Diaspora Poetics in South English Writings

Diaspora Poetics in South Asian English Writings

Edited by Md. Rakibul and Eeshan Ali

Diaspora Poetics in South Asian English Writings

Edited by Md. Rakibul Islam and Eeshan Ali

This book first published 2019

Cambridge Scholars Publishing

Lady Stephenson Library, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 2PA, UK

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Copyright © 2019 by Md. Rakibul Islam, Eeshan Ali and contributors

All rights for this book reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner.

ISBN (10): 1-5275-3810-9 ISBN (13): 978-1-5275-3810-8

CONTENTS

Preface andledgements Acknow ...... vii

Notes on Contributors...... ix

Map of South Asia ...... xi

Introduction ...... 1 South Asian Diaspora Dr. Md. Rakibul Islam & Eeshan Ali

Part I: Reminiscence, Identity and Gender

Chapter I ...... 11 The Poet Lost in the Mystic: Revisitingisits Rabindranath Tagore’s V to the United States Nahid Kaiser

Chapter II ...... 21 Contesting Identities: A Study of Diasporic Experience in Jhumpa Lahiri’s ‘When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine’ Shreya Ghosh

Chapter III ...... 29 Gendered Identityy of Homeland: and Memor Analyzing The Hero’s Walk andTurtle Nest Mousam

Chapter IV ...... 43 Culinary Diaspora: UnderstandingDesai’s Food and Gender Role in Anita Fasting Feasting and SaraMeatless Suleri’s Days Nitesh Narnolia

vi Contents

Part II: Democracy and Border Politics

Chapter V ...... 59 Socio-PoliticalFencing Aspects in of Moreh Border Subdivision I. Yaipharemba

Chapter VI ...... 73 Democracy and IndianA Secular Politics: Critiquery of Contempora Indian Politics Ashaduzzaman Khan

Chapter VII ...... 83 Development Alienatingm Nature: Humans A Case froh Study of Nort Sikkim Kachyo Lepcha

Part III: Estrangement and Disarticulation

Chapter VIII ...... 95 Alienation amongst Youth in the of Chetan Bhagat Deepa Chaniyal

Chapter IX ...... 101 Impact of Dislocationife of a Woman on the with L Reference to MonicaBrick Ali’s Lane Shweta Verma

Chapter X ...... 109 Naipaul'sHalf a Life: A Semiotic of Dislocation and Alienation Ainul Bari

Chapter XI ...... 119 Dissolving the Boundaries: Alienation and Assimilation in Chitra BanerjeeThe Mistress Divakaruni’s of Spices Mukul Sk

PREFACE ANDACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This volume brings together varioush Asian discussions on various Sout diaspora writers of diverse socio-politicalvides backgrounds. It pro perspectives drawn from borderand studies, regional philosophical studies, issues of South Asia. Each chapterusly and discusses its topic meticulo assesses its importancetemporary in society. oure chapters con Most of th talk about those social problems which developed in the . Does South Asianof English?writings only mean the writings No. It also means other writingsnguages. written in other indigenous la More accurately speaking, thenguages has written in regional la its own long and sophisticatedces. status like English literary pie

We are really grateful to all entriesthe contributors for who have written this volume. The chapters contributedh our by them may help us enric knowledge in the field of Southsuggestions Asian writings. The advice and of the contributorsis piece have of made writing one.th aSo, wonderful without their intimation, we could not and havethis help publishedbook.

We also feel privileged and greatduction pleasure of this in writing the intro book. We are quite sure that this readers, book will be very helpful for researchers and academicians ifmore they want to gain knowledge or prominence inth the Asian field diaspora of Sou studies.

We would also like to thank allade those this whose forbearances have m book an intellectual milieu. ksWe towould our like to give special than teachers, colleagues who have and inspired friendshis usbook to amake t perfect one. Special thanks goia toHasan our andPh.D. supervisors Dr. Naz Dr. Nirban Manna, whose inspirationsis have helped us to reach th milestone. We are really indebtedesides to these them for encouraging us. B parental figures, we are alsombers indebted who to our fellow faculty me have helped us to create and develophis work. the theoretical frame of t

It would have been impossibleout to get the this help volume published with of our institutions, namely Aligarh), Dhanbad Muslim University, ISM (IIT and Dukhulal Nibaran Chandra College,lso our Murshidabad (WB). It is a pleasure to thank those many othersectly helped who have directly and indir us and provided their assistancesible. to make Last this research work pos

viii Preface and Acknowledgments but not least, we also owe our werswholehearted and thanks to our revie publishers.

CONTRIBUTORS

Nahid Kaiser is an Assistant Professor in the Department of English at Daffodil International, Dhaka, . Universityalized Her speci areas are , ,lished various and feminism. She has pub research articlesd international in nationals a journals.anbilingual She i poet and translator by passiony published and has had three books of poetr in Bangladesh and .

Shreya Ghosh obtained her Ph.D. from the University of Tripura. She is currently employed as an Assistant Cross Professor of English at Holy College, Tripura where she hasst beentwo years. teaching English for the la

Mousam is Ph.D. Research Scholar at the Centre for Comparative Literature ands Translation at the Central Studie Gujarat. University She of has published a number of articlesrnational in various national and inte journals.

Nitesh Narnolia is Ph.D. a Senior Research Scholar at the Centre for Diaspora at Studiesthe Central University of Gujarat. He has published various researchonal articles and international ins. nati journal

I. Yaipharemba completed his doctorate at Punjab University, India. He has published editorials in manyas published newspapers. Besides this, he h many articles inl and various international nationa journals.

Ashaduzzaman Khan is a Research Scholar in the Department of Philosophy at Aligarh Muslim University, India.

Kachyo Lepcha is a Ph.D. Scholar in the Department of History at Sikkim Central University, Gangtok, India.

Deepa Chaniyal is an Assistant Professor in the Department of English at Chandrawati Tiwari. College, Girls’ Kashipur, P.G India.

Shweta Verma is a Research Scholar in the Department of English at the University of Lucknow, India.

Ainul Bari is a Research Scholar in the Department of English at Aligarh Muslim University, India.

x Contributors

Mukul Sk is a Research Scholar in the Department of English at Aligarh Muslim University, India. He f is various credited with the publication o edited volumes from reputed publishing houses.

MAP OFSOUTH ASIA

Image Source www.quizcarry.com (http://www.quizcarry.com/south-asia-map-quiz-questions-answers/)

INTRODUCTION

SOUTHASIAN DIASPORA

DR. MD. RAKIBULISLAM & EESHANALI

Diaspora

The word ‘diaspora’, a highly debated and complex term used in academia, has its rootsdiaspeirein in ’, the which Greek is word ‘ etymologically constituteddia’ of(through) two separate morphemes: ‘ andspeirein ‘ ’ (to scatter).Unique According Oxford Dictionary to, the ‘diaspora’ means “scattered Jewishest of settlement after Roman Conqu Palestine” (Majumder 2007, 318),s “the but diaspora, in general, mean dispersion or spread of any people” (English from their original homeland Oxford Living Dictionaries). The talks study of the diaspora not only about the dispersion of Jewishand people but it from their original homel also reveals the violence and ienced collective exile which they exper during such expulsions. In thiscal context we can link the histori dispersion and collective exile Nazi of Jews from during the regime of Adolf Hitler. Furthermore,e from people of the diaspora mov homeland to host-land either bye offorce or by choice, but the rol sociopolitical factors for suche. Dispersed migrations cannot be denied her people reside withnces theirof two experie placestime: at one the is same of their original homeland and-land. another Due is of their adopted host to such reasons, they remain inher a state to of flux, belonging neit homeland nor to host-land.

The term ‘diaspora’, having ation’, a close affinity and to ‘exile’, ‘alien ‘expatriation’, was used inrecently a limited it sense has at its outset, but been used in a wider sense withAfrican a broader meaning. Besides the diaspora, Chinese diaspora, Europeana, diaspora, Canadian diaspor internal diaspora, etc., the South most Asian diaspora is one of the important diasporas in today’sise world. South The countries which compr Asia are India, , Bangladesh, , , , , 2 Introduction

Tibet, and the . South writers Asian diaspora writers are those who migrate from South Asian countriesnada, to other regions like Ca Britain, and Africa,tion and takes settle down there. The migra place mainly duelitical, to social, and economic pole wishes reasons whi for higher education, business,also marriage, cannot and better prospects be denied here. Though migrantsir easily past adopt the host-land, the experiences of their homeland, languagedo not escape them as its culture and people chase them and make enthem land, nostalgic. In their new ali they always fight to secure theirffer place from and position as they su homesickness or nostalgia whichh their they always try to posit throug writings. So, their literarylectors pieces become of nothing but true ref their inner souls and thoughts.eir Though own they try to eliminate th culture, language and food habitst-land, in theytheir contact with the hos fail to completelyr past eradicate history. and Souththei experiences Asian diaspora writing not only meansglish literary but writings written in En also refers toritings other literary writtenl or w in regional other nationa languages.

Indian Diaspora

The South Asian diaspora writers who have occupied an important position in today’s Englishn language the world literature, of particularly i fiction, achieved massive popularitye and momentum only after th departure of theth British Asia, particularly fromia Sou in 1947. from Ind The South Asian diaspora consistentlylish provides high quality Eng writings as it has the same artisticy as other value, validity and qualit English writings.eason, Due South to this Asianng r occupies English writi an unprecedented position inh the literature market place of today’s Englis and presents tough other opposition stereotypical to writings.

A crucial element which is veryngs prominent is the in the diaspora writi awakening of upcoming generationsolitical about the contemporary sociop crisis and condition of South Asia. only Hence, diaspora writers not produce imaginativeiting piecesbut also of present explore wr day the real problems of our society. They showys a how economic development pla significant role in the culturale expatriate development of our society. Th writers adopt the host-land in th order of to debunk the hegemonic my nationalism, which is also oneings. of the The main themes of their writ diaspora writers explicitly talkwhich about is another important issue, ‘border conflict’. In this context,ng problem we can talk about the fenci between China and India and Indiae to and Pakistan. This happens du South Asian Diaspora 3 xenophobic attitudes, excessivehe love for one’s own nation and t expansion of territory beyondut the such nation’s official boundary. B discussions do not stop withind can the be issue of border conflict, an extended to the study of foodl security, gain, etc. water sharing, politica For example, the IndianFasting author Feasting and Anita the Desai’s Pakistani authorMeatless Sara Days, two Suleri’s well-known novels, are based on the issues of food security and food sharing.

Diaspora writers further shownquering us how different countries are co the issues of border conflict maintain and political dilemma in order to security, virtues,, and peace brotherhoodach with other. e e keenly If w analyze the diaspora literature, aspects we can of notice certain positive the host-landeak as it the helps barriers toict br of in racial order toconfl globalize the issue of friendship a friendly through such adaptation. Such relationship, which is alwaysniversal a praiseworthy matter, can give u peace to us. The alsodiaspora bring writings peaceearing for down us by t the wall of the hegemonicf racism, mythsculture. o and language

Nowadays, readers,academicians scholars and searcherary for new lit writers besides the classics,sworth, such as Jane Austin, William Word John Keats, Charles Dickens, etc.l kinds They of search for unconventiona writings like Indian diasporaIndian writings. Amongst the diasporas, diaspora writers, especiallyave English been novelists living abroad, h dominating and occupying theterature central position for in South Asian li the last few decades. country India is well-known asmulticultural a for its effect, or more precisely, unity for varied in diversity. So, India stands traditions, cultures, languages, we can and religions. In this context mention a few names who have undoubtedlyed by been enjoyed and adopt one and all, such as Salman Rushdie,stry, V. S. Naipaul, Rohinton Mi Vikram Seth, Bharati Mukherjee,ndian M. G. Vassanji, etc. Not only I readers but also people from otherted their countries have readily accep writings and have given them a specialrld space in the field of wo literature. So, we can say thatpora the have writings of the Indian dias enriched the contents of Englishures ofliterature. their The prominent feat writings are suffering, and sensesness. of homelessness and homesick Rushdie revisits India in orderory towhile recollect and re-create hist Naipaul seeks to fix his previousgiven roots a new of origin. Rushdie has direction and dimension to diasporaues like writings. He has viewed iss the politics of cultural identificationNaipaul has and national identity. focused on issues like the sense, of belongingness, displacement homelessness, hybridity, colonialnd existence mimicry, ‘perpetual exile’, a in his novelsA House for like Mr. Biswas ,The Mimic Men, andHalf a 4 Introduction

Life. The last one is an epic thatdely depicts and the issue of diaspora wi explicitly. Mistry revisits a India soothing in order to relax and to give effect to his soul while Mukherjeeremember revisits her homeland to re- her childhood days. Indian diasporarisis of writers not only show the c their motherland but also trytween to strengthen their the relationship be countries or among their countries.ora writers Another of the Indian diasp is Sudhin Ghosh who, although and he lives traced in Britain, has explored back his roots to . Othertia Indian Hossain, diaspora writers like At Kamala Markandaya, Amitav Ghosh,nd Vikram Chandra, Vikram Seth, a Arundhati Roy are indispensable.

Bangladeshi Diaspora

As far as the Bangladeshi diasporarlier is concerned, most of the ea Bangladeshi writings are nothinged works but a large corpus of translat because Bangladesh a monolingual is basically country. The long historical past of Bengali literatureslated into mainly started to be tran English after liberation in 1971,ial when Bengali became the offic language in Bangladesh. Regardlessgladeshi of the translated works, Ban writers have obtained massiveributions. popularity for their genuine cont Recently their attitude English languagetowardsd as the theyhas change are actively participating ining, English and language reading and writ curriculums andng courses adopted are in the beige. English Earlier langua writers basically focused on, poetry but for over the other forms of writing last few decades their spirited, of primarily writing in English has increas in the field of fiction whereearlier they have writers contributed a lot. The focused on domestic issues andspecially locales the but later generations, e present generation of writers,ernational concentrate on universal and int issues like migration, ethnicearlier and east-west problems, etc. The generation of writers who were bornael in Bangladesh includes Mich Madhusudan Dutta, B. R. Sakhawatyed Hossain, Nirad C. Chaudhuri, S Ahmad, A. J. Shamsuddin and Syed Shamsul Haque.

Bangladeshi diaspora writers meansdesh or those who are born in Bangla are of Bangladeshi descent butThey who livesettled down in a new land. there for the sake of better living economic standards, to improve their condition, to support their family their members or to gain fame from writings. Therediaspora are a few writers womeng voices who have stron and have taken Bangladeshi Englishnd given literature a to a new height a new dimension to English literature,by who include Monica Ali, Ru Zaman, Tahmima Anam, Neamat Imam,ia Srabonti Narmeen Ali and Shaz South Asian Diaspora 5

Omar. Ali, a Bangladeshi-bornBritish author, diaspora discusses various issues like inter-generational etc. conflict, in her immigration, marriage, debut Bricknovel Lane, which was undoubtedly well-received by readers as well as literary critics, and Prize. was shortlisted for the Booker Zaman’s debutInvisible novelLines (2011) talks about the liberation war of Bangladesh, as doesA Golden Tahmima Age, which Anam’s won Commonwealth Prize in 2008.The Good Anam’s Muslim second also cannot be passed over when ora we talk about Bangladeshi diasp literature. Imam,anadian a Bangladeshi-C novelist, attention attracts our due to the publicationThe of Black his Coat historicalwhich novel dramatically shows Prime Minister present Mujibur Rahman, father of the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed,r of the as the first deadly dictato country and the period of his regimeesh. Ali’s as the dark age of Banglad novelHope in Technicolor depicts a real picture of Dhaka life. Sharbari Zohra Ahmed’sThe Ocean of Mrs. Nagai and Farah Ghuznavi’s Fragments of River Song have also carried the legacy of Bangladeshi literary writingd to new forwarheights.

Pakistani Diaspora

Early isovel well-known writing for its poetry while n obtained popularity onlyth century. in the later Pakistani part of the 20 writers created very magical imagesBesides of home in their writings. early generationpsi writers Sidhwa and like Ahmed nt Ba day Ali, prese Pakistani writersishi, like Nadeem Hanif Aslam, Kureid, Mohsin Ham Sara Suleri, Roopa Farooki andolific Kamila in Shamsie have also been pr the area of South .eishi’s The worthiness of Hanif Kur debut The novel Buddha of Suburbia cannot be denied as well as Sara Suleri’sMeatless Days and Mohsin MothHamid’s Smoke and The Reluctant Fundamentalist. The latter was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. The contributionsst century of diaspora 21 writers like Kamila Shamsi’s Kartography andBroken Verses, Uzma Aslam’sTrespassing, Nadeem Aslam’sMaps for Lost Lovers, and MohammadA Case Hanif’s of Exploding Mangoes are also notable.

Sri Lankan Diaspora

In this context we cannot deny iaspora the contribution of Sri Lankan d writers who have highlightedc the problems issues of immigrants and ethni as diasporic subjects. As we anknow, literature the largest part of Sri Lank is written in the Sinhalese language,terature but we cannot deny the li 6 Introduction written in other languages likeeriod English post- and Tamil either. The p 1948 was not a very soothing or comfortablekan one for the Sri Lan people as the dominance of the kindSinhalese of ethnic group created a fear and terror for the other minorangered ethnic groups, who were end and forced to leavether for countries various , like o Australia, Britain, etc. Another reasontical behind unrest such migration was the poli between the LTTE and the governmentngs forces. Such diaspora writi provide glimpses of memory of thetion homeland in and identity reforma the host-land, besides the physicaly from as well as emotional journe homeland to host-land.The English Michael Patient, a Ondaatje’sBooker Prize-winning workAnil’s ofGhost fiction, talk about and racial and ethnic problemsThe English respectively. Patient debunks the hegemonic myth of nationalismAnil’s Ghost is while about the ethnic tension between the government forces onflictsand the LTTE in Sri Lanka. Such c have taken thousands and thousands dispersed of innocent lives as well as many people from Sri Lanka to other writer, countries. Another diaspora Romesh Gunesekera, is better knownon for his short story collecti Monkfish Moon andReef . The latter was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Like Ondaatje, his Monkfishshort Moon story and novel collectionReef both reveal the issues of ethnicnka. conflict The list and tension in Sri La of writersIndian is very and long, like those of the Pakistani diaspora. The otherde Sri Yasmine Lankan diaspora writers inclu Gooneratne, Nira Wickramasinghe, Chandani Lokuge, SJ Sindhu, Nayomimunaweera, Sunil David Yapa, Blacker, Shym Selvadurai, Jayadeva Uyangoda, Regi Siriwardena, and Punyakante Wijenaike. Selvadurai’s notableSwimming in the works Monsoon areSea,The Hungry Ghosts, andFunny Boy. Sindhu’sMarriage of a Thousand Lies is a story based on two South Asianrks gay of boys, while the list of wo fiction written by Rajiva Wijesinao written is verya long, and he has als non-fictionalThe Androgynous work Trollope: Women in the Victorian Novel (1982). Wijesina’sActs of Faithnotable,Days of Despair novels, andThe Terrorist Trilogy and Ry Freeman’sA Disobedient Girl: A Novel also cannot. be neglected

Other Diasporas

Other diaspora writers who shouldhapa, be mentioned are Manjushree T Prajwal Parajury, and Rajan Thapaliae we from Nepal. To Thapa’s nam can attachTutor of History (2001),Tilled Earth (2007),Seasons of Flight (2010),All of and Us in Our Own Lives (2016). Two famous diaspora writers from Bhutan are D. S. Acharyan’s and Kunzeng Choden. Chode South Asian Diaspora 7 first literaryThe Circle piece of Karma (2005), was which deals with a Bhutanese woman’s life. In thisd the novel, the writer truly depicte traditional gender roles of pre-modern Bhutan.

Besides its theme, the settingsare of also South Asian diaspora novels varied: Salman Shame Rushdie’s is set in novel Pakistan, particularly in the imaginary town ‘Q’, which actuallyistan. stands for Quetta of Pak Michael Ondaatje’sThe English Patient has a very different and unconventional kind of settingt in as Africa. it is set in the Libyan Deser V. S. Naipaul,A House for Mr. in Biswas , denied regional boundaries. Hanif Kureishi’s novels are Theset Buddha in Britain, mainly in London. of Suburbia is set in London as wellKite as Runner New York, while the has multiple settings like Afghanistan,. Jhumpa Pakistan and California Lahiri is well-known forInterpreter her ofshort Maladies story collection and her firstNamesake novel. InInterpreter of Maladies, she set the stories in AmericaNamesake and moves India, from while West Bengal to Boston and New York City.

Broadly speaking, each and everyeriences chapter brings the diverse exp of the South Asian diaspora Reminiscence, to Identity the fore. Part I, and Gender, attempts to give us a true understandingty of nostalgia, identi and the role of gender further in our deals lives. with Part the I migrants’ quest for a new identity in theperiences host-land of and how their past ex homeland chase them and make themto nostalgic. They always fight secure their place as they suffera. Part, from II homesickness or nostalgi Democracy and Border Politics, deals with the problems that lie in the Indian subcontinent. It reflects impact how on the political affairs leave an social, political, and economiceflects positions how of Indians. It also r autocracy can destroy Estrangement democracy. and Part III, Disarticulation, truly reveals how dislocation creates a kind of crisis among the migratees.hapters All in eleven the book path c show or a new create scope for. We further can conclude researchds with of the wor Gopinath Pillai and Hema Kiruppalini:re research “It serves to direct futu on diaspora to draw new conceptuale nuances maps to better understand th that have developed in the diaspora-homeland nexus” (2013, 6).

8 Introduction

References

Ash, Ranjana Sidhanta.ngdom: Writers“United ian ofKi the South As Diaspora in Britain: A Survey of Post‐War Fiction in English.” Wasafiri, vol. 10, no. 21, July 2008, pp.47-49. English Oxford Living Dictionaries.English Oxford Living “Diaspora.” Dictionaries. Accessed018. July Available 01, 2 at https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/diaspora Joshi, B.Naipaul: Chandra. The Voice of Exile. New Delhi: Sterling Publishers, 1994. Mishra,The Vijay. Literature of the Indian Diaspora: Theorizing the Diasporic Imaginary. London and New York: Routledge, 2007. Majumder,Unique Dilip. Oxford Dictionary . Kolkata: Indrani Pyne, 2007. Nasta, Susheila.Home Truths: Fictions of the South Asian Diaspora in Britain. New York: Palgrave, 2002. Pereira-Ares,. Fashion, NoemíDress and Identity in South Asian Diaspora Narratives from the Eighteenth Century to Monica Ali. Cham, Switzerland:ave Macmillan, Palgr 2018. Pillai, Gopinath.The Political Economy of South Asian Diaspora: Patterns of Socio-Economic Influence. 1st ed. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013. Puwar, Nirmal and ParvatiSouth Asian Raghuram,Women in the eds. Diaspora.st 1 ed. Oxford and New York: Berg, 2003. Rai, Rajesh and PeterThe South Reeves. Asian Diaspora: Eds. Transnational Networks and Changing Identities. Oxon: Routledge, 2009. Sanga, C.South Jaina. Asian Literature in English: An Encyclopedia. Chennai: Greenwood Publication Group, 2004.

PART I:

REMINISCENCE, IDENTITY AND GENDER

CHAPTERI

THEP OETLOST IN THEMYSTIC : REVISITINGRABINDRANATH TAGORE ’S VISITS TOU NITEDTHE STATES

NAHIDKAISER

Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941)s and was a poet dear to all the muse men who have attempted to replicatever his poetic mastery in whate creative art theyative tried. land, In he his great is nhonored poet, as a educationist,t, lyricist, novelist, dramatis thinkero of short and maestr stories, and even painter. Butnt nowhere was he in the Indian subcontine known to be a messianic figure,r, saint it is ora religious guru. Howeve fact that a mystic, prophetic imageilt in of Tagore has come to be bu and America which overshadowsually, his identity as a poet. Us the term mystic refers to someone non- spiritual, other-worldly, and rational. The image wasSong created Offerings (1912), partly because of his English translations ofGitanjali some (1910) devotional poems from and other books. The poems aretion, all about which one’s spiritual revela were attractive in the West onwould the verge break of the Great War that out in 1914. Another reason was Tagore’s sage-like appearance.

This mystery of mysticism originatedE.P. in . The historian Thompson informs us that “Tagoren had a huge bubble reputation i England, first built up on hiss visit due, to to London in 1912. This wa some extent, to his majestic andtery beautiful of an presence and the mys impenetrable alien culture” (Thompsonage 1993, 30). This mystic im having been set in England in 1912, and did Tagore stepped into the USA the same thing. rightly Amardeep puts Singh it as follows:

In his early visits Tagore to presented the U.S.,mystic himself poet as a and a philosopher, and was received lectures, by rapt audiences at packed standing-room only, U.S. universities.at dozensicky: of in But his it's tr lectures in the U.S. (especially6-17), in the second go-round, in 191 12 Chapter I

Tagore did present a kind of mysticism, modern mainly as a response to political repression. (Singh 2005)

Therefore, it was more throughthan a thoughtful natural act of affectation that Tagore became a saint to icsuch identity a large extent that his poet would be lost in the majestic maze the of mysticism. The purpose of present paper is to provide anre overview made to of the five visits Tago the USA to examine whether he washan far the more a man of the world t Americans thought him to be. It was challenges a the view that Tagore mystic to thee extentAmericans that took th him to be.

Purposes and Outcomes of the Visits

Tagore made five visits to the1920-21, USA (in 1912-13, in 1916-17, in in 1929, and in 1930), stayingd five there months for a total of one year an – the longest amount of time thatde India he spent in any country outsi apart from England, where he stayed reaction from 1878-1880. His initial to the USA was not very positive,om which his we have come to know fr first impression of New York fromgh it a letter is he wrote home: “Thou too early for me to pronounce anyst say opinion I do on this country, I mu not like it. America, like anper unripe flavor fruit, yet. It has not got its pro has sharp and acid taste” (quotedas he movedin Sudipta 2011). But later, westward from New York to Illinois,hanged: his impression completely c “The country around is flat andion open, for me, which has a great attract reminding of our own scenery” (quoted well- in Sudipta 2011). It is a known fact that he his spent most some peaceful ofna, time in Urba Illinois, until the news of hisend arrival many spread and he had to sp hours lecturings. at During various his venue stayhat he noticed t “American people have an unhealthy for appetite for sugar candy and lectures on any subject and from spotted anybody… I am afraid they have me – I am being stalked” (quoted in Sudipta 2011). Through this statement, we findd person, a good-humore not a dour preacher.

The purpose behind Tagore’s firstith his visit son, to Urbana was to stay w who was a student at the Universityre went of to Illinois. Moreover, Tago the USA for better treatmenticant for his because piles. The visit is signif this was the first time he hade in been the invited USA. to deliver a lectur He spoke at the Urbana Unitarian is Church about Brahmanism, which very similar to Christianityappreciated in being monotheistic, and he was by the audience, which could bened the reason that “Tagore positio himself as a sage rather than ats poet to the during his subsequent visi USA” (Gupta 2013). So, it was moreof Tagore a facade than the real face The Poet Lost in the Mystic13 that attracted theover, Americans. we hardlyy Morereading hear of poetr sessions that centered on him inpened America in in the same way as hap London. Did this happen becausetience the Americans hardly had any pa for poetry? Or was it due to Tagore’s given mysticism which overshadowed all We hiswill othere explor these gifts?ns questio later.

As far as the evidence certain goes, thatvisit itTagore’s is to America first was due to his need for treatmentfering for from the piles he had been suf for years, but the impressionians given look by the media and how histor at the matter are quite differents research things. Stephen N. Hay, in hi article ‘Rabindranath Tagore in America’, informs us,

Before the century closed, missionariesive to from India began to arr preach modern interpretation of aj Hinduism…In 1883 the Brahmo Sam reader P.C. Mozoomdar lectured1893 in many American cities, and in both he and the famousananda Swami earned Vivek the the applause of World ParliamentChicago…two of Religion decades in later came… Rabindranath Tagore. (Hay 1962, 443)

Hay thinks that during his stay of in Urbana in 1912, the mission consciousness which had been gestatingmany in Tagore’s mind for so years found its outlet. Therefore,cally, Tagore it can be seen that, histori was taken as a missionary fromthe India, press not in as a poet. Moreover, America also had a similar impression.ormed a Rathindranath Tagore inf reporter from a Chicago newspaper from that “Mr. Tagore has come out his work in India because of hisn bringing belief thata he has a mission i message to the Western world” (quoted’s in Hay 1962, 442). Tagore identity as a poet is hardly mentioned or highlighted.

The only evidence of Tagore being is theoriented in America as a poet publication of his six poems inPoetry the. It renowned Chicago journal has a brief history which is very of the relevant to the central theme present paper. The famous poetund and (1885- T. S. Eliot’s editor Ezra Po 1972) introducedcan Tagore literature. to Ameririet He wrote to Har Monroe, thePoetry editor, “This of Scoopis .THE Reserve space in next number for Tagore. He has sung Bengalglish into a nation, and his En version of his poem is very wonderful”). (quoted in Hay 1962, 442 However, Pound’s enthusiasm dider not six last long and he wrote to h months later, “As a religiouss” teacher (quoted he [Tagore] is superfluou in Hay 1962, 443). But Pound has, bridged who Tagore and Miss Munroe connected the poet from Bengal feto ofMrs. a Moody, the benevolent wi professor at the University ofleled Illinois who would be an unparal benefactor to Tagoree to America on his voyagasdon. well as in Lon 14 Chapter I

Tagore’s friendshipody was with very Mrs. human MoFor and his natural. part, he approachednly while,her very for humalayed her part, the she p role of a disciple. For instance,“The Indian her biographer tells us that seer had aroused t in idolatrous her an almos reverenceer and in h friendship with Tagore she felthort that of a she had achieved nothing s Himalayan summit” (quoted in Hayoody’s 1962, 443) in her life. Mrs. M biographer alsoof invokes addressing her way Tagore,, prophet, “The poet our master” (quoted in Hay 1962,ch 443). to However, Tagore’s approa her is evident in his correspondencess Munroe. with her and her friend Mi In 1913, when Tagore was overwhelmedg, he with praise and socializin wrote to Miss Munroe, “Where is Mrs. Moody to rescue me from my disaster?” (quoted in Hay 1962, have 444). Mrs. Moody is reported to rushed to London to rescue her prophet cozy and shelter him with her hospitality.

We can also observe in his letterriendship to Mrs. Moody a man craving f and care. He wrote, “I cannot tellare which you how I miss your loving c has been one of the rarest good West” fortunes I have met with in the (quoted in Hay 1962, 444). Tagoreet didan not know that he would me even greater benefactortina in 1924. in Argen Inrites addition, to he w Mrs. Moody, “The rude touch of …the why curious world is all over me do I not have a word of sympathy froms?” you in my time of distres (quoted in Hay 1962, 444). What wast ailing Tagore so much is no historically known. It may haveings been that the over-powering surround were taking away all his time andce energy of and destroying his pea mind. In this aforesaid letter,eace a world-weary and soul is seeking p shelter. What is prophetic in this desire?

Another letter to clarify thatic Tagore or was far from being a myst missionary was estwritten daughter to his Madhurilata-1918): eld “I (1886 have been confining myself toer this coming small town called Urbana aft to America…People love to listenly been to lectures, so they have real pressing me to give lectures. I s was not responding because I wa convinced that itelf-respect would hurt tonmy English” gives lectures i (quoted in Dasgupta 2006, 129).id not So, have it is evident that Tagore d any missionary drive behind hisat hetrip was to America in 1912, and th an accidental mystic.

Tagore visited the USA for theey second for his time in 1916 to raise mon dream university, Visva-Bharati,1921 whichin would be established in Santiniketan. TheNobel purpose Laureate of the himself:was declared by "The lectures I am to give in theest U.S. to my are for the purpose near The Poet Lost in the Mystic15 heart; to get funds to carry on The my Nobel school for boys in India ... Prize came just wheney for I needed the school. monalties All from the roy my books go to keep up the school.quoted That in is my great ambition” ( Sengupta n.d.). Being a Nobel icult Laureate, to he did not find it diff manage a professional lecturingctures agency in that would market his le twenty five cities, securinglecture. an impressively The high fee for each reporterThe Seattle from Post Intelligencer described Tagore as, “Above six feet tall, the head of a Greekof soft god iron over which flows a mass gray locks, a full highbrow, softnd a figure dark eyes, a Whitman beard, a as straight ase an plains, Indian's Sir of Rabindranathre th is one of Tago the most notable individualsgupta today n.d.), in the world” (quoted in Sen when covering his visit to Seattleit is intrue September 1916. However, that “He had been infected by thented bug his of being a sage and prese mysticism as a counter to modern(Gupta business, repression and war” 2011). But it amused that, theeven critics in, a someone time like was that being paid to condemnMinneapolis material Tribune calledculture. The Tagore “the best business man whoto scold ever came to us out of India… Americans at $700 per scold whiler plead” pleading with them at $700 pe (quoted in Singh 2005). This couldch less be a reason why he became mu popular than he had been earlier.

The lectures deliveredgore’s second during collected visit Ta were later and published Nationalism as the (1917), book which critiques nationalism, capitalism,rn materialism. and es,Weste Thompson “The writ bubble of reputation burst almostA reason as suddenly as it had blown. often given is the offense givene’s lecturesto British patriotism by Tagor on nationalism and his rejectionto European of those values which had led war” (Thompson 1993, 31). Thompsonason for is right to point out the re Tagore’s fading popularity,as which well. would Here affect his later trips it seems relevant to note thatNationalism Tagore to wished to dedicate President Wilsonent’s but office the Presid rejectedbecause of the offer the intervention of Sir Williamson Wiseman,agent in Britain’s special liai the United States, who justifiedgore the had act on the grounds that Ta “got tangled up in some way withAmerica the Indian revolutionaries in who were conspiring to overthrow with Germany Britishndia” rule in I (Sudipta 2011).The allegation had was to notlive a trifling matter; Tagore with the ignominyt part for of a his greaNationalism life. struck In fact, the Americans.Detroit Free The Press praised Tagore’s lecture on nationalism, sayingmasculine force “…with he stripped modern civilization until it stood naked 1962, and 447). grotesque” (quoted in Hay Tagore, as the effeminate and passiveeatly colonized-subject, was gr 16 Chapter I appreciated by the West, but the moment he became vocal with a masculine force his popularity started to wane.

What did TagoreNationalism say that in made such a difference to America’s attitudeIn ‘Nationalism towards him?clared, in India’ “I he de am not against one nation in particular,l idea of all but against the genera nations” (Tagorere 2011,critiqued 67). bothTagond its imperialism anti- a colonial nationalist derivation,ialism to and eventually argue that imper nationalism are same two monster. faces of the Inin ‘NationalismJapan’, the poet stated, “A nation,conomic in the sense union of the political and e of a people, is that aspect whichen a whole population assumes wh organized for a mechanical purpose” he (Tagore 2011, 35). The war, believed, was the outcome of overgrown based on materialism, of an ideal self-interest and Nationalism not on, Tagore harmony. powerfully With expressed his belief that untilided the by their big and powerful nations, a superiority andcal vast advancement, technologisire ceased for their de territorial expansion and controlld peace over the smaller nations, wor could never be achieved.

A few mishaps tookhe place second during trip.some t For instance, cartoons about him were published.happened But the most dreadful thing on 5 October. Some Indian revolutionariesich had been plotting, wh caused newspapers to publish newsisitor with Hit headlines like ‘Tagore V by Hindus’, or ‘Plot to Slay SirS. RabindranathF.’, etc. Tagore Nipped in Subrata Kumar Dasf the informs details us in o this regard:

The activities of those revolutionariest the were so deep-rooted tha American Court had to watch a dangerous23 April incident very soon. On 1918, when the verdict of the Hindu-Germannced, conspiracy was annou Ram Chandra, therdu editor newspaper of the Gadar, Ut the was shot a court premisesolutionist by his fellow Ram rev procedure Sing. During the of the case, thewas Name also of Tagoreincluded. news Aswith a result, a title ‘Tagoreese Named at plotwith Trial’Japand for was which publishe the poet had to pay much. (Das n.d.)

Tagore’s third trip in 1920 focused to raise on New York, the best place money from affluent New Yorkers.o However, the trip earned him n money because of a grave reason:me the mystic had demonstrated so political leanings by this time.as not Instead, the he realized that it w country he had left he had in been1916 preaching.whene in his He wrot bookSadhana that “We never can have a true view of man unless we have a love for him. Civilizations the must amount be judged and prized, not by of power it has developed, but byiven how much it has evolved and g The Poet Lost in the Mystic17 expression to, by its laws andty” institutions, (1915, the love of humani 121). But when he came back, he foundd by humanity had been defeate materiality. Aparting American from criticiz capitalism, already he had renounced his Knighthood in 1919itical which was a highly charged pol gesture. So, instead of raisingon. Anothermoney, Tagore lost his reputati explanation is provided by Dutta and Robinson, who opine, “On 2 November the Republican won, anding the and Wilsonian era of plain liv high thinking gave way to a newliving” era of plain thinking and high (1997, 243). The aforesaid explanation is worth considering.

Further, to support theirMyriad Minded point, Man also the authors of quoted the American scholar Stephenas no Hay, who believes “Tagore w longer the exotic novelty he hadc had been in 1916; the fickle publi already turnederring to new bobbedfads, pref hairbeards, to long and grey short flapper skirts to flowinga and Oriental robes” (quoted in Dutt Robinson 1997, 243). The abovementionednds a observation of Hay dema lot of attention in this regarding to attitude examine the Americans’ chang to Tagore. Dr. Rajat Chanda alsos essay sheds light on this tour in hi ‘Rabindranath Tagore: Tagore ussion’.in the United States: A Brief Disc Chanda tells us:

Upon arriving in New York on a tour0 Tagore of the United States in 192 observed that theebullience enthusiasm with andeen which he had b received during his precedingtime visit around. were palpably lacking this He gave a few lectures in New Yorkt there and at Harvard, no doubt, bu was a clear absence of sinceritys time and his warmth all around him. Thi efforts at fund-raising for Visva-Bharatismal met with even more di results. Not many seemed to be eagerssage toof pay much heed to the me India's "mystic" poet, nor had-Bharati. any interest to know about Visva Feeling imprisoned within theotel, walls he of the sky-hugging luxury h became quiteestless. weary and (Chandra r 2003)

In addition, the fourth trip ino visible 1929 was also very brief, and n change can be seeng of in money the raisinor recoveryfame. The of lost failure of this visit is oftenerican related press to the madness of the Am regarding KatherineMother India, whichMayo’s portrays India as poor, backward and savage.

However, his last trip in 1930 appearscess to have been a grand suc because of many reasons. Criticsulted think India that “Gandhiji had catap into America’s nd consciousness, Tagore’s physical had a appearance become even more striking” (Guptaand 2013). So, Gandhi indirectly unconsciously played a vitalAmericans role in changing the minds of the 18 Chapter I regarding Tagore. The change is press visible in the way the American reported the trip. During thetwo tour, months, which lasted for more than Tagore was covered nineteenNew York Times times and by the interviewed twice. Also, a photooned of ‘A Tagore with Einstein, capti mathematician andn ’, a mystic meet moment.was i a historical

In addition, during this trip,ately Tagore met President Hoover priv following the intervention of Denis the British ambassador. Ruth St. performed a dance at the Broadwayiniketan, Theater as a benefit for Sant and Will Durant welcomed Tagore one stage with due ceremony. Som exhibitions of Tagore’s paintingston. wereA held in New York and Bos grand dinner was held in New York, gathered where 500 or so participants in his honor. The dinner was historicallyRoosevelt, attended by Franklin Sinclair Lewis, who was then therature, latest and Nobel Laureate for Lite the Governor of New York. At Carnegiey of Hall, which has a capacit 4,000 people, thousands gathered he to attend his lecture in which expressed “admiration for thered West’s the ideal of liberty but deplo West’s failure to live up toly that in failing ideal in to the East, particular respond to India’s appeal for freedom”ically (Gupta 2013). This polit charged observation of Tagore madeas they most of the Americans cross, were accustomedspiritual to listeninges from lectur him. to

On this very trip Tagore even castigated “The age the Americans, saying, belongs to the West, and humanityour must be grateful to you for y science. But you have exploitedliated those who are helpless and humi those who are unfortunate withe worldthis gift. A great portion of th suffers from your civilization”garb (Gupta of the 2013). As a result, the mystic was torn off and thrown away,k. and the empire shouted bac However, it is true that Tagorethat confessed he was on several occasions not a prophet or a seer. Untiling the so. end In of a his life, he kept say letter to Parul Devi on 29 Mayfamily-man 1937, he wrote, “I am neither a nor a saint” (quoted in Majumdarmane 2004, 73). Rather, he was a hu person and a poet singing for humanity.

Conclusion

In fact, there is a cultist reverencee poet’s name and reservation around th which resists the full revelationh was poetic, of his true personality, whic romantic, humorous, realisticbeing and pragmatic. He himself denied considered a saint on a numberletter of occasions. from For example, in a 1925 to his ‘old age’s beloved’ly Victoria called Ocampo, whom he loving Vijaya, Tagore writes, “They sayn but men I should not humor with wome