Elements of Diaspora in The Inheritance of Loss

The novelist Kiran Desai has won immense popularity after writing her second novel The Inheritance of Loss. This novel was published in the year 2006. It is a matter of great pride for the novelist that it won her the Booker Prize of 2006. Biju and Sai are two central characters in this novel. Biju lives in the United States of America and he is an Indian. He lives in America illegally because he has no valid documents to live in that country. Sai lives in Kalimpong with her maternal grandfather whose name is Jemubhai Patel. Mutt, the dog is the only true companion of Jemubhai Patel who is also known as the judge. There is also a cook in the house of the judge. Biju is the son of the cook. Biju was very proud of his son that he was living in America. With the advancement of the novel, we come to know that it is the cook who has compelled his son to go to America to earn a better livelihood. In America he lives a miserable life because Indian immigrants are not treated well there. The colour of his skin is black and for this reason he is discriminated by Americans in United States of America. He lives in basement and all the time he feels scared that police may put him behind the bars because he was living in that country illegally. It is important to note that Indian immigrants find it difficult to live in countries like United States of America and United Kingdom. In fact, immigrants who live in a foreign country feel that they have been dislocated. Diaspora means scattered identity and people who live away from their native land feel that they belong to two different countries but are native of none. This kind of experience is very painful and it is felt by characters like Biju in America. Every time he keeps on remembering about his country India. There is a wide cultural difference between India and America. The novelist Kiran Desai has lighted the elements of Diaspora in the novel The Inheritance of Loss. It is actually the loss of culture and tradition that immigrants feel in the foreign country. Jemubhai Patel is a retired judge who hates Indian tradition and culture. He has received his higher education from America and all the time he keeps on comparing Indian tradition and culture to American ways of living. It can be one of the reasons that he neither belongs to his native country India nor his adopted country America. He lives in India but admires western thoughts and culture. It is noteworthy to find that his relationship with his wife is also not good because she is also an Indian. He tried hard to make a balance between himself and his wife but he left her at last. She was not highly educated like her husband. Jemubhai was also the father of a daughter but he never went to see her. The parents of Sai got killed in an accident and so, Sai came back to India to her maternal grandfather Jemubhai Patel, the judge. He was a man who always doubted on other Indians and it can be one of the reasons that he has no friends in India. He lives a life full of loneliness and he never trusts anyone. He has no feeling for Sai also and thus, it can be said that he loves to live alone. Mutt, the bitch is his only companion because she is a bitch not a human being. So, we can say that the behaviour of the judge is strange. In the opening of the novel, we find that there is a robbery in the house of the judge at Kalimpong. The struggle of the GNLF has also been highlighted in this novel. Members of GNLF were demanding a separate Gorkha Land from the government. It was the reason that they were protesting against the government. They thought that they were not equal to Indians and their were no basic rights for them in India. When Sai turned Sixteen then Gyan was hired as her tutor by the judge. Gyan was a brilliant student who was good in science. The plot of the novel becomes interesting when we find that a love affair starts growing between Sai and Gyan. It should be noted that Sai started noticing Gyan as her boyfriend and they started kissing and loving each other. This love story could not be extended more by the novelist and we find that a disparity occurs between Gyan and Sai because Sai went to attend the Christmas party and Gyan disliked it. Gyan said to her that she was not a Christian so she should not go to the Church. Sai was greatly shocked at this behaviour of Gyan and she made it clear that it is her personal freedom and no body can interfere in her ways of living. She found the true colours of Gyan and it was the reason that she was very much disturbed. With the advancement of the plot, we come to know that Mutt, the bitch was stolen and the judge was crying for the bitch. It has already been stated that the bitch was his only companion. Police of Kalimpong was trying hard to nab the robbers who robbed the house of the judge. In a rally Sai witnessed Gyan enchanting mantras for GNLF. Sai also noticed that Gyan ignored her in the rally. She wanted to meet him because she was still haunted by his memories. When Sai went to meet him then Gyan pushed her hard in the walls. She came back from there and we find that it was Gyan who informed the members of GNLF that there were guns in the house of the judge. It was the reason that the house of the judge was robbed by the members of GNLF.