A STUDY OF HOME IN INDIAN DIASPORIC LITERATURE: RE-VISITING MYTHS THROUGH MEMORIES

Abstract

The idea of home has always occupied a central position in diasporic literature contributing to the array of work that attempts to represent the complex nature of identity. The indigenous myths, in this respect, are a significant troupe that the diasporic writers use to revisit the memories of the motherland. This ̳going back‘ to one‘s homeland through the means of myths becomes a challenging task asit threatens to identify nostalgia with reality. The critical western approach coupled with a yearning for home create a space of conflict in literature where the writers‘ attempts to re-imagine their motherland constantly confront their inability re-create the authentic picture of home. Bringing in the ideas of diasporic sensibility and postcolonial theory this paper will argue that, myths, in the hands of these writers, become a useful tool of navigating a fresh postcolonial identity which is more relevant and contemporary.