Imaginary homeland by Salman rushdie

Imaginary Homelands

 “Sometimes we feel we straddle two cultures; at other times, that we fall between two stools.”

― Salman Rushdie, Imaginary Homelands: Essays and Criticism 1981-1991

 Salman Rushdie throughout his prominent works mainly focuses on the curious positions which occupied by the migrant or the exile people. The central issue is always being Rushdie and other postcolonial thinkers who believe that migration is one that profoundly changes the individual, transformation of  relationship of the migrant with anyone's home country and new host country, and impacting their identity massively as a result. the Issues of "home" and "belonging" are very crucial in this sense, as migrants feels the  idea of "home" becomes detached from their home country, as they are not allowed to "belong" there anymore. 

However, at the same moment their definitely do not "belong" in their host country, and this is often unfortunately manifested through prejudice or racism.

In the last day lectures Balaji sir dealing with last unit Imaginary Homeland by Salman Rushdie. We have some of easy in our syllabus –

1. Attenborough’s Gandhi

2. Commonwealth literature Does not Exist

3. New Empire within British

4. On Palestine

Concept of Diaspora:

Diaspora is a Traditional understanding as a  strong force to get  of your nation. Salman Rushdie is included eminent writer of   Diaspora. In the literature of Diaspora the globalization may  completely change. Nostalgia and Memory are the most problematic theme for Diasporic writers. Rushdie is not talking about past but he was talking about vivid imagination so its a contrast culture and his narrative problems around him  where he feel uncomfortable. 

Provincially his attempt to capturing past, the state of truth about the war in Bangladesh, Emergency also mentioned during ideas of politics. Other essay Attenborough’s Gandhi studies as postcolonial ideas like Gandhi's character portrait as role model hero in the film  but this ideas broken when we study as postcolonial perspective.

Look at the imaginary. The idea of what constitutes memory e and home and driven by in a sense of Nostalgia. Drishti is talking about notions and the nature of a diasporic experience About the idea of the imaginary and idea of home land it is in a kind of approach or a conflict regards the place that you born and you have left a place.

Diaspora is in wide term:

It is a constitutes of diasporic experience of course diaspora is used in a very wide sense now. It is what  something called indentured labor. So there was  individuals forced in the sense agreements and signed with migrant situation, which suppose to  be democratic but that's how it was the ties for people who signed agreements to work in the colonies in Philippines and Malaysia( Example)

When we talking about the diaspora there is always a degree of conflict in world with diaspora it has to do with the idea of memory and it the memory something with the desire which we had left. Desire because in which terms and conditions where you had left your mother country and you are come to  host country.  the process there is this called a shift of memory.

1. Attenborough’s Gandhi

Whether it is Hobson jobs essay on the Gandhi. As earlier the queen of England was the head and the ruler of the British Empire. it is a global view with the political arrival of  independence in a formation of commonwealth come there was also the new genre that come of an academic field. they shared experience in a group that literature is coming out of countries  because what happened  with the flourishment of post structuralism theory of commonwealth was something that had lost its relevance  in 19th century until it had the commonwealth 1995 and the idea of writing in commonwealth as a political organization lost is force.

2. Commonwealth literature Does not Exist

So, Experiences of novel entry set in the Trinidad was something similar , post coloniality come in the idea of nationalism scale international relations don't allow similarities in nationalism breed differences, differences of using frames of analysis that could be termed as a something that could be termed as that was different common  world.  For that, Blaming Macaulay  for all our issues? no way, but precisely English was the language of commonwealth if you read rusty this essay in the commonwealth is questioning the very idea  do you mean by common writings is the star in commonwealth writing? midnight children just been published and somebody in world in the terms of that what is this very commonwealth what is the very writing of that shifted memory?

"Commonwealth writing is  probably shifted to a new label was called new literature"

"New literatures become a postcolonial literature", 

so that is the common wealth and its commonalities also presented a lot of diasporic movement in a form of literature, because really a commonwealth countries were connected with each other in a diplomatic way, After the commonwealth the new literature so ending birds Gandhi and hobson jobson somewhere in the 19th there was their idea that they wanted to get back to the Raj and also there was the desire that wanted to be get back the glory of the past and  the British Raj in from the 18th century onwards. for example, the films like jewel in the crown by Paul Scott a the passage to India was film talking about experiences in South Africa so lot of documentaries where made on the Raju we wanted to disappear and the commonwealth is going and horses attempt to recapture the lost Raj, in this  Gandhi  is showing as very proper Gandhi very propaganda Gandhi's its relationship with his wife Kasturba very not interested, Gandhi had a such as troubled relationship with his children, it would be a very balanced film to be  man with private personal, public everything would be looked at in this film it is epitomized is the British raj in a major  potteries.

3. New Empire within British

  The queen is still the head of the commonwealth why do we need to perpetuated, so in that sense  the idea of commonwealth group of nations  is not serving its purpose it is like the non-aligned movement begin with Nehru and the group of nations of Southern hemisphere.

"Language"

Here, Rushdie is making a claim that a people's society and culture can be linked to their language. Language is vital part of a society because it is the main source of communication between people, however, the problem arises when people speak different languages in the same place. Consequently this leads  to a barrier in the communication. Rushdie confronts this issue because it plays a big role in the reason why immigrants, as well black Britons were discriminated against. With white Britons dominance over social, economic, and political life, it was very hard for anyone else to partake in their way of life

because of their superiority. 

'racial harmony'...

What He is trying to explain is that in societies, there are many different cultures that have their own

values and beliefs, but just because one does not believe in that certain culture does not necessarily 

to impose violence just because of different attitudes towards it. Racial harmony must exist throughout

the world, if not, people will suffer. Governments must not be allowed to ignore the injustices families

face after a death in custody.

'multiculturalism'...

Multiculturalism is the latest token gesture towards Britain's blacks, and it ought to be explored, like

integrations and racial harmony. The trouble with all of these multi's is that whatever their passing appeal

to politicians and guilty liberals who wish, usually for consumer purposes, that they'd never lost their

grandparents' steerage language, is that the mainstream never sees itself as part of the equation as one of the multi's. 

The absence of a world language, I believe, is primarily responsible for the wars, bestialities and 

slaughter of the innocents which are today the backdrop against which our global tragedy is being

enacted.

4. On Palestine

The origins to the conflict can be traced back to Jewish immigration and sectarian conflict in Mandatory Palestine between Jews and Arabs. It has been referred to as the world's

 "most intractable conflict",

 with the ongoing Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip reaching 52 years.

 Said talked about the issue of Palestine that what is the condition of the people there, they have not their mother land because of the forcefully occupation by Israel. From 1948 to present time Palestinian are suffering a lot for the peace and their homeland but Western countries do not take any kind of action on this issue. We also can say that why Europe and America built a new state for Jew people surrounding Islamic countries, if they have love for Jew people then why they vanished jew from Europe. So, Said explained this issue through cultural, religious and political views.

Simple problem is that "One Side Wants the Other side Beat "Arab-Israel war 1948-49

There was war time between Arabs and Israel . And That time Israel defeated the Arab Countries and established the new country for the Jews People.

Bird eye view of the Novel

the novel is beginning with the picture of Bombay and the essay is starts with imaginary which is very normal which is getting together all will happen and and it constitutes a cultural memory so what they are trying to do is some of some of the things which they have left behind which they have lost and they want to replicate it here.

 Salman Rushdie is talking about the introductory essay of the very looking at the photograph of Bombay and he says looking at 4 he is looking at the photograph it is an old photo it means he is talking about the home which he left in and he was not even born when this photo was taken .The photograph  reminds me that my present that is for in the past is home I will buy two lost home now lost sitting of midst of lost time it's no longer home.

That photograph is a part it is talking about the lost home or a lost city photograph which represented the moment is now the city has changed in a massive way because when he goes back in the dictionary and then locate the place which they had seen and then he visits his home and stand outside their new owners overwhelmed, The photo is naturally been taken in a black and white color it is a memory feeding on such images begin to see my childhood ..

In a way, if tragically, he exemplifies the cosmic balance of things. For a literary writer, in a short time, he achieved such critical acclaim, wealth and fame as has few parallels; so much so that it can only be matched by his subsequent vilification and victimization at the hands of an entire people, and the unenviable, and most likely, unprecedented distinction of having loosened on him millions of potential executors.

Thank you