowd or through Nathuram Godse's point of view, Gandhiji was seen as a person, representing west and in loin cloth, while the crowd was representing East. It was also seen somewhere that as Gandhiji was adaptable to any situation, he had adapted very well to westernized culture. Thus through people's point of view, Gandhiji was claimed as such and drastic shot was considered as representing the ideology of Christianity and therefore crucifixion of Jesus in loin cloth as after his crucifixion, people in and around him were able to live happily.
Commonwealth Literature doesn't exist
To break this binary against distinction, Salman Rushdie had introduced many examples confronted by him. Commonwealth literature comprises those who are Irish, belonging to United states and who are white Britons. While South Africa and Pakistan are excluded from this category and some countries are given recognition but not privilege of literary manifestation. In this manner this term is becoming topographical, nationalistic and representing racial prejudice thus therefore it is not called Ghetto but exclusive ghetto, that represents narrowness.
He talks about one of his experiences in 1983, happened in Cambridge conference, where he had confronted a lady and where he reflected the same as binary of two categories. Moreover he also talks about a person, who was asking him: "Isn't it advantageous to remain in periphery? The thing only is, you had to confront the various situations, you're put into, nothingelse and you're away from playing politics.
On the other hand he also talks about the writers gathered in a conference, that includes Shiva Naipaul, he himself, Anita Desai fr India, Buchi Emchatta from Kenya and Vaug Herk from Canada. Where he saw differences in all the writers, though all were belonging to commonality as per the Britishers point of view.
For Example: In Orientalism how the Easterners are portrayed by the Britishers and had given the implications of commonality by portraying them filthy, exotic beings, conceiver of nudity etc.
Where Vaug Herk talked on the problem of creating imaginative roadmap of emptiness in Canada, Anita Desai whispered on the sensibility while Buchi Emchatta on politics by rejecting the English language and adopting Swahili. Thus the writer was wondering, if Anita Desai, 'the Indian writer' has that much courage.
Thus in this way the term can be justified that commonwealth literature doesn't exist, and it is the perception of some foreigners. That can be commingled by hostilities as well as niceties but the thing is yet remaining to be seen, how the person put into the situation can come out victoriously.
New Empire Within Britain
As the essay is based on the writer's experience in Britain, how a sudden exile from your country has led you to confront such unwanted situation. Where doing away won't be made possible but you have to gradually swift from your pace and make each and every situations amiable and acceptable though it doesn't seem to be.
He himself was belonging to minority muslim group, then mohair of Pakistan and now an exiled person, migrated to majoritarian country, called Britain.
An experince was shared by the writer that how a tape was circulated in Britain, which was based on racial prejudice. Where he hadn't sensed, if it is being distorted or falsified by other people of different political dispositions, Howes and Tebbit, who accused Salman Rushdie for equating his adopting country with Nazi Germany, while it wasn't so. It was only about the racial prejudice and as it is popularly said that the things repeated frequently by virtue becomes true, similarly was happened in his case.
Thus in this manner people belonging to another country were falsely caught in terms of their being minority and so exploited in an unusual and unpleasant manner.
On Palestine
Where the land is of quicksand nature, always the water is splashed and in unwanted ways, it will swept all its citizens, the natural assets and all surrounding things at unknown place, because the matter wasn't resistible as it was in Aime Cesaire's "Shakespeare": where Caliban was able to resist against Prospero and reestablish his identity with the nature of postcoloniality. While Santiago resisted against nature 'the was giving an idea of the survival of the fittest and man can be destroyed but can't be defeated'. Similarly can be seen through Contagion film, where due to deforestation the outcome of viruses is inspired, it is affecting randomly, not considering any relations or acquaintances but adopting it's very nature. In Virus(Malyalam movie) the person is trying to help the bat, but in return the very person is affected through this virus if it was well resisted with proper amount of immunity, the case would be different either, but it is an artistic representation of the producer, where the message is conveyed that it isn't how you responded the nature will respond you back but it is something different as conveying the message of individual deed, that what you did, was your own deed and what I'm doing, is my own deed.
Similarly with Palestinians it was happened, when they were suppose to alienated from their own homeland as 'the Israel country was established'. The unknown people happened to go to another country, where they had to cope up with various situation, some would succumb to, some would come out victoriously and from victory the new literature will emerged out.
Conclusion
Considering all the essays, it seems as Salman Rushdie has given all interrelated points integrated in imaginary Homelands. Where the perspectives seen through the poeple who experienced by being there as well as the poeple who by being an exiled how they had portrayed the entire situation. The two differences in descriptions can be witnessed as well as how a person belonging to minority group, though he has to cope up with many situations but parelelly he has many advantages of creation, which is actually supported but not denied for.
Works Cited
Cesaire, Aime., "A tempest: Shakespeare".
Hemingway, Ernest., "The oldman and the sea".
(As a support to arguments presented under 'On Palestine' section).
General Webresources
- Movies
- Contagion
- Virus
Main Resource: Rushdie, Salman., "Imaginary Homelands".
- Adopted References from this book
- Imaginary Homelands
- Attenborough's Gandhi
- Commonwealth Literature doesn't exist.
- The New Empire within Britain
- On Palestine
No comments:
Post a Comment