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"Over the last twenty years or so, it seems as
if the Indian diaspora has suddenly come of age.
Shedding its minority status, it has
demonstrated its inclination for becoming a
majority, not in the sense of numerical
superiority, but of growing up, maturing,
attaining self-apprehension and self-expression.
It can now look at itself, the host country, and
the homeland, with a critical humor that has not
necessarily dulled its passion or lessened the
intensity of its engagement. Moreover, the
Indian diaspora has become an important economic
force, whose reputed net worth exceeds hundreds
of billions of dollars. It is, at once, more
mobile and cohesive than ever before, what with
faster means of travel and communication. Not
only has the old diaspora made inroads into the
new, but the access of all the scattered peoples
of Indian origin to India, the motherland, has
also increased dramatically. Now, it actually
seems as if this diaspora has an unprecedented
ascendancy and leverage both in the host country
and the homeland. Perhaps its days of
'impossible mourning,' to use Vijay Mishra's
phrase, might at last be at an end...."
Makarand Paranjape, a widely published scholar,
critic, poet, and columnist, is currently
Professor of English at the Jawaharlal Nehru
University, New Delhi.
|
Contributors |
|
Alka
Kumar |
Brinda
Bose |
|
C.
Vijayasree |
Deepika
Bahri |
|
Harish
Narang |
Henry
Schwarz |
|
Jasbir
Jain |
K.
Satchidanandan |
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K. S.
Maniam |
Makarand
Paranjape |
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Manjit
Inder Singh |
Pratyusha
Basu |
|
R. Raj
Rao |
Satendra
Nandan |
|
Shanthini
Pillai |
Shiva
Kumar Srinivasan |
|
Sudhir
Kumar |
Susanna
Checketts |
|
Uma
Parameswaran |
Vijay
Mishra |
|
Vinay Lal |
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