Diasporic Dilemma, Nostalgia and Attaining an Identity

Group A:
1 Read an Article
Name of Article: Diasporic Dilemma, Nostalgia and Attaining an Identity
Researcher’s Name: Bagisha Sharma
The article studies the diasporic and nostalgic experiences of the protagonists in two of the suggested short stories; ‘When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine' and 'The Third and Final Continent.' The researcher first explores the meaning of the word Diaspora as ‘a community of people who do not live in their country of origin but maintain their heritage.’ There is an underlying association of ‘loss and exile’ and suffering that such people go through in their struggle to create an identity in a foreign land.
After a brief background about the author of these two short stories from her collection, 'Interpretation of Maladies,' the researcher moves on to analyze the primary themes in both the stories. In the story, 'When Mr. Pirzada came to Dine,' the author explores the feeling of homesickness that gets heightened with the onset of the Indo-Pak war and the unity of Asians worldwide. In the second story, 'The third and final continent,' we peep into the characters' lives both in the USA and India and how they maintain and cultivate their relationships.
In both the stories, the sentiment of longing for the homeland is evident. In the first story, the protagonist, Mr. Pirzada, longs to find about the welfare of his daughters and wife. He gets perturbed at the news of war between India and Pakistan. Lilia, the storyteller, is a U.S.-based Indian 10-year-old girl who has no idea about what is happening back home. However, she feels for his family and prays every day for their safety. Although she does not know much about India, yet she feels a strong connection with Mr. Pirzada, showing the strong bond Asians have with each other no matter where they are in the world. In the second story, 'Third and the final continent,' the narrator is seeking to adjust and find a place for himself in the U.S. He is not nostalgic about his homeland; rather, he struggles to find his acceptance in a new land as he cultivates his relation with his wife who is a simple Bengali girl. In both the stories, the new generation that has been born in New England has less connection with their ancestral homes depicting a shift from the old identity to a new one.
Jhumpa Lahiri is an extraordinary writer who weaves characters that both amaze and intrigue the readers. She presents the themes of Diaspora and Nostalgia eloquently in her stories through the struggles of her characters.
2. Retell a Scene from another perspective
This is a scene from ‘When Mr. Pirzada came to dine, where Lilia's father tells her that Mr. Pirzada is no longer an Indian. The scene is being narrated from the father's perspective, who is somewhat frustrated by his daughter's ignorance in this matter.
"What is it, Lilia? I asked
She told me she had prepared a drink for the Indian man.
“Indian man?” I laughed and then frowned.
I laughed because of my child's sheer innocence, but I did not feel happy at her ignorance of an event in history that altered our lives immensely.
"He will not be coming today, my dear. And listen to me carefully. Mr. Pirzada is no more an Indian.”
She ...