THE MEANING OF DIASPORA

Readers from time to time ask me about the term 'Diaspora' (Greek for "to sow, to scatter.") a word that's often found in TII's pages. TII is unique in one sense that we were the first to introduce 'Diaspora journalism' in the region and we coined the term 'Indian Diaspora,' which is generic in use today, but TII adopted it way back in 1991 when it was exclusively used to refer to the Jewish Diaspora.
Indian author Jhumpa Lahiri's book Interpreter of Maladies, is a collection of stories that trace the unique journey of immigrant families from India who make their home in America. The book conveys the emotional roller coaster experience of Indians who are disparagingly labeled foreigners in the US. Lahiri poignantly relates how Indian immigrants obtain great satisfaction by retaining Indian culture, rather than by assimilating to the American culture. What happens in her story's present is always somehow linked to past memories of life in the homeland; this remains true regardless of her character's generation, though memory becomes a less reliable guide over time. According to William Safran, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Colorado, a collective memory is a foundational element to the identity of a Diaspora community. One does not necessarily have to physically return home to be an authentic part of it, but a notion of home, collective memory and community history is intrinsic to a Diaspora's culture.
Indians abroad will easily relate to why "Home" is the starting point for Diaspora communities – India for Indians, China for the Chinese, etc. "Abroad" is where the physical and thought process of the Diaspora experience occurs through displacement from the old and relocation to the new. This can often involve political, economic, and social alienation and marginalization. Eventually, some form of "going back” may occur, when some people return to their homeland which, they may discover, is no longer what they preserved in memory, nostalgia, and myth, and unknowingly nurtured in Diaspora.
French writer Simone Weil noted, 'only suffering and beauty can pierce the human heart.' Painfully isolated and homesick, many Indians living abroad are in a yo-yo like predicament – they long to return home one day, only to be taken aback at the latest scandal or scary situation that rocks their confidence. Exposed to an enormous smorgasbord of online, print and audio-visual media today, Indians overseas are subjected to a relentless mix of cliched India oriented content. Bollywood portrayals of female sexuality even in mainstream Indian media is used to flutter readers hearts, but very little to stir the soul is on offer!
There is no dearth of ideas when it comes to writing about India and Indians, but deciding on substantive, interesting content to communicate in these pages is a challenge, an opportunity and a responsibility. TII's canvas is huge and there is a constant need for doing something different that is meaningful, especially with the plethora of media options today. For me it's always a toss between focusing on International and Indian issues when I write this column. Obviously for TII both terms comprise the heart of our magazine's construct but only one of them understandably defines our concept.
Away from India, we are not meant to be a parochial, inward-looking community, we are a global tribe unique in the human family. For most of us that means opportunity, equality, dignity, freedom and so much more. Indians living abroad maybe dispersed like seeds scattered far away from home, yet we cannot assimilate completely, we rather manage to reproduce new social formations wherever we go, retaining our culture, and identity. Whether we see ourselves as wanderers who have found permanent havens in various countries or as citizens of a country owning a significant stake on the world map, the word, 'international' has significant connotations that we often miss or some of us disregard, preferring the insularity we are used to.
There are plenty of shrill voices in our society's constricting orbit that demand people's exclusive loyalty – not all of them are worth subscribing to. Part of TII's job is to remind 'desi' hearts that there are wider interests, responsibilities and issues. Life in the Diaspora offers many options, I believe India is an exciting one, but not everyone shares that viewpoint – it doesn't matter, we can all engage meaningfully with our origins at different levels, which is what TII is all about.
As far as India goes, it doesn't take too much to be current with what's happening there because change happens very slowly in the country's vitals. Observing repetitive criminal situations like the ruthless top cop SPS Rathore or the corrupt army general like Avadesh Prakash, the murder of activists like Satish Shetty, dubious octogenarians like the late Jyoti Basu in power, Bollywood and TV soaps increasingly experimenting with Hollywood morality, soaring crime in our cities, thriving politicians with blatant criminal records, rising inflation, recurring communal riots, disregard for people's basic needs, etc., such concerns are inevitably reiterated.
Despite six decades as a republic, our society is such that one cannot help recalling the infamous quote by Ashok Singhal former president of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad who justified the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992 concluding, “The events of this day have demonstrated that the will of the people is above the rule of the law.” Was Singhal brazenly declaring that mobocracy can replace Indian democracy whenever the politicians decide to pull strings? When India accommodates home-grown terror instigated by private armies with vested political interests, does the state become stronger or weaker when it comes to handling 26/11 type situations? The Taliban maybe paying India more attention recently but potential threats at home need to be taken more seriously. If these things don't change, “going back” for many NRIs will remain a distant dream.
Geographical aspects apart, the way I see it 'international' also has spiritual implications – the Creator designed the earth for us to roam free. In the marvelous patchwork quilt of his creation, diversity is a vibrant facet of his creative genius that is clearly conveyed in Genesis: 1: 27-28 “So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them. And God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth...”